In my opinion, Santa Barbara was the best American soap opera of all time, perhaps the best soap in world history. Wonderfully written and directed with superb acting from an amazing cast of extremely talented and dedicated actors, the show was a model on how to make a daytime drama. Although it was a hit around the world, the ratings were not up to snuff here in the US, and unfortunately, the show was cancelled in the early 1990s. I found some great clips of the show over at You Tube and was thrilled that someone had taken the time to post them, converted from video tape! If you were a fan of the show, you can check them out here:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search=santa+barbara+soap&search_type=search_videos

Fun fact: Santa Barbara almost DIDN'T get cancelled in 1993. NBC had also considered cancelling Another World, but wound up giving the latter what would turn out to be it's final six-year renewal.

I didn't know this bit of trivia, Seth... Seeing that they ended up cancelling Another World a few years later, I wish Santa Barbara could have lived on for a bit longer...

Both shows were great and should have been kept on the air. How Passions continues to get renewed each year surprises the heck out of me.

NBC never should of cancelled Santa Barbara. Should of kept both Another World AND Santa Barbara, and they would have a stellar three soap lineup. ANd hell, if they wanted to, they could of still debuted Sunset Beach or Passions, but as a half hour show.

I miss Santa Barbara also! It was the best soap ever and so far ahead of it's time. Are there any Mason/Julia fans here?

I miss Santa Barbara also! It was the best soap ever and so far ahead of it's time. Are there any Mason/Julia fans here?
Well I am not a Mason or Julia fan but I am a big Edan and Cruz fan. They were the reason I even watched that soap. That and As the World Turns were the first soap operas I ever watched. Thanks to my mom for tapping some Santa Brabra eps I can still watch. You know even though soap operas have tones of episodes they should put them out on DVD.

I really loved Lionel and Agusta... they were such a hoot. :lol: And who could forget Lionel's mother, Minx, played by the amazing Dame Judith Anderson? I loved the running feud between the Lockridge's and the Capwells!

My girlfriend at the time loved Santa Barbara and I watched it with her.
Some pretty funky stuff on that show. I remember Mason making it in an ambulance with Gina (I think it was her). I also remember hating Kirk Cranston and Dylan- both foils to Cruz and Jake for the affection of Eden and Kelly. Wow, what a dork I am.

I actually have one episode of Santa Barbara, original broadcast from 1985 or 1986, on tape somewhere.

I gotta watch that.

Well I am not a Mason or Julia fan but I am a big Edan and Cruz fan. They were the reason I even watched that soap. That and As the World Turns were the first soap operas I ever watched. Thanks to my mom for tapping some Santa Brabra eps I can still watch. You know even though soap operas have tones of episodes they should put them out on DVD.I wish I could find more episodes of it. They are really hard to come by. I have some but most of mine are from what friends have given me. You sure were lucky to keep yours. Cruz and Eden are ok. I liked Cruz's friendship with Julia. What episodes do you have? I'm just curious.

Well the tape my mom taped on has different eps they don't go in order.
One of the eps is where Eden starts becoming possesed by the devil. Another one is where Cruz and Eden are on a trip and there car breaks down. One where Eden climbs the Mt. to take a picture and falls off. and I think the last one I think there might be more eps on there but i can't remember them all but the last one I can remember is when Cruz sees Eden after she looses her memory and Eden thinks she is someone else and tires to get cruse to think that is who she is but Cruz tries to get her to Remember she really is Eden.

Eden was possessed by the devil? I don't remember that! :) This must have been before Marlena on DOOL was possessed!!! :lol:

Yep this was a couple years before Marlena I can't remember how Eden got possesed I just have a episode taped where she is posseded.

Yep this was a couple years before Marlena I can't remember how Eden got possesed I just have a episode taped where she is posseded.No it was a split personality as a result from reliving memories of Sophia and Lionel's affair.

It was a split personality I didn't know that I thought she was possesed due to the fact every so often her eyes would turn red and she heard voices in her head talking to her. I know thats what happened with Marlena when they had her possesed, but I could be wrong since I can't remember how Eden got that way.

I keep hoping perhaps SoapNet will pick up Santa Barbara and show all of the episodes, like they did for Ryan's Hope and Another World...

How long has it been since NBC aired this Soap Opera The only I remember is that my NBC Station would air Santa Barnara weekday's at 2:30 pm Central Time.

THIS WAS MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE SOAP!

I REMEMBER IT STARTED WHILE I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND LITERALLY RUNNING HOME FROM THE BUS STOP TO CATCH & TAPE IT.

I HAD YEARS OF EP'S, BUT WHEN I MOVED, THEY WERE TOSSED. I REGRET IT ALL THE TIME! I'M ALWAYS HOPEFUL IT WILL GET RELEASED ONTO DVD, BUT I DOUBT IT.

SANTA BARBARA HAD SOOO MANY GREAT CHARACTERS, AND THE ACTING WAS INCOMPARABLE! LANE DAVIES (MASON), NANCY GRAHN (JULIA), ROBIN WRIGHT (KELLY), HARLEY JANE KOZAK (MARY), TODD MCKEE (TED), AND JULIE RONNIE (LAKEN), WE'RE AMONGST MY FAVORITES. I LOVED MASON & GINA'S WHITTY LINES, AND THE COUPLES OF JOE & KELLY, MASON & MARY, TED & LAKEN, CRUZ & EDEN STAND OUT.

OH, I COULD JUST GO ON & ON ABOUT THIS EXCELLENT SHOW, BUT, I'M REALLY GLAD TO KNOW THERE ARE OTHERS WHO LOVED S.B., AND THINK IT WAS THE BEST THERE HAS BEEN-FOR A LOT OF REASONS.

IN FACT, I HAD WRITTEN TO SOME OF THE CASE, AND ACTUALLY GOT A HAND WRITTEN RESPONSE FROM JULIE RONNIE AND TODD MCKEE. WHAT SWEETHEARTS! AND, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW I STILL HAVE THOSE IN MY OLD SCRAPBOOK:)

I CAN'T WAIT TO CHECK OUT YOU TUBE FOR THOSE CLIPS. IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER SITES THAT OFFER VIDEOS, PLEASE, LET ME KNOW.

ALSO, I HAVE TO LAUGH WHENEVER I SEE THE CLASSIC, "PRICESS BRIDE" WITH ROBIN, BECAUSE I THINK OF HER WHEN SHE WAS ON S.B. FUNNY, I DON'T DO THIS WITH ANY OTHER ROLE I'VE SEEN HER IN, BUT MAYBE CUZ THAT MOVIE IS SO DIFFERENT THAN KELLY...OR ANYTHING ELSE, FOR THAT MATTER. "INCONCEIVABLE!"

"Santa Barbara" was one of the best and greatest daytime soap operas in all of television. Very watchable, fun to watch, a great cast, great characters, and great interesting storylines. A real classic soap opera. From C.C. Capwell faking his death to Mason seeking revenge for Mary's death to the earthquake to Eden and Cruz's relationship, you always looked forward to watching this show. I know I always looked forward to watching this show. My mom used to tape this show for me every day since I was in school. When I was home from school, I always made sure I watched and taped this show it was like the highlight of my day. I used to have many tapes of episodes of "Santa Barbara", but unfortunately I had to throw the tapes out because the tapes became defective and would not play anymore. There are many videos of original NBC commercials and clips from episodes of "Santa Barbara" on YouTube. I have watched many of them and since I miss this show so much, I like to watch these commercials and clips on YouTube three to five times a week to give myself a little trip down memory lane. I highly recommend all of you "Santa Barbara" fans on this message board to check out the commercials and clips on YouTube. You will all like them. I miss this show so much and NBC should of never cancelled it. I wish it was still on the air today. We should all write to SoapNet and TVLand to tell them to acquire "Santa Barbara" and add it to their schedule. It would be great if either SoapNet or TVLand acquired "Santa Barbara" and added it to their schedule. A 1:00pm timeslot weekdays on whichever one of these two channels decide to air it would be great. It would do great in the ratings on either channel. If TVLand decided to acquire and air "Santa Barbara" and they gave it a launch 48 hour marathon weekend, it would bring in great ratings for TVLand. Let's also hope that "Santa Barbara" gets a DVD release sometime in the future.

I just started watching the clips of SB from its first few months in 1984. It's so funny that the show debuted a mere 15 days before my baby brother did. :lol:

I was shocked to learn that Eden and Cruz were not the supercouple the show began with (in fact, Marcy Walker didn't debut on SB until 2 months after its premiere, maybe due to her finishing up her contract on AMC - her first go-around lasted from 1981-84). In fact, Eden and Cruz weren't even intended to BE a couple originally, but once people started picking up on their chemistry, it was inevitable. Anyway, the first supercouple the show had was Kelly Capwell (Eden's sister) and Joe Perkins. (Joe's little sister, Jade, was played by a pre-DAYS Melissa Reeves, then going by her maiden name of Brennan.)

Anyway, Kelly and Joe had SMOKING HOT chemistry from the get-go, in no small part due to the fact that their portrayers, Robin Wright and Dane Witherspoon, had fallen for each other as well. From what I read, it was love at first sight when they met each other at the auditions. They also kind of pushed the envelope in a way - there were a couple of kissing scenes where I noticed some tongue action going on!!

Even though Dane was let go from the show after only 3 months and the role was recast (the new actor only lasted 3 months himself before the character was killed off), things fared better for the duo off-screen - at least for awhile. They were together for about 4 years: met in 1984, married in 1986 and divorced in 1988. Then, of course, she hooked up with Mr. Penn a couple of years later. Dane Witherspoon has long since retired from show biz. Last I heard, he's remarried and is an independent businessman based in Denver.

Such a shame their marriage didn't work out - they looked so happy and in love. I wonder how things would have turned out if they were still married and she'd never met Sean Penn...

My girlfriend at the time loved Santa Barbara and I watched it with her.
Some pretty funky stuff on that show. I remember Mason making it in an ambulance with Gina (I think it was her). I also remember hating Kirk Cranston and Dylan- both foils to Cruz and Jake for the affection of Eden and Kelly. Wow, what a dork I am.

You're right, it was Mason and Gina getting it on in the ambulance. That would be the first actress to play Gina, Linda Gibboney.

Kirk Cranston (Joseph Bottoms) was indeed a roadblock in the Eden/Cruz relationship, but it was Nick (the late David Haskell), not Jake, who was Kelly's boyfriend at that time. Dylan (Page Moseley) was Nick's crazy brother trying to steal Kelly away for himself. I watched all this on YouTube. Yes, I'm a dork, too. :lol:

Thanks for all the great information (and photos) about Santa Barbara, Monika!!! :)

You're welcome!! Soaps were on such a roll back then. SB had fantastic actors, talented writers and unsung behind-the-scenes people. It's just too bad that because of a big battle between the soap's creators vs. the network, and also because the show was scheduled opposite GH and GL (both in their creative and commercial peaks at the time), SB never really had a chance to survive.

Thank goodness for YouTube, where I have seen numerous episodes. Also, I want my own Cruz Castillo!!!! :D

Marcy Walker didn't debut on SB until 2 months after its premiere, maybe due to her finishing up her contract on AMC
I wish they could have at least gotten Marcy for the opening scene of the first episode of Santa Barbara (the flashback scene) even if it was a couple months before she could start as a regular on SB.

The most beautiful, elaborate wedding I have ever seen on TV - that of Eden Capwell (Marcy Walker) and Cruz Castillo (A Martinez) that aired on April 1, 1988 on NBC:

I remember the wedding well...I had been sick that week. I was feeling better but I wanted to stay from school one more day to see the wedding. So I told my mom I was still sick. I don't know why I didn't just record it. We had a VCR.

The silver anniversary of Eden and Cruz's big day is almost here!! The wedding aired April 1, 1988. :D

SB really had a crackerjack music department - the songs written for E&C were and are still gorgeous and extremely romantic. Here are my faves:

GR7mHk2o2RY

_x2RQNDTRGk

2D7Ioch8OG4

7jQajTrCdio

Then and now: Kerry Sherman (Amy Perkins Wallace, 1984-86) - who is now a licensed family therapist in Burbank, CA, less than a mile down the road from the NBC studios where SB once taped.

Thanks again for all the amazing photographs, videos and inside information about the show, Monika. You should write a book about Santa Barbara!!! :)

Awww, thanks. Trust me, there are a lot more fans out there who have a lot more knowledge about SB than I do. :lol:

Santa Barbara was a good soap opera that should've lasted longer on NBC but the main reason I think Santa Barbara got cancelled in 1993 was because NBC probably wanted to expand their daytime lineup to include more soap operas and show game shows and talk shows but when the decision was made NBC cancelled Santa Barbara. My mom and I watched Santa Barbara sometimes because we liked the storyline and the storylines were great but also had lots of action and adventure that made Santa Barbara a fan favorite. It really is sad that NBC doesn't have any other daytime soap operas besides the lone survivor Days Of Our Lives and NBC should add more soap operas to their daytime lineup. Because I think after Santa Barbara's debut in 1984 NBC had hoped that Another World and Days Of Our Lives would still be successful when Santa Barbara joined the NBC daytime lineup it fit like a glove but I think even with Santa Barbara still a hit NBC's treatment of soap operas was starting to go downhill. Because when Generations became the new kid on the block when it debuted in 1989 NBC was hoping just like Santa Barbara Generations would be just as successful and garner new viewers. But as soon as The Gulf War began and news coverage started airing about The Gulf War Generations got cancelled in 1991. But if NBC could start releasing DVD sets of their classic soap operas I bet fans would be pleased to see Santa Barbara from beginning to end on a proper DVD release
Bestie

Hi, Bestie! I always wondered why they cancelled S.B. myself. It had goo actors and good writing. I thought maybe it was too expensive.
DTK

Do you remember an episode of Santa Barbara where a church caught on fire? That was an episode that had a lot of adventure and I thought it was weird that the church exploded at the end of the fire. It's a shame today's soap operas don't have many adventure and action scenes today because they were thrilling to watch
Bestie

Long gone are the days of the big budget "disasters" on soaps, where virtually the entire cast was on set and in peril, giving the audience a cliff hanger as to which character would live or die. Gone also are the glamorous on-location shoots from around the world the soaps used to do, in cities such as Paris or Venice. There is simply no money in the budget for these scenarios these days, with the revenue from advertising all but dried-up and gone.

The soaps today are boring to me, as the casts are very limited, the writing is just terrible and the scenes are much shorter. Many of the highest paid and most popular actors are brought out less frequently to keep the cost of production low. I prefer to watch old episodes from the soap heydays of the early-to-mid 80s and early 90s on YouTube than to watch a current soap on-the-air today...