Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Mitch]

I'm wondering when McLaiby's content takes over. I remember the end of the horrible ghost story (Reva fans, you aint seen nothing yet) and it immediately cuts to Reva coming out of her coma, and I know the Laibson signed Kimmer not JFP. I think it was an interesting time on the show.

[Contessa Donatella]

Was this right after the "fruit basket turnover"? when the positions of the 3 different EPS was flipped?

Edited October 8, 2019 by Donna B
Except they left Laurence Caso completely out.

[BetterForgotten]

JFP was sent to AW, John Valente was sent from AW to ATWT, and Laibson was hired at GL. Laurence Caso was fired at ATWT (shame, he was the probably the best of this bunch). 

 

None of them lasted very long, but in JFP's case, she was eager to leave P&G for ABC. With Valente, it was speculated that he hated ATWT and never wanted to leave AW. 

[KMan101]

 

Always seemed like they never recovered from this horrible swap (and all are cancelled). Caso seemed well suited to ATWT, Valente on AW ... JFP gutted AW's heart like she did at every show she's been on. Sigh.

[DramatistDreamer]

 

In another thread, we were discussing/imagining a Ken Burns style documentary on the history of the Daytime drama and, in the back of my mind, I immediately thought that Laurence Caso should be included in any documentary on the subject because he strikes me as someone who would be insightful when asked questions.  The rest of them (that are still with us) seem highly defensive and egotistical (ahem, I'm looking at you, JFP and Goutman)

[BetterForgotten]

To be fair, ATWT was struggling after Marland's death, but Caso was doing the best he could and that era after Marland's death definitely isn't as bad as some make it out to be or what later came. 

 

JFP was fortunate to have great writers like Nancy Curlee, Stephen Demorest, Patrick Mulcahey, and Courtney Simon for the first half of her GL tenure. She never worked with a group of writers of that caliber again on any show she would later produce. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Very true about Caso!

Boy, did she ever!

Very true about Laurence Caso!

[RavenWhitney]

CBS insisted on bringing in a co-head writer. Long didn't want to work with James Reilly. 

[Contessa Donatella]

 

What was the storyline interference? That's the second time that's come up here. Meanwhile I just thought she really wanted to have a child.

[BetterForgotten]

Wasn't pairing Harley with a Jewish man one of the stories she wanted to tell that got killed?

[Contessa Donatella]

 

 

 

 

Harley with a Jewish man, sounds interesting.

Edited October 11, 2019 by Donna B
spacing

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Wasn't that supposed to be the alleged Weiss clan that was supposed to come on in the early 90s? 

[j swift]

If any of you read @franko and I recaps of the 1990-1991 SOD breaking news thread, there was a ton of press prior to Matt Weiss's casting (including a story about mothers from the Upper Westside trying to get their sons cast), and then poof he was gone.

 

The guy who played Matt Weiss was Jeff Gendelman, who had been on Loving. If I remember correctly, CBS nixed the storyline with Matt and he was quickly written out. I believe the story goes is that CBS' interference is what we led Pam Long to leave as head writer.

[Franko]

I wish they'd update that Tumblr soon. I was feeling rather nostalgic tonight.

[j swift]

It was fun @Franko

 

One of the details that I remember was that Long's fiance gave her exit interview.  Pam was never quoted in the article, but her husband-to-be gave some details.  Including that she tried to bring back Reva in December of that year, when she died over the prior summer, but it was nixed by production not Zimmer.

 

Also, the talk in SOD at the time was that Rick Bauer was going to be re-cast, so there was a lot of turmoil behind the scenes