Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Forever8]

Another reunion is set for next week on May 20th at 3PM ET with Murray Bartlett (ex-Cyrus), Orlagh Cassidy (ex-Doris), Bonnie Dennison (ex-Susan), Jessica Leccia (ex-Natalia) and Caitlin Van Zandt (ex-Ashlee)

https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/guiding-light-virtual-reunion/

[Faulkner]

Murray Bartlett is hot af, but that’s the first lineup that is entirely a “pass” IMO.

[Soapsuds]

Who are these people?

[BetterForgotten]

Definitely. 

[Mitch]

Well, maybe the 20 people left watching GL at that time will tune in!

 

Regarding Soni/Solita...soap viewers became really stupid and lazy if they were confused...and no wonder we got the cartoon version of Solita-Annie (oh she went nuts because of a man/she was always EVIL)

 

Sonni and Solita were twin sisters who lived in a very traditional Catholic family and society...Solita was the "wild" one but not evil as her father and town thought of her.  Sonni went to Will met up with him and had sex, her father found out and thinking it was Solita beat the crap out of her and dragged her through town calling her a slut. Solita would not tell anyone it was Sonni who was with Will and she (Solita) hung herself in the convent in a closet. Sonni found her and her guilt took on Solita "alternate personality" throught the lens of her rigid upbrining of Solita being a slut and evil. Suicide is a mortal sin so her father buried Sonni's body on the ranch.  Sonni reverted to Solita after her accident and came back to murder Josh with Will, who actually thought she was Solita. It was all very gothic and noir and one of the best storylines on GL..involved everyone from the Spauldings to Ed Bauer. Reva was not a saint in this..(she gave as good as she got and made a ton of her own selfish mistakes) nor was Josh.  It just made Annie vs. Reva look like a cartoon...though an enteratining one.

 

The only thing I think Long may have changed during the strike is the split personality thing as the scab writers had Solita acting as a shrink when she was impersonating Sonni (in post 1990 soaps that would have been glossed over.) Maybe her original plan was that there were indeed two sisters alive and Solita did come back to kill Josh but that she went nuts because of what had happened with her father.

[MichaelGL]

^Thanks for fleshing out the story Mitch. I'm incredibly intrigued by the summation of the storyline. Would love to find some videos on Youtube from this storyline. I've already watched the confrontation on the bridge, but would love to see the events that led up to that.

[BetterForgotten]

Not only the strike, but GL also had a change in EP's during the story - from Joe Willmore to Robert Calhoun. 

[kalbir]

Robert Calhoun came on in June 1989, the Sonni/Solita story was over by then.

[BetterForgotten]

Ah, when did Michelle Forbes leave?

[kalbir]

Michelle Forbes was gone by the end of 1989; I think November or December was her last episode.

[Mitch]

If you can find it they are great! I remember this started when I was in college and a bunch of us would rush to the lounge to watch..like when we were kids and Dark Shadows, and then I started working and couldnt wait to get home to watch the "tape"!  Twists, turns, soap messiness creatively fixed and a heart.

 

[Soapsuds]

It's the reunion show frozen? I only hear audio.

[victoria foxton]

At this point Alan should hire someone. To help him with technical stuff.

[Aback]

I loved this reunion! The technical issues were annoying but lots of ground was covered.

[Mona Kane Croft]

 

It seemed like he had far fewer technical problems in his earlier reunions.  The last three or four have been difficult to watch, because of tech issues.  One would think he'd be getting better with the technology, not worse.  I wonder if it's a growing problem with Zoom, and not something within Alan's control. 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Neil Johnson