Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Faulkner]

I saw that. Lady doesn’t age.

 

[Mitch]

The problem was MADD and the writers and their love of "formula." They had just hit gold with the Jeva vs. Annie and so they thought all "SUPER" couples should have a crazy bitch third wheel.. I would have liked to see Beth come back with more of an edge and less of a saint...(the last years of the original Beth..perfect, perfect angel..and Beth C' first run as a more meek Beth were not what I wanted to see...) Beth should have had some issues...(she went to therapy like two times after Bradley raped her...) but I would have liked a strong, conflicted woman. It would have been more interesting, but as it is, it made me hate Harley more. Unfortunately CW was leaving, so the show was desperate for a blond bitch to take her place, and they overestimated the popularity of Harley...(the BE fans and the Pharley fans were obnoxious and the forerunners to Manny and Rassie...) Harley always worked as she was a tough outsider but still a good person.. it would be interesting to see two strong imperfect women and a very imperfect man in a triangle with no villains, and the actors could more then handle it. 

[zanereed]

 

Whoops - very, VERY true! We're probably better off not knowing, then.

[Dr Neil Curtis]

Could anyone seen Judi Evans as Beth of the 90s and 2000s. In oftentimes think of how an original actor would play a character had they stayed. 

[soapfan770]

 

Nah by the time Judi Evans was hamming it up on her stint as Bonnie on Days, I knew just like Ameila Marshall, Andrea Evans, and Kathleen Noone over on Passions at the time that her best days were far behind her. 

 

By the time I started caring for Beth again after the Lorolei fiasco was over, Conboy & Weston had Beth sleep with Jeffrey in a Japanese restaurant and subsequently drop her to recurring status. To which Kriezman and Wheeler never properly used Beth at all either and kept her around as an afterthought. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Had Evans stayed as Beth throughout the early 90s, I think under Curlee the character would've developed a backbone and became a strong business woman like all the other women on the show at the time. I do think (too) that Curlee would've possibly had Mindy and Beth clash over Nick, and there probably would've been no reason for Eve. 

 

But honestly, I can't image JE anywhere during that time but as Paulina on AW. That WAS her defining role on daytime. Especially, from 91-95 when she was in Jake's orbit. I like to forget about her time with Joe as it was painful to watch Paulina become a declawed hot mess married to that chauvinist pig. The only story from 96-99 concerning Paulina that interested me was the pill addiction story. 

[victoria foxton]

Beth under JE had a inner strength to her. Beth lost that inner strength. When she returned from the dead. Later on Beth became a sour cold fish. I think JE could've played it. But JE would've been playing the complete opposite of the character she created.

[DRW50]

 

I think she could have played the neuroses of Beth (97 onward) well enough, as she played all of Paulina's many neuroses (frankly I thought she overplayed them). My main issue with Chamberlin is I thought she was a cold actress who lacked chemistry with most of her leading men, aside from Hunt Block (they were a perfect match) and DAM (a pairing they were always reluctant to truly embrace because she kept being drawn back to Philip). 

[amybrickwallace]

 

Yay!! Northeast Ohio girl does it again!! (By the way, I still miss Providence.)

[Mitch]

 

I actually think they should have brought her back during that "Phillip is dead" storyline where Beth and Rick were having an affair. I think that Evans and Oleary look more compatible then he and Chamberlin did and I actually think I would have kept them (Rick and Beth) together after Phillip returned, as they would have made a good core couple.

 

I like Chamberlin but she never worked as Beth..but the writing after her return didn't help. One day she is a neurotic bitch, one day a victim, one day a heroince, one day a power mad woman running a goofy island kingdom (with Eddie)  I thought the split personality thing would have helped to explain this but it was..just that she was Loreli... I think BC makes a good cold bitch but Beth is not a good cold bitch.

 

[Soaplovers]

So on the AMC board, they were talking about restaurants/eateries/clubs that the characters in Pine Valley hung out at.. and it made me think about the establishments for Guiding Light.

 

I think I recall The Blue Orchid in the mid 80s (had a very sleek 80s look to it), The Blue Moon, Towers, Company, Millenium (I liked how over the top it was..like the original owner Drew).. but I don't recall a lot of new establishments that came about in the final years of the show.

[robbwolff]

There was CO2 at the mall.

 

[DRW50]

Based on the other episodes from that day they uploaded, this was from June 1991. 

 

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[soapfave06]

I have been looking for episodes from the fall of 1978/January 1979 with Sara/Dean but it seems that there are none available until late 1979. This seems to be her last major storyline and I would love to see some of it. Does anyone know of videos coded under anything more difficult to find?

[~bl~]

P&G was still wiping in 78, they only stopped towards the end of 79.