GUIDING LIGHT
(1937-2009)

There are many who wonder how they'll live without their daily fix of Reva (Kim Zimmer, pictured with Robert Newman) and the rest of the Springfield characters. Seventy-two years after its start as a 15-minute radio serial, the longest-running soap opera will air its last episode on Sept. 18. Just last year the Irna Phillips creation began a new production model, which featured permanent sets and a lot of outdoor filming. Too little, too late.

RYAN'S HOPE
(1975-1989)

The close-knit Irish-American Ryan clan fascinated many with their working-class life in New York City. Who didn't want to belly up to the bar at their tavern? After enjoying great popularity, it was the beginning of the end when the show had to change timeslots to accommodate Loving and ratings began to plummet. But, hey, we got folks like Kate Mulgrew (Star Trek: Voyager), Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Psych), Marg Helgenberger (CSI), and Grant Show (Swingtown) out of the deal.

DARK SHADOWS
(1966-1971)

This ABC soap delivered both camp and vamp. Barnabas Collins' tortured vampire defined the show, along with the werewolves, zombies, and witches that existed in and around the old Collinwood Mansion. Given the fact that Dark Shadows was a soap, its stock-and-trade was doomed romance, but it also dabbled in time travel and parallel universes. See any similarities with a current show on the same network?

PASSIONS
(1999-2008)

Speaking of the otherworldly, who could forget the ancient witch, Tabitha Lennox (Juliet Mills), over in the quaint New England town of Harmony? Or her right-hand man, er, doll-turned-boy, Timmy (Josh Ryan Evans)? James E. Reilly created this NBC show, that ostensibly followed the intertwining lives and loves of local families, but it was the goofy paranormal adventures that helped spark the cult following. When ratings declined and the network dropped it, DirecTV stepped in and ran it for another year.

THE EDGE OF NIGHT
(1956-1984)

This show, which followed intrepid lawyer Mike Karr (played by three actors over the course of the series: John Larkin, Laurence Hugo, and Forrest Compton) as he cracked cases all over the fictional city of Monticello, appealed to many because it was less a lovey-dovey baby-mama-drama than a daytime serialized crime show. It even won an award from the Mystery Writers of America. Take that.

ANOTHER WORLD
(1964-1999)

Another Irna Phillips creation, this soap, set in fictional Bay City, Il, only won one Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama but it had fans enthralled as it tackled tough subjects like abortion. In addition to folks like Douglas Watson and Victoria Wyndham (pictured), it also featured actresses such as Anne Heche and Jane Krakowski.

SUNSET BEACH
(1997-1999)

It was on the air for a little less than three years but the late-'90s show was an attempt to give the flailing soap opera industry a youthful shot in the arm. It was co-produced by primetime soap maestro Aaron Spelling, and featured outrageous story lines like a surreptitious turkey-baster impregnation. The fact that it didn't take itself too seriously and had winking pop culture reference guest stars like Jerry Springer served to endear it to, sadly, a happy few.

LOVING
(1983-1995)

The Alden family ruled life in the Corinth, Pa., world of this ABC show, where soap staples like faked pregnancies, kidnappings, and murder played big. Despite the fact that it never scored in the ratings, the show lasted 12 years. And eventually they eliminated half the cast through a serial killer story line that heralded the end of the show.

THE CITY
(1995-1997)

This Loving spin-off followed the survivors of its predecessor's final story line, the Corinth Serial Killer, as they moved from Pennsylvania to New York City and shared a loft in SoHo. Morgan Fairchild starred in the first year and, when her contract was up, soap powerhouse Jane Elliot (General Hospital) stepped in. But neither that nor the provocative transsexual story line (tres scandale!) could save it from cancellation.

GENERATIONS
(1989-1991)

It was the first network soap to feature an African-American family from day one, as it looked at the lives of two Chicago families — the black Marshalls and white Whitmores — across three generations. It never did well during its two-year run on NBC, but with the help of actors like Kelly Rutherford and Debbi Morgan, it found new life (and a cult following) in syndication on BET where it aired until 1993.

By Reader Demand
SANTA BARBARA
(1984-1993)

The entire run of this NBC show was its own version of ''Who shot J.R.?'' — Who murdered Channing Capwell, Jr.? Just about everyone was a suspect at one time or another. But it was popular characters like the soap's super-couple, Eden (Marcy Walker) and Cruz (A. Martinez), along with clever use of pop music, that brought in the viewers and garnered them numerous Emmys. Clever was often the name of the game on the show, like when a leading lady (Harley Jane Kozak's Mary Duvall McCormick) was killed by giant ''C'' that fell onto her from a sign on top of a building. Ever since it was canceled due to declining ratings, fans have been waiting (not so) patiently for a network to rerun the show.

By Reader Demand
PORT CHARLES
(1997-2003)

What started off as a simple spin-off of General Hospital ended up venturing way out there, with vampires and werewolves stalking around Port Charles. Having GH folks like Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) and Scottie Baldwin (Kin Shriner) leading the show made for an instant audience base. Some viewers couldn't get behind all the supernatural happenings (a vampire/human baby conceived by a wish upon a ring?) but hey, we got Kelly Monaco out of the deal.


http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20269720_11,00.html

This genre is a dying breed for sure. It's so sad. :(

If the soaps do in fact disappear it will be a sad day for all of television and the movies too, because soap operas have been a great training ground for actors and actresses. Where will they learn their craft now?

^ Nowhere, because it will all be reality!! :eek: :( :mad:

^ Nowhere, because it will all be reality!! :eek: :( :mad:
very sad, but true. :(

Great article! They're missing (in my opinion, at least) two of the bigger soaps, though: Search for Tomorrow (that's a very glaring omission) and Love of Life.

^ Here you go!

^ Here you go!
Thanks!

Now I have the urge to go dig up some old 15-minute episodes of those shows lol I'll recreate CBS's late-morning soap lineup from the early/mid 50s: Valiant Lady followed by Love followed by Search and ending with good old Guiding Light.

Thanks!

Now I have the urge to go dig up some old 15-minute episodes of those shows lol I'll recreate CBS's late-morning soap lineup from the early/mid 50s: Valiant Lady followed by Love followed by Search and ending with good old Guiding Light.
No problem! I just watched a 1953 ep of Love of Life on kinescope. :cool:

Here's another Soap that should be mentioned. I used to watch this sometimes too back in the '70's.

^ You're right - Elizabeth Hubbard (now Lucinda on ATWT) won an Emmy on The Doctors. Julia Duffy played her daughter.

It is very sad to see the slow and inevitable decline of the once great institution of the American daytime drama. As has been stated, the soaps are a training ground for so many of our most talented and lauded actors and now there will be a very limited (or perhaps nonexistent in the future) showcase for young actors to hone their craft. It's one more thing to add to the increasingly growing list of simple yet powerful things that are slowly but surely disappearing from our lives. We've already seen the disappearance of quality prime time programming as well as movies. It makes me think what television will look like a mere five-to-ten years from now. I imagine it will be unrecognizable... as well as unwatchable. It's close enough to being that today... :(

^ Thank goodness for YouTube and other online services that offer soap episodes. It's one small comfort...

Really whatever is available should be put on DVD...soap lovers would buy that in a heartbeat!!!

Really whatever is available should be put on DVD...soap lovers would buy that in a heartbeat!!!
I would!!

A lot of my childhood and teen years were invested in "the stories" LOL

I'm surprised by how long some of the end credits are in some of these vintage soaps I've seen online - some are over 2 minutes long!!

Really whatever is available should be put on DVD...soap lovers would buy that in a heartbeat!!!




Good idea but not a good idea too. I cant even afford to buy the TV shows I like on DVD.

Should also add Dark Shadowsis on DVD, but MPI only started with the arrival of Barnabas Collins.

If this doesn't make you nostalgic for days of yore and mourn the dying breed that is the soap opera, nothing will. Some of these actors here are no longer with us, and those that are mostly are rotting on the backburner or are out of daytime all together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC5VKcCCXN8&feature=related

If this doesn't make you nostalgic for days of yore and mourn the dying breed that is the soap opera, nothing will. Some of these actors here are no longer with us, and those that are mostly are rotting on the backburner or are out of daytime all together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC5VKcCCXN8&feature=related
That special is so great. My favorite part is the one with the Phillips/Nixon/Bell tribute. I'd never, ever seen an interview with Irna before, and it's even in color! Really a treat.

^ Same here - do you think primetime today would give up 2 hours for a special dedicated to soaps? I don't. :mad:

^ Same here - do you think primetime today would give up 2 hours for a special dedicated to soaps? I don't. :mad:
No indeed. The Daytime Emmys going to The CW is proof of it.

I always hate it when the big networks (and by "big," I only mean ABC and CBS lol) do these huge promo packs where they highlight nearly every show they air...casts from the dramas and comedies, hosts and/or judges from the reality shows, talk show hosts, game show hosts, news personalities, sports personalities, etc, but not a single mention at all of any soap-related people at all. It really ticks me off because even if the soaps are in the worst place they've ever been (and, arguably, they pretty much are), the networks shouldn't give up on them or sweep them under the rug like that. They should be just as proud of them as they were 30 years ago, and they should promote just as much.

(off my soapbox........pun intended)

^ Well said!! :clap

Did you read this article, JT? A lot of food for thought here...

http://www.redroom.com/blog/jenniferkate/paul-rauch-hes-not-young-and-hes-not-restless

was capitol mentioned?

was capitol mentioned?
No, it wasn't. :(

Hey everyone, I just found TONS of soap themes on this awesome site!!

http://www.televisiontunes.com/

^ Well said!! :clap

Did you read this article, JT? A lot of food for thought here...

http://www.redroom.com/blog/jenniferkate/paul-rauch-hes-not-young-and-hes-not-restless
That's a great read. Rauch isn't a good people person at all. Almost all of his EP stints have been involved in controversy...the worst, IMO, is the way he fired One Life to Live's Lillian Hayman. It was 1986 and Hayman was one of the show's original cast members (she played Sadie Gray), and so she was walking to her car after taping for the day. Rauch ran after her and told her that she was through at OLTL and to not come back. What kind of crap is that!?

But, when it comes to putting on a good show, the man know what he's doing. His Another World (1972-1983) still remains to be some of the best soap opera ever produced. I think it all depends on who the writer is. Maria Arena Bell is doing good things at Y&R, and I think Rauch appreciates that. It makes his job easier.

Hey everyone, I just found TONS of soap themes on this awesome site!!

http://www.televisiontunes.com/
OMG thanks for the link!!

That site lifted all of their files from wavethemes.org, which in turn lifted most of its soap files from The World of Soap Themes, which is closing down this year and is only available to paying members. wavethemes.org is a total pain because all of the files are in .zip format, so you have to download the folder, and then play the music. This site is 100% easier!

It's been a while since I OD'ed on some good soap music, too, so that link is much appreciated :)

ETA: Ooooh there are some soap files there that aren't on wavethemes.org either! I think they might have come from YouTube.

That's a great read. Rauch isn't a good people person at all. Almost all of his EP stints have been involved in controversy...the worst, IMO, is the way he fired One Life to Live's Lillian Hayman. It was 1986 and Hayman was one of the show's original cast members (she played Sadie Gray), and so she was walking to her car after taping for the day. Rauch ran after her and told her that she was through at OLTL and to not come back. What kind of crap is that!?

But, when it comes to putting on a good show, the man know what he's doing. His Another World (1972-1983) still remains to be some of the best soap opera ever produced. I think it all depends on who the writer is. Maria Arena Bell is doing good things at Y&R, and I think Rauch appreciates that. It makes his job easier.
Good point. Harding Lemay has to be one of the best soap writers, ever. Not for nothing have people referred to his tenure on AW as that soap's "golden era". When he left, things just started to fall apart. I heard that right before Mr. Rauch joined OLTL in 1983, that show fired Jacqueline Courtney, who'd been on since 1975. That was the same year he'd fired her from AW. She wrote a scathing letter to Soap Opera Weekly about him in 2004.

I finally saw the "cigar stomp" from the SB finale on YouTube. All the other behind the scenes people (including creators Bridget & Jerome Dobson, who toasted the camera) waved and smiled to the viewers, and then Mr. Rauch did that. :mad: Michael Logan (TV Guide) and others have gone on record saying how utterly tastless that was, and I agree. Oy vey. ohno:

Yes, it is also utterly classless how actors have been fired under his watch. Terrible, especially in the case of Michael Zaslow. I honestly think that was truly the beginning of the end of GL. My grandfather passed from the same disease as Zaz (ALS) and GL lost a golden opportunity to write the illness into the story and educate the audience as well.

While most of the actors fired under his watch went on to work in daytime again, does anyone know whatever happened to Virginia Dwyer? She just fell off the radar screen - I don't think she acted again, period, after being let go from AW in 1975. Anyone know for sure?

OMG thanks for the link!!

That site lifted all of their files from wavethemes.org, which in turn lifted most of its soap files from The World of Soap Themes, which is closing down this year and is only available to paying members. wavethemes.org is a total pain because all of the files are in .zip format, so you have to download the folder, and then play the music. This site is 100% easier!

It's been a while since I OD'ed on some good soap music, too, so that link is much appreciated :)

ETA: Ooooh there are some soap files there that aren't on wavethemes.org either! I think they might have come from YouTube.
No problem!! That site is a mecca for all of those who love TV themes, as I do. I've always loved the Ryan's Hope theme, "Here's To Us" and the different Search for Tomorrow songs the most. Plus I found a ton of primetime themes I've always wanted. Now they are on my iPod. Glad I could help. :wave:

From the same blogger: a sweet Ryan's Hope tribute:

http://www.redroom.com/blog/jenniferkate/oh-ryans-hope-we-miss-you-so

I thought Another World and Sunset Beach got killed off too soon.

What about Somerset?

Somerset is an underrated classic, of course. Unfortunately, it premiered right when soaps were moving away from making kinescopes and ended right before the networks started to save soap episodes, so there isn't a whole lot of it in existence anymore...:( There are some episodes, though, because TVLand aired clips of one when they did some kind of special on where some famous primetime stars got their first big break. Ted Danson was on SOM during its last year, so they showed they had him talk about it, along with some clips.

I really want to see the early episodes, written by its creator Robert Cenedella.

Here is Ted Danson from Somerset with actress Susan MacDonald:

Should also add Dark Shadowsis on DVD, but MPI only started with the arrival of Barnabas Collins.

They're all out now. The earlier episodes were released as Dark Shadows: The Beginning. I own every episode! :wave:

They're all out now. The earlier episodes were released as Dark Shadows: The Beginning. I own every episode! :wave:
I checked a Dark Shadows blooper DVD out of the library and it was hysterical. I loved watching Jonathan Frid desperately trying not to break up. :lol:

Here is Ted Danson from Somerset with actress Susan MacDonald:
Awesome picture. I can't even find much in the way of simple storyline recaps/synopses from Somerset, besides a few blurbs here and there. I've found more information about "Return to Peyton Place" than I have about SOM.

My Favorite was The Edge Of Night

Soaps are definitely a thing of the past. I was hooked on OLTL from December of 1993 to September of 1995 as good as it was during that time period, it couldn't hold a candle to the classic GH episodes or to Jack and Jennifer on DOOL. Thanks to the Internet, I have paid WAY too much money to people just to get tapes and DVD's of some of those classic soap moments; GH's Frisco and Felicia, and DOOL's Jack and Jennifer. The only good thing about soaps now vs the early days is that now you can tape them or see them online or on Soapnet. If only that had been the case way back when.

I got 80 (yes, 80!!) DVD's of Jack and Jennifer from this woman in Australia last year. I have yet to watch them, because they are on DVD's that can only be watched on my computer. I just haven't found the time to sit and watch them all. I wish I could find a way to transfer them to DVD's that I can watch on TV. It was extremely nice of her to send them to me; she didn't charge me a thing, either.

I agree that soaps should be on DVD. Since some shows have been on for so long, I don't know how they would do it, but if they were to start at the very first episode and have volumes, I think it could work. Or better yet, have like a GH Luke and Laura collection. Start with the very first episode they were both on (Before they met or whatever) and have a continuous 4 hour/two hour/whatever cycle. I bet people would snatch those up! They could sell millions just on soap couples alone.

Wow, my mind is just turning with ideas on how to do this! If only I worked at ABC or NBC....

Darn...

Awesome picture. I can't even find much in the way of simple storyline recaps/synopses from Somerset, besides a few blurbs here and there. I've found more information about "Return to Peyton Place" than I have about SOM.
I found that pic on the Another World Home Page. :D

Dakert, here is an awesome Edge of Night website:

http://lavender.fortunecity.com/casino/403/

Plus you can hear the many variations of the theme song here:

http://www.televisiontunes.com/e-theme-songs.html