Old Soaps

Was actually home by 11am with NO KIDS, finished scrubbing my kitchen floor, enjoying lunch of shrimp fried rice & pizza. I see Ryan's Hope was on SoapNet...so off I clicked..

Now, I don't believe I watched RH past 1977. Funny thing, I immediately knew Seneca & Jillian. This made me think of some of our cousins who were old enough to watch DS first time on air

Here's a question, and I'm not sure if I'll phrase it correctly: Could 'they' (SoapNet?) air say One Life to Live from 1972? How about soaps which aren't on air anymore (besides ABC soaps, I'm not certain, but Secret Storm & Search for Tomorrow come to mind).

I mean I like OLTL, but I believe SoapNet airs it like 3 times per 24 hours (and don't forget the marathons on the weekends).

I would love to see some older soaps, just for pure entertainment. In the case of OLTL, it would be great to 'relive' my childhood.

As long as we're asking....can't they show DS?? 

Patti

I would love them to air All my children from '73, and OLTL from '82-'83, so I could finally get to see some of my beloved Grayson's most elusive performances!

I read somewhere that Humbert A. A. played an interior decorator on Secret Storm or Search for Tomorrow--I'd LOVE to see that! Also, I think Clarice was on Storm.

Marie Wallace had a great role as a classic soap opera bitch on one of those shows; India something-or-other was her name. I"ve heard some fun stories from fans reminiscing.

So yeah, bring on the vintage soaps!

G.

Guys, please be aware of one horrendous truth: most of the soap episodes from the 60s and 70s are no more.  Some shows aired live while others were taped and after a few months the videotape was erased and reused.  That's why most of the current ABC soaps (One Life, GH, and All My Kids) have few color tapes existing prior to 1978, when ABC began saving its tapes.  "Ryan's Hope", like DS, was independtly produced until the creators sold it to ABC circa 1980, and that's why its pre '78 tapes were saved.

It's even worse regarding the Procter & Gamble soaps (Guiding Light, World Turns, Edge, Search,Another World).  GL goes back to the late 70s, ATWT around 1980, and I'm told there are still missing tapes from AW from the 80s- one reason why the SoapNet reruns started with 1988!!

All of Grayson's OLTL stuff is safe, as is Robert Gerringer on Edge, and is I assume Louis Edmonds on AMC (he joined in the cutoff year of 1978!) and Anthony George on OLTL.

There IS some good news:  Sony/Columbia TV owns Days, Y&R and Bold & Beautiful.  Days' library goes ALL THE WAY BACK TO #1- and it's all in color!! Likewise with the other two.  Some of you may know that Don Briscoe was a Days cast member in 1966- and the odds are the color tapes are in the Sony vaults in L.A.  Also, Jim Storm was a B&B regular, and Jerry Lacy was on Y&R circa 1980.  Now that SoapNet has the rerun rights for both Days and Y&R, perhaps we will be seeing our old friends in their non-DS soap roles again soon!

Marie Wallace had a great role as a classic soap opera bitch on one of those shows; India something-or-other was her name.

India Delaney was her character's name.

It's even worse regarding the Procter & Gamble soaps (Guiding Light, World Turns, Edge, Search,Another World).  GL goes back to the late 70s,

Now it's GL from '73-'76 I'd KILL to see. Too bad they don't still have tapes but who knows, maybe the Museum of TV and Radio Arts does.  I particulary would like to see the wedding of the character's Mike and Leslie Bauer and her death scene 3 years later.  I remember watching it as a kid and being VERY moved when the doctors came and told him she'd died.  Don Stewart (who played Mike) did a great job of playing the grieving husband etc...in that scene.  Very sad.  That's when I started watching the show really, in June of '76, but didn't watch regularly until high school years later.

Even if every scene ever shot, on every Soap ever produced still existed somewhere, in some pristine perfect condition, there would still be one insurmountable problem: where could they possibly start or stop?  The old war horses of soapdom have simply been on too long to watch again.

For purposes of watching again, having been cut short was actually a blessing in disguise for DS.

Charles, thanks, I was hoping someone would know more about when/where/if they were available.

OMG...Anthony George...what do I vaguely remember him on? (besides DS)?? Screen grab anyone?

Rainey, I sort of agree about too much, and I personally didn't really care (too much) for All My Children's last years retrospect.

Patti

Even if every scene ever shot, on every Soap ever produced still existed somewhere, in some pristine perfect condition, there would still be one insurmountable problem: where could they possibly start or stop

They've been airing AW on Soapnet and there's a fairly loyal crowd on places like TWoP. And same with RH. I think you'd be surprised at how many people would tune into see old episodes of AMC or GL or whatever. Heck, I don't care if they're in B&W. I'd watch.

I'm loving AW. Bad hair, bad clothes, even some bad acting, but some great soap. It's my DS in the sense that I watched it "live" back in the day and now I'm watching it again for the first time in 20-odd years. Very surreal. I think begin to fathom what you hardcore original fans must have felt on seeing DS again.

For purposes of watching again, having been cut short was actually a blessing in disguise for DS.

That's a good point...and no matter how long it went on, it would've inevitably been cut short...soaps just aren't in the business of tying things up nicely and neatly, are they?

But I'm no expert on the subject...has there ever been a soap that wrapped up all the loose ends before cancellation?

They've been airing AW on Soapnet and there's a fairly loyal crowd on places like TWoP. And same with RH. I think you'd be surprised at how many people would tune into see old episodes of AMC or GL or whatever. Heck, I don't care if they're in B&W. I'd watch.

For a while, I guess about a year and a half ago, SoapNet was airing RH during a time when I was home between classes either stuffing my face or putting in some time on the stepper. I'd never seen the show before, but I thought Delia was a riot, and I confess that I did try to arrange things so I could be doing something that allowed me to watch it when it was on. 

 

It's quite amazing that anything originally shot on videotape--including DS--survives for us today.  Some recent DVD releases from old shows like THE BELL TELEPHONE HOUR and THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW include segments that were taped in B&W way back in the early 60s, and even some taped in color as early as 1961.  Of course, those were shows that might have historic significance, so it's great that they were saved.  No one ever thought the soaps would see light of day again, so it's no wonder the networks recorded over the tapes--tape must have been very expensive back then.  As for shows I'd like to see, how about THE EDGE OF NIGHT, in the early 70s, when there were haunted mansions and ghosts stories, probably thanks to DS!

Brian

There are a bunch of EDGE tapes from the early 70s floating about, but P&G has the show archived from February 1978 to the finale in December 1984, making a grand total of 1,798 episodes available for syndication.  I got that from an EDGE fan site.

I purchased a few rare soaps on VHS tapes back in the 90's from a place called "Moviecraft Home Video" out of Illinois. A fun mixed bag of stuff:
SEARCH FOR TOMORROW from 1953 with Don Knotts, from 1960 with Larry Hagman, and from 1952 with the guy who played the principal on "Welcome Back Kotter" in the 70's! Anthony George, btw, was on "Search" in the early 70's as Dr. Tony Vincente.
THE SECRET STORM from 1966, with Peter White (who most people remember as Linc Tyler on 'All My Children').
THE EDGE OF NIGHT from 1964, with Teri Keane as Martha, broadway actress Penny Fuller as Geri, and James Mitchell (Palmer Courtlandt on 'All My Children') as a crooked cop.
THE GUIDING LIGHT from 1952 with Charita Bauer (Bert) and James Lipton (from "Inside The Actors Studio") as a young doctor.
LOVE OF LIFE from 1952 with spunky Peggy McCay (who still plays Caroline Brady on "Days Of Our Lives").

..And the original commercials (like Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes hawking "Fluffo" shortening). Definitely a blast from the past.

I'd never seen the show before, but I thought Delia was a riot

My brother (the one who used to think the werewolf was gonna get him as he ran home from his friend's house after watching DS) and I used to watch Ryan's Hope back in the day and we too LOVED Delia!  She was a hoot and we'd roar w/laughter over her.  

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW from 1953 with Don Knotts

WHAT!!

Who knew!!?? That's funny.

Thanks

Patti

I wouldn't mind seeing Santa Barbara again.  I used to watch that back in the mid '80s.