Seated: Cathryn Damon, Katherine Helmond, Robert Mandan, and Diana Canova; standing: Billy Crystal, Richard Mulligan, Ted Wass, Robert Guillaume, Jennifer Salt, and Arthur Peterson. ABC/Photofest ©ABC
Overview
Networks rarely make the same mistake twice. They all passed on the soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman in 1976, forcing creator Norman Lear to sell it into syndication. ABC was not about to pass on Soap, despite its controversial nature. Protests followed its launch, but so did banter about it in the homes and around the watercoolers throughout the United States, leading to sensational ratings. Despite some affiliates refusing to run it, others scheduling it past prime time, and some sponsors boycotting it, ABC was rewarded when Soap debuted at number thirteen in the Nielsen ratings.
Why all the hubbub? Because many of the ABC affiliates were aghast by its emphasis on sex and infidelity after watching a two-episode screening. Newsweek writer Harry F. Waters even claimed, with no basis, in fact, that one plot line spotlighted the seduction of a Catholic priest in a confessional. Only the green light given by ABC programming head Fred Silverman ensured its survival.
It’s no wonder that folks tuned in to Soap when it debuted on September 13, 1977. Whereas the more morose Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman exaggerated the drama associated with soap operas to create humor and tension, this show took a lighthearted approach in satirizing the genre for maximum laughs. Not that writers like show creator Susan Harris didn’t take outrageous liberties with story lines—how about a possessed baby for starters?
No subject was taboo on Soap, which followed the travails of the affluent Tate family and the working class Campbells. Those concerned that infidelity would be a hot topic on the show had their worst fears realized as airheaded wife Jessica Tate (Katherine Helmond) and husband Chester (Robert Mandan) seemed to sleep with everyone in their fictional Connecticut town of Dunn’s River and beyond before they mercifully divorced. Jessica’s whacko father, referred to only as “The Major,” remained in uniform for good reason; he believed that World War II was still being waged. That the Tate kids were a mess was a foregone conclusion. Son Billy (Jimmy Baio, cousin of Happy Days star Scott Baio) embarked on a love affair with his teacher, joined a religious cult, and became a general in the army of South American revolutionary “El Puerco,” while daughter Eunice (Jennifer Salt) fell in love with and married a convicted murderer. The only sanity in that household came from wisecracking butler Benson (Robert Guillaume), who rescued Billy from the cult and whose appeal as a character landed him a popular spin-off series that forced him to leave the show in 1979.
The Campbells were no less dysfunctional. Husband Burt (Richard Mulligan) could certainly be blamed for murdering his son Peter, but it was merely an accident when he killed the first husband of alcoholic wife Mary (Cathryn Damon). And it wasn’t his fault that he was abducted by aliens and a look-alike Burt Campbell was returned to Earth, resulting in a baby born to him and Mary that could fly. If that wasn’t enough, his ventriloquist son Chuck (Jay Johnson) believed his dummy Bob to be real, and Mary’s son Danny (Ted Wass) was a gangster given the task of killing Burt. One might speculate that the only reason he couldn’t bring himself to carry it out was that Mulligan was such an integral part of the show.
Then there was Mary’s son Jodie, played by Billy Crystal, who not only emerged as the most successful actor from the show, but also proved to be a trailblazer in portraying the first openly gay television character. One might think that was enough of a distinction, but not on this sitcom. His journey on the show ends with him identifying himself as an old Jewish man named Julius Kassendorf after a failed hypnotherapy session.
Despite the story lines that piqued the moral outrage of mostly religious groups, the furor died down after the first season and Soap settled in as one of the most popular shows on television. Its 9:30 p.m. time slot allowed adults to watch it before at least some of their kids had crashed for the night. The novelty eventually wore off, as it dropped in the Nielsen ratings each year following its initial season, but it remained in the Top 25 in each of its first three years, which was a testament to its appeal.
Tennis, Anyone?
The first major controversy on Soap revolved around the murder of womanizer tennis instructor Billy Campbell, who was played by Robert Urich. Urich was among the most accomplished actors in the cast, having already landed the role of Officer Jim Street in the crime drama S.W.A.T. Urich left the show to play a leading role in the series Tabitha, a quasi-spin-off of Bewitched featuring the Stephens’s daughter that lasted just twelve episodes. He later starred in far more successful series, Vega$ and Spenser for Hire.
Did You Know?
Rod Roddy, the longtime announcer for popular game show The Price Is Right, served in the same role on Soap.
They Said It
Jodie: Plato was gay.
Jessica: Mickey Mouse’s dog was gay?
Jodie: Goofy was his lover.
Billy: Why can’t anybody in this family talk in front of me? For years I went around thinking a surprise party was being planned for me!
Ingrid Svenson: You think I’m finished?
Jessica: No, Swedish.
Eunice: Tell mother I won’t be home this evening. I’m flying to Washington to cover Congressman McCallum’s press conference.
Benson: And then she’s gonna cover McCallum.
Major Awards
Emmy Award Wins (4)
1978 (1): Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy Series (Edward Stephenson for “#1”)
1979 (1): Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series (Robert Guillaume)
1980 (2): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Richard Mulligan); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Cathryn Damon)
Emmy Award Nominations, in addition to wins (13)
1978 (5): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Katherine Helmond); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Cathryn Damon); Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (Jay Sandrich for “#24”); Outstanding Achievement in Video Tape Editing for a Series (Gary Anderson for “#2”)
1979 (2): Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Katherine Helmond); Outstanding Directing in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series (Jay Sandrich for “#27”)
1980 (2): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Katherine Helmond)
1981 (4): Outstanding Comedy Series; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Richard Mulligan); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Katherine Helmond); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Cathryn Damon)
Golden Globe Win (1)
1981 (1): Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Katherine Helmond)
Golden Globe Nomination, in addition to win (1)
1981 (1): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy
Further Reading
Crystal, Billy. 700 Sundays. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2006.
“Mature Adult ‘Soap’ Rocks ABCs Boat.” Time Magazine, September 18, 1977, p. 13.