titan1978

I had completely blocked Autumn out. Even looking her up I'm still trying to remember anything about her.

I did not really enjoy her. I loved Cheryl with Roberto back then, and thought Katherine was boring. When I watch clips now I don't dislike her as much. What I think shows though is just how popular Robert was. I was always a much bigger fan of Anna than Robert, but there is no denying he had several pairings that worked and were very popular. Holly and Anna were super couples, and people also loved him with Tiffany, Katherine, Cheryl, and Jackie.

Thanks for posting. I had no idea PFS has written for the show that long before her first HW stint!

I don't hate Wally, but Kurt's Ned was my favorite. I forgot all about Decker Moss. That Monty returns era was such a mess.

Look at how much of that episode was about longing. Romance is more than just a basic idea or concept. The relationships are very rich I that episode.

Monty famously throwing away about a week of filmed shows must have helped that quick turnaround, due to the production schedule at the time. Good writer, compelling stories and top production. When a show isn't gutted beyond recognition the right team could still turn any one of the soaps around. But who would those teams be in the current climate?

I like Brooke Bundy in the clips I have seen. But I've seen so little of Starrett so I can't say how I would feel about her. I've watched most of the Heather/Diana/Jeff/Anne story including Diana's murder on YouTube, and it was an exciting run of stories. GH is my favorite soap. But when I watch classic era stuff, for me, there is a period between the black and white first few years and Monty that is deadly dull and doesn't hold my interest like clips from other shows during the same period. The Steve and Jessie early years with the addition of Lee are very entertaining. And Monty's casting and actors held me through even the wonkiest stories during her era. But what I have seen between doesn't hold my interest. When you compare GH episodes in the mid 1970's to Days, OLTL, AMC, EDGE, even stodgy old GL and ATWT, GH is not as compelling. My opinion of course.

Wasn't it all about Billy? She was poor, kind of a bad attitude, and tied to Katherine. Three strikes for Jill when it came to her only living child. She hated Nina too, when it was her and Phillip.

After reading that who's who on GH I was really sad for people that started watching after the deaths/ write outs of some of the important pre Monty era players on the show. I loved Steve Hardy when I was a kid until he died. Beradino always sold his material, and could show so much compassion as a doctor and friend in the show. And he could be tough! Just a great leading man and head of the hospital. Audrey I was never very fond of, but she had a place and had value and now that the show lacks so much of that history I find I miss her. Jessie was mostly just a talk to when I started viewing, but again she brought her history to the nurses station and I know enough about how important her character was on the show. Lee Baldwin- like Steve, a fantastic leading man that I always felt commanded the stage when he was there, even in has later days. Leslie Webber- She should be running the hospital. Bringing her back with Guza writing was a loss because she and Alan and Monica could have spent years fighting for the control of the hospital. Keeping the actual hospital vital and those characters vital. Imagine if Leslie and Alan had become an item?

I kind of agree, but I have to admit it would be strange to see him in scenes with ex-wife Monica with this casting. But he's great and I miss seeing him onscreen.

Falken Smith wrote my second favorite GH period, that mid 1980's run that introduced Anna and Robin and Duke. How did you feel about her other runs?

Another dearly departed and missed character. Ruby giving Brenda shade as a teen, then their friendship did more to make me like Brenda as a character than her later pairing with Sonny. Ruby didn't take her crap but you could tell she was fond of her. I loved how much time the teens of the early 1990's spent at Kelly's, and how much a part of their lives Ruby was.

Alan worked best for me when he was a good doctor that could do some shady stuff in his private life. No need to try to turn him into Steve. But the right actor and story could have given us Tom or Jeff Webber and everything would have been fine. Or not destroyed Rick Webber in such a terrible story and kept him when her returned for Laura's exit story. The show needs that grounded older hospital character. No way JFP would have gone this route, nor Guza, but when Leslie came back they should have let her get back her life as a doctor and have her fight for chief of staff. I grew up watching the show, Starting at the tail end of Luke and Laura, her return from the Cassadines. I loved Steve Hardy and Jessie, even if they didn't have stories I liked seeing them. When these shows want sexy they always go younger. Well Donna Mills and Ted Shackleford were not young when Knots Landing paired them and no couple was ever hotter on that show IMO. Invest in people that aren't just kids, your shows need them!

I agreed and quit watching at the time, around the time they started dragging out the exorcism because of all the attention the show was getting. What really sucks is he had me from the beginning of his stint until then. I adored his Hope return story, Sami up to that point, Lucas/Kate/BillieAustin/Curtis story, the Marlena/John affair. About as out there as I needed was Carly buried alive, which I enjoyed the hell out of. Lots of really great DAYS stories until he dug in deep to a gothic and camp style which became the whole show. I just couldn't take it anymore.

Agreed!

Kristina! How could I forget it's the name of her kid.

I do not disagree. Guza was fired as I recall. Laura was sidelined. For me, the recast Lucky and Nikolas were awful and had more chemistry with each other than any romantic pairing. Roy should have been left in the past and Bobbie should have had a fresh love interest. Angel and Hannah were both awful replacements for Brenda. We spent forever fighting to get Michael and it made the Q's insufferable. Burton fought his intended pairing with Carly in every scene they shared. Stefan was destroyed. The repeat death for Katherine was a waste. I would rather forget Chloe and that sister for Alexis whose name I can't remember. Luke and Felicia was terrible for both of them. I could go on and on lol.

Great shows thanks! My viewing was sporadic back then.

When I was watching at that time, it was pretty clear he had already started moving the stories in new directions because the show was a mess and suddenly, it got good again. Guza was a great writer for GH for his first HW stint, and this one until the death of Lucky. But once Riche was gone he was just awful most of the time. I think the only reason I enjoyed Ron's first year was because he wrote the show as an ensemble, and not as Jason/Sonny/Carly hour.

Thank you for posting this. I really miss Katherine. Well, Bill Bell's Katherine.

The Panic Room, the Contagion arc, the first Laura wakes up from her coma, Brenda is alive and the Metro Court hostage event were all entertaining to me. The Laura one was the only story that was all heart and character work versus plot and action, but I enjoyed them all. The problem was during Guza's first two runs, I enjoyed enough of what happened in between his big events that I was still a regular viewer. Some of that I have learned was because Riche was forcing his hand on including characters he would later ignore or write out. With JFP, I began to hate more of the events, and the treading water between events, and the near total domination of misery and the same 5 characters being featured all the time. If you weren't Jason, Sam, Sonny, Carly, or Michael (no child character from baby to teen to adult has ever been the focus of more on this show than him), you were on twice a week at best, and only if you were in Luke's orbit, or in the orbit of those 5.

I guess he is older now and a little less nervous about playing a gay character. That was the rumor at the time correct? He wanted off ATWT because Luke was going to be gay?

When I read articles about classic era soaps, it's always so fascinating how intimate they seem. I grew up after the Monty era when they all opened up the storytelling scope. It's hard to imagine the small cast of main characters never crossing paths on GH pre 1978, and yet after the early 1980's, lots of soaps had characters that never crossed paths. Y&R a prime example. We good more diverse stories, and settings, but less character and less of that small town feel.

I just remember watching thinking Stone was going to die and Robin was not going to be HIV+ because it was Robin and soaps just don't go there. If you have ever know anyone that died from complications of AIDS, this was the single most realistic version I have ever seen. And only a soap could do that, because we saw Stone each week getting weaker, having multiple illnesses, how the community reacted, and how his estranged family treated him. It was a beautiful love story about several characters. For all his faults later on, I will still take Guza's first six months and the first year he was there when he came back from Sunset Beach.

The two Grants. Not the best storyline in GH history. But it did lead to the fantastic Anna story. I'm not really a fan of the Rick and Lesley of this era either. I think they needed more drama and less light fluffy material. Brock was such a jerk.