Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

your choice... thanks for posting.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Paul Raven

[robbwolff]

And may I add making up stuff about what she said during her Emmy acceptance speech (easily disproven by finding her speech online) and making insinuations about the actress and her motives. So much for that stance on positivity.

[Khan]

 

You must be new to the Internet (let alone SON).

 

It's the most curious case of road rage I've ever seen.

[kalbir]

 

That episode does feel like a series finale. I didn't see it live, I watched it years later online.

 

I'm currently rewatching the first 4 episodes of September 1992 and these were the last episodes I watched live. The following week was the US Open short week and the start of school for me; my school schedule changed so that I was no longer home in time to watch GL and I never went back to watching it.

 

Since I'm losing interest in the garbage time that's current Y&R, I'm thinking to continue watching GL to summer 1993. I've seen the major episodes (Maureen's death and the fallout, the full episode whose clip was shown when Michael Zaslow won the 1994 Lead Actor Daytime Emmy) and some clips (Holly spies when Roger learns of the Ross/Blake affair).  

 

From these early September 1992 episodes, I can see a set up of a Who's the Daddy storyline with Eleni. To those who watched September 1992-August 1993 live, is there anything else worth hunting down from that period to watch?

[Mitch]

So true..and it happens with shows that get a rather rabid fan base. The people on the FB page for "Once Upon A Time" (dont judge, its basically a soap set in a small town...okay, with the Evil Queen and Snow White...) and the show, like all shows, quality and writing dropped as the years went by. The last season was a total makeover with most of the cast gone (kind of like soaps and the vets being gone..) and the logic thrown out the window...(yes in its hey day it did have sorta an internal logic...) but the crazed fans would get so mad if you didn't think the show had "the best season EVER!" ..and "Wow, Lana hit it out of the ballpark in that scene," and would be so mad if you didn't accept the producers newly created "epic" couples (Cinderella 2.0 and adult Henry) It really reminded me of soap fans who would eat anything, no matter how bad it smells to see their show and their "favorites" (like soaps the audience for that show was strangely obsessed and wanting to be familiar with their favorite actors....it was weird...) They would almost blow a gasket if you punched a hole in their fantasy about the show being bestest ever....which of course, made sickos like me want to post more!

 

As for Reva..an earthy character should not be jumping through paintings...she should have transitioned to a role where she was just as passionate about a solid marriage, her kids, her family, her friends and her community as she was about "Josh" and "Kyle" back in the day.  And Zimmer aged just like Reva woudl have aged..a good time gal with miles under her belt....not the middle aged love goddess of all time.

 

Edited September 6, 2018 by Mitch

[victoria foxton]

 Spauldingfield will be doing mini character profiles on minor characters. 

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Edited September 6, 2018 by victoria foxton

[vetsoapfan]

 

Yes, no matter WHAT the genre, some fans will simply not tolerate any criticism (no matter how valid or widespread) about their favorite shows, films, actors and characters.

 

I don't get it. Why willingly live in a fantasy world where everything presented on-screen is peachy keen, the epitome of perfection? Or worse, why embrace and defend hot, steaming excrement, just because that's all the networks are offering us now? Why not demand something better, or go elsewhere for your entertainment?

 

Soap fans are lucky in the sense that even with the current, crippled state of American daytime drama, we still have a plethora of excellent, continuing serialized dramas available to us on television. I can no longer stomach to watch old favorites like DAYS, GH, or Y&R on a daily basis, but recently stumbled across a wonderful Australian soap called Offspring, which ran for seven seasons (six of which were great, although the last year tanked IMHO). It provided me with interesting characters, family drama, comedy, romance, and lots of seriously sexy men. Who could ask for anything more? This is Us is another example of a wonderful soap opera, good enough to satiate the cravings of any alienated daytime television viewer. The Fosters and Switched at Birth may not be Shakespeare, but they are engaging popular entertainment, better than anything we get nowadays from the traditional soaps. Soap-like dramas are everywhere now, we do not have to settle for any dreck. And we certainly do not have to pretend that dreck is high art, when...it's obviously not.

[Vee]

Entirely too glued to the Reva post-partum storyline on YouTube. Weren't Curlee and Demorest involved in HW work at this time with Long, or was it all Long?

 

Why they never brought Samantha Marler back is beyond me. I don't dislike the actress. I loved Chris Pennock on Dark Shadows and he seems a decent Justin recast, but they never seemed interested in this side of Phillip's family for long.

 

I actually don't think Beth Chamberlin is bad as the 'normal', pre-Rauch pre-hyper neurotic Beth. She clicks well in light humor scenes with Phillip and Rick, though she definitely has a more refined Barbara Hershey vibe. But I also warmed up to her a lot in GL's last years. I've seen a fair amount of Kimberly Simms' Mindy with Alex, Roger and Nick over the years but never with the Four Musketeers before - it's a little strange for me so far.

 

Hot take: If GL came back today on streaming I would try to land Sherry Stringfield as Blake. She seems game for anything work-wise and even after all these years, I just find any other Blake far more interesting than Liz Keifer.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Vee

[DRW50]

 

Once Upon a Time definitely had a rabid fanbase. I remember the "Swan Queen" fans (who wanted the Evil Queen and the Jennifer Morrison character to be a couple). They would get into Twitter fights with cast and crew (like one of the dwarves) and brag about confronting producers at events to talk about how they let lgbt representation down or were queerbaiting, and so on and so forth. It was a mess.  

 

I grew to accept Liz Keifer, but Sherry was always the true Blake to me. She was riveting to watch. More than she ever really was on ER. The part was perfect for her. 

 

I still miss GL and I still think of all the soaps it was one of those that could find a following if it came back in some form today. The others I'd pick would be Edge of Night or OLTL.

[Vee]

Hamp is something else. That is all.

[robbwolff]

I believe Nancy Curlee was co-head writer at the time.

[SFK]

 

Like the Lewises, Beverlee was from Oklahoma. That was just her accent seeping. Her tipsy-toeing through autumn leaves Iris/Alex voice was the true affectation.

 

Marj is from Russell, Kansas. Her twang isn't as strong as fellow Russell native Bob Dole, most actors find a more neutral sound. But like Beverlee, while the twang is muted, it's still there.

[j swift]

I was watching the wonderful YT character profile of Solita/Sonni.  It got me thinking that Will Jeffries and Paulina Cory (AW) were both born and raised in South America, but the roles were played by blond caucasian actors.  90's soaps obviously liked diversity in their settings, but not their casting. 

 

Also, I don't think it can be repeated enough that Daniel Pilon is a bizarre recasting choice to play Alan Spaulding.  He is a good soap actor, he is also sexy and virile.  However, he shared none of the snivley/sinister traits of the prior Alan.  Alan always seemed like less of a physical threat when played by Christopher Bernau, and his cruelty was much more intellectualized.  Pilon's Alan is too macho and European to be the same guy.  Phillip would have suspected that he was switched from birth at much younger age if the late Mr Pilon was masquerading as his father.

 

Too little too late, but I think DP would have been better served as Alexandra's ex-husband and India's father, Count I-forgot-his-name.  He still could have stayed in the Spaulding mansion and had most of the same stories, but DP's acting style would have been a better fit in another part. 

Edited September 15, 2018 by j swift

[victoria foxton]

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[DRW50]

Someone asked if Michael Zaslow took a break from GL during 1974. Does anyone know?