DRW50

Great find @SoapDope

At the start of this you can see Bill Cullen in color, along with the closing crawl for The Price is Right.

I avoided watching this for a few days because I thought it was some type of clickbait channel, but it's a real interview, with the last gasps of TV Guide.

Thanks. He was a real looker, especially the last few photos.

Just now, vetsoapfan said:

I loved Rodell in the role and accepted her immediately when she was cast. She projected a sweetness and a vulnerability that was not as apparent under Adams.  Count me in as one of those viewers who would have preferred to see Rodell continue on as Leslie.

Another recast I appreciated more than the original was John Reilly as Dan Stewart on ATWT. John Colenback was fine, don't get me wrong, but Reilly came across as more charming, more affable, more masculine, and had wonderful chemistry with Kathryn Hays. To me, Colenbeck always seemed more aloof, less passionate.

Thanks. That was another I couldn't remember. I definitely get the feeling viewers weren't thrilled about the Dan return (and as others have mentioned, he also seemed to have aged quite a bit). He seemed night and day to Reilly, who started the whole story with Kim, IIRC.

All I've seen of Rodell in her ATWT and AW bits is very compelling. I can see where she might have won over GL viewers at a time when the show was having a lot of transition or compared to the more neurotic heroines so prevalent (like Holly introduced around the same time).

5 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

I think  by the time Jonathan was introduced, I had become so disillusioned with the show, and given up any hope of its recovery, that I didn't watch much of Pelphrey. My mistake had been to actually endure scenes with other characters I loathed (like Buzz and eventually Harley) for far longer than I should have. By the time TP's Jonathan was being focused on, I was fast-forwarding through most of the show. I only kept recording TGL and ATWT at all, just to catch glimpses of the few remaining characters I still cared about. I know I should have abandoned both soaps long before The End, but a decades-long addiction was hard to break, LOL.

I think I was already pretty checked out by that point so seeing all this godawful hamming on day after day - and of course we were meant to think this was phenomenal and wonderful and saving the show - that I just fully gave up. I know GL had had anti-heroes before, but there was more of an honesty with them. Even with Roger during the period the show was trying to write him in a serious pairing with Holly, there was more honesty (like Adam refusing to have anything to do with him when he gave away Blake). 

I did see Pelphrey in some of his post-soap work and enjoyed his performances more, but that whole period was a steaming pile. I don't know how I'd feel if I went back and watched that time again, with more distance and less visceral disgust over so many of the choices made (like what they did to Ben Reade), but...life's too short. 

Reading a 1975 Daily TV Serials I saw a letter from a GL fan who complained that a Mike and Leslie love story article used  photos of Don Stewart and Lynne Adams. They forcefully pointed out that those story moments were with Barbara Rodell, not Lynne Adams. The editors explained that they used a photo of Adams because she was currently in the role. 

It reminded me, not for the first time, of what a chilly reception Adams seemed to get from a number of fans on her return, even though she had originated the role. I'm not sure if that is down to her, or if a lot of fans just loved Rodell (given her number of well-received soap roles). It's rare to have that happen with recasts and original actors returning to roles. The only other one I immediately remember is David Tom.

Thanks @dc11786 . GH has been a show that allowed for more upheaval than a number of other soaps (although those days are gone), but Monty's return seems to be a cautionary tale on that front. I imagine reading your recaps of the period is more coherent and compelling than trying to watch. 

I remember when Soap Opera Weekly had short blurbs from a slew of GH actors around the 30th anniversary. The woman who played Cheryl talked about how unhappy she was with the later treatment of her character. Reading these recaps, I can see why.

5 hours ago, chrisml said:

My memory of GL starts from around 1986. I found post-Reva plunge GL (in Calhourn's tenure and a bit into JFP's) so compelling because a lot of the canvas was being used. There were long-term storylines that had actual ramifications rather than storylines for dramatic shock. However, I think Justin Deas and Tom Pelphrey did much more damage to GL than Kim Zimmer did.  

Both men made me take breaks from the show for a while (especially Pelphrey, who was unwatchable to me), which I can't say Zimmer did. 

1 hour ago, P.J. said:

Thanks, everyone. I have the ATWT 40th anniversary book, and found it very useful. I wouldn't be expecting complete accuracy.

I thought Harley was great---until the Gus Aitoro years. Ugh.

Something about Ehlers' portrayal of Harley lost all warmth for me around the late '90s. At the time I wasn't sure if it was down to the pairing with Philip, as he was such a draining presence, but even post-Philip, what I enjoyed most about Ehlers in her first run never really came back. 

It makes one respect all the more how tasteful a lot of the big homes were in the '80s Knots heyday. 

10 hours ago, Aback said:

I've wondered this in like forever: why did ATWT constantly look 200% better than its sister show GL? Even when ratings were drowning, ATWT looked lush and soft, while GL would look drab and poor. Why?!

For most of those last years the show had more support, I believe, not that it mattered in the end. 

The show did look better, but in the end I probably preferred the rougher GL style.

30 minutes ago, JaneAusten said:

You're giving the press and media power they no longer have.  And I give more credit to on the ground operatives then people whose time is passing them by.  The WH Correspondents dinner was a joke(it has been in more recent years) but this year felt more like a death nell.  And I'm sorry I know the polling has improved for Biden, I have no faith in any of it. It's been wrong since 2016. And I really hope we're not talking about that skewed CNN poll showing more women voting for Trump. I can believe white women but not women. No fricking way.

Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of bad polls again lately, but I agree I don't know how much weight they have. I suppose these days everything is vibes-based. Biden is certainly in a tougher mood than he was last year, which I appreciate, but vibes-wise so many seem to have already shifted to Trump coming back in, to the point where you have various world leaders traipsing to Maralago like he's already in office. I hope there's some slim chance.

Those press dinners should have stayed gone after COVID shut them down. I don't think they have any real importance, but seeing people throw themselves on the ground for their beloved Hamas to agonize over Colin Jost's embalmed jokes just remind me how much the worst of this country blots out any discussion or common sense. 

29 minutes ago, P.J. said:

They talk about how slow soaps are. Both Tony & Annabelle and Billy and Vanessa were fast-track romances in the summer of 83.

Does anyone have the Guiding Light history books? Are they any good? 

I used to have a copy of the '97 anniversary book. I'm not sure if I still do - if I do it's in storage somewhere. There were plenty of insights for me (I had little knowledge of the show's history beyond when I started watching, scraps of soap magazines, and what was in the '92 TV special), along with many photos I'd never seen before, although fans who were more in the know likely noticed errors. 

Later on, I checked out the '87 anniversary book from the library. It didn't have as much content, but IIRC had a number of interesting interviews the other didn't have and focused a bit on the making of those anniversary shows.

I'm still not entirely sure of Biden's campaign (if even a strong campaign could stop what often feels like an inevitable press and public coronation of a shockingly decayed Trump), but I am glad they have avoided media whore Chris Christie, who continues to be bitter and sour over his many failed dreams.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/chris-christie-biden-trump-comments-rcna149533

Rena has always been a very charismatic presence, but one of my issues with Lois is that so much of the presentation could border on caricature. The loud lady from Bensonhurst who stood up to the amoral Qs, and so on. My general apathy-bordering-on-antipathy toward Ned probably didn't help. I actually prefer Rena Sofer in her Loving role, even though it wasn't the one that brought her fame, because I think her earnestness shines through.

She did have her moments as Lois, when she was allowed. 

I wonder what might have been with Jax and Lois if Rena hadn't left. (wasn't he originally brought in for Lois)

Lisa also plays Olivia as a caricature, because that's what Olivia has always been, but I think she fits the more hollowed out Ned of recent years, and she is a bit flatter in day-to-day moments than Lois, which separates the two.

I do appreciate the energy Rena has had in her return, from what I've seen of it, as I think the show needs it. 

I don't have any real investment in Brooklyn and never have (also never really gotten the Amanda Setton hype in any of her work, but she's OK). Still, at least she's alive, unlike most of the other Qs, and she and Chase seem harmless enough.

The link didn't work for me either last night although when I found their account I was able to listen to a few other audios.

I would actually argue that Carly has taken over GH in the long term in ways even Reva did not with GL, but that would derail the thread and most people in here don't want to sit through all that.

3 hours ago, BetterForgotten said:

There was also talk and press reports about CBS wanting to expand B&B to an hour in 95/96, and that GL would be canceled to accommodate that. 

I remember around September-November 1996 that talk reached fever pitch, with B&B introducing a new family. Then we heard it wasn't going to happen. Even if a lot of the show was hollowed out by that point I'm still glad it survived a bit longer. 

25 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Yes. I could never understand how a talented, charismatic, gorgeous actress like Rebecca Hollen could be dismissed, but to be fair, we don't know what TPTB were smoking in the 1980s, LOL.

I think Rebecca faced some of the same problems of actresses like Beverly Penberthy - too classy and understated for an increasingly histrionic genre. I also wonder if it's because she was the one Lewis who was not emotionally volatile. Even Long didn't seem to do that much with her - maybe because that just wasn't her type of woman. 

The Avengers used to have close friendships back when I read their comics, but I haven't read much of them past the late '80s/early '90s.

They are clearly banking on Trump winning and are terrified of alienating him. And they have missed him every single day. I don't know why anyone sits through that propaganda network.

Thanks @JAS0N47 for the DAYS info. I haven't watched any of that material in a long time but everything with Ali and her mother was so dark. Marla really knew how to play into those elements.

6 hours ago, Vee said:

They've nailed it - Patrick Mulcahey has come back to bring the Women Talking ethos to GH.

It's kind of amusing to me because some of the tweets amount to - these women could be models or running magazines or running art galleries and look at what they're doing instead, they're taking women back to the '50s. All of those careers are also very dated for women, if that's the complaint. That's a genre wide concern and not down to the new/old writers.

I wish people could just say "They don't know what to do with Sasha, she's a flop," instead of trying to spin the choices as misogyny.

7 minutes ago, BetterForgotten said:

Slightly off topic -  but when PFS came back to DAYS in 1981, NBC ran a commercial promo about “having the writer from GH now!” I wish that was still up, and why did no one bother to tell NBC PFS started at DAYS? 

Oh, here it is. How tacky:

If they were going for that approach you'd think it would make more sense to say, "We had her first."

Still, it was probably a more successful ad campaign than those "I made the switch" ads in 1986.

19 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

I know, and I consider that to be a major shame. With the glaring exception of Ryan's Hope, I found Pat Falken Smith's material upon assuming the writing duties to be exceptionally good.

God only knows why her RH stint was so...tepid. I wonder if it came down to tepid production values and network interference at the time.

It's a shame she didn't last long at GL, for whatever reason.