The Best Of Everything (1970)

[Willie Oleson]

The Best of Everything (TV Series 1970– ) - IMDb

Has anyone seen this?

 

[Daniel Avery]

I doubt much of it would exist, given its short run and the tendency of networks not to save their tapes. ABC was still building its identity in the late-60s and put on a lot of short-lived soaps in an effort that resembled the old maxim about "throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks". If BOE had premiered five years later, it might have had more of a chance, since ABC built more of an audience with All My Children (which premiered the same year BOE did) and One Life to Live.

The premise sounds very much like the type of soaps ABC was pursuing at the time, more young-skewing shows than NBC or CBS was willing to try. The tie-in to a movie was also used in their short-lived Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, which featured a young Donna Mills in a supporting role.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I doubt much of it would exist

But it's possible that anyone here has seen it, back in 1970

 

[tommie]

But it's possible that anyone here has seen it, back in 1970

Well, @The Christmas Oracle did listen to the first The Guiding Light broadcast, so I guess it's possible he watched Best of Everything.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Wasn't the first Guiding Light a podcast? (I'm convinced it's started in the future).

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Well, @The Christmas Oracle did listen to the first The Guiding Light broadcast, so I guess it's possible he watched Best of Everything.

Wasn't the first Guiding Light a podcast? (I'm convinced it's started in the future).

Yes. It's a futurian podcast. I haven't even been born yet.

 

[Soap archives]

Well, @The Christmas Oracle did listen to the first The Guiding Light broadcast, so I guess it's possible he watched Best of Everything.

Does the first guiding light episode exist either audio or tv

 

[DallasFanForever]

Does the first guiding light episode exist either audio or tv

Not sure about audio but the first episode on video appears to be July 10, 1952. The June 30 premiere doesn’t seem to be available on video. If it is out there I couldn’t find it.

Actually I’m editing this now as I just realized they have radio episodes available as far back as 1940. But it looks like July 1952 is still the furthest they go back for video.

 

[AndyB2008]

TBOE got a terrible timeslot to begin with, as it was up against Jeopardy on NBC.

It had the distinction of being the lowest rated soap ever until The Doctors ended in 1982 with a lower rating. (And the latter was screwed by NBC in scheduling as TBOE was by ABC).

 

[Daniel Avery]

Not sure about audio but the first episode on video appears to be July 10, 1952. The June 30 premiere doesn’t seem to be available on video. If it is out there I couldn’t find it.

When Guiding Light began airing on TV in 1952, they also continued airing it on radio for many years. Typically it was just the audio from the TV episode, though there were certain events where they had to adjust the material for an audio-only audience.

 

[tommie]

When Guiding Light began airing on TV in 1952, they also continued airing it on radio for many years. Typically it was just the audio from the TV episode, though there were certain events where they had to adjust the material for an audio-only audience.

Interesting! I just assumed that the radio soap and tv soap were entirely different entities. I'm sure there's been examples of that in the past.

 

[Willie Oleson]

I think there's a market for radio soap, or soaps on CD.

 

[Daniel Avery]

I've heard advertisements for podcasts that are essentially radio soaps. The young, ambitious writers/creators describe it as if they've invented some new, exciting way of telling a story, but it's old wine in a new bottle.

Interesting! I just assumed that the radio soap and tv soap were entirely different entities. I'm sure there's been examples of that in the past.

Transitioning GL onto TV was something of a gamble for them, given how few and far-between TV sets were in 1952. National TV was in its infancy, even as national radio had become commonplace. If they had decided in 1952 to move GL to TV and stop the radio broadcasts, the fan base would have been reduced greatly and felt abandoned. But if TV had died off as a "fad" then they could have just as easily stopped producing GL for TV and continued on the radio, so they were hedging their bets. Keeping it on both radio and TV was a smart move in many ways, since fans of the series might decide to buy a TV set just so they could see what the Bauer family looked like. It allowed for a sort of "bridge" between relying on the radio for entertainment and relying on TV. TV became so commonplace that by 1960 a whole boatload of radio soaps ended up being cancelled in favor of producing soaps just for TV, and the simulcast of GL ended for much the same reason--an infrastructure had developed that allowed national, uniform broadcasts of daytime soaps that delivered better ad revenue/ratings than the radio networks at the time.

 

[Willie Oleson]

but it's old wine in a new bottle.

How very "Promised Land"