ALL: What are your lost soap media "holy grails" for 2025?

[Maxim]

I mentioned youtube, only to inform whoever is reading my post that these AOL platform episodes have survived on youtube.  People downloaded them back in the day and uploaded them. THANK GOD, because we wouldn't even have that. They give us an opportunity to watch some great, great moments. But of course... my dream is that something like what AOL did back in the day... can happen again. To get these 80s episodes. As The World Turns, Guiding light... etc. Some streaming platform... SOMETHING. And... we should not underestimate youtube too. Bold has been uploading 1999-2004 in pristine HD quality. And they have stated that they have plans to return to 1987 and re-upload everything in HD.  

For example this episode (the first 20 minutes of the video) that originates from the AOL platform. To me, this is one of the best, if not THE best soap opera episode I've ever watched. And the build up to this... is... masterpiece.

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[Contessa Donatella]

@MaximThanks for your explanation. I'm aware of the reuploaded special content AOL episodes from the past, that amazingly still exist. 

And, also I think what Bradley Bell has done is remarkable.

I was shocked to learn that Corday said that they began modern digitizing of the DAYS archive about 10 years ago. If true, and they have continued doing so, they should have a considerable body of HD quality & considering some of the flashbacks that would seem to me to be accurate.

[Maxim]

My hope is that we'll get Days (from the first available period they have saved I guess)and Restless (from episode 1) some day... in pristine digitized versions. I just have a feeling we'll do. For the other shows... I don't know. Hope dies last. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Supposedly DAYS lost one year to a "warehouse fire". But, also supposedly, DAYS never wiped. If true, they should have almost all. But, these are things we don't actually know. 

[asafi]

The late 60's through early 80's was truly Days of Our Lives "Lost Decade." This era packed some incredible storylines - Tommy Horton's return from death and shocking affair with his sister, the Mickey-Bill-Laura love triangle, Susan-Julie-David's drama, Linda Anderson's arc, Mickey and Maggie's affair, and of course, Stefano DiMera's game-changing arrival in Salem. Not to forget Mickey's faked death in '83. Hope we get to see these episodes someday!

[Chris B]

It was mentioned on the SOD podcast that Days lost season two in a fire.

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks for that confirmation! 

[Planet Soap]

Y&R: would love to see video clips of Katherine driving Philip off of the cliff and his death, the aftermath and the Suzanne Lynch story. 

OLTL: 1968-1975... Really would like to see Victor Lord Sr death's death and fall out, more of the Carla story and early Nikki Smith.

ATWT: anything 1968-77, the rarities on youtube.

GH: Anything 1963-77, pre Monty. There was a YouTube channel with a lot of GH content from that period that was taken down. These are the only few I can find: 1967  1974  1975

Overall the late '60s to the mid-70 seems to be the lost period for soap episodes.

Edited January 9 by Planet Soap

[Marco Dane]

This is the best soap opera episode I have ever watched as well as Karen going off on the stand on OLTL 

OLTL 1968-1985! I would love to see the pilot episode if anyone had it. 

It still puzzles me with all these streaming platforms. Soaps are overlooked so much. Is it because they dont want to pay royalties to the actors and staff. Or just laziness on there part. ABC would make a killing if they could upload past seasons of soaps on iTunes. I know I would. 

Or just make a FAST channel on Disney Plus for retro abc soaps. 

[Maxim]

Ah! That scene with Karen is SOOOOOO good. I recently found a playlist with all kinds of obscure OLTL material and from time to time... I watch them.  I have heard that 70s OLTL was sublime!

[Contessa Donatella]

So many episodes results in it being an expensive proposition. Digitizing, curating, then putting the episodes up on servers, which are an equipment cost, etc. 

Disney also owns Santa Barbara. 

[Khan]

EON was proof that all you needed to make a good soap opera were good acting and good writing.  You literally could close your eyes and just listen to the cast speak Henry Slesar's marvelous words and still be riveted.

[Marco Dane]

I have that playlist as well. I've downloaded all the clips just in case if abc decides to remove it. 

[Alan]

Off the top of my head:

Y&R: Anything of Katherine from the 70s to early 80s. More Derek Thurston scenes and the Felipe storyline! More episodes of Nina and the baby mill with Darlene Conley as Rose DeVille. These musical cues from the 80s-early 90s.

OLTL: Apparently Ellen Holly had a collection of early Carla tapes. I am so curious as to where those are now. Anything new of Victor Lord. Gillian Spencer as Viki.

GL: The gaslighting of Sara McIntyre. Bill Bauer's alcoholism and infidelity and his 'death' in 1969. I would love to see more of the Fraziers, especially from the period when James Earl Jones played Jim and anything with Martha Frazier. The notorious Stanley Norris storyline! Mainly episodes from the late 60s-early 70s.

Somerset: More episodes with my idol, Jingles the dancing clown.

DOOL: The Tommy Horton saga, the Susan/David/Julie triangle, episodes with the Andersons and Mary Frann. Early episodes with Maggie.

[kalbir]

Would that have been Bill Bell's first year?