Set against the political and social power struggles in Washington D.C., the daytime soap opera 'Capitol' followed the public lives and private ambitions of two warring Washington families since the days of the Depression. Carolyn Jones played Myrna Clegg, a power-driven mom. Since 1977, Carolyn Jones had called Los Angeles home.
In 1982, Carolyn spoke to 'New York Daily News', "I was married to a man (her third husband) for nine years (1968-1977) who didn't want me to work ... only support him. He moved me out to Palm Springs. He was so bright. I thought he knew. And he told me I was too old to work (she was around 35 at the time). We wrote two books together, and I went crazy. I couldn't take one minute more of Palm Springs or the marriage, and got a divorce in 1977. I paid him alimony for a year."
Of 'Capitol', Carolyn told 'Miami News', "There's a bit of Myrna in myself. I say what I think. I can be acerbic. Myrna is a terror, but then there's a little of Myrna in all of us. At least you know where you stand with such malicious types. All these power struggles in Washington, these maneuvers by Myrna, why, they're almost an aphrodisiac."
In creating 'Capitol', Elinor Karpf told Associated Press, "I think the soap opera's time has come. It is the true realization of the novel, and we're happy to be in it. This is a true American art form. We have a very strong story to tell in 'Capitol'. It didn't become a feature film. It didn't become a mini-series. It didn't become a novel. It became a soap opera because it needs the time to unfold and you have a more responsive audience out there during the day than you do at night. To me, the McCandlesses have that uplifting American ethic. The Cleggs are the bad family. I idolize Frank Capra and believe in the triumph of goodness. This is about the right way to live."
Constance Towers described Clarissa McCandless, "She is a widow with six children, and she has raised them to be fair and honest and caring and loving. She tries to solve her problems in a fair and honest way. The character is a lady I can respect and love and enjoy playing. It's the kind of role one would like to be identified with." Of Myrna, "I wouldn't have taken it. I couldn't do a part like that every day." Of 'Capitol', "It has nothing to do with what's going on in Washington today (in 1982). It's totally a fictional story about two families who live in Washington and their involvements."
Speaking to 'Gannett News Service', 'United Press International' and 'Newhouse News Service', Carolyn Jones made the point, "The growing legitimacy of the soaps has made it attractive for actors to appear on them regularly. Where once producers of motion pictures and prime time television used to hold it against a performer, just like they used to look down on a performer doing commercials, they don't any longer. There was a tendency where actors felt producers would think less of them for taking a soap. There was a time when we couldn't do commercials for the same reason. Now, everybody does commercials. The same thing is happening with soaps."
Ed Nelson added, "The regular paycheck does help, particularly since the money you get for prime-time series guest roles is ridiculous. You're lucky to go home with $900 from one of those. You can't help thinking about that when the guy sitting opposite you is getting maybe $20,000 for the same amount of work because he's the star of the series. We're working actors and we enjoy working. It was a very hard show not to do. The industry has changed so much in the last few years (up until 1982). There's less work and more actors. When something really good comes along of a sustaining nature, well, it’s hard to turn down."
At the time,
Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Burnett had made guest appearances on daytime soap operas. Carolyn Jones continued, "It's the only place where they can work as people. I guess we live in an age where people think cars and computers are more interesting than people. Too bad. I'm tired of looking at cars. I don't want to put 'Dukes of Hazzard' down because they're in the business too, but I would never do a 'Dukes' guest appearance because there's nothing to be done.
"I'm not an automobile. I'm not a stunt. I'm a professional actress! There are a lot of actors around who are not working who are very good. Either we're not 18 years old or we're not associated with automobiles. People like Carol Burnett and Elizabeth Taylor, who have worked as many years as we all have, want to work. We want to do something ... and scripts (for soap operas) are very good. They really are."
The early 1980s marked the era of the soap opera. Greg Nathanson of Showtime enthused, "It has never been more popular on television or in publishing, where the success of romantic novels is an international phenomenon." By the end of 1981, soap opera was regarded a social phenomenon attracting different demographics from men, women, children, college students, blue collar to white collar.
J.R. Minsinger worked in the advertising industry told the 'Detroit Free Press', "In industrial, three-shift towns like Pittsburg and Detroit, you're going to develop a male audience. There's one men's club here in Pittsburgh that, if you walk in at lunch time, all the young managerial types are watching soap operas. And you'd better not disturb them."
On daytime TV in the summer (in August) of 1981, the top four programs all attracted 10% or more households ratings points. 'General Hospital' attracted 12.9% (as Mikos Cassadine planned to rule the world); the rerun of 'Three's Company' attracted 10.4%; 'All My Children' 10.2% and 'One Life To Live' 10.0%. Maureen Christopher expressed, "They're almost like grown-up fairy tales. If your life doesn't have a great deal of drama, tune in a soap opera. Certainly, the plots deliberately titillate but that's show business."
In the 1980s, the 'Austin American-Statesman' reported, "programming trends (from soaps 'Dallas' and 'Dynasty' to comedy 'The Cosby Show') reflected the Reagan era of wealth and glamor while 'Hill Street Blues' took viewers into the darker side of life, with sophisticated writing, realistic situations, hard-hitting storytelling and unforgettable characters." By the end of the 1989-1990 season, the 'St. Petersburg Times' noted, "Soaps, daytime and prime time, are showing more scene changes. They're no longer like one-act plays. Action is becoming as important as dialog."
Ruth Warrick played Phoebe Tyler on 'All My Children' told 'News America Syndicate', "I love live theater the most of anything – and I admit that but to make a living in theater these days (by 1985) is a very difficult thing and soap is the nearest thing to theater. We do an hour every day – and when that red light goes on, it's like the curtain going up. I'm an actress who likes to work regularly.
"When I got the part in 1970, Phoebe was a very snobbish, arrogant, narrow-minded person. She was abrasive and unpleasant. Then, oddly enough, after I'd played the character for several years, some humor began to come into the role. Now (in 1985) Phoebe has become a warmer person – more human, more open, more knowledgeable. Some people complain: they want me to get drunk more often and have one of my wingdings and tear into people. So these days (back in 1985), you get the lady sometimes and you get the tiger sometimes."
Al Rabin of 'Days of our Lives' remarked, "In soap operas, the characters indicate how they are feeling. On prime-time shows, you only see what the characters are doing. We don't do car chases in soap operas … The characters may lie to each other, but when they're alone, they never lie to the audience. The serialized format is the ultimate in character development. The soap operas have also always reflected social change sooner. They bring what you hear about at cocktail parties right into your home … But the character development is what hooks everyone. It provides a family to relate to."
Al insisted, "Distorted values? Absolutely not. We get letters from people who tell us about strange things in their lives that we could never put on the air. In terms of acting, directing and writing, I think we're pretty good. You've got to remember we're doing 100 scenes a week. At least 15 to 20 of those are excellent. And there are a lot of other very good ones."
Bob Getz of 'Search For Tomorrow' conceded, "I guess soap operas do mirror life for some people but the more realistic and intelligent approach is that they are strictly entertainment, a form of escape. It's heightened drama. What makes theater is conflict, so you're going to have more romance, sex and divorces."
By the start of the 1985-86 season, viewers found themselves in a world of ever increasing choice as the three networks and public television began competing with video cassette recorders, remote controls, cable channels, independent stations, the "fourth network" Fox Broadcasting and advances in technology. In the ratings race, Bob Igiel maintained, "I think it's an anachronism and meaningless to compute who finishes first in an artificial environment of 30 weeks (a season started in mid-September one year and finished around May the next year). Advertisers are in this thing for 52 weeks."
Most deals were still based on advertisers reaching the young-adult (18-49) viewers when buying time on network TV. It was understood this age group had more spending power. At the time, Harvey Shephard of CBS begged to differ, "All the consumer brand studies look at the total picture. You can't say that 18-34 is more important than 50-64."
Brandon Tartikoff believed, "It's a hypothetical question, but I'd have to say households (over demographics) I like to win. I want the Super Bowl. Grant Tinker (network chairman) would probably say demographics because that's where you make the most money. But a more interesting question is if you asked me whose cards would I rather be holding next season (1985-86), I'd rather be holding NBC's."
In 1984,
Geraldine A. Ferraro became the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, a role traditionally reserved for men. On TV there was a breakthough for women on prime time. Harvey Shephard of CBS told 'The New York Times', "Traditionally, if you used women in prominent roles, well, you could get away with it in comedy or the woman could be a sex symbol, but ultimately they had to be in non-threatening roles. But there is really a sociological change going on. We are finding that there is a growing acceptance of the more liberated role of women. Our schedule reflects that."
Dr George Gerbner, the then dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania, declared, "Now instead of lagging 30 years behind the times, the networks may be only 20 or 15 years behind."
Studies conducted by CBS in 1984 indicated women between 25 and 54 in households with incomes of over $30,000 (in those days) liked to see women in major roles such as on 'Cagney & Lacey' and 'Kate & Allie'. The studies further showed that some viewers, generally from lower-income households, both male and female, did not like seeing women in those positions. However upper-income women viewers revealed their favorite characters on TV were the major characters on 'Dynasty', 'Kate & Allie', 'Cagney & Lacey', 'Hotel', 'Hill Street Blues' and 'Cheers'. David F. Poltrack of CBS concluded, "Our research tells us that if there are characters that affluent women can relate to, they will watch."
Philip Burrell worked in the advertising industry pointed out, "There have always been women in television (dating back to Lucille Ball in 1951) but I think that as programmers have been looking for ways to attract women viewers recently (by 1985) they've had to change many of the rules." In one episode of 'Paper Dolls', between Morgan Fairchild and Don Bowron, the following scene was played out:
Racine: Well, where are you from? How old are you? Is Christopher York your real name?
Chris York: Is Racine yours?
Racine: It's enough for you to know that my name is the one over the doors to this agency. Those doors to which you are about to vanish.
Chris York: Yep, it's my real name. I'm 22 years old. And I'm from Red Hook, Brooklyn.
Racine: Well, we all have to be from somewhere, don't we?
At the American Public Health Association's annual meeting held in November 1984, Lawrence Wallack, director of the federally funded alcohol research organization The Prevention Research Center in Berkeley (at the University of California) told the press that soap operas presented "a terrific opportunity to provide good (educational) information" about alcoholism.
Alcohol was a major health problem in those days and a leading cause of death. Hence alcohol would be "the perfect issue for the soaps. Their producers and sponsors search for the kind of extended conflict, suspense and human drama that continues for month and years – just what is found in the life of every real-life alcoholic." Since 98% of American households had TV sets, "We need to provide resources to the television industry in general, and the soap operas in particular, to keep them up to date on the best way to deal with alcohol-related problems.They (the viewers) won't know the difference. It can increase the dramatic potential. We're not trying to take anybody's fun away. It (TV) reinforces social norms and contributes to the way we behave. There's a lot of room for improvement (on dealing with alcoholism)."
"Casting a soap is different from other series in some respects but not in others," John Conboy of 'The Young and the Restless' made known in 1980. "We play on the fantasies of our viewers … so we have to find young actors and actresses who are 'hot' to look at, exciting, sexy. You've got to provide fantasy if you expect viewers to tune in. I look for the fantasy quality, and it's not easy to find.
"There must be thousands of young actors in the 18-25 age bracket. Because they haven't any track record, I depend on a trick to cast young, inexperienced people. I study their off-screen personalities. If they really turn on, light a fire, express themselves well and excitingly in my office, then I know they'll do the same thing on camera. The success of 'The Young and the Restless' is due to the fact that the kids in the series don't know how to be dishonest in front of the cameras. And they've discovered how much hard work goes into a soap opera.
"If viewers are going to be looking at them five days a week, they'd better be good looking as well as talented. And I expect them to be good listeners, too. There are certain types that follow a pattern, especially with women. If I'm casting a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she must have a big bosom because women with big chests are made to appear to be more salacious than other women. You rarely see a flat-chested actress playing bawdy roles. It just seems to be one of the unwritten rules of theater, movies and television. On the other hand, uptight, puritanical women are almost always flat-chested.
"Facial beauty is an enormously important part of casting a soap opera because we shoot tight, close-in one shots of performers which show every pore of their skins. The point is to see what is going on in their eyes. In the final analysis, people who tune in soaps like to watch attractive young people. If I were looking for experienced performers, the casting job would be a great deal easier. Established actors have done enough things to give you a pretty good idea of what they can do. Young people absorb bad habits from their theatrical coaches. They accumulate theatricality from teachers. Their techniques are unnatural."
One network executive told 'Detroit Free Press' in 1979, "I can’t say this for the record because I don't want to get other producers mad at me, but there is no producer going – with the possible exception of Garry (Marshall) - who understands the inner workings of a hit show as well as Ed Weinberger. He can take them apart and explain them the way your grade school grammar teacher diagramed a sentence.”
"There must be thousands of young actors in the 18-25 age bracket. Because they haven't any track record, I depend on a trick to cast young, inexperienced people. I study their off-screen personalities. If they really turn on, light a fire, express themselves well and excitingly in my office, then I know they'll do the same thing on camera. The success of 'The Young and the Restless' is due to the fact that the kids in the series don't know how to be dishonest in front of the cameras. And they've discovered how much hard work goes into a soap opera.
"If viewers are going to be looking at them five days a week, they'd better be good looking as well as talented. And I expect them to be good listeners, too. There are certain types that follow a pattern, especially with women. If I'm casting a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she must have a big bosom because women with big chests are made to appear to be more salacious than other women. You rarely see a flat-chested actress playing bawdy roles. It just seems to be one of the unwritten rules of theater, movies and television. On the other hand, uptight, puritanical women are almost always flat-chested.
"Facial beauty is an enormously important part of casting a soap opera because we shoot tight, close-in one shots of performers which show every pore of their skins. The point is to see what is going on in their eyes. In the final analysis, people who tune in soaps like to watch attractive young people. If I were looking for experienced performers, the casting job would be a great deal easier. Established actors have done enough things to give you a pretty good idea of what they can do. Young people absorb bad habits from their theatrical coaches. They accumulate theatricality from teachers. Their techniques are unnatural."
One network executive told 'Detroit Free Press' in 1979, "I can’t say this for the record because I don't want to get other producers mad at me, but there is no producer going – with the possible exception of Garry (Marshall) - who understands the inner workings of a hit show as well as Ed Weinberger. He can take them apart and explain them the way your grade school grammar teacher diagramed a sentence.”
