GL: Classic Moments from Curlee/Demorest/Reilly/Broderick

[Toups]

If Nancy wants to write for soaps again and doesn't want to deal with any network or EP interference, she should write for Passions. Sure, the pay won't be as much as the network soaps, but the trade off is worth it. Same with Broderick too. There's no backstabbing or inner polictics being played at Passions. There's a reason why JER's Passions writing team rarely changes.......They can just take it easy and have fun with good ole Jimmy Reilly.

Unless of course they had a falling out. LOL

LOL Maybe they bonded over their Gloria Monty love.

[Toups]

Yeah, that's what I thought. There had to be a reason why JER never worked with any of them again. Damn, that's too bad.

[LoveDays]

Reading that recap brought back so many good memories of GL. I could just see it replaying in my head all over again. Seeing the characters, the old sets, and interaction between characters. Everyone is being used, no matter how minimal. I just love it! I can't wait to read more. This just shows what great writing used to be like that no soap on now can equate to anymore. It's like they don't have the time or patience to really tell a story with details and great consistency. I miss these days. The Guiding Llight then is how Guiding Light should be now, but sadly is not and probably will never get to again. About the writers, Curlee was great, Demorest was great, Reilly at that time was great. When he wrote for YR, he was a different writer then. He seem to be a writer who was about something, moving along stories, telling a good story. Somewhere along the way, his vision for daytime must have changed because he writes nothing to the level of how he used to write when he was on YR, GL, and even his first reign on Days, before the Possession storyline, which was a good storyline at the time. But I think all writers, past and present need to take a look at the past writings of their respected shows and really research and take the time to start developing storylines that are really going to hold long lasting affects and really build upon the history of their show.

[Sylph]

Dan, when is the sequel coming to town?

[Vee]

Reilly was the weak link in that team. The other two are the only reason he got other jobs.

[Noel]

Oooh me too! I'm really looking forward to this, Dan!

[marlenadlc]

Sometime in 1991 or 2, I went over to the Guiding Light studio and interviewed James Reilly, Stephen Demorest and Lorraine Broderick because I knew what they were writing was amongst the best soap writing of all time. Curlee was on maternity leave; Broderick, whom I knew from All My Children, had just arrived.

If you want you can look up the interview in an old issue of SOW, be my guest! (I'm not sure of the date. It is bylined under my nom de plume, Connie Passal....) I think Curlee was married to Demorest, whom by the way was a rock journalist for the NY Daily News before he came to soaps.

It was the first time I ever met Reilly, who was very pleasant that day. And yes, Toupsie, he did become megasuccessful. He was smart and creative and he really loved what he did--soaps.

Love to my SON pals,

Marlena De Lacroix

marlenadelacroix.com

[Y&RWorldTurner]

All I can say is, thank God Curlee, Demorest, Broderick, Robert Calhoun, Jill Farren Phelps, and Ed Trach were there to keep JER in check. I can't imagine what GL in the early 90's would be like had he been the sole Head Writer...

It's time Nance Curlee made her return to the soap world, any soap would be lucky to land her....

[JackPeyton]

IMHO, Riley was great up til his end on Days. Then with passions i tink he felt like god.

feeling like god is never good for anyone or anything involved.

[Toups]

I believe that was 1992. It was probably one of his first interviews - I must read this article! Someone out there must have it! LOL

Happy to hear that you had a great experience interviewing him. I would love to just talk soaps with that man. I just smile everytime I think of his brilliance. He's my hero.

[brimike]

WOW! And a guest appearance by Ms. Delacroix herself!! This topic is crazy!

But seriously, where is Part Two?

These are the years I watched GL religiously. I couldn't get enough of it. Just thinking about the Bridget/Nadine umbrella story, and the Frank/Eleni/Alan-Michael triangle, is seriously making goose bumps pop up on the back of my neck. THIS was good soap-opera.

[Sylph]

So, Ms. Delacroix, was Nancy in charge? Reilly, Demorest and broderick were just assisting her in crafting the stories?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Didn't know where to post this, so I guess here would be a good fit....

A poster on The Envelope mentioned that GL won the Writing Emmy in 93 by submitting Maureen's funeral episode where Ross explains to Ed what it means to be a survivor (which is on Youtube by the way).

Anyway, Sylph, you should be interested in knowing that those funeral episodes were written by none other than PATRICK MULCAHEY. I know how much you love him.

[brimike]

And here I was thinking Part Two was posted!

Damn you, A...

[Sylph]

You know, I'm just in the process of re-evaluating him. It's not that I don't like him, it's that I don't find his B&B scripts all that fabulous.