zanereed

Most of the P & G shows have episodes intact dating back to the late 70s and early 80s.   Episodes of AW, Texas, EON, and SFT were available on the AOL website.   Also, P & G made episodes of AW, GL, and ATWT available on Hulu for a brief period.  Then, they sold the GL and ATWT DVDs.  Then, suddenly nothing.   It's as if P & G wanted nothing more to do with the soap opera genre that they helped create.   Anyone know what happened to the surviving existing episodes of the P & G soaps?  I would hope that P & G would not have destroyed the surviving episodes.  There would definitely be an audience for their soaps to be rebroadcast on a station like MeTV or Antenna TV- the initial group of viewers who made their shows popular from the 1950s-70s- are now of retirement age and a audience familiarity of these programs would exist and attract viewers.   I believe a P & G soap block on MeTV or Antenna TV could be successful if promoted correctly and aired in the afternoon- 12:30 PM SFT, 1:00 ATWT, 2:00 AW, 3:00 GL, 4:00 EON.  

Didn't Lynne Adams want to leave the show, so they decided to kill off Leslie? Also, can you recall how long it was between Joe Werner's death and Leslie Bauer's death in 1976? I seem to recall that they weren't too far off from each other.

 

Yes, referring to the show as just "Guiding Light" never made much sense to me, either 

According to synopses posted on Daytime Royalty, Leslie died in June 1976 and Joe died in November 1976.

 

 

I remember Stewart definitely had chemistry with May when she was playing Renee, but I'm trying to remember if that same chemistry was there a few years later when May was playing Ivy. There's only one episode up on YT with Stewart and May as Mike and Ivy talking about Lucien Goff. I really can't recall.

 

And yes, IMHO, Mart Hulswit was probably the best Ed out of the four adult actors who portrayed him.

The character of Ivy was not particularly interesting, and I found little chemistry because her and Mike. It's just as well that the show dropped her. 

 

And yes, Hulswit could imbue Ed with many different colors, much better than any of the other actors did (although Gentry was good during his initial 1966-69 run).

Richard Van Vleet. Did GL think he was get from AMC cause he flopped badly

Van Fleet was actually a good choice to play Chuck Tyler on AMC, and he played well against his co-stars there, but he was simply all wrong for Ed Bauer, looks-wise and temperament-wise.

To all GL thread forum readers, 

 

Here are some of the ideas that could have prolonged GL's 2009 cancellation.

 

Joey Roberts, Meta's stepson, could have come back to Springfield years later as a doctor and play Dr. Joe Werner's storylines to give Meta plenty to do during the seventies.

 

Meta could have been a mother figure to Joe's son, T.J. in addition to Sara.

 

Bruce Banning, Meta's husband, could have been a longtime Bauer family physician and family friend who had  married Meta and provided her with two stepsons, Mike, and Bill, from his first marriage to his deceased wife, Dr. Mary Leland, and they could have played Mike and Ed's stories respectively, so Bert wouldn't age so drastically.

 

As you already knew, Dr. Mary Leland Banning took care of Mama Bauer when she was dying during GL's early years on radio. I wouldn't put it past her to make Meta the godmother of Mary and Bruce's two sons.

 

Mike Banning could play Mike Bauer's stories, and Bill Banning (named after Bill Bauer who Bruce and his first wife, Dr. Mary Leland Banning, named as the godfather of young Billy) could have played Ed Bauer's stories.

 

Dr. Steve Jackson could be a father figure to young Dr. Bill Banning after Bruce's death making Meta a widow once again. Steve and Meta could be paired off. The backstory Steve could have had was that he and Bruce both came up in the medical profession together starting when they were medical students. Steve could have built a medical career in Europe to explain Stefan Schnabel's accent and return to Springfield as Cedars' Chief of Surgery.

 

Jed Allan could have been a Mike Banning recast if Don Stewart was no longer available. He could have given Marj Dusay's character, Alexandra Spaulding, so much material to work with, and they could have lasted all the way to the end.

 

Meta could have stayed on being a grandmother to Mike and Bill's children, Hope Banning Spaulding,  Alan-Michael Spaulding, Dr. Rick Banning (Papa Bauer whose first name was Friedrich could have been the namesake as well as the godfather), and Michelle Banning.

 

Ben and Maggie Scott . Maggie could have been a niece of Bruce, and daughter Peggy could have turned to Meta  or/ even Bert for motherly support after the death of her parents.

 

Mary Stuart could have still taken over the role of Meta from Ellen Demming 

.

Instead of relying on the Bauers and aging them, a similar family, the Roberts/Banning family could have been introduced and used for many, many years down the line.

 

As for the Bauers, you know who I would have them playing the roles of Bert and Bill's sons, Mike and Ed:  Justin and Ross!

 

The Marlers wouldn't exist.

 

Ross  (instead of Mike) Bauer could have played Ross Marler's stories starting in 1979, and Dr. Justin (instead of William/Edward) Bauer could have played Justin Marler's stories starting in 1976. That way the actors portraying them could be young enough to be Bert and Bill Bauer's sons.  Bill would still have children out of wedlock, but his illegitimate children, Lainie Kincaid, could have played Hillary Bauer's stories, and Paul Kincaid, could have returned much later to play Ben Warren's stories to give Ross and the Bauers so much to do.

 

Phillip Spaulding would have had an opportunity to be a Bauer, and so would his descendants. Justin's daughter  and Phillip's sister, who would be Samantha, could leave town with Justin following the death of Phillip and Samantha's mother, Jackie, in 1983, and return in the mid-1990s to play Michelle Bauer's stories.

 

When Phillip and his family return to Springfield in the mid-1990s, he could have been a guardian to his younger sister, Samantha, who would have been playing Michelle Bauer's storylines.

 

Michelle (changed to Michelle Banning) would come later during the 2000s as a rebellious teenager who would come and stay with Meta and Rick.  Fletcher could have lasted a little bit longer when Michelle's biological mother, Dr. Claire Ramsey Reade, returned with Fletcher as her new husband and Meg as her stepdaughter. Meg being much closer to Claire could have cause friction with Meg's mother, Holly, and give Maureen Garrett so much to work with. Michelle and Holly could still have the special mother-daughter relationship they have always enjoyed. Fletcher possibly being Michelle's father could have been explored as well.

 

A bullying storyline could have been introduced with Meg being harassed at school due to her having Down's Syndrome, and Michelle sticking up for her and being her protector.

 

That way the Bannings and the Bauers could have had longevity along with Guiding Light.

 

I'm interested to know what'd you think? I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

 

Also, rumor has it that Jane was not beloved by the cast....JVD did not want to work with her anymore, and the rest of them thought she was just a biotch..

Marland wanted her to go through therapy...can you imagine, it would be like the Iva Snyder therapy sessions...AGGGHHHH.

I thought I recall GL briefly going back in up ratings in either 1983 or 1984 (1984 was the year in which GL was supposedly the top rated soap for a brief period, but I think that was nixed previously in this thread)?

Guiding Light definitely hit #1 in the ratings for about three weeks in July 1984. I remember it well because Entertainment Tonight aired a story about GL's ratings surge.

The Dobson's were hit or miss on ATWT during their two runs. I find it strange since their run on GL was flawless from everything i've read. From what i've seen of Gunther i was not impressed. Were Barbara and Gunther popular? Which was worse The Mr. Big story or Barbara's past life? What other outlandish stories took place during this time?

I have always felt that the slaughtering of multiple members of Meta's family over the years doomed the character to oblivion, which she eventually fell into during the early 1970s. Chuckie, Kathy, Joey, and Robin represented the next generation of Meta's branch of the family, and eliminating them all from the story was a curious choice that I did not appreciate then, and which annoys me again, even today. Of all her men, Meta had the best chemistry with Joe Roberts. The show never seemed particularly dedicated to the character of Bruce Banning, and I do wish Irna Phillips had not killed off Joe in such a pointless fashion. With Bill Bauer being such a screw up, and with Papa Bauer's death, a solidly-married Meta and Joe could have become Springfield's answer to Chris and Nancy Hughes. Virtually the ONLY right decision TPTB made in the mid-1990s was to bring Meta Bauer back home.

Nothing drives this fact home more than Papa Bauer's death/funeral, where Meta is seen comforting Bert.

1962 cast photo

 

Does anyone remember how long Millette Alexander played "Sylvia Suker" on the show?

I thought she played on ATWT from 1964 to 1966, which would not fit if this photo is actually from 1962.

 

(I just checked in two reference books, which also list Alexander's tenure on the show from 1964066.)

 

I agree with this completely. Basically, I did not equate "younger and sexier" with Peter Simon (who is actually only 3 years younger than Hulswit). I still find it odd that Marland had such derogatory comments to say about Hulswit. Did he ever do this with any other actor?

I think Hulswit's being slightly pudgy had a lot to do with it. TPTB believe that the audience only wants to see thin romantic leads. (Well, it's getting a bit better nowadays, but in the past, it was rare to find any overweight characters of that sort.)

 

I was quite offended by Marland's referring to Hulswit as a "dodo," a mean-spirited bit of sniping that was so unnecessary (and so unlike the writer, who never seemed to have a bad word to say about anyone, even Allen Potter or Gloria Monty, both of whom he had had trouble working with.)

 

Seriously, I would take Hulswit's Ed over Simon's any day. (Although I would take Simon's Ed over Richard van Fleet's version.)

I think the show should have brought Rita back at some point. 

1962 cast photo

Was Mart fired from GL in 1981 or did he leave on his own ?

In an interview many years ago, Douglas Marland spoke about how TPTB wanted to go younger and sexier with the character of Ed, and how Mart Hulswit was supposedly a "dodo," who was not attractive or fit enough to play a younger, sexier Ed. 

 

It was absurd, of course. Regardless of TPTB's opinion of what will or will not appeal to the audience, we do not all demand to see washboard abs and shampoo-model hair on every soap opera character. We have loved matriarchs and patriarchs like Bert Bauer, Lila Quartermaine, Joe Martin, Stu Bergman, Grandpa Hughes, Katherine Chancellor, and so many others, regardless of their physical attributes. Mart Hulswit was warm and comforting, and certainly attractive even though his waist was expanding and his hair was thinning. He was Ed Bauer. Peter Simon is a good actor, but much more aloof and reserved than Hulswit, and is he (or was he, at the time) significantly more attractive than Hulswit? I would say no.

 

The early 1980s saw the unavoidable loss of Bert Bauer, the completely avoidable loss of Mike, Hope, Hillary, and even Bill Bauer, and the pointless recasting of Ed Bauer.  It was a series of death blows to the core family and to the show, and TGL never actually recovered.

Was Mart fired from GL in 1981 or did he leave on his own ?

In an interview many years ago, Douglas Marland spoke about how TPTB wanted to go younger and sexier with the character of Ed, and how Mart Hulswit was supposedly a "dodo," who was not attractive or fit enough to play a younger, sexier Ed. 

 

It was absurd, of course. Regardless of TPTB's opinion of what will or will not appeal to the audience, we do not all demand to see washboard abs and shampoo-model hair on every soap opera character. We have loved matriarchs and patriarchs like Bert Bauer, Lila Quartermaine, Joe Martin, Stu Bergman, Grandpa Hughes, Katherine Chancellor, and so many others, regardless of their physical attributes. Mart Hulswit was warm and comforting, and certainly attractive even though his waist was expanding and his hair was thinning. He was Ed Bauer. Peter Simon is a good actor, but much more aloof and reserved than Hulswit, and is he (or was he, at the time) significantly more attractive than Hulswit? I would say no.

 

The early 1980s saw the unavoidable loss of Bert Bauer, the completely avoidable loss of Mike, Hope, Hillary, and even Bill Bauer, and the pointless recasting of Ed Bauer.  It was a series of death blows to the core family and to the show, and TGL never actually recovered.

I agree with this completely. Basically, I did not equate "younger and sexier" with Peter Simon (who is actually only 3 years younger than Hulswit). I still find it odd that Marland had such derogatory comments to say about Hulswit. Did he ever do this with any other actor?