Speed Racer

CrazySexyQ - I very much enjoy reading your posts and hope you continue. I cannot comment on the GL of the 2000s as I didn't watch those years. Now about all the incest - well, yeah. There was an excessive amount of it in Springfield across the decades. You'd think that some Springfield progeny might literally be pinheaded or have a multitude of personality/physical disorders. I am reminded of the 1932 movie Freaks, the excellent 1992 movie, Brother's Keeper,(highly unusual, yet fascinating), and finally, the 1960 British movie, Village of the Damned, about a hoard of maybe a dozen kids - all blonds whom, as IMDB writes, are "glowing-eyed children of uncertain paternity prove to have frightening powers."

You know, GL95, you're one of the very few I've come across anywhere in life (not just GL) who sees the value of the long pause with moments allowed to breathe. I'm a huge fan of this thinking. It allows the viewer/listener to settle in, get absorbed, anticipate what may be coming, and at times, to wig out. If you have a few minutes, go back and watch the confrontation scene with Lillian and Maureen in the Bauer kitchen. A great scene...not just because is there, but because of what isn't there. There's a decent stretch of time in the mid-section (prior to the explosive part of the scene) where the dialog is slowed down, there's no music, nothing to fill the gaps. There's lots of space in that scene for viewers to feel whatever they're going to feel. It's all very played down (not up) for effect. That "another time might be worse" line from Maureen. Holy crap! What?! Worse than the silent, unacknowledged division in the air at that very moment, just before the explosion? That had me climbing the walls....fantastic! Allowing time to breathe was one of my favorite things about Guiding Light. During the periods when the show was good, it happened fairly often. Across various types of scenes and settings. Production and execution do matter. Both are very much undiscussed. I've stated before that as a viewer, I very much enjoy being manipulated. Providing the needed space/context for matters to percolate is a winning strategy.

It could be that the stylistic changes of late 1993 onward happened as a result of the late 1992 P&G focus groups that resulted in Maureen's death.

"Not disagreeing that the Reva of it all ate the show, but it’s like they set the tone for everyone to be more like Kim Zimmer stylistically "Before she even came back.' That could very well be...makes a good deal of sense. While JFP had no interest in bringing Reva back, she sure wanted Justin Deas. P&G likely put its foot down on stylistic possibilities other than what we got. P&G et al covered their behinds by blaming the mid-1994 OJ Simpson trial for ratings decline, rather than their own decisions.

TPTB could have done something interesting(!) with Reva but chose not to. Have her vocal cords permanently severed in a car accident. Have her be the culprit in an STD outbreak. Or - wait for it - have Reva get sued for enticement. That's a story never told on any soap and a ratings bonanza for Guiding Light as soap rags, television media and GL viewers fight about the justification of such a thing.

That's correct. And look what happened.

It was Reva saving Holly on the bridge that finally prompted me to turn off Guiding Light forever. That scene was beyond offensive. I mean, WTH? It's heartwarming to see others here react similarly. Turning if off wasn't that difficult as I had watched GL only sporadically once Watros left. I mean, what was the point in watching without her? To be continually insulted?

Call it "The Reva Effect." It is the mere presence of Reva on the canvas that creates ridiculousness throughout Springfield. Guiding Light increasing becomes a louder, more hammy and less intelligent program whenever Reva among the characters. Reva encourages sloppiness. In everything. In breakdown, scripting/dialog, character development, story continuity, believability, acting choices. And it's painfully obvious that TPTB believe that anything goes once Reva is present. You mentioned the change in tone. Damn straight. (A shame you won't get much opportunity to know the original Alan as played by Chris Bernau. Fascinating and expertly played. Light years apart from Ron Raines' moustache-twirling Alan). Alan and Alex being gutted/ruined coincides very nicely with Reva's return. It's no accident. Guiding Light was already in a downturn when Zimmer returned in Fall 1994. "Reva" simply institutionalized Guiding Light's destruction. It wasn't Maureen's death that represented GL's jumping the shark moment. It was Reva's return.

The haughty side of Ross could be easily cured if you build a story around Ross that results in corruption and his disbarment. Daddy Roger would have a field day with that, and Blake conflicted. She'd have to support Ross, right? Ross and Vanessa have long had possibilities. Do you sometime develop a Ross/Vanessa/Billy triangle? I dunno, and I'm not a big fan of triangles. You out there, PJ?

Yep. Hence, my question re: Betty Rae's tenure. I very much doubt Rae would recommend Hamilton or Crampton for the role. Rae rarely misfired as casting director.

I'm planning to do some of that, but I'm waiting until AlwaysAMC starts viewing the Curlee era. AlwaysAMC provides details, and it's those details that will prompt me to view Curlee as time allows.

When Crampton was originally offered the role of Mindy by JFP, she turned it down. The role then was offered to Hamilton. A few months later, Crampton changed her mind, called JFP, and Hamilton was let go. What a lousy thing to do to Hamilton.

You're on target. Interestingly, there IS some development of an Eve/Holly/Blake dynamic coming up during the second half of 1993 (after Eve exits the mental institution). It's a logical development, especially since by then, Holly has solidly befriended/mentored Michelle after Maureen's death - which no doubt you've seen the beginning of in your current viewing. Holly longing to be with Ed. Blake wants to protect Ed from Eve. It's a passable story and a decent idea, but not fully realized. By that time, GL spends too much time and attention towards amping up Buzz, the Coopers and Lucy's intro. (An aside, there's a relatively decent, semi-frontburner David/Kat story coming your way by summer 1993. Monti Sharp is given an opportunity to step on the gas.) It's Kimberley Simms, btw. When you say Krista Simms, I'm thinking Krista Tesreau, the first Mindy. Marcy Walker as Mindy would be doable - I'd be curious if Walker could continue Simms' sex kitten aura, and whom Walker would have chemistry with as Mindy. What would a Marcy Walker/Jordan Clarke chemistry look like? Hmmm....

Ann Hamilton was shafted, possibly dreams shattered by the experience. I've always felt a bit bad for her. In no way was she going to succeed following Simms. Both JFP and Crampton screwed her over. JFP's tenure at GL was very good for a while, then after McKinsey split, she acted like a woman scorned. Hamilton may have been successful in another role - unfortunately, she was never given the chance. BTW, what was Betty Rea's specific tenure (not years, but dates) as casting director at GL? Anyone know?

BTW, Mitch - having Ross realize his failure to serve as Savior could be the impetus for pushing Ross into the role as patriarch of Springfield. An attorney (of all people) who finds he is not The Savior would provide Ross with the wisdom and perspective needed to serve as patriarch.

Sorry about the incorrect citing above - meant to cite Mitch's post.

I strongly agree with all of this. Guiding Light was THE soap to explore a city-wide STD breakout. I've always thought that Reva should at the center of an STD breakout, as having the slut be embarrassed in her own wheelhouse, and subsequently harangued by her middle-aged would make for a great story. (Can you imagine Vanessa ripping into Reva about the former's STD?!) Yet, I'm going to defer to your judgement re: Jeffrey. I didn't watch during Cole's tenure. The idea, tho, of bands of middle-aged hausfrau viewers being all upset makes your idea immediately sellable. LOL Yes also to a Holly/Ben fling. Make it all hot and steamy, of course. Add to it the idea of Holly truly finding herself and (mostly) forgetting Roger being a part of it. It would be fascinating to see what the writers could do with it....with young, naive, sexually-charged Ben as Holly's "Savior" instead of Ed, Ross or Fletcher. The reactions (and implications) of Ed, Ross and Fletcher to Ben's unintended success in "recentering" Holly is a very novel idea. Thanks, Mitch.

Oh- and if Lujack/Darcy had a kid, you'd probably have to have Darcy get killed off saving Alexandra's life or something noble. And the kid would be raised by Lujack/Beth yet turn out to be a Darcy clone. And give Grandma Lillian the time of her life. That said, in the meantime, Darcy mouthing off at Alex all the time would be fun.

Lujack with a kid is an idea I like - but it would have to be with Darcy, in real time. (Imagine Darcy versus Alex? - LOL.) Not with Beth.

Yeah, the storyline wasn't good - and I'm a fan of both Hilary Edson and Eve. I'm convinced that this storyline was the one that suffered most from Beverlee's departure, as it was clear that a Mindy/Nick/Eve triangle was on the way, with Alex pulling the strings. When Eve was introduced in May 1992, there was no indication that Simms and McKinsey were going to be leaving. No matter what, the problem is that a Mindy/Nick/Eve triangle was not the right direction. Mindy/Nick were played out (and, unlike yourself, I very much enjoyed their pairing). Eve improved when paired with Ed. Edson surprised me with her acting ability at the point when Eve started to realize that she was going nuts. Her portrayal of self-actualization was excellent, way above what I expected. The crying jag scene at the lighthouse? Nah.

To make this crazier still....during the Nick McHenry DNA test switching ordeal, we learned that Nick was born in 1961 (as was his twin Lujack, lol). That makes Nick/Lujack four years older than a SORASED Phillip, eight years older than the deSORASED Amanda and ten years older than the SORASED AM. In reality, Nick would be 2-4 years younger than Amanda (reasonable), nine years older than Phillip (a stretch) and 20 years older than AM (laughable).

There was a time in the early 1980s (1982?) where Amanda's pending 25th birthday was important to her financial and professional standing at Spaulding. If I remember correctly, Alan had some trepidation about handing her some power, thinking she was not ready. That would make Amanda roughly 38-40 yrs old in 1997. Phillip went to his senior high school prom in 1983, very likely making him 18 years old then. In 1997, he'd be 32 years old. AM was born 1981, so he'd be 16. They shaved OFF 10 years of Amanda's age, yet made her Brandon's daughter. Considering that Amanda was originally Alan's daughter, the "new" Amanda would have to be at least 27 years younger than retcon brother Alan, at minimum. And at least 29 years younger than Alex.

Roger as the plot). Yes to all of your first paragraph. And because he cannot find solace anywhere, Phillip turns to the bottle. I agree...the idea of Roger selecting AM on his own merits is better than having Blake and AM get remarried or become a power couple. The two should be in orbit around each other of course. But AM should be in Bauer-land in the familial sense. If anything, I'd have AM and Gilly become a power couple. How would those two contend with anything Roger? Or contend with each other about anything Roger? Interesting possibilities there.

Glad that you think that - credit goes to several people on this board. Knowledge of a soap's history certainly helps! In an effort to sate my own ego once again(!)....this entire scenario is yet another reason Amanda needs to marry Ed. Surprisingly, Amanda takes the news about Brandon reasonably well, with poise, having had to deal with the 1980 trial in a public sphere. It is Alan and Alex who struggle the most with the news about what Brandon did to Amanda. Should Alan and Alex sympathize with or pity Amanda? Support her? Where's their support, dammit? Who coddles Alan and Alex and makes everything better for them, eh? Amanda marries Ed (after Eve dies in a sanitarium) and becomes part of a family. AM moves in and becomes a Bauer (except now he is conflicted with working for Thorpe Enterprises, where Maureen also works! Love GL95's idea). Matthew also moves in. That Amanda becomes part of a family unit leaves Alex quite bitter, explaining her animosity toward Amanda.

I like a lot of this Brandon/Amanda/Lucille/Alan/Alex thinking here as of late...it's really quite good. To it, I might add that Brandon deliberately gave Amanda to Lucille to raise because he knew that Lucille was a sicko/psycho, and Lucille's presence would effectively neutralizing Amanda's parentage question permanently. Brandon's thought being that if Amanda is as screwed up as Lucille, why would anyone question anything? And that for a long time, Brandon's strategy worked, with Amanda being stored away in an attic and Lucille keeping her there. That Brandon would purposely sacrifice his baby daughter Amanda to cover his tracks and preserve the Spaulding name would probably be the sickest storyline I've ever seen on any soap. Despicable and gross. All of Amanda's warped parenting orchestrated naturally by Lucille and not Brandon removes him from culpability. Lucille stays in town to blackmail Brandon for a few decades (remember that Lucille herself lived quite well - just where did she get her stash) and must keep an eye on any threats to Amanda's well-being. This last bit already depicted on screen - Lucille's desire to see Ben dead. Also, Lucille has known that Brandon has been alive the entire time - and it was she who drove him out of town. In Lucille's mind, Brandon has served his purpose - money. Now that she has it, he needs to leave. She's wily enough to know she can't have him murdered. Having Alan discover this in 1995 upon his return to town (it's not something revealed during the 1980 trial) would been a hell of a retcon story to tell.