Mill Creek's rerelease of SOAP (1 Viewer)

[Brian Himes]

I've heard the same thing for a very long time, but I have not seen any proof of this. The episode is supposedly between Jessica and Benson and they discuss who killed Peter and the fact that everyone is a suspect. From what I remember reading about it (here and other places) it is supposed to take place shortly after Sheriff Tinkler leaves the families just after Peter's funeral. I can't say for sure that it doesn't exist, but so far I have not seen any hard evidence that it does.

I do know that the first and third recap (clip shows) were released on VHS a very long time ago. The second one was available on the trading circuit. I have it and it is a very good off the air recording. I believe that it is a 2nd generation VHS copy. When I constructed my complete version of the show, I included all three recap shows in their proper place.

 

[moviebuff75]

I found promos for it on youtube. December 20, 1977. Hour long. It may have just been a repeat of the first two episodes.

 

[Brian Himes]

Ok, that promo does include a brief scene between Jessica and Benson that does not appear in any other episode. It's at the very beginning of the promo. Jessica is wearing the outfit that she is later wearing in the episode that takes place after Sheriff Tinkler leaves and her and Chester discuss Jessica and Peter's affair while getting ready for bed. So, maybe that recap episode does indeed exist. If so, I would love to get my hands on it to include it in my complete version of the series. So, this is the first hard evidence that I've seen to prove this mini recap show exists.

 

[Ethan Riley]

The episode is not listed on imdb, although the other 3 recap show are. However, I notice TV Guide had a listing for it on 12/20/77. Ultimate 70s mentions it as "a review of the first 13 episodes" : https://www.ultimate70s.com/seventies_history/19771220/television

 

[Wiseguy]

Ok, that promo does include a brief scene between Jessica and Benson that does not appear in any other episode. It's at the very beginning of the promo. Jessica is wearing the outfit that she is later wearing in the episode that takes place after Sheriff Tinkler leaves and her and Chester discuss Jessica and Peter's affair while getting ready for bed. So, maybe that recap episode does indeed exist. If so, I would love to get my hands on it to include it in my complete version of the series. So, this is the first hard evidence that I've seen to prove this mini recap show exists.

I saw it in 1977. It existed then. It was similar to the season recaps but only an hour.

 

[Ethan Riley]

Well, you know if they ever feel the need to crack open the vaults and prepare a definitive version of this series. I'm still unhappy with the cut episodes on the dvd, missing music, etc. I'm sure there's lots of deleted stuff we've never seen, too.

 

[MatthewA]

I would be first in line to buy it if they gave it the Fraggle Rock/Monty Python treatment. Except in the former's case, the Hensons put up the money for the upconversions. Sony pretty much owns this outright. They'll be footing the bill for it themselves. I hope they do it while Susan Harris is still alive.

In the meantime, they can finish Benson as well. Seeing Jessica Tate as a ghost should be especially sad now that Katherine Helmond has left us.

 

[Mark Y]

I haven't watched Soap in decades. But I remember an opening where the cast is all standing together as if they are posing for a portrait, and then the ceiling falls down on them. This was during the original network run. I don't remember ever seeing this in syndication. Did it make the DVDs?

 

[Ethan Riley]

I haven't watched Soap in decades. But I remember an opening where the cast is all standing together as if they are posing for a portrait, and then the ceiling falls down on them. This was during the original network run. I don't remember ever seeing this in syndication. Did it make the DVDs?

Yeah it's on the dvds from whichever episodes it was used. Kind of like a Simpsons alternate take opening on some episodes.

 

[Taylor * D]

I've gone back and watched Soap four times over the years (each new time introducing it to a friend). Everyone loved it, and all of them borrowed the set to finish. I sold my Sony sets off years ago, but regretted it soon after so I picked up the Mill Creek set. Whenever I'm at used DVD stores I keep an eye out for them. The quality on the Sony releases is years ahead of Mill Creek.

We're very lucky in Canada; Benson has been available to watch for the past 6 or so months. An app called CTV (named for one our of Canadian networks) has a deal with Sony so they've been uploading dozens of movies and television shows to the service, all free of charge. Everything is streaming in top quality, too (considering the age of some of these shows). I just had a chance to watch the episode of Benson with Jessica (I never thought I'd get the chance to watch it).

 

[Zaniac]

Can anyone here confirm the restoration of material in these Mill Creek releases previously absent from the Sony sets?

Yes I'm interested to know which scenes have been restored / which episodes were short versions on the Sony release.

It seems Sony's episode 19 was missing the opening recap. A Sony episode missed Jody singing There Is Nothing Like a Dame. What else?

 

[SpacemanDoug]

Yes I'm interested to know which scenes have been restored / which episodes were short versions on the Sony release.

It seems Sony's episode 19 was missing the opening recap. A Sony episode missed Jody singing There Is Nothing Like a Dame. What else?

a couple of season 1 episodes used their shorter syndicated versions that were reverted back to their ABC versions on the Mill Creek set

a Cosmopolitan reference was muted in a season 4 episode and season 4 pretty much was missing all of its episode recaps (iirc Mill Creek restored the recaps to their DVD set), and if you're an ultra purist, the last 8 episodes are their in their intended format rather than their "originally as aired" format that ABC did where each pair of episodes was forcibly edited together into an hour long format to burn off the remaining episodes (while it would be nice to see the extra scenes, I'd rather have them as they were supposed to originally air on ABC), however the actual intended hour long episode which was the season 4 premiere, is in fact in its original format here so it's not like Sony didn't care

 

[sjbradford]

I catch the show on Antenna TV here and there. Do they ever explain why Burt and Peter haven’t spoken to each other for years? Burt seems so overjoyed when Peter shows up but did they acknowledge any estrangement?

 

[anytimepally]

I catch the show on Antenna TV here and there. Do they ever explain why Burt and Peter haven’t spoken to each other for years? Burt seems so overjoyed when Peter shows up but did they acknowledge any estrangement?

Burt's ex-wife moved to Hawai'i and took the kids.

 

[SpacemanDoug]

to clear up confusion about what episodes are supposed to be hour long or not, the ONLY hour long episodes that were intended to be that way are the season 2 premiere, the season 3 finale, and the season 4 premiere and all of these are an hour long on the DVD sets (which is a good thing), every other episode is supposed to be half hour only