A Toast To A Soap For Its 35th Anniversary: Santa Barbara

Carrier pigeons slaughtered and served as hors d’ oeuvres alongside an afternoon aperitif. A wicked step-mother strutting out the door naked as a Jaybird after reading her in-laws for filth. A former nun crushed to death by a falling hotel letter. A heroine impregnated with royal sperm while anesthetized at the dentist’s office.

Suffice it to say Santa Barbara was not your average soap opera. July 30th marked what would have been this magnificent serial’s 35th anniversary so Soap Hub invites you to revisit this absolutely one of a kind classic.

From its humble beginnings to its first troubled year and its final episode nearly a decade later, this is the story of Santa Barbara.

Airdates
July 30, 1984 – January 15, 1993

Master and Creator
Santa Barbara was created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson, a husband and wife writing team that had worked wonders at Guiding Light and As the World Turns, two ailing Proctor & Gamble soap operas.

In an ironic twist of fate, their new series occupied the same time-slot as Guiding Light and General Hospital (the ABC daytime sudsers created by Bridget’s parents).

Founding Families
The initial stories revolved around four intertwined families: the waring and WASPy Capwell and Lockridge clans, the working middle-class Perkins and the much poorer Andrades.

Introduction
The serial began with the release of inmate Joe Perkins, a Santa Barbara native who had spent the previous five years imprisoned for the murder of his would-be brother-in-law Channing Capwell, Jr. Newly freed, Joe has two items on his agenda — clear his name and win back the heart of his former fiancé Kelly.

Teething Trouble
Reaction to the new and very expensive series was largely negative. One reviewer even went as far as declaring Santa Barbara, “the worst program on television…maybe ever.” Leaping into the action the Dobson’s adopted two tried and true soap opera clichés guaranteed to intrigue new viewers: a natural disaster and a serial killer.

In short order, a massive earthquake …continue reading on the next page —>

Continue reading on the next page…

In short order, a massive earthquake rocked the California-based characters and many of the shows less talented actresses were disposed of by the “Carnation Killer” who was revealed to be Kelly’s new intended, Peter Flint.

Epic Romances
After spending six months cleaning house a new Santa Barbara emerged. The Perkins were long gone and the action-focused much more on the Capwell family, as well as a number of fan-favorite love stories. Older fans swooned over C.C. (Jed Allen) and Sophia (Judith McConnel).

But, the epic romance between Eden (Marcy Walker) and Latino heartthrob Cruz (A Martinez) proved to be the show’s most popular pairing and one of the most popular in soap history.

Not a series to rest on its laurels, SB also had other beloved couplings, including schemers in-arms Keith (Justin Deas) and Gina (Robin Mattson) and the troubled Mason (Lane Davies) and feminist lawyer Julia (Nancy Lee Grahn).

The final episode of Santa Barbara focused on a reception held for newlyweds Warren (Jack Wagner) and B.J. Lockridge (Sydney Penny).

Trivia
Creators Bridget and Jerome didn’t have to look far for inspiration for their new series. They lived in the real California city of Santa Barbara.

Actress Louise Sorel was fired after she objected to playing a story where her character, Augusta, would fall in love with her sister’s rapist.

Santa Barbara was the first American program to air in Russia following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

A wealthy uber-fan modeled his home to resemble the Capwell mansion. Since the home’s bathroom had never been shown the fan paid the soap’s set designer to come to France and design the en suite.

When aired in America, Santa Barbara was a one-hour program. When it was syndicated in the United Kingdom, it was re-edited into two half-hour episodes. Fans in that country have never seen the 60-minute editions.

A lawsuit launched by the soap’s creators for unfair dismissal has long been referenced as a reason for the shows sharp ratings decline and its eventual cancelation.

Awards Season
Despite never being a true ratings success, Santa Barbara certainly cleaned up come awards day. Among it’s 24 Daytime Emmy wins the show claimed Best Drama series three times (1988, ’89, & ’90) and Outstanding Writing twice (’89 and ’91).

Princess Bride
Without a doubt, the series biggest breakout star was Robin Wright. She was an original member of the cast, playing the show’s main ingénue Kelly Capwell who was caught between her devotion to family and her love Joe Perkins.

Wright stayed with the soap until 1988 when she finally left to pursue a full-time movie career after the immense success of her 1987 film, The Princess Bride.