zanereed

It is interesting that Ross was originally introduced to have more family around Justin, which resulted in both Ross and Lainie in the Springfield canvas. Then Lainie and Justin get written out, and Ross becomes the last Marler standing for years. As Jerry Ver Dorn once stated in a Soap Opera Digest interview, once Mike Bauer left Springfiled, it was pretty easy to stay in Springfield as the only consistent attorney within the town. He wasn't wrong at all.

Now that is a great point. I wonder why Marland didn't go this route? Maybe because he had already brought back/SORAS'd a legacy character in the form of Tim Werner, so he instead wanted to introduce a character of his own?

Joe Ponazecki. I think he made sporatic appearances on GL as Larry Wyatt as early as late 1978 or early 1979. I think he had more consistency around February or March in 1980, when Doug Marland took over writing duties. This was when Mike Bauer was trying to lure Roger Thorpe out in the open when they suspected Roger was back in Springfield to obtain Christina. I remember him being around until 1989, or did he make it into the 1990's...?

It is interesting that Ann lasts as long as she does as a character on the show. I assume the show chose not to renew her contract, but I don't know for certain. I also believe Millette Alexander's contract wasn't renewed after she last appeared at Christmas in 1982. Looking back, I really wish that they had ended up pairing Sara and Mike Bauer versus Sara and Adam. Sara and Mike were already good friends, and it would have been an interesting twist in 1978 if Sara and Mike had a fling after Dean Blackwell's death, Sara turning to Mike for comfort after Dean's death. Mike and Sara certainly could have been a tentpole couple moving forward, unlike Mike and Elizabeth.

Correct. Lynne Adams (Leslie) decided she wanted to leave the show, as Leslie hadn't been given much to do since Adams returned as Leslie in 1973 (and now everyone can witness her first scene returning as Leslie in 1973 on YT - unreal) I don't think the Dobsons tried to stop that from happening, as I think they wanted Mike single again. I agree, @DeeVee - they should have let Mike and Leslie have a child together. I wonder it they thought it would be too strange to have two siblings that could also be cousins 😄. As far as Ed and Holly go, at least they allowed Ed to show up at the end of TGL and take Holly on a "trip around the world". IMHO, I don't think Peter Simon had as much chemistry with Maureen Garrett as Mart Hulswit had, but I'm glad the show gave them a final scene together.

More fantastic behind-the-scenes footage from Mitch, and this time with sound. What a find. Thank you again Mitch! As far back as 1981, it began with Alan's affair with Rita Bauer. By the end of the year, however, Alan and Hope were back together. I know by 1983 Hope began drinking and that brought a huge wedge between Alan and Hope. However, Elvera Roussel supposedly wasn't too keen on playing an alcoholic Hope, so the "War of the Roses" Alan/Hope storyline never played out as they fired Roussel by November of 1983.

I think Larry Gates and Charita Bauer would have been fantastic together. TPTB throughout the 1970's could never pull the trigger on Bert and Stephen Jackson, so I had no problem with Bert and H.B. Yes, I suppose it would seem an odd pairing, but I could see Bert keeping H.B. in line. Plus, it would have made it interesting if either Josh or Billy was against the pairing, along with either Ed or Mike, setting up some odd alliances with the Lewis and Bauer brothers. Thank you for the confirmation regarding Bev - that makes sense. Stewart was rather notorious over the years for "poo-pooing" potential pairings because the women were either too young or too old (Jennifer, Trish, etc,). To be fair, Bev was older than Stewart...by about 4 months 😁! Again, if Stewart would have just went along with the storyline, I don't think Mike would have ever left the show. In fact, depending on who Mike ended up being paired with - Alexandra or Lillian (and they could have even played that "back-and-forth" out for at least 2 or 3 years), I think Mike would have ended up being the "tentpole Bauer" versus Ed. And yes, Pam Long did want to write for the Bauers. She thought Don Stewart was the perfect older leading man, and like you said @Mitch64, Long would have written for Charita Bauer forever and ever. Apparently Kobe and Long both loved Charita. Charita's death did catch them both completely off guard, and they and the show, itself, never really recovered from it. I bolded your quote from above because that is the absolute truth, and Kobe definitely thought that.

@Paul Raven - from what I've learned over the years, it apparently started when Pam Long came up with a storyline tied to the eventual Lujack/Beth pairing. This was a love triangle involving both their mothers, Alexandra and Lillian. Since both Alexandra and Lillian were relatively new to the canvas, Long figured it would be a no-brainer to involve Springfield's most longtime eligible bachelor at that point, Mike Bauer. Lillian and Alexandra would both vie for Mike's attention over the spring and summer of 1984. You can see the show use Mike more and more beginning in May and continuing through most of June and July. I think Stewart's last major appearance was at the Springfield Founder's Day in August of 1984 (where he attended the event with Lillian). I suppose Stewart had a few more sporatic appearances, but all of a sudden in September of 1984, it was mentioned in passing that Mike left for Washington DC, and that was it. Mike wouldn't return except for an odd phone call in 1989 that Phillip made to Mike (and the voice on the other end certain wasn't Don Stewart's) and when Mike returned briefly in 1997 for the 60th Anniversary Event. I guess Stewart did not get along well with Beverlee McKinsey, and that led to Stewart's apparent resistance in continuing with the storyline. I heard the possiblity was that by 1985 Mike would have eventually been paired with Alex for most of that year. Mike was supposed to be with Alex in Barbados during the fall of 1984 for the reveal of Brandon Spaulding. That, combined with Mike likely defending Lujack at his murder trial the following spring, would have kept Mike and Alex together as a couple. Maybe Stewart wasn't keen on it, preferring Mike to only be with Lillian? And to be fair, I think you also may be right about the contract issue. However, it did appear that Mike was going to be used much more throughout 1984 and 1985. I originally heard that Gail Kobe had enough and fired Stewart some time in late August via a phone call while Stewart was out playing golf. I always thought this was a silly rumor, but Roger Newcomb from "We Love Soaps" stated a few years ago that this was accurate. It was why Mike was quickly written out in September. I still think the plan after firing Stewart was to recast Mike after a few months (maybe have Mike return to Springfield around Christmas time with a new actor in the role) and try to continue with the original storyline, but obviously that was scrapped. That was probably because Peter Simon had also left in September, and it would have been too much of a shock to longtime viewers to recast both Bauer brothers in such a short amount of time.

Absolutely agree. Pilar was on TGL for two years (1963 to 1965), and you can see one episode of him from 1963 in the role of Mike on YT when Julie gives birth to Hope. Pilar didn't return again to TGL at all after leaving in 1965 - it was a few months later when Mike and Hope Bauer reappeared in Bay City some time in early 1966. I've heard that the reason the show didn't ask Pilar to return as Mike was that they were looking for more of a "Daytime Mannix" look-and-feel for Mike Bauer. This is supposedly why they originally cast Pickering, and then opted for Don Stewart later in 1968 (and let's be honest - Stewart certainly looked like a younger version of "Mannix"). Well, Don Stewart never "left" TGL, Gail Kobe fired him. I've said this previously in this thread - I think if Peter Simon hadn't quit as Ed in the fall of 1984 and therefore TPTB had to quickly recast Ed with Richard Van Vleet, Kobe and Long were going to originally recast Mike Bauer in order to continue with the Alexandra/Mike/Lillian love triangle that was supposed to have ramifications for Beth and Lujack. Pickering certainly would have worked. Was Pickering still acting in 1984? I can't find any credits for him at all in the 1980's.

For those earlier in the thread that were asking about Mike Bauer and when Don Stewart started playing the role, the listed timeframe on various websites of December 1968 should be correct. Robert Pickering had been portraying Mike since the spring of 1968. I'm not sure if Pickering decided to leave or if TPTB decided to recast. As mentioned by others, 1968 was the first time that both adult Bauer brothers were on screen together when Mike returned (Ed still being played by Robert Gentry since 1966). Pickering still should have been playing Mike when Mike and Leslie (Lynne Adams) first interacted, as I think that storyline was in place not too long after Mike and Hope returned to Springfield. Gentry left the role in late April of 1969, shortly after Ed had been pulled over and arrested for drunk driving (in fact, some black and white kinescope footage of this segment was on GL's "Find Your Light" website for a time). I think Gentry left of his own accord, and the show recast Mart Hulswit in the role of Ed. Mart's first airdate should have been in July of 1969, right after Bill Bauer had been presumably killed in a plane crash.

True, unless Reinholt's attitude had adjusted by that point. Speaking of which, I'm guessing that's why he was never considered for roles, even after making that guest appearance on AW in 1989.

I think that George Reinholt could have come on TGL in 1994 and performed the role of Alan Spaulding very well.

That could have been one of Mike Bauer's plots to lure Roger out in the open 😄.

I'm thinking you're right. However, that was such short-sighted thinking, IMHO. Actually, Mike Bauer *did* appear in 1989 via a phone call with Phillip, when Phillip called Mike in regards to Phillip investigating Adam (Roger). I don't know who played Mike, but it was voice only, and certainly not Don Stewart. The weirdest part of the call was Phillip saying to Mike when he called (paraphrasing), "Hey, Mike, it's Phillip Spaulding. Do you remember me?" 😄 I actually thought that initial phone call was going to lead to Mike being recast and coming back to Springfield, but that didn't happen. Honestly, Mike Bauer could have easily been inserted back in at this time, whether played by Stewart or someone else. Mike had been away from Springfield for 5 years, that it was probably safe enough to try to recast. Mike Bauer had ties to most everyone in the cast, so it wasn't as if he was a brand new face in town as had been the case with Holly and Roger, but TPTB made it work for them to slide back into the cast. As for who would have played him if Mike had been recast, Don May would have been a "slam dunk", but I honestly think May would have been a decade too old to play Mike. Nick Coster might have been firmly planted on the West Coast by 1989, so I don't know if he could have been tempted to play Mike. The David Bailey idea made me think of another ex-Russ Matthews from Another World, Sam Groom. I think Groom would have been affable, but still could have the "Law and Order" attitude for Mike.

I agree completely. Although, I might have done it a bit earlier in the storyline. When Alexandra is trapped on the island with Roger (Adam), I would have had the rescue team find Alex, but it wouldn't have been led by Fletcher, it would have been led by Mike Bauer. Why? Mike Bauer was working with the feds to hunt down Adam Malek. The fact that Mike had previous history with Alex would only serve to help the story more. Mike would return Alex safely back to Springfield, and reunite with his immediate family. While there, Ed and Maureen would persuade Mike to stay in Springfield for awhile, at least for Phillip and Blake's wedding (and hopefully the show would remember Mike had history with both of them!!!). Mike reluctantly agrees...or he appears to... ...because in reality Mike has no intention of leaving Springfield, at least right away. Unknown to Ed and Holly, Mike is there because he has uncovered alleged evidence of a government operative, who is currently going by the alias of Adam Malek. Mike's evidence points to the fact that this operative is actually Roger Thorpe. Because Mike shouldn't even be privy to this information plus having no crystal-clear evidence, Mike keeps this information to himself. However, Mike eventually encounters his old friend/enemy, Alan Spaulding, while in Springfield, and Alan begins to suspect that he, himself, isn't the only one who believes Roger is still alive... Mike tries to set up a series of "traps" for Roger, in order to bring him out in the open. As always. Roger stays one step ahead of Mike (barely, of course, so that Mike doesn't look like a complete imbecile). Mike's presence would have added extra history and intrigue. I could also see an eventual Alex/Mike/Roger triangle, as well.

I had always heard that Stewart was just outright fired by Kobe, and that there was no "reduced contract" or anything offered. "We Love Soaps" essentially confirmed this back in 2013 or 2014, stating that Stewart was fired by Kobe while Stewart was playing a round of golf. I really don't blame Long, as she *wanted* to write for Mike Bauer, essentially placing Mike - a legacy character and a Bauer - at the center of a major love triangle with two newer characters, Alexandra and Lillian. Plus, that triangle would have a direct impact on the new, "hot" couple, Beth and Lujack. I can't confirm this, but I have a feeling that Long's initial endgame to this triangle would have been Mike and Alexandra together and engaged. And, that would make sense and would be a great - if confusing - pairing. Mike Bauer would be engaged to the sister of his on/off nemesis since 1977. The "confusing" part would be that Mike would be engaged to Alan-Michael's Aunt! 🤪

Others on this board have suggested Jed Allan would have been a solid Mike recast (as Allan had been playing someone similar on DOOL as Don Craig). However, I don't know if Allan could have been persuaded to move to the East Coast. I never understood why Stewart hadn't wanted to "play ball" with the storyline. I know that Stewart moved to the West Coast once he was fired from TGL to look for roles out there. Maybe he was ready for a change? I think that had Stewart had been willing to play out Long's original storyline, he would have lasted much longer on the show.

He did, but that was more because Hulswit was (apparently) critical of Marland's writing - so much so that Marland wanted Ed recast. I completely agree - Hulswit was much more dynamic than Simon ever was. Stewart was fired by Kobe. Pam Long actually had a long term storyline planned for Mike Bauer as part of the Alexandra/Mike/Lillian love triangle (which would have been connected to the Beth/Lujack romance), but Stewart was resistant to it. There were previous comments in this thread that Stewart and Beverlee McKinsey didn't get along offscreen, so I don't know if that had something to do with it...? I suspect it was because they had just recast Ed from Peter Simon to Richard Van Vleet (as Simon wanted to leave) at about the same time that Kobe fired Stewart. Ed was more central to the show at that point. He was married to Maureen, and her family was heavily involved the main storylines. Rick was also involved, as well. Mike, while being a Bauer, had no wife or children in Springfield, and he wasn't heavily tied to any storyline - Mike was easier to completely write out. I think that had Simon stayed on as Ed in 1984, the show would have likely recast Mike and would have continued on with Long's original storyline.

That makes complete sense. I always got the sense that Marland had to sacrifice those vets in order to keep the Bauer family intact - I've heard that TPTB at P&G wanted the Bauer family phased out as early as when Marland initially took over in 1980, but he was able to keep that from happening during his time there.

I know that Marland definitely did not care for Hulswit, as Marland was the one who convinced Allen Potter to let Hulswit go (which Potter later stated that he shouldn't have done), but I was always surprised by Marland letting go of Milli, Berjer, and Schnabel. Marland always tended to use the vets well, even if they weren't in major storylines (as he did on ATWT). I suppose there must have been cost cuts involved, and since Roger and Holly were no longer in Springfield, Berjer and Milli weren't needed. Marland must not have felt comfortable finally "officially" putting Bert Bauer together with Steven Jackson, so Schnabel wasn't needed, either.

Yes, both Papa and Bert referred to Mike as "Michael". Once upon a time, the P & G soaps loosely crossed over to one another. As you mentioned, Dru Mitchell was in Oakdale at one point, and Mike Bauer took Hope to Bay City from Springfield (or maybe TGL was still Selby Flats versus Springfield...?), shortly after Hope's mother, Julie Conrad, killed herself in a mental institution early in 1966.

I second @Keri's recommendation - go to YT and start here: The 1979 episodes are sporadic, but you can get a good sense the storylines that played out throughout the year.

Here's one such instance where Sara played the piano (Christmas Eve, 1982):

That's a great question, as I really can't recall. The first appearances of Ross from March of 1979 are on YT, of course, but I don't think any of them include an initial encounter with Mike. My instinct says that they didn't know each other *well* when Ross first came to Springfield (as opposed to when Alan Spaulding first appeared, for example, and the show established right away that Mike and Alan knew each other already). For some reason, I think Mike knew Ross by reputation only, but 43 years on the memory will cheat, of course. I agree with you, though - I remember that Mike and Ross were certainly not best friends during 1979 and 1980!

She would have made a great Hope Bauer, but I always wished they brought Courtney on as Elizabeth Spaulding, Alan's first wife, but with a bit more strength and resolve versus how Lezlie Dalton originally played the role. Then I could really imagine George Reinholt as Alan Spaulding opposite Courtney as Elizabeth!