TheyStartedOnSoaps

Three-time Emmy Winner Bradley Whitford (West Wing) talks about his time working on AMC and has some nice things to say about David Canary - video below https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/video/bradley-whitford-new-season-diplomat-126473879

Pat Falken Smith is notorious for penning sensational and lurid rape storylines. With the exception of Guiding Light, every single soap she wrote for, she featured a sensational rape storyline that would live on in soap opera history. The most famous being "Luke & Laura"

This opening from Guiding Light Would win the Emmy for Outstanding Title Design - BEATING One Life To Live's new title design and Loving's new title design Did you agree with Emmy voters awarding Guiding Light outstanding title design? Or would you have voted for OLTL or Loving's new title design?

Both those redone opening by OLTL & Loving would get Emmys nominations for outstanding title design But both LOST to this title design by Guiding Light (below)

For all the talk on Guiding Light threads about how many people from the soap Santa Barbara wound up on GL No one talks about how many Santa Barbara people would up on All My Children John Callahan, Eva La Rue, Marj Dusay, Vincent Irrizary, Marcy Walker, Sydney Penny, Robin Mattson, Roscoe Born - I'm probably forgetting more people but that is just off the top of my head.

For all the talk on Guiding Light threads about how many Santa Barbara people wound up on GL No one talks about how many Santa Barbara people would up on All My Children John Callahan, Eva La Rue, Marj Dusay, Vincent Irrizary, Marcy Walker, Sydney Penny, Robin Mattson, Roscoe Born - I'm probably forgetting more people but that is just off the top of my head.

This is an article from 10 years ago (my apologizes if it has already been posted) - but interview with Jordan Clarke - who was working as handyman once Guiding Light went off the air https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidkushner/my-handyman-my-soap-star

Because she is Reva!

Colleen Zenk & Hillary B. Smith together again after 35 years

Then who would you pair Reva up with, once she broke it off with Alan?

It is possible that McTavish is taking credit for a firing she had nothing to do with. At the time Jean Carol was not happy with her storyline, she had been on the backburner for 18 months. And she missed LA. Being backburner that long, I think the show felt there was nowhere to go with the character. While it was a mistake to kill off Nadine, I don't think it was McTavish who fired Jean Carol. Her leaving was a long time coming, and I think it was the higher-ups that decided to write out the character.

Clint Richie's illness in real-life changed the storyline. Originally Sloan was to die and Clint & Viki get back together again. However because Clint Richie was in an accident and on sick leave, the writers had to scramble to keep the story afloat until Richie came back So they convinced Roy Thinnes to sign a long-term contract, just to keep things going until Richie came back. Which is why he made a miraculous recovery. Irony is that they did wind up killing off Sloan, cutting short Roy Thinnes contract. Despite Richie returning (and a recast Jerry Ver Dorn), Clint & Viki remained apart for almost 20 years!

He was not up for the part of Johnny Bauer - he already cast as Johnny's brother, Todd Bauer. As Sheri Anderson made plans to expand the Bauer family with a new head of the family, Lainie & Jack Bauer, along with Lacey Bauer in an attempt to duplicate the four musketeers. But the ink was barely dry on Frank D. contract before Sheri Anderson was fired and Pam Long was re-hired. She immediately ditched the Tood Bauer character, and instead created a brand new character of Frank. She dropped the Lacey Bauer character, and created Harley Cooper to replace Lacey in the new four musketeers. She marginalized Lainie & Jack Bauer, and instead had Hawk & Sarah Shayne run "Company"

Fun fact - Gail & Pam wanted to cast Jerry Lanning as Billy Lewis. However it seems the network & P&G felt there were too many ex-Texas actors on the show, and told Gail Kobe & Pam Long to put a halt on hiring anymore former Texas actors

I just read the transcript and the ONLY time Justin Deas is mentioned is when Tina Sloan talks about how great it was to work with him. NEVER did Ellen Parker ever mention Justin Deas in that interview

When did she say this?

I don't think Ellen Parker was fired to pay for him. Remember around the same time Beverlee McKinsey quit, so they already had the money to pay for Justin Deas

Though JFP boosted AW as the top P&G soap among women - I've always wondered if it ws becaise of her, or because AW followed Days of our Lives on most NBC stations At that time, Days was the number one show for women 18 - 49. This was not only among all soap operas, but all daytime shows (talk shows, games shows etc)

JFP wasn't fired, she resigned after repeated battles with P&G. NBC & P&G wanted her to stay, as she was the only producer able to boost AW numbers in the female demos - under her watch AW became the top P&G soap for women 18 - 34.

But the show did move up in the ratings - AW became the top P&G soap in the desired 18-34 female demo during the Sharlene/John/Felicia triangle

According to Margaret Colin (Deas wife) he was fine with that. By that point he had lost his ambition, and was perfectly fine being a house husband while Colin travelled the world purusing her career. Deas gave up his career to stay at home with the kids, and letting Colin pursue hers. He was fine staying at Guiding Light to provide security and health insurance for the kids.

well I remember when Felicia walked in on Michael & Sharlene in bed together. The next day Michael pleaded with Felicia to keep her mouth shut. Which Felicia replied, "Since you like to lecture so much about what is right and wrong, why don't you go find yourself a mirror and give yourself a pep talk" episode below

Except when JFP added Kale as the fourth wheel in the Sharlene/John/Felicia triangle - making it a foursome

When they cast Nathan Fillion as Joey, he towered over Kirk Geiger (who was playing the OLDER brother). At the time Geiger, then Armstrong was let go, the EP at the time said they needed to cast Kevin Buchanan as a drop dead gorgeous leading man. Hence hiring a model, which was a mistake, because he couldn't act. Then they settled on Kevin Stapleton Fun fact - Kirk Geiger auditioned for the part of Dylan on 90210

John Wesley Shipp says his parents have recorded every single episode of Guiding Light that he appeared in from 1980 to 1984 on VHS.