Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

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[Jkcdsm75]

What is Jennifer telling Amanda at the end?

Only watched part three but wow - never saw most of these characters interact. Interesting seeing Phillip with Hope and Amanda. Didn't realize Bill actually was on beyond Eli Simms pushing him out the window.

Would love to know what was being discussed behind the scenes as I see Pam Long is writing and also know soon many of these characters would be off the show. I remember GL more from mid 80s and on and loved it, but seems like much was lost to get there that could have been kept. GL really does seem like a show that changes drastically every few years...

[vetsoapfan]

For longtime devotees of TGL, the 1983/4 season was a nightmare, in the sense that Gail Kobe and Pamela Long were allowed (or encouraged) by TPTB to overhaul the show and hack away at its history and roots. We lost Bill Bauer, Bert Bauer, Hillary Bauer, Mike Bauer, and Hope Bauer, and were left only with a recently recast Ed and Rick, which crippled the show's identity. It was like doing THE WALTONS without John, Olivia, John-Boy, Mary-Ellen, Erin, and Ben, and only featuring a recast Elizabeth and Jason. We lost long-running characters like Sarah McIntyre, and popular ones like Amanda Spaulding and Nola Reardon. Not only was the cast decimated, but very soon the quality of the writing bottomed out, and we were forced to endure crappy, low-brow camp and a host of newer characters, many of whom never caught on with the audience. The show sucked from about 1984 to 1989, when Roger and Holly made a triumphant return and helped bring a renewed sense of continuity and history to Springfield.

The bizarre thing is, even against GH, which was very strong at the time, TGL was doing very well, and was a critical and popular success upon Kobe's and Long's arrival. Why they were allowed to hack away at such a fine, solid show remains a mystery to this day. The series never really recovered from their destructive decisions.

Edited July 12, 2015 by vetsoapfan

[NothinButAttitude]

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[NothinButAttitude]

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[duchess]

My first post! Please be gentle if I don't do this very well.

I found this forum looking for vintage soap footage, and I'm so glad I did. I miss my Guiding Light so much! I've been at least aware of soaps my whole life, having spent summers and afterschool hours at my grandmother's home as a kid while my parents worked. She had her stories on everyday and I kind of absorbed what was going on. Over time GL became my favorite.

I remember when it went from being The Guiding Light to just Guiding Light, and I remember the jump from 30 minutes to an hour. The first plotline I remember really understanding, and being excited to see what would happen on the next episode, was Alan and Hope marooned on an island. Hope was already my favorite character. I also liked Rita and Ed.

GL was an important part of my growing up. I was too young to really understand what was happening when Roger was on trial for marital rape, but my grandmother explained to me that it was wrong for a woman to be forced to do something she didn't want to do, even by her husband. That was still a controversial idea at the time, but a lesson I learned early. I have GL to thank for part of that.

I was devoted to GL for most of the rest of its run. They lost me with clone!Reva. Believe it or not, the Carrie Carruthers mess brought me back. It was a combination of glossy John Conboy production values and the realization that they've chucked the whole show's history, it's not going to be on much longer. I watched as much as I could stand until the end. Sometimes that wasn't easy!

Glad to be here. I love Guiding Light.

Edited July 13, 2015 by duchess

[DRW50]

Welcome. It's great to see another fan. I also started watching soaps because of my grandmother. I can't imagine what kids today have to watch. Dr. Phil, probably.

[TimWil]

I disagree, vetsoapfan. I think Kobe/Long re-energized the show in 1983/1984 and made it watchable again after a particularly dire number of months following Douglas Marland's departure. They came up with The Four Musketeers, for starters. They gave the show a new identity which was very popular. And I think the opening musical theme which ran under their tenure was one of the best ever composed for daytime.

[BetterForgotten]

I've said it before, but I much prefer Long's second tenure on the show over her first.

[duchess]

I think 1983-1984 was a mixed bag. The best of it built on the history of characters - Phillip's adoption coming to light and the way that built up to the Four Musketeers adventure, and even the Lewis/Shayne Cat On A Hot Tin Roof that used the lives and history those characters had together.

The loss of many important characters was the worst of it, and I don't think the effects of that were felt for awhile. I think 1985 was when the WTF started to outweigh the good in many ways.

Edited July 13, 2015 by duchess

[duchess]

I can't imagine. Probably Celebrity Housewives or something even worse.

Thank you for the welcome..

[slick jones]

Welcome Duchess. I loved the Jennifer Richards trial that was posted. I agree about 85 being the year the show was off the rails...The Infinity story...Yikes...

[vetsoapfan]

You are right about the new musical theme, which was lovely. The construction of the Four Musketeers was also a success. But axing a huge number of the cast and dumbing down the plots was not the way to rejuvenate a soap that had had a short-term problem with writing. Once so many of the core characters were eliminated, the show was left with terrible writing and a bunch of newbies, many of whom never caught on. Soap fans will remain loyal to their shows even through periods of upheaval, if at least their beloved veteran characters are there. With a destruction of the show's core AND lame-o plots like Jonathan Brooks' Talking Computer, The Dreaming Death, The Ghost in the Attic, etc., the show was ASKING for longtime viewers to flee, LOL.

For the record, even Pamela Long later admitted in an interview that her "fantasy" plots were not necessarily the best way for TGL to go. She said that she had learned that between writing fantasy and writing realistic storylines, it was better to get real. Her second stint as the show's headwriter was much better.

You are right about the new musical theme, which was lovely. The construction of the Four Musketeers was also a success. But axing a huge number of the cast and dumbing down the plots was not the way to rejuvenate a soap that had had a short-term problem with writing. Once so many of the core characters were eliminated, the show was left with terrible writing and a bunch of newbies, many of whom never caught on. Soap fans will remain loyal to their shows even through periods of upheaval, if at least their beloved veteran characters are there. With a destruction of the show's core AND lame-o plots like Jonathan Brooks' Talking Computer, The Dreaming Death, The Ghost in the Attic, etc., the show was ASKING for longtime viewers to flee, LOL.

For the record, even Pamela Long later admitted in an interview that her "fantasy" plots were not necessarily the best way for TGL to go. She said that she had learned that between writing fantasy and writing realistic storylines, it was better to get real. Her second stint as the show's headwriter was much better.

[TimWil]

I take your points, vetsoapfan.

Good God, the Dreaming Death and Infinity storylines were awful. And the one with the Springfield patriarchs messing with Annabelle was only bearable from time to time. I'm still scratching my head over Susan Piper and the ninja.

[rlj]

As a Phillip/Beth fan, LOVED 1983, and the 1st half of 84, crept getting rid of Hope and Alan, soooo much story could've been written for them and their divorce and her alcoholism!

Edited July 13, 2015 by rlj