Melodrama Variations: TV Soap Opera (Lecture)

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==History of Radio & TV Soap Opera== *Antecedents **19th century serialized novels ***E.g., Dickens **Theatrical/film melodrama *Radio soap operas **Late 1920s ***Antecedents ****''Amos 'n' Andy''(not a soap opera, but led to a soap opera in several ways) *****1926, nationally broadcast 1929 *****15 min, 6 days a week *****Continuing story (not self-contained) *****Two white actor, playing Af-Am ******Characters ******Ethnic characters ****First "real" soap *****Based on ethnic character: jewish *****''The Goldbergs'' (1929-1945) Domestic drama of family **1930s: “Golden Era” of radio soaps ***Irna Phillips ****Originally worked in Chicago *****WGN's (WGN=World's Greatest Newspaper) Thought for a Day *****''Painted Dreams'' (1932-) ******Really emphasized the importance of marriage to women ******Moved to NBC as ''Today's Children'' *****''The Guiding Light'' (1937-) *****60,000 words per week ***Elaine Carrington ****''Red Adams, aka, Forever Young, Pepper Young’s Family'' ****''When a Girl Marries'' (1939-57) *****Most listened to soap of the 1930s *****Looks at women's role as a mother and a wife ***Frank & Anne Hummert ****Most powerful of all *****By 1938: bought 1/8th of ALL radio time ****''Backstage Wife'' (1936-1959) ****''Our Gal Sunday'' (1937-59) ****Often focused on stories with a social gap ==Characteristics of radio soaps== *Theme **Domestic love ***Presented as center of a woman's life ***Women as strong, capable ****Men as weak, crippled, and amnesia **Romantic love ***As in film: transcendent, an irresistible force ***Constant ***Unlike film: soaps continue the story into marriage ==Rise of TV soap, fall of radio== *TV grew after WW II, after 1945: But soaps were slow to adapt **Production problems: ***Cost: Radio TV $3500 $8650 ***Everything visible in TV: No more scripts in hands; Limited exterior scenes *1951 CBS scored with 2 successful soaps: **''Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life'' Roy Winsor **Set format: ***B&W ***Live ***15 mins. ***Studio bound: No exterior scenes ***Narration ***Music: organ **CBS dominated soaps throughout 1950s ***''Guiding Light'' ****From Radio to TV ****1952, but continued on radio until 1956 **Death knell for radio: ***Expansion of TV soaps to 30 mins ***1956: As the World Turns ****Premiered as a 30 mins **Radio soaps canceled in late 1950s ***Last one canclled November 1960 *1960s: ABC & NBC began to compete effectively with CBS **E.g., ''General Hospital'' (1963-) **E.g., ''All My Children'' (1970) ***Created by Agnes Nixon *1970s: glut of soaps **20 shows per week **Ratings declined--Responses: ***Cancellation ***Social issues incorporated into stories: ****Abortion, rape, drug addiction, interracial marriage, birth control ***Younger characters ****''The Young and Restless'' (1973-) ***Expansion to 60 mins. ****''Another World, ATWT'' (1975) [[Category:TCF440/540 Lecture]]

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