Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Yeah but Long as long gone by then. 

[BetterForgotten]

I can't help but shake the feeling that Nia may be ashamed she was on a soap, even though it was her first big break. The way she casually rushed though it in her Uncensored episode made me feel that way - she basically spent most of that time talking about how much she hated auditioning for it and then landed the job, and then quickly moved on to talking about her roles (in a lot more depth) in Boyz N the Hood and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. 

 

I also notice she doesn't really acknowledge fans on Twitter who mention GL. 

Edited March 24, 2018 by BetterForgotten

[Soapsuds]

This is why I flove Julianne Moore so much . She always mentions her time on ATWT and did so recently in her segment on the View about a couple of months ago. Hell she even returned to show at its end.

[Faulkner]

I remember when she mentioned it in her SAG speech during her award season run for to Oscar for “Still Alice,” and some comedian mocked her for it afterwards. She is so unbothered.

 

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[DramatistDreamer]

I guess nobody saw Long's Uncensored episode on TV One?  She talks about getting the call about an audition for Guiding Light fresh out of high school.  She did talk about not liking the audition process but getting the role.

 

Honestly, I think had anyone bothered to ask Nia Long, she would likely have gladly talked about it but she's unlikely to bring it up out of nowhere.

I don't remember her bringing up Boys In The Hood or The Best Man and more people likely know her from those roles. Perhaps she sensed that time was limited and wanted to use it to promote her latest project.

 

In any case, I put the onus at the women of The Talk for failing to introduce the topic, then again, I don't expect them to draw attention to either of the two canceled soaps, lest they stir feelings about ATWT, the soap they replaced.

 

Edited March 24, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Also, did anyone see Nia Long's SAG interview?  Guiding Light is literally the first show that gets mentioned.

 

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[soapfan770]

 

They did at least do the ATWT and GL tributes back in 2016, something for which I was grateful for.

 

 

in the long run scheme of things although David and Kat on the run remains unforgettable, Long's Kat embarrassingly disintegrated by 1994  when she discovered David and Gabriella together. Probably why Long's time on GL would get overlooked. 

[Graves72]

 

 

Seems like Paul faded out.  The actor went on to One Life to Live as a romantic leading man right after he left GL.  Charlotte was there when the real Tracy Delmar died in the hospital.  Charlotte worked at the hospital.  That's why she concocted the scheme to assume Tracy's identity and bilk Sara out of big bucks.  Tracy had relayed the story about being Sara's niece during her last days.  Charlotte was a hussy.

[DramatistDreamer]

Oh my at the debut of Nadine with that pink Cadillac and the interplay with the mechanic!

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  Although, where was she supposed to be from with that accent?  I don't think her accent stayed.

 

How could you not love Alexandra (aka Beverlee McKinsey) in these scenes with Fletcher (and his awful mustache)?

Speaking of awful hair, Phillip and his mullet looked best in that car with the wind blowing through his big 80s hair and the 1st Blake who was fine in the role (although Stringfield was my favorite Blake) but the styling insisted on making her look like a Glenn Close clone.

 

How interesting the mutual admiration between Alan-Michael and Frank would soon become a bitter rivalry down the road.  I liked both Alan-Michaels and can appreciate the young love between this version and Harley.  And Sam Marler, did they ever bring her back?  She seems like a character who could've easily dropped in and out over years, given her connections.

 

I'm trying to pay more attention to the Solita/Sunny storyline than I did back then but in my defense I was still a child and floated in and out of attention to this story.

 

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Edited April 15, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[soapfan770]

@DramatistDreamer Thank you so much! I loved Nadine, although pairing her right up with Daniel Pilon's nasty Alan was rather awkward as it should have been more fun really. 

 

I do like Carl Evans and never understood why GL never attempted to ever ask him back as A-M. Evans was in NYC and even did a stint on ATWT as some crazy ex of Molly's in 2001-ish, kind of like how the show just ignored Jay Hammer(I was never a Fletcher fan but still) for so many years. 

Edited April 15, 2018 by soapfan770

[DramatistDreamer]

That conversation and push-pull dynamic between Alexandra and Fletcher perfectly encapsulates not only the fundamental difference between women and men but just how complex a character Alexandra Spaulding was (especially as portrayed by McKinsey), she was a standout character for so many reasons.

Even as compared with other female business titans on soaps (most of whom were complex at the time), Alexandra illustrated the delicate balance between being a titan in the business world and the ability to maintain lasting romantic relationships and the fact that sometimes it was zero-sum stakes. 

Alexandra seemed to be written as clear-eyed about the opportunities gained and missed in life while pursuing a high-standard (even control) in the family corporation.  She seemed to realized the sacrifice involved and the romantic possibilities that she could be giving up/letting go of.

You definitely don't see a character being written with that deal of inner complexity on today's daytime soaps.  What McKinsey, in particular brought to the role was unique.

Edited April 15, 2018 by DramatistDreamer

[Soaplovers]

 

I loved Nadine   Pam Long had a knack for creating interesting female characters and Nadine was anything, but boring

 

It's a shame that Nadine was watered down by pining for Buzz... and the actress eventually quit so she obviously wasn't happy with how isolated her character became even though she had a lot of ties/histories with characters that basically got forgotten once Buzz came onto the scene.

 

Nadine/Ross was an interesting pairing that ended before it really got going.  I know Jerry V Dorn had said in an interview while still at GL that he was sorry that the pairing wasn't explored as fully as it should have been.

 

[DRW50]

 

Sam is never shown and rarely mentioned after vanishing in 1992.

 

Even Robert Newman said people came up to him in the street for years asking him to explain the Sunni/Solita story. No one understood it. 

[Khan]

 

Sonni/Solita: a CLASSIC example of what a prolonged writers' strike can do to a story.

[DRW50]

 

Obviously Sonni was already in heavy story before the strike but I do wonder if how much the show had to rely on that mess (and on Michelle Forbes' talent) during the strike helped make her even more prominent. I also wonder how fans felt about her at the time. 

 

(we know how Kim Zimmer felt...)