Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[saynotoursoap]

Lenore became disenchanted with Rita's serial cheating and constant cuckolding of Ed. She felt other dimensions of Rita should have been explored to at least explain Rita's actions to the audience. Allen Potter commented that the audience would never accept Rita as anything but a whore, so she was continually written as such. In 1981, Kasdorf vacilliated over signing another two year contract, as her husband wanted to move to LA. Ultimately, she decided that she would stay with GL until 1983 if she was given something different to play, but Potter refused. I feel it was a mistake.

Lezlie was a theater actress and wanted to return to the stage. I believe Elizabeth's perpetual ingress and egress in 1980 were to accommodate Lezlie's stage appearances.

[cassadine1991]

was it hinted that Rita was pregnant when she left town?

[DRW50]

Thanks.

It sounds like Allen Potter made a lot of mistakes at GL without the Dobsons.

I had been thinking of putting up a Diana van der Vlis avatar but could never find the right photo. Yours is beautiful.

[Khan]

Same.

I think Allen Potter was a producer who believed his own press. Which other producer would have his show's announcer say, "THE DOCTORS, the EMMY AWARD-WINNING program dedicated...." or have that Emmy on some kind of turntable and run underneath GL's closing credits?

[cassadine1991]

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1ZEzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=qOsFAAAAIBAJ&output=html_text&pg=2048,4442619&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&q=&sig=ACfU3U1oUo1DZGsc7so86BQsDwEgLidbZA Edited March 23, 2015 by cassadine1991

[Paul Raven]

[cassadine1991]

Jarrod and Cindy even look alike

Was she fired as Jackie?

What about him as Phillip, how was he in the role?

[Paul Raven]

Cindy left at the end of her contract.

July 10 1952

Trudy and Meta discuss Meta's plans to leave New York and return to California. At home, Papa Bauer and Bill play chess as Bertha prepares the baby's bottle. Papa tells Bill he spends too much time away from home on business trips. When Bill receives a telegram from Meta announcing her impending return, Papa Bauer insists on phoning Meta's husband, Joe, to let him know.

Jan 3 1961

Papa Bauer encourages Robin Fletcher to say goodbye to Mike, her soon-to-be ex-husband, who will be stopping by before leaving for New York. Mike's parents, Bert and Bill, discuss Mike's living arrangements in New York and his efforts to get over Carl's death, as Mike packs his bags upstairs. Bert doesn't want Mike to see Robin before he leaves. Mike, Bert, and Bill stop off to see Papa Bauer and Robin; Robin is cool toward them. When Mike talks to Robin alone on the patio, she returns her wedding ring to him and wishes him well.

Oct 2 1963

Meta, Papa Bauer, and Bert wait for word on Julie, who is pregnant and has been in an accident. Bert tells Meta that Julie was already pregnant when Julie and Michael got married. Bruce Banning calls from the hospital and tells Meta to bring Bert and Papa Bauer there at once. In the hospital waiting room with George Hayes, Michael expresses remorse over the circumstances of his marriage to Julie. In the operating room, Dr. Banning and others deliver Julie's baby girl.

[zanereed]

If I recall correctly, Allen Potter also was the one who opted not to renew Mart Hulswit's contract in 1981, evidently because Hulswit disagreed with how Ed was being written at that point. I don't know if that was Potter following orders from P & G or acting independently.

I wonder if Marland would have followed Lenore's wishes to have written Rita differently, or if that was one of the disagreements he and Potter had throughout Marland's tenure?

Edited March 23, 2015 by zanereed

[Khan]

By most accounts I have read, Marland loved actors and loved collaborating with them, for lack of a better word. If Lenore Kasdorf wanted to explore other, less "whorish" facets of Rita's character, I think Marland would have tried something -- unless, that is, he wanted her to go.

[Vee]

He is not my favorite person, but it is relevant: Jamey Giddens proposes a Netflix 12-episode revival of GL.

It's rather long, very overstuffed and far, far too involved for 12 hour-long episodes IMO, and also inexplicably involves a presumed romance between the two Matthew Buchanans of OLTL. But I don't hate all of it, though it's definitely not what I would do.

Edited March 25, 2015 by Vee

[NothinButAttitude]

I'm all for it if they pick a great writer. Otherwise, leave my poor show dead.

[zanereed]

It's definitely a nice idea. But, as Vee stated, that is WAAAAAAAAAAY too many characters and storylines for 12 hours of material. Plus, I have little hope that P & G would ever allow GL or ATWT (or any of the titles it owns) to be revived.

[Khan]

Nah.

[DRW50]

I'll always believe GL can easily be revived, but I'd feel unclean reading anything by that man.