Does the cast get residuals?

[Taeylor Collins]

I know Sy Thomasoff does.  It is written in the DS Almanac, however I wondered if it was standard practice for a  soap actors contract to have residual payments in it.  Just curious. Anyone have and idea?  Thanks!  I have always been curious about this!

[MagnusTrask]

I think TV actors in general got screwed in the 60s as far as reruns.

[Brandon Collins]

No, I don't think they receive residuals from DS. IIRC, this came up in some other thread a while back.

Back in the 60s, most actors didn't think about putting residuals in their contracts because there wasn't really a market for reruns like there is today. And certainly, no one that worked on DS ever thought it would see a resurgence in the 80s and 90s, with reruns and the VHS tapes from MPI, as well as now with the DVDs from MPI. Because they never thought DS would be seen after it went off their air, and because most soaps (until Soapnet that is) didn't ever show reruns of their episodes, its safe to say that the residuals clause was not in any contract.

[Taeylor Collins]

If you beleive Sy he says he had it drawn into his contract.   I just was reading about it in the Almanac.  I know POM PRESS isn't known for there perfect books.  However, he wrote the piece.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

As Brandon mentioned, this has been discussed on the forum before. One example:

I hope that helps to clear things up. 

[michael c]

i think i read somewhere that dick york,who played the original 'darren' on "bewitched",was ill and for many years lived in poverty even though his series has essentially aired daily somewhere in syndication(not to mention current dvd sales)for the past forty years.

so yeah back in the 1960's most actors probably never thought about adding residual clauses to their contracts.

however the casts of recent shows like "friends" will probably be living high for the rest of their lives.

[MagnusTrask]

Whilre Dick York was in that condition in Michigan, he still went out of his way to try to help people who had money problems, survival problems I mean.   I don't know how he did it.

Syndication was big already in the 60s... actors just left decisions to agents because they were told they had to, and were out of their depth, being performers not businesspeople.    A few horror stories had to come out before actors started educating themselves.

[Taeylor Collins]

Yeah I remember that about Dick York.  Just think about the GIRLS on Charmed.  They can probably quit working.  IF they wanted to.

[Miss_Winthrop]

I do remember reading that about Dick York and the physically debilitating disease he had. It is terrible how that man suffered in the end.

I wonder if DS is not the only daytime soap that saved the daily episodes.  I've seen some early, early scenes from All My Children on YouTube. I would love to get my hands on the earliest episodes of AMC and Days of Our Lives. I have the complete DS episodes and to have the other two would be heaven for me.