MIPCOM, taking place October 3-6 in Cannes, is the world’s leading market for creating, co-producing, buying, selling, financing and distributing entertainment content across all platforms. Six classic P&G Productions soaps will be showcased for possible international distribution. The slate is led by AS THE WORLD TURNS, with about 7,700 episodes that aired from 1979 to 2010, and GUIDING LIGHT, with 5,400 episodes spanning 1988 to 2009.
UPDATED:
For those wondering, episodes of GUIDING LIGHT from before 1988 do exist. If you remember our 25 Biggest Blunders list, the WIPING process taped over decades of soap history but shows from the late 1970s onward are pretty much intact across the board, and that applies to GL as well which starts in 1979.
it seems like everyone but the US understands how important soaps are and still value them.
ReplyDelete"GUIDING LIGHT actually is the longest running show in television history but nothing was recorded prior to 1988," says Mark Yates, the company’s president."
ReplyDeleteHUH? Nothing was recorded. Everything was recorded. GL quit airing live back in something like 1968. After that, everything was on tape.
Now, whether those tapes were saved is another matter. But given that Edge of Night, Search, Another World and As the World Turns episodes from 1979 forward are saved on tape, it stands to reason the P&G would have also kept the GL tapes.
Hope this is just a mistake, that someone wrote things down wrong. If those 1979-1988 GL episodes aren't around, that means all the classic Nola scenes, Kelly Nelson in his Speedo at Laurel Falls scenes, the Four Musketeers scenes, early Reva, early Alexandra and so much more is gone.
Would love to see the classic P&G soaps. Loved it when AOL was runing that P&G shows online a few years back.
@James They have shown classic episodes before 1988 before. Plus lots of clips on he Roger and Reva stories.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see these old shows somewhere. (Missed the boat, soapnet!)
Stay tuned, guys. Good news on the way. ;)
ReplyDeleteInternational markets??? What about us in the U.S. I would love to watch 70s, 80s, and 90's episodes of 'As The World Turns' and 'Guiding Light.'
ReplyDeleteMost of the 70s don't exist (see our blunders list).
ReplyDeleteThis article is just talking about one specific event. Stay tuned for more on this. We all know there's a market for these shows. :)
This is some of the first encouraging news in a long time especially with some veiled hints from Roger. There definitely is a market in the US for this and it only makes sense for P&G to do something with this inventory to make some money. I'm definitely staying tuned for more updates! :)
ReplyDeleteSince Mr. Yates addresses the "nostalgia" factor of these shows, I would immediately assume that anything they're purchasing worldwide rights to would, of course, include the USA. After all, that's where most of the nostalgia would exist for these shows. - jmho
ReplyDeleteGuiding Light exists from 1979 forward. We've all seen some older episodes here and there as well and you can watch those at the Paley Center and other places. But only in 1979 did P&G stop the WIPING process and started keeping all the shows.
ReplyDeleteIf you recall the P&G Classic Soaps Channel on AOL a few years ago, that's around the time they started the Edge of Night episodes.