- Awards
- 24
Sandy Dvore designed the Y&R opening (including that blending of the Y and the R into one "symbol"), and also created the S9/S10 look of the Knots Landing credits.
- Awards
- 4
- Awards
- 11
The first one you included of AMC is one of my favorites.
- Awards
- 7
I went down a Search for Tomorrow rabbit hole and I see that their 1981 intro revamp was a bit gentler than the other P&G soaps. It was still quite an old school type opening sequence. Then, 1986 comes around and they’ve suddenly gotten this Miami Vice-esque intro music and graphics that feel totally at odds with the show’s sleepier (based on the little I know of it) image. I’m presuming this was part of some last ditch attempt to avoid cancellation?
Last edited:
- Awards
- 24
Yes, that final revamp was only part of a larger effort to save the show, an effort that included a storyline where Henderson endured a flood which featured a lot of disaster-porn havoc not typically seen on SFT, and allowing them to create lots of new sets and venues for the characters to interact in/on. It was ultimately not successful, but a lot of critics at the time gave NBC credit for making the effort (and loosening the purse strings in the effort). When most other soaps were on their way out, NBC just let them die without putting up such a fight.
- Awards
- 7
I read the below archive article from February 1986 about the flood storyline and the efforts to keep the show afloat (pardon the pun). Interesting to see that the “notorious” Brian Frons was involved in deciding the show’s fate.
- Awards
- 24
The article mentions "Jo and Stu's children" as if they had children together....no, they were just dear friends for the entire 35-year run of that show. I can imagine Head Writers of that show pitching stories to pair them romantically, but luckily no one ever allowed that to happen.
Larry Haines's Stu Bergman had been paired with Melba Rae's Marge for twenty years when, in 1971, Rae died on set (during a commercial break) from a cerebral hemorrhage. They had to finish the episode (it was still live back then), and then kill off the character a while later. Eric Shawn, the longtime Fox News anchor and reporter, was doing a story about some celebrity (I think it was Natasha Richardson) who had died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage, and he mentioned in passing that his mother had died similarly...which was how I found out Shawn was Melba Rae's son.
In the early years of the show, Jo had a child that the writers decided to kill off. Mary Stuart (Jo) rightly objected, reminding the writers that the core audience were young mothers, and such a story would horrify them. The writers decided they knew better...so Stuart made her feelings known by playing the death scenes of her TV child in the most raw, horrific way possible. Normally, women in soaps back then were very reserved, proper, and subdued even as terrible things happened to their characters, with nary a hair out of place or a smudge in their makeup. Well, her acting choices went out live to the nation, and Mary Stuart made sure viewers remembered those episodes in the most negative way possible.
Larry Haines's Stu Bergman had been paired with Melba Rae's Marge for twenty years when, in 1971, Rae died on set (during a commercial break) from a cerebral hemorrhage. They had to finish the episode (it was still live back then), and then kill off the character a while later. Eric Shawn, the longtime Fox News anchor and reporter, was doing a story about some celebrity (I think it was Natasha Richardson) who had died suddenly from a cerebral hemorrhage, and he mentioned in passing that his mother had died similarly...which was how I found out Shawn was Melba Rae's son.
In the early years of the show, Jo had a child that the writers decided to kill off. Mary Stuart (Jo) rightly objected, reminding the writers that the core audience were young mothers, and such a story would horrify them. The writers decided they knew better...so Stuart made her feelings known by playing the death scenes of her TV child in the most raw, horrific way possible. Normally, women in soaps back then were very reserved, proper, and subdued even as terrible things happened to their characters, with nary a hair out of place or a smudge in their makeup. Well, her acting choices went out live to the nation, and Mary Stuart made sure viewers remembered those episodes in the most negative way possible.
- Awards
- 5
I don’t know why but I line that final theme for SFT. I remember watching that when I was young and thought oh this is cool. Very 80s synth.
- Awards
- 7
It’s actually the instrumental version of this song. I’m not sure if they ever used the lyric version on the show.
- Awards
- 24
I did not realize the final SFT theme was an actual, commercial song, the way the 1980s/1990s AW theme was. At least Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris were kind enough to drop by Felicia's restaurant to lip-synch the new theme for everyone to hear...even if Crystal barely escaped being killed in her bath by the local serial killer.
The final result for the opening credits is still my favorite:
The final result for the opening credits is still my favorite:
- Awards
- 7
Billy Chinnock won the Daytime Emmy for Musical Composition and Direction for it in 1986.
- Awards
- 11
Another World from '82 (this version has the title track in the clear, albeit the music is probably out of sync with the visuals; ordinarily this is where you'd hear Bill Wolff announcing the title, and then whoever was sponsoring the first part of that day's broadcast)...
As The World Turns '86...
As The World Turns '86...
- Awards
- 11
Belated reply, but I hate Brooke -- always have.
- Awards
- 17
I’ve always found the character quite polarizing depending on the situation. There were times I loved her and quite often even defended her, yet there were other times she had me rolling my eyes and wishing she’d finally get what’s coming to her.
Nonetheless, no matter what anyone thinks of her, one of the greatest and most important daytime characters ever.
- Awards
- 5
Not only did P&G have theme songs changing in 1981-82 but there were announcer switches also. Dwight Weist on SFT and Dan McCullough on ATWT (both heard from episode one in the 1950s) were replaced respectively by Alison Steele and Dan Region.
- Awards
- 16
You think...? I always felt you could switch her to any other desperate love searching woman. I find nothing interesting about her to be honest. Since I was a kid and first started watching, I found her dull. Downright boring to watch. I always found that it was the characters around her that made a story interesting (or not). And nowadays, the character is even more boring because the writers are too scared to make her do anything bad that they end up not making her do anything at all.
B&B has quite a large number of weak women and waffling men. Compare that to GH or DAYS. Not many B&B characters would survive Port Charles or Salem. They'd either be eaten alive or be overshadowed by more interesting characters. A few lucky would survive. Steffy, Thomas, Deacon, Sheila and Bill. Maybe also the new version of Hope, but certainly not the Hope she was before she broke up with Liam.
- Awards
- 17
You make valid points but I guess I just never got the impression she was boring or dull, at least not for me anyway. I always felt vested in the character, regardless of whether I agreed with her or not. Of course the characters around her also had a big hand in making her more interesting. I won’t deny that, but as far as the reasons I watched years ago, Brooke was always at the very top of that list for me.
I totally agree with what you say about the current show. The Brooke character is no longer compelling to me, but then again I feel that way about the entire show now. Nothing they do grabs me and holds my attention at this point but that’s just my opinion.
- Awards
- 5
When Texas joined the P&G "let's change the theme music" party
- Awards
- 5
I never knew this! Thank you for this! I’m going to go listen to it now.