Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[zanereed]

I remember Stewart definitely had chemistry with May when she was playing Renee, but I'm trying to remember if that same chemistry was there a few years later when May was playing Ivy. There's only one episode up on YT with Stewart and May as Mike and Ivy talking about Lucien Goff. I really can't recall.

 

And yes, IMHO, Mart Hulswit was probably the best Ed out of the four adult actors who portrayed him.

[John]

Richard Van Vleet. Did GL think he was get from AMC cause he flopped badly

[vetsoapfan]

The character of Ivy was not particularly interesting, and I found little chemistry because her and Mike. It's just as well that the show dropped her. 

 

And yes, Hulswit could imbue Ed with many different colors, much better than any of the other actors did (although Gentry was good during his initial 1966-69 run).

Van Fleet was actually a good choice to play Chuck Tyler on AMC, and he played well against his co-stars there, but he was simply all wrong for Ed Bauer, looks-wise and temperament-wise.

Edited April 29, 2016 by vetsoapfan

[zanereed]

Yes, for whatever reason it seemed that Stewart had more chemistry with May back in 1979/1980 versus when she was recast as Ivy two years later. It's a shame that Marland killed off Renee, but to be fair Marland's plans were for Mike's new love interest to be Jennifer Richards.

 

I also wonder if TOTB didn't consider bringing back Robert Gentry when they were looking to fire Hulswit. Although, I think Gentry was already on All My Children or Another World in 1981, wasn't he?

Edited May 2, 2016 by zanereed

[vetsoapfan]

I was not thrilled when the show killed off Mike's wife, Leslie Bauer, although I understood why they did that (to free up a happily-married leading man for more storyline possibilities), but of all the potential love interests who followed Leslie, I thought Mike and Jennifer would work best.

 

Yes, I believe Gentry was otherwise employed at the time, but in any case, they never should have fired Hulswit. It was a bone-headed move which seriously damaged the core of the show.

 

Speaking of bone-headed moves, one of the most idiotic decision ever made  was to drop the article "the" from the show's title. At the time it was done, an executive deliriously pontificated about how this was designed to modernize the show and attract a younger, broader audience.

 

WTF?

 

Was anyone in charge truly stupid enough to think that making the show's title grammatically incorrect would bring in higher ratings and attract younger demographics?!? THE GUIDING LIGHT will always be *THE* GUIDING LIGHT to me. GEEZ!

[zanereed]

Didn't Lynne Adams want to leave the show, so they decided to kill off Leslie? Also, can you recall how long it was between Joe Werner's death and Leslie Bauer's death in 1976? I seem to recall that they weren't too far off from each other.

 

Yes, referring to the show as just "Guiding Light" never made much sense to me, either 

[vetsoapfan]

From what I recall (and I could be wrong; my memory is not what it used to be), it was the show's decision to kill off Leslie. But even if Adams had precipitated the move by deciding to quit, the show had very successfully replaced her with Barbara Rodell in the past, and could have recast the role again. In fact, Rodell ranked higher than Adams did in the daytime TV Best Actress polls at the time, and readers of that magazine had letters published decrying the return of Adams, when Rodell was more sympathetic in the part.

[robbwolff]

According to synopses posted on Daytime Royalty, Leslie died in June 1976 and Joe died in November 1976.

 

 

[cassadine1991]

didn't Leslie kill herself?

[robbwolff]

No. Mike's first wife Julie (Hope's mother) committed suicide, I believe. Leslie was killed when she was struck by a car driven by Spence Jeffers.

[cassadine1991]

wasn't Leslie's death a near recycle of Robin Lang's death?

[zanereed]

Robin (Lang) Fletcher threw herself in front of a truck, committing suicide.

Thank you for the confirmation. Can someone also remind me - I know Leslie died on camera, but I think Joe died off camera (I think he was in another country at the time of his death). Am I remembering that correctly?

[John]

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[slick jones]

I'll be passing on that one....

[Mitch]

Good God that Lady Parts thing is so....weird!!! I sat through the one with Hurst and they acted like she wrote War and Peace..Otalia was boring, made no sense and the two had little to no chemsitry. ....plus that show looks like a couple of hippie's decided to film a show that no one else cared about on their ugly couch!