Speed Racer

I remember that back in September/October 1982, there was a hurricane somewhere near Venezuela that led to the deaths of several Spaulding employees (and contractors) working on oil rigs. This was while Amanda was president but was all too focused on Mark/Jennifer. I'm sure I have some of those details wrong, but I distinctly remember the hurricane. An event like that surely could have been used by Alan to undermine Amanda in front of stockholders and the board.

Yeah, I'm a broken record on this, but I'll say it again: Amanda should have married Ed and become a Bauer. The legitimate story possibilities are nearly endless. You could have Amanda's Spaulding resentment bloom after she becomes a Bauer. Then have Hope return. Yes, AM is Amanda's natural ally. All the more reason for Amanda to marry Ed...move a chunk of the Spaulding influence and money into the sunken living room.

I don't think Raines was all that horrible, at least not to the extent that others here think. The guy had more talent than what we typically saw. Much of any skill he had was held abeyant. My problem with Raines is he was simply willing to go with the cards he was dealt. Pure supposition on my part, of course. I suspect he didn't spend much time watching Bernau. I suspect he never complained to the brass about character assassination. I suspect he didn't complain about the eradication of the Spaulding brand. A twirling mustache persona is light years away from who Alan Spaulding was. Dope-peddling is light years away from who Alexandra Spaulding was.

It's a funny thing about Ron Raines...I envisioned him as Justin Marler, not Mike Bauer. Raines seems like a doctor. Raines most resembled Alan in 1994, right after being cast in the role. Horrible writing and GL's non-commitment to the character took its toll. It was clear that no one knew who Alan was and didn't care to know. Reva was back and that's all that mattered.

And, yeah, I realize that Roger didn't resurface until 1989. He shouldn't have been reintroduced as Adam Malick, but as himself. Seeing Zaslow running around in a mask for seemingly endless months pretty much sucked. It would have been much more fun to see Roger suddenly inserted into an already hot quartet.

All this recent discussion is interesting to me as I didn't watch much of GL (at all) during 1987 and 1988. (The Paul Valere/Alan/India art scam was so bad that I had to ditch the show. That and everything Reva.) IMO, no triangle GL could dream up during that period could surpass the story opportunity/clash presented by the following pentad: Alan/Vanessa/Ross/Holly/Roger. The dynamics of those five operating off each other makes any triangle superfluous. Did Vanessa and Holly have scenes together prior to MG's departure in 1981? I assume not. If not, they certainly would have been aware of the other's existence.

Morgan Englund's first day on the show was at the Josh/Reva wedding, which was in July 1989. Coincidentally, the wedding was Kimberley Simms' first day as Mindy.

LMAO at the recent commentary! And all this time, I thought GL viewers considered Fletcher a suave, adventurous gigolo! LOL. Perhaps it was just the uncultured women (i.e. rubes) of Springfield who felt this way. (Or more likely, it was just Fletcher himself who felt this way). My faux pas. And yeah, we were spared a Hope/Fletcher pairing. In a major degradation move, Hope moves from Alan to Fletcher. Egad! In retrospect, perhaps it is all for the better that Deitrich didn't show up in town. He could have been portrayed by Jay Hammer, in a dual role!

jswift - I maintain that Holly and India should have started/ran a business together. With Holly's money and India's ambition, success would have been likely. Watching those two trade their trademark witticisms and barbs in a very complementary/amiable way would have been great fun for the viewers. Holly never had a female pal. Throw Roger, Alan and Dietrich into the mix...the legit storyline possibilities are seemingly endless. And that's what I like. Stories that move in unexpected yet very plausible manners. (I want to be thinking "Holy cow - I never expected that, but what a great idea!!")

For those unaware, it was through Dietrich that Holly cut her teeth in the media business. He owned TV stations in Sweden. That would have been from 1981-1988 when Holly was off-screen. I am thankful that Holly had sufficient time away for the writers to develop some decent backstory for her. It would have been good to bring him back late 1993/early 1994, as Roger and Jenna were making that play for Spaulding (what the heck, have Dietrich also be a suspect in that potting shed incident) . Have Dietrich sniff around WSPR right before Roger and Jenna lose their bid for Spaulding. That way, when Roger makes his move to take over WSPR in its entirety, Dietrich has already blocked it. Dietrich also could have been instrumental to Gilly's future...especially after A-M also loses his bid for Spaulding. Maybe it's with her help that he stops Roger. Gilly certainly would have the motivation.

Had Guiding Light based the Lewises out of Baton Rouge, their having something resembling an antebellum history AND making their fortune out of oil and gas refining would have been truer to life. I have a hard time believing that Pam Long was such a clod. More likely, it was the P&G suits in NYC who didn't know anything about cultural norms elsewhere (i.e., anything outside of the I-95 corridor from Washington to Boston). The inherently erudite rarely do.

Growing up in the 1970s, we were taught that the Midwest was crop growing territory. Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri. The Great Plains were from North Dakota south to Texas. North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas. Not sure why some in those Great Plains states consider themselves Midwesterners. They are not. The lifestyles are different. Wheat fields and cattle ranches dominate much of the territory in those states. They have cowboys historically. Those living in the eastern portions of those states (Sioux Falls, Omaha, Kansas City) could argue the point. Once you hit Lincoln, Topeka and Tulsa? No way. I knew someone in Colorado who considered themselves Midwestern, which I found laughable. Same with someone in Oklahoma thinking they have much in common with someone in Wisconsin. That's like saying those in Georgia are the same as those in New Hampshire because they're all Easterners.

That we can remember these recurring characters proves their value. All good choices. I really liked it on the few occasions when Vera gave Roger the "what for". Vera's loyalty to Peanut was wonderful. Thinking about recurring is tough - I keep mixing them up with 13- and 26-week contract players! Yeesh. I liked IQ and Gina from the Gallahads, both definitely recurring. There was Howie at The Springfield Journal. And yet another cop from maybe 1992-1993 when Harley was in training/new to the force. Big tall blond guy who didn't say much but was on several times. Was Louie (at Cedar's nursing station) recurring? If so, he easily is near the top of the list. There was young, black woman who was a Spaulding secretary - don't remember the name. Another Evie? The name seems correct, but yet another Evie/Eve? She was on from maybe 1990-1991. Was around during the latter Carl Evans years, maybe the early Hearst period. She was good, too. There was Jim Haggerty, a lawyer. Tried to romance Eve away from Nick. He also hit on Harley. And much to the apparent irritation of many, I very much liked YaYa, Eleni's Greek grandmama (I think she was grandma). AND what was the name of the woman who held the deed for the Towers land deal? (She died at Cedars). Perhaps the actress was a 13-week contact? Probably so. Was the young Ben Reade (Greg Burke) a contract player? Or recurring?

AlwaysAMC - Based on what you said, you might want to start watching from January 1992 forward immediately. IMO, watching 1999 isn't your priority here. January 1992-February 1995 is. Based on the vast history of the online universe, it's hardly guaranteed that you'll be able to see 1992 a few months from now. January 1992 through September 1993 is a solid and sometimes excellent/astonishing period. October 1993 through February 1995, while somewhat diminished, is considerably better than ANY of the crap that is 1999. At no point in 1992 will you see any Reva or Buzz. Imagine Springfield without those two, will ya?! No ham-handed Me! Me! Me! crap. In fact, no Reva from August 1990 through the end of 1994. Buzz shows up in January 1993. Their absence is highly beneficial to the show.

Lots to comment on here.... > I liked Floyd Parker. A lot. Tom was great in the role and deserved more and better material. Floyd and Katie were a very believable brother and sister combo, too. A full-blown story centered on the two of them as siblings had potential. > I agree that the Meg non-story was a big, missed opportunity. So was Abby regaining her hearing. Since GL liked to brag about its social consciousness (and its PSAs), I remain flummoxed that the show didn't center more on Abby's hearing. Amy Ecklund had a cochlear implant during her time on the show - it would have been highly illuminating to explore that. Perhaps it was discussed and Ecklund didn't want to proceed? > AlwaysAMC, if you think GL is bad in 1998, just wait until 1999. It gets much worse. (As Mitch mentioned, the departure of Watros and The Dawn of the CIone was the true jump the shark moment). I suggest you watch through the end of 1999 (if you can stand it), then start watching GL from 1989 through end of 1994. Why? Because of the contrast between the two eras. You'll be astonished, which is part of the fun. (To reiterate, GL starts improving in fall of 1989, with the most serious leaps coming in Spring 1990. And it continues to improve...and witnessing the improvement is great fun). If you start early 1989, you'll be somewhat disappointed, but knowing that things improve. The promise of what's to come might be enticing to you. That you haven't seen much of Beverlee McKinsey in action vs Zaslow blows my mind. And Melissa Hayden/Bridget has plenty of story from mid 1991 through end of 1993! Lots of great acting all around, lots of solid scripting/dialogue, including the quietly delivered yet significant one-offs. There are plenty of non-hysterical, seemingly pedestrian moments that are excellent. > Tony was always a pain in the behind. > Don Stewart "a bit egotistical"? You don't say, LOL. Don's condescending personality flew off the screen! > Reva stopping Holly from committing suicide was the straw that broke the camel's back. Sickening. By that time, I was watching GL maybe once a week (and as other mentioned, as background noise). Turning off the show was easy to do. > I continue to love the humor on this board. Thanks, everyone.