vetsoapfan

To be fair, I though Kobe's Texas was a vast improvement over Paul Rauch's. But there was very little history for her to purge, and she did not axe the majority of the existing cast. While I did not think Bill Bell did his best work on early B&B, and while many actors in the original cast were quite bad, I would say that B&B with Kobe was also better than TGL had been with her. As you say, she was probably reigned in by the Bells.

Right, PFS's tenure was far too brief. I must say, although she is one of the best daytime soap writers, IMHO, her version of RH felt stilted and forced. I wonder how much network interference and poor producing were to blame. Didn't she work on the proposed Scruples series in 1984? If so, she was probably writing RH at the same time, although I don't know for sure.

Oh, of course. I should have remembered about Kobe and Texas. D'OH, me! I must have been mixing up the timing of the producer switch with the change in writers, which infuriated me at the time. If only PFS had helmed TGL during the entire decade! Gracias for the memory jolt.

Yep, and that's what happened to many soaps, once clueless and incompetent PTB started axing veteran actors/characters and going the stupid science-fiction/fantasy route. After a brief "novelty period," the mainstream audience defected in droves.

Me too. 🤮

I think during her first stint, Long was a mixed bag. Her ignorance of history led to various problems, as did her sci-fi-ish fantasy stories. To her credit, much later she admitted that on soaps, when it came to fantasy or reality-based material, it was "better to get real." On the other hand, Long wrote for certain characters and delineated their relationships well. She needed guidance and a solid editor more than anything, IMHO, and Gail Kobe did not fit the bill. Long's stint under Calhoun was significantly better. Mimi Torchin of Soap Opera Weekly had an interview with Kobe once, in which Torchin said the characters were the prime draw and most important force on soaps. Kobe disagreed and said characters were secondary to plot. That's the sort of attitude which crippled the soap opera medium. Gutting 2/3 of the cast and going heavy on dumb plot mechanics is what crippled TGL in the 1980s.

Douglas Marland's version of Laura Baldwin on General Hospital fit the same mold: the petulant, self-involved teen with whom everyone in town concerned themselves. While I felt Vigard had a certain something, I never really understood why Kelly (or Tim) were so obsessed with Morgan. Romantic and sexual attraction don't always make sense, however, so I just went with the flow and accepted the fact that both young men found her to be both romantically and physically appealing. Truth be told, I always thought Nola would be better in bed, LOL. Okay, to be fair: my main problem with Poser as Amanda was that the character was completely and totally changed from when KC played the role, and I was one who adored Cullen's version. Similarly, I loathed Grayson McCough's grubby Dusty Donovan, Roger Howarth's hammy Paul Stenbeck, and Hunt Block's smarmy Craig Montgomery because the characters were so bastardized when those actors assumed the parts. Poser probably would have been fine as another, new character. But she was not MY Amanda, and I found her (and Dusay as Alex, BTW) untenable. ITA. Kelly becoming sexually involved with Morgan when she was so young bothered me when it aired. Of course many teenagers have sexual and romantic fantasies about older adults, but it was Kelly's responsibility to hold off until it was more appropriate for them to become physically involved. I can't remember if she was still under 18 when they first did the deed, either, but I remember having a moral problem with her age. Wasn't Kelly around 7-8 years older than Morgan?

Yes, I always figured that Susan living in the Stewart house arose from budgetary reasons. (I doubt anyone in charge cared about the historical significance of the set, but using it saved money, which was a driving factor in the show's later years.) In terms of real life, it makes sense. In the world of Oakdale, however, I have a feeling Ellen Stewart would rather die than let Susan take over her family's beloved home.

I understood (but was saddened by) the death of David Stewart, because the actor's endless and extended absences from the show left Ellen Stewart in storyline limbo, with nowhere to go. Even Henderson Forsythe commented at the time: "Honestly, I don't see what else they could have done." At least with Ellen off screen living close to Annie and the quads, she could have been brought back later on, if the show ever again found PTB who understood and respected ATWT's history. I do agree, however, that having legacy characters disappear into limbo and never be mentioned again is both disrespectful and annoying to the audience. In a perfect soap world of my creating, LOL, characters would continue to be referenced as necessary, even after they were no longer seen regularly. I might have killed Ellen off if Patricia Bruder had chosen to leave, herself, and made it clear she was retiring and would never return. As long as the actress was open to coming back, however, my preference would be to leave the situation open, with Ellen living happily and logically off-screen. What really baffled and irked me about all this was: how the hell did Susan Stewart end up living in Ellen's house? Ellen was wont to carry grudges for decades (ask Lisa, LOL); why would she sell or lease the Stewart house to Susan of all people???

Looking back at the 1980s, most of its newly-introduced characters (yes, with some exceptions) were failures, IMHO. And the ones we lost (Mike, Hope and Hillary Bauer; Sara McIntyre; Amanda Spaulding, etc.) were hardly dead wood.

I thought the change had taken place in about November of 1982, but...closing credits don't lie, LOL. Thanks for the info. Reports at the time indicated that Gail Kobe wanted Cullen to drastically cut her hair, and the actress refused, which is why she was let go. It was a terrible mistake, however. Pamela Long was actually writing for Amanda (unlike some of the other longer-term characters), and there was still a lot more story fodder for the character. Jennifer Cooke was also known for her role in the science fiction series V. She showed a bit more personality in both Friday the 13th part VI and V than she ever did on TGL.

When ATWT released Patricia Bruder from her contract in 1996, Ellen Stewart simply disappeared without explanation. Years later, she returned to Oakdale for Nancy's 80th birthday party, and that is when the show offered viewers the implausible explanation that Ellen had moved to Atlanta to do fundraising. Nancy spoke about wanting to donate, IIRC. It didn't make sense at all. She could fundraise from anywhere, including Oakdale. OMG, I would have been crushed if they had fired Patricia Bruder and then killed off Ellen. I think, to be respectful to such a long-running character, they should have kept her on the show, of course, but failing that, she could have gone to live with/closer to Annie and her grandchildren. That's an explanation which would have made sense to me. BTW, I also loathe when soaps just drop veteran characters without explanation and never mention them again. It is really disrespectful.

Mmm, no I cannot picture Jacqueline Perkel in my mind. Was she the actress who played the role when it was only a minor, recurring part? Maybe Perkel did not grate on my nerves the way Carolyn Ann Clark did, which would account for her fading from my memory banks. LOL! I know Gail Kobe predated Pamela Long on the show. I thought Kobe began at the end of 1982, which is when I believed Allen Potter left. You could be right, however.

A HUGE number of important cast members were axed in 1983 and '84. I realize that sometimes actors have "issues" that make them untenable to keep around, but I cannot believe that scores of actors who had been on the show for years ALL suddenly became impossible to work with, at the same time. Pamela Long even mentioned later on that when they came aboard, she and Gail Kobe wanted to "get rid of the dead wood." Pffft. Yes, Vigard had a very real screen presence, as well as chemistry with everyone. I found Morgan to be petulant and abrasive, but with KV in the role, I still wanted her on the show. When Jennifer Cooke took over, the character became pretty useless. I agree, although Cullen was always good. Compare her nuanced portrayal to that of her replacement. I am one of the "some," here. PFS wrote beautifully for Amanda, Vanessa, Nola, Bert, Mike, and even Sara and Hillary. She offered many memorable character-driven vignettes which proved she had studied the show and characters thoroughly. I was thrilled. I was sure she was going to do the type of stellar work she had done on Where The Heart Is, Days, and GH. Unfortunately, she was terminated very quickly and replaced by a revolving door of writers, the vast majority of whom neither understood TGL nor could write for it effectively. Mark Evans was another one of those characters whom I was not sorry to see go. Watching the Mona Enright mess, I always thought that the story was such a mess because the writers had no idea where they were going with it.

Lesley Ann Monroe was one of those characters whom I loathed to the point of being unable to watch her on screen. I had to FF through all her scenes. I couldn't stand the actress' take on Laura on ATWT, either, but at least I was SUPPOSED to dislike her, LOL. Yes, KV was fired from both TGL and OLTL. The gossip was that she was unprofessional at TGL, didn't always study her lines, showed up late, etc. The problem was, as you say, she had something special. Her replacements on both shows were absolutely dreadful, and it really showed how unique Kristen had been. Yikes. People like that (and they exist in all areas of fandom) strike me as being somewhat limited intellectually, and lacking a firm grip on reality. I try to ignore them as much as possible. If all my favorite actors and characters are written off my shows, I am wont to lose interest and stop watching too, but getting so hysterical is (as you say) weird. I took those remarks to mean that Mulcahey was acknowledging Bert Bauer's shifting place on the canvas. She did go from being a lead in the 1950s and 1960s, to a supporting player in the 1970s and 1980s...but NEVER phoned in her performances or slacked off, no matter what material she was given by TPTB. I agree with you, however, that to longtime viewers, Charita Bauer was always the heart of the show; the hub of the wheel. Once she was gone, TGL did not feel like TGL anymore. Nadine's death was both gratuitous and vile, and I certainly would not have allowed it to happen, but to me, Maureen's death was so much more significant because she had become the new matriarch of the Bauer family. At the time of Mo's death, we had no Meta and no Hope, so Maureen was basically it. I did not believe the show could survive after losing Bert, but then to slaughter the "replacement" matriarch, for no valid reason, was simply one of the worst blunders in soap operas' history. At the time, it was reported that she was let go. If you recall, Gail Kobe and TPTB were firing the vast majority of actors who had predated them. I did not really mind losing Cooke, to be honest, as she was tepid and uninteresting in the role.

Many viewers seem to become ultra-fixated on their favorite performers/characters/romantic pairs; sometimes beyond all reason. I cringe when they wax on poetically and endlessly about how this actor or that character is "my reason to get up in the morning, the center of my entire universe!" We all have our favorites, but really: there's a line between interest (even devout interest) and obsessive fixation. UGH! The "I only tolerate praise and positive comments" people are unbearable, particularly when they are somehow in charge and have the power to censor and delete even the most valid, thoughtful and interesting criticisms. Any show that airs five days a week, 52 weeks a year, for DECADES is going to take missteps and fail occasionally. Ignoring this reality and pasting an artificial, happy smile on your face at all times is just...delusional. I cannot comprehend his attachment to Buzz either, but to each his own. I've never understand some viewers' interest in Sonny and Jason from GH, Roger Howarth (in any role on on any show), Richard, Crassie, the Shayme family and the greasy Santos mob on TGL, etc., etc., etc. In one of his latest tweets, however, PM seemed to imply that he did not see the death of Maureen Bauer as serious as the death of other characters on TGL like Nadine Cooper and Ross Marler, and the elimination of Michael Zaslow from the canvas immediately upon his diagnosis. I was really tempted to sign up to Twitter just to ask about that, but again: to each his own. No one else has to care about Maureen just because *I* did. Besides, if I ever did join Twitter, I'd be sorely tempted to leave withering replies for the MAGA supporters, the enthusiastic cheerleaders of rapist characters on soaps, etc. It's best not to open up THAT can of worms, LOL.

Thanks. I only watched Texas for the last few weeks, and could never (try as I might) get into Loving. But I enjoyed PM's work on TGL and GH, specifically. I had no idea, but that is a good system.

He wrote SFT too? I know he has worked on The Guiding Light, Santa Barbara, The Bold and the Beautiful and General Hospital. Anything else? I know that at the very least, PM was on the writing staff when Buzz Cooper descended upon Springfield.

Right. His campy mugging might have been appropriate on SB, but the loud-mouthed, bombastic antics on The Guiding Light were abrasive.

I guess because Mulcahey did not have the same investment in the core of the show that veteran, longtime viewers had, it makes sense for him to gravitate towards newer characters whom he created and/or wrote, himself. That's fine, to each his own. At least I believe his attachment to the character is genuine. All the mewling stans who bleat on about Roger Howarth's roles strike me as designing their responses in the thread to fit a transparent agenda. I'm not on Twitter enough to know who this Candace is, but now I want to go investigate her other posts, LOL!

I was bitterly disappointed in Claire Labine's tenure as headwriter on The Guiding Light; I had been expecting great things from her, but alas that was not to be. She did, however, craft some wonderful scenes for Mary Stuart. I enjoyed Aunt Meta's battles with Claire Ramsey, and when Meta recited Rev. Ruthledge's Destiny poem at Christmas, it made me feel like I was actually watching...The Guiding Light. I was pleased. I generally only check out the soap Twitter realm when someone alerts me to a specific thread or content. Twitter is often too bitter for my tastes. The obvious stans and bots are divisive. But it's great to see people like Patrick Mulcahey interacting with fans. His scripts on soaps were a delight. I thought highly of his work on SFT and ATWT too. He was just not well suited for the role of Ed Bauer, IMHO.

I also notice that Twitter sometimes hides supposedly "sensitive content," although I am hard pressed to imagine what could be objectionable in a series of replies about most-missed soap opera stars. Are all replies visible to people who have Twitter accounts? I can't be bothered actually joining Twitter to find out, LOL. Maybe Patrick Mulcahey did not know (or simply forgot) that Mary Stuart was on The Guiding Light for many years. Didn't she joined after he left the show? I guess he preferred Peter Simon over Mart Hulswit, which sort of makes sense since Simon was the actor playing Ed when Mulcahey wrote for TGL. As for other replies in that long thread, I am suspicious of all the votes for Roger Howarth's characters. I think the stan-bots are out in full force, LOL. I thought Deas was great as Bucky Carter on RH and Tom Hughes on ATWT, so I do not despise the actor, himself, but I simply could not tolerate Buzz Cooper. I guess if Peter Simon was the only/principle actor certain viewers saw as Ed Bauer, it makes sense that they would prefer him, but I have yet to encounter a fan who witnessed both Hulswit's and Simon's interpretations of the role express a preference for Simon over Hulswit.

The loud-mouthed irritant of Springfield himself, Buzz Cooper.💩 Other notable mentions: Roger Howarth as Todd Manning on OLTL and Franco on GH, Luke Spencer on GH, and...wait for it, Jean P's writing "talents." Hold back my hair, I'm gonna hurl. LOL! Thank God someone mentioned Roger Thorpe and Holly Norris! I'm almost tempted to open my own Twitter account, to comment, but just reading the flame wars that ignite on that site are more than enough for me.

I'm not sure where this post should go, but I chose the TGL thread because of the first reply. I respect Patrick Mulcahey enormously, but his most-missed soap opera character is 🤮, IMHO.

Right; that's why I wrote, "...or any soap, really." What made the decision to choose AW for expansion to 90 minutes is that it was not even well written anymore, and the ratings were really sinking at the time. If TBTB had tried it with the top-rated General Hospital under Gloria Monty and Douglas Marland or Pat Falken Smith...maybe it would have been slightly more understandable (although still not a good idea, IMHO).