Santa Barbara (TV series)

Santa Barbara was an American soap opera which ran on NBC for 2137 episodes from July 30, 1984 to January 15, 1993. The show, which won many Emmy awards, was famous for its comedic style and offbeat writing. For example, in July 18, 1986's episode, former nun Mary Duvall McCormack (played by Harley Jane Kozak) was killed by having a giant neon letter "C" (from a sign saying "Capwell") land on her while she was standing on a building's roof, and despite an irate letter-writing campaign by the show's fans (and an offer from the soap to come back), Kozak was reported as saying that she had "no desire to return to SB", or in fact any other daytime soap.

Related Topics:
Soap opera - NBC - July 30 - 1984 - January 15 - 1993 - Emmy - July 18 - 1986 - Nun - Harley Jane Kozak

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The show covered the exciting, eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California. Around the Capwells there are several other families, from the rival Lockridge family to the more modest Andrade and Perkins families, whose lives know the same torments.

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The series began on an uneven foot, but creators and executive producers Jerome Dobson and Bridget Dobson proceeded to kill off most of the show's worst actors via natural disaster and a serial killer storyline. When a major earthquake hit Santa Barbara, core character Danny Andrade slept through the entire thing. Minx Lockridge (Dame Judith Anderson) was unfazed, saying that the 1984 Santa Barbara earthquake was nothing like 1925. She was later knocked into an empty sarcophagus. Luckily, her grandchildren were around to let her out and she escaped with merely a bruised ego.

Related Topics:
Jerome Dobson - Bridget Dobson - Earthquake - Dame Judith Anderson - Sarcophagus - Ego

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By concentrating on such popular characters as Eden Capwell (Marcy Walker) and Cruz Castillo (A Martinez), Mason Capwell (Lane Davies) and Julia Wainwright (Nancy Lee Grahn), Gina Blake DeMott Capwell Timmons (Linda Gibboney, later Robin Mattson), Augusta (Louise Sorel) and Lionel Lockridge (Nicolas Coster), the program managed to achieve critical acclaim as well as slowly but surely rising ratings. But in 1988 the Dobsons were locked out of NBC studios after repeated attempts to fire the headwriter. They sued, and were eventually allowed to return to the program, but the magic was gone. Ratings never recovered, even as the show won 3 Daytime Emmys in a row for Best Daytime Drama. The first of those wins involved a mini-melodrama of its own as the extremely controversial Jill Farren Phelps (who had replaced Mary-Ellis Bunim as executive producer) tried to claim an award for episodes that she'd had no hand in producing. Bridget Dobson, whose work garnered the award, raced onstage and captured the trophy a few seconds before Phelps could reach the podium.

Related Topics:
Marcy Walker - A Martinez - Lane Davies - Nancy Lee Grahn - Linda Gibboney - Robin Mattson - Louise Sorel - Nicolas Coster - 1988 - NBC - Jill Farren Phelps - Mary-Ellis Bunim

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Under Phelps' tenure most of the show revolved around Cruz and Eden. One controversial storyline involved Eden being brutally raped, and later discovering that her assailer was her gynecologist Zack Kelton (Leigh J. McCloskey), who had examined her after her rape. McCloskey himself stated that he was uncomfortable with the storyline, as he felt that women had enough concerns about visiting gynecologists. After Zack's death, McCloskey returned as a new character, cold DA Ethan Asher.

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Phelps left the series in the early '90s to be replaced by John Conboy and finally Paul Rauch (ironically all three would later be producers on longrunning daytime series Guiding Light). Many important actors had left the series for one reason or another (Robin Wright, Lane Davies, Marcy Walker, A Martinez, Justin Deas). Popular actress Louise Sorel (Augusta) was fired because she did not want to have a romance with Dash (Timothy Gibbs), the man who had raped Augusta's sister Julia. Eden, Cruz, and most of the Lockridges had been written out while new characters played by stars from other shows such as Kim Zimmer, Jack Wagner and Sydney Penny took up most of the airtime. Ratings continued to collapse as more and more affiliates cancelled the program. The final episode aired in January 1993. In the finale, Sophia (Judith McConnell) and CC Capwell (then Jed Allan) moved towards a reconciliation, Kelly (by that time Eileen Davidson) found love with Connor McCabe (Charles Grant), and at Warren and BJ's wedding, unbalanced Andie Klein (Krista Tesreau) aim a gun at the crowd. The final shot consisted of Paul Rauch standing in front of the camera, smashing a cigar under his shoe, and walking away. Some soap critics, such as Michael Logan, were deeply angered by what they saw as the crassness of the final shot.

Related Topics:
John Conboy - Paul Rauch - Guiding Light - Robin Wright - Lane Davies - Marcy Walker - A Martinez - Justin Deas - Louise Sorel - Timothy Gibbs - Kim Zimmer - Jack Wagner - Sydney Penny - 1993 - Judith McConnell - Jed Allan - Eileen Davidson - Charles Grant - Krista Tesreau - Michael Logan

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It has also run in several other countries across the world. In France, it ran from October 14, 1985 to June 24, 1994 on TF1 (1044 episodes) and from December 19, 2000 to June 1, 2001 on TF6 (106 episodes). In Italy, it ran with all its 2137 episodes from April 3, 1989 to September, 1990 on Rai Uno and from June, 1991 to April 6, 1999 on Rai Due.

Related Topics:
World - France - October 14 - 1985 - June 24 - 1994 - TF1 - December 19 - 2000 - June 1 - 2001 - TF6 - Italy - April 3 - 1989 - September - 1990 - Rai Uno - June - 1991 - April 6 - 1999 - Rai Due

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Santa Barbara even had fans in the White House. In the late 80's, when Augusta Lockridge (Louise Sorel) was blinded following a brain tumor, Ronald Reagan sent Sorel a letter saying he and Nancy were praying for her and hoped she recovered.

Related Topics:
White House - Ronald Reagan

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