Paul Rauch hired by Y&R

[Carolyn1980]

Y&R fans, be careful what you wish for....Paul Rauch has been hired as a "consultant" at the show, and some speculate he may just end up replacing Josh Griffith as EP.

Rauch had three good years at OLTL (85,86,87), but then the bottom fell out, and later stints at Santa Barbara and Guiding Light don't bode well for his being able to improve Y&R's fortunes.

[LoyaltoAMC]

Rauch as EP with Hogan as HW. Just what this show needs right now...a clash of giant egos.

[DrewH]

I don't know who Paul Rauch is. What has he done when he was EP on the shows he was on?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

He was EP os AW during the 70's, the show's golden era where the much respected Harding LaMay was HW.

He then went to OLTL and was EP from 83 to 91. He was responsible for a lot of the campy storylines that show was known for at the time.

He was then became the EP of Santa Barbara during it's last year, a however that was already damaged before he got there.

His last stint was at GL from late 1996 to 2003. A very uneven stint that had a lot of camp.

I said this about him in another thread:

You know, I have MAJOR problems with Rauch. He's arrogant, a misogynist, a tyrant EP, he favours camp, and fair judgement isn't his strongest suit.

Had Y&R still been headed by Bell writers, I could've handled Rauch as a consultant, but not now. History has shown that Rauch is only as strong as the writer's he's worked with. If they writers are weak and have very little vision, Rauch walks all over them, of course, the exception was Harding LeMay at AW in the 70's, Rauch's only true success story IMO. From a production stand point, Rauch is very good with sets, getting performances out of actors, but the lighting on his shows are HORRIBLY BRIGHT. I hope this isn't a prelude to Rauch getting the EP job at Y&R, and Y&R is known for dark lightening.

I know he's much older, but couldn't they have asked Harding LaMay to consult instead of Rauch?

[ReddFoxx]

He was EP for OLTL from 84-91, his stint was pretty good for the most part. He does have a bit of a reputation as being difficult though from what I've read.

[baller]

dude, what I wouldn't do to be a fly on that wall....

I actually think Paul would be good at Y&R....

[SteveFrame]

Paul is right up there with Gloria Monty and Jill Farren Phelps as being outspoken and controversial.

All 3 just finised as the top 3 producers of all time in the Best of the Best Poll at my site SoapsWEB.

Rauch has many good points. I know that Harding Lemay always said he had very good intuitions about story. I just hate that his last few stints in daytime tended to be more campy - not sure if that has to do with him or the writers.

He was never really that way at Another World - which had more eccentric type stuff than camp (i.e. housekeeper Louise Goddard talking to her plants, or housekeeper Vivian Garrow's ditziness.)

I am just glad they went with someone from the glory days than rehashing some of the recent hacks.

[Dan]

Dear God in Heaven, what are we in for... You just got what you wished for folks...

Yikes.

[Sylph]

Oh, I remember Harding saying how she gave her plants names from the Greek tragedies. And if I'm not mistaken, it was the actress who decided to give them names.

So, Steve, since you were a viewer during Lemay/Rauch times, what was the look of AW then? Was it glamourous and spectacularly produced?

[baller]

I watched Santa Barbara when he was there...I liked it, but I know many thought it was a bunch of "jump the shark" moments.

But NOTHING is better than the ending of Santa Barbara with him putting out the cigar and the light going out. GOT to love a man who just goes balls to the wall. I think for Y&R and Hogan, it's got potential. If anything, I think he's got the best potential to get Y&R "back" to what it was.

Sydney Penny was one of the 8 million talk shows the other week, and she had nothing but great things to say about Paul and working for him.

[Ann_SS]

This is an interesting development. LML was hired as a consultant before taking over Y&R completely.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I can't speak for Steve, but AW was very much noted for its production values and acting in the 70's. Rauch is good with set design, music, and other technical things. However, the lighting on his shows tends to be TOO BRIGHT, as I said before.

[Dan]

Agreed. His GL was so bright it looked like the entire cast jumped into a vat of Crisco before shooting.

[Sylph]

I know, I just wanted to hear a reply from someone who actually watched.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

On the up side, Y&R's needed a strong EP for a while now. Rauch is very much one and usually has a vision for his shows (even if it's unpopular by the standards of fans). If he's promoted to EP and works closely with Maria and Hogan (and doesn't walk all over them), I could see a more unified show.