vetsoapfan

It was such a ludicrous idea to expand AW (or any soap, really) to 90 minutes per day. The ratings were already sinking, and the show's writing was weak. Anyone with sense should have known it would not be sustainable.

I had not known about Eddie's recent uploads. Thank you for letting me (all of us) know. I lost interest in the show in 1975, but looking back on the soap in the rest of the 1970s, it was far superior to anything viewers have had to endure on daytime TV for decades now. I may watch all the 1970s' material on Eddie's channel. Thanks again.

It reaped lasting damage onto ATWT too.

Considering his unfortunate lack of historical knowledge, I figured Alan had no idea whatsoever that Hays had ever been on The Guiding Light. He didn't even know who Stefan Schnabel was; an actor who had been part of the show in the 1960s, 1970s, and into the 1980s. Personally, I preferred both Rodell and Hays over Adams in the role of Leslie. I found them more likeable. (But I preferred Susan Oliver over Rosemary Forsythe as Laura Horton on DAYS, so what do I know? 🤣) Some snippy viewers have lambasted Hulswit for his weight over the years, but he was always engaged and gave solid performances. So did Gentry in the 1960s. Richard Van Fleet was good as Chuck Tyler on AMC, but woefully miscast as Ed Bauer. Still, I preferred RVF's aberrant version over Simon's simply because Van Fleet appeared to be paying attention, LOL. To give Simon credit, however, I definitely wanted Ed Bauer to be present during the show's final days, considering Ed was the longest-running character still (semi) relevant to the program. If TPTB did not want Hulswit or even Gentry to reprise the role when TGL came to a close, I was grateful that SOMEONE did it. (And even Simon was better to have at the bitter end than, say, Pat Collins.)

Unfortunately, Alan's egregious interviewing skills are what we are stuck with. I'm trying to be grateful that we get to see and listen to any of these actors at all, but Alan's interruptions, lack of historical historical knowledge, etc., are grating. Me too! I wouldn't say no to Millette Alexander, either. Gentry's interpretation of Ed was perfect for how the character was being written at the time. As the character softened and evolved, I did grow to adore Hulswit, who could exude warmth, but still had a temper just under the surface. HA! I would love to be the one interviewing veteran actors from many different soaps. I would not interrupt them, I would not suppress or try to censor controversial opinions, AND I could ask questions from a first-hand historical perspective; none of which Alan can do. Of course, you, zanereed, and several other SON posters would be equally capable choices to lead the interviews. This is true, and it was so frustrating to witness. After Simon's listless, lethargic Ed (and Richard Van Fleet's baffling version), I was thrilled that the show rehired Gentry. Unfortunately, he just did not click with anyone on screen. I knew he would not last long.

I enjoyed Peter Simon on SFT and even on ATWT, but to be frank, I found Mart Hulswit to be much more attractive. Reva gaining weight and looking frumpier actually helped make the character more accessible, it's true. Who could relate to a clone, a ghost, a time traveller, etc.? There were so many times throughout the last decades when Mike and Hope could have been used effectively and logically. Exactly. Caricatures are more of a turn-off than anything else. Once I see that some characters will never be more than one-dimensional caricatures, I just want them off the show.

ITA. The complex relationship between Rick and Phillip was one of Long's best creations. While never one of my favorite characters, I was fine with Frank being featured on the show as a supporting player; as you say, a supportive big-brother/friend type. That worked well for the actor's strengths. Rick, on the other hand, should never have turned into the "comedic" schlub next door. He had inherited the mantle of the Bauer family's younger male lead, and should have been an attractive, interesting leading man. He wasn't. It was a waste and a weakness TGL never remedied. The show never figured out what to do with Rick, let alone Mel. I got to the point that I wanted them to write her out if they were never going to use her effectively, and then have Abby return for Rick. Of course, everything is dependent on how characters are presented and storylines played out. A new family being introduced to be in conflict with the Bauers might have worked and provided TGL with years of storyline fodder, but there were not enough "good" Bauers on canvas battling against the bad Santos clan, so the conflict was never really developed. I loathe how soaps have glorified degenerates like mobsters, rapists, murderers, etc., over the last several decades. Turning mobsters into supposed romantic leads never worked for me on TGL, a show that was created and built upon traditional, moral values. Without decent people there battling the Santos mob, I just wanted the mob erased altogether. The bad writing and cartoon presentation became so bad, I doubt Carmen could ever have been made viable again. Agreed. I remember MH's hair starting to thin a bit, but honestly, I think TPTB care more about things like that than the audience does. Regardless of how shallow "the suits" think viewers are, we love our vets even as they age, lose some hair, and get pudgier like the rest of us do! (And Peter Simon's hair was not a lion's mane, either.) So much wasted potential always happens when soaps are headed up by producers and writers who either don't know, or just don't care about, the shows' rich legacies. Things would have been so much different if scribes like Marland, Falken Smith or Curlee had remained, and if a capable, sensitive producer had been in charge. Instead we got Phelps, Rauch and Wheeler. I'm honestly surprised the show survived as long as it did.

@Soapsuds, in the 1980s, Michael O'Leary asked writer Pamela Long if Rick were gay and in love with Phillip. The undertones were obvious to him, too. Unfortunately, Long was the only writer who really understood the complexity of that relationship. Later scribes couldn't (or at least didn't) keep complex nuances and undercurrents going.

MO'L never really had off-the-charts chemistry with any women, IMHO. Frederick's most viable relationship was with Abby. Mel was underdeveloped and unfocused, and she and Rick never clicked in a believable way. I think MO'L best on-screen chemistry was with GA in the early days, when one could read something of a same-sex relationship potential into their dynamic. My thoughts exactly. Hulswit had the warmth, sweetness AND underlying temper, which made him a great choice in the role of Ed. None of the other actors chosen to play Ed were as versatile in what they could project. Aligning the vile Santos clan with the Bauers always repulsed me. The only way to redeem that entire situation would have been for Mike to return and fight to purge the criminals from both his family and Springfield. The shoot-out in the Bauer kitchen remains one of the low points of the entire series for me. And watching Michelle marry Danny 765 times was nauseating, LOL.

I thought Mart Hulswit was cute as a button, regardless of a little added girth.

Actor Jack Betts (in the far left of the top photo) only appeared in 1974, I believe, so the shot must be from that year. Paul Rauch was not one known to care about long-term, beloved actors and characters. A series that spanned 72 years is bound to have a huge number of memorable characters. My top 10 favorites (if I were forced to limit the list to only 10) would probably be (in no specific order): Papa Bauer, Bert Bauer, Meta Bauer, Bill Bauer, Ed Bauer (Hulswit), Mike Bauer, Maureen Bauer (Parker), Roger Thorpe, Holly Norris (Garrett)...hmmm, I'm having trouble selecting ONE more name. There are many possibilities for the last spot: Peggy Scott. Robin Fletcher (Gillian Spencer). Johnny Fletcher (Don Scardino). Hope Bauer (Roussel). Amanda Wexler (Cullen). Ross Marler. Can I have 15?

Honestly, the entire Shayne clan was a failure, IMHO, which was nevertheless rammed down viewers' throats for far too many years. They were TGL's version of EMMERDALE'S Dingles. 🤮 Me too. I doubt I could come up with one, single favorite TGL character. I'd probably have trouble keeping it under a Top 10! Usually I have a marked preference for the actor who originated the role, but occasionally I grow to enjoy and appreciate the replacement equally. Both Sudrow and Bryce were very good as Bill Bauer.

Really? Marie Horton was your favorite DAYS character? I never knew that. Did you have any particular favorite(s) on TGL?

I just hope Alan does not muzzle Mart Hulswit, and actually lets him speak frankly. Now if we could only get a no-holds-barred interview with Eileen Fulton, in which she just let it rip. But I won't quibble and be greedy. Hulswit and Myers on the agenda truly has me giddy! Yes, while they are still with us, and ready and willing to be interviewed, we need to see the legendary veteran actors as much as possible! How about a session with Bill and Susan Hayes, Denise Alexander and Maree Cheatam?

Of course they did, because those writers did not competently and effectively steer the show. It's not surprising when viewers resent and reject one bad writer after another. He has been dreadful at every show he's touched.

OMFG!!!!! Two actors whom I adore and actually WANT to see! This is thrilling news! Thanks for the heads-up!

I always appreciated writers like Irna Phillips and Agnes Nixon, who strove to add diversity to their shows, even in decades when the networks were so resistant to it and a segment of the audience more vocal in its bigotry. Black, Eurasian, Jewish characters were rare, of course, but at least Nixon and Phillips, among a few other scribes, sought to include them from time to time. I gravitated to shows with variety in their characters because it represented the actual world I lived in, where folks came in all different forms. All-white landscapes felt foreign to me. There is still a ways to go in various media, but at least progress has been made. I'm hard-pressed to think of any community that is not represented anywhere, in any form, in popular culture nowadays.

This is very well said. I do enjoy a good romance story and strong, interesting heroines, but once TPTB start dismantling the core of shows and destroying founding families, my interest diminishes. It's usually the weakest writers and most incompetent producers who are guilty of this, so the combination of fractured families, poor writing and bad production decisions all go hand in hand. There are valid reasons why daytime soaps' ratings have long been in the toilet, but there are still people out there who would love to watch soaps that are as good as they were in their heyday. None of today's soaps measure up. My interest in DAYS dropped significantly in 1977 after Pat Falken Smith was axed, but I continued to stick with it until her second go-'round. When she was replaced AGAIN, I just couldn't endure it any more. I acknowledge that Y&R continued to have good years after I dropped it, but my desire to watch vanished after all the Brooks and Foster family members were gone by 1983. The elimination of the Bauers (et al) made me say goodbye the TGL in 1984, and losing, Courtney, Reinholt, Dwyer and even Susan Sullivan in 1975 put the nail in AW's coffin for me. As (the poster) Bill Bauer noted, for some viewers, destroying principle families can be alienating.

Personally, I thought TGL was still decent in 1968, although not as riveting as when Agnes Nixon was writing it (1958-66, IIRC). Irna Phillips returned for a while, and the Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer steered the ship from 1969 to 1973. For me, the quality of the writing only dipped for a few years when James Lipton, Robert Cenedella and James Gentile were in charge. I wouldn't say the show was wretched under them, just so-so. Then in 1975, when the Dobsons came aboard, things improved. I found the period when the Dobsons were writing ATWT to be weak as well, although producer Mary-Ellis Bunim might have played a significant role in the on-screen mess. I was really disappointed how the show ended up handling the return of Bill Bauer. An important legacy character and patriarch of the main family deserved better than what he got. I was LIVID when they just killed him off again in 1983, to serve function to a very stupid plot. I adored Ross Marler, but I needed more characters than just him to keep me watching daily. TGL really did have a welcome and surprising resurgence during those years. To me, it was the show's last hurrah. I think MO'L thought he was much funnier than he actually was. I never saw him as viable, future-leading-man material either, just second-banana "comic" relief to be seen occasionally. There were so few Bauers left on the canvas, the show needed an attractive, commanding actor in the important role of Rick. YES!!! It was painful to see, like watching your beloved grandmother being slowly poisoned by drunken clowns. 🤮

I was just about to post the same basic analysis. If I were able to "relive" the show again, I'd want to listen to and watch 1937 to 1982 for sure (even though some of those years were not as stellar as others). I'd force myself to stick with the series through 1983 and 1984 only because some of the legacy characters still remained. I'd probably rewatch the few years following the return of Roger and Holly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but I'd skip the dreadful Gail Kobe period as much as humanly possible. Nothing after Nancy Curlee's departure could be classified as quality, IMHO.

IMHO, TGL's best writers were: --Irna Phillips --Agnes Nixon --The Dobsons --Nancy Curlee & Her Team --Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer Even during her ultra-brief reign, I thought Pat Falken Smith was excellent. I don't think the show would have been crippled in the 1980s if she had remained on board.s I'll refrain from listing whom I feel are the show's worst scribes, since that would take up an entire page, LOL.

I thought Martin Bruhner arrived in the summer, but if he showed up in March, then the Cullitons and Tomlin must have been writing. And here I was trying to give Long a compliment on her first stint as TGL's headwriter; the first time THAT has happened in almost four decades, LOL! Thanks for the clarification.

TPTB in the 1980s and beyond (except for the marvelous writing team headed by Nancy Curlee) tended to ignore or even contradict anything that had taken place on TGL before the Kobe/Long era. I doubt they would have even given Bruce much thought, if they even knew who he was.

I think we all remember certain things with spot-on clarity, while other facts become cloudy over time. I am usually very obsessive about historical facts and accuracy when new writers and producers come aboard a soap, and I watch them like a hawk. There were loads of continuity and factual errors after Douglas Marland and Pat Falken Smith left. It seemed to me that the new PTB either did not know the show's history, or simply did not care to follow it. That's why my gut tells me that if Bert Bauer's long-unmentioned sister had been referenced, I would have zeroed right in on it and started doing extensive research to see if Bert had had a sister whom I had been in the dark about for decades. That being said, I trust your memory too, so.... That's how I remember it too. To give Pamela Long credit, I thought the little story with Bert and Martin Bruhner was lovely. I'm not trying to convince you that your memory is faulty! If you believe that the show referenced Bert's sister, I believe you! Just because I have no memory of it at all does not mean I am correct. I might just be having a "senior's moment," LOL!

To my knowledge, the show never acknowledged Bruce Banning's existence at all when Bert went to take care of Meta in the mid-1980s, nor did they mention him when Meta returned to Springfield in 1996. Of course, I may have missed an off-handed comment in passing about the character.