Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

Simple easy research would've told him yes they had

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[titan1978]

It’s funny, as someone that did not watch the show back then, you would think the loss of Reva would be the situation that derails the show.  I had never watched GL back then but I knew who Reva and Josh were from soap mags.  But my YouTube viewing started in 1990, and the show gets better after she leaves.

 

For me, the insurmountable losses are Mindy, Blake, Alexandra, Maureen and Harley one right on top of another, some

with lackluster recasts.  As someone that watched OLTL and GH, the JFPisms really start with Maureen’s death and the Buzz invasion.  But even with those issues, it seems to me that the show isn’t truly gutted until after JFP is gone.

 

I’ve seen a lot of Marj now as Alexandra when the show was still well written.  I really believe her as a businesswoman, but she doesn’t have that special something that Beverlee brought to the table.  I loved her on AMC.

[BetterForgotten]

Yeah, P&G's fault was that they hired hack after hack after JFP left. 

 

I wonder if they would have seen better longterm results in 1997/1998 if MADD had hired Behr/Broderick for GL, and Rauch/B&E for ATWT as opposed to vice versa. 

Edited July 18, 2020 by BetterForgotten

[victoria foxton]

I think Behr/Broderick would've worked well on GL. I don't think Rauch and B&E would've been a good fit for ATWT. 

Edited July 18, 2020 by victoria foxton

[BetterForgotten]

I don't either, but maybe just maybe they would have given ATWT some much-needed excitement at that time (albeit very short term). Or Rauch would have needed a much stronger HW, which he never really got at GL anyway. 

[Franko]

I am smirking at the idea of Rauch ending up having been a producer on all three 2 p.m. EST soaps.

[MichaelGL]

Watched an episode from May 1997 and it seriously puzzles me how well produced GL was under Rauch for his first year and a half and then by 2000 it was a brightly lit mess. Writing aside, I love the direction in this episode. 
 

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[KMan101]

It does look nice, especially compared to what comes down the road, lmao. 

 

All I can focus on is Soccer Mom Blake trying to be sexy with Ross. Like, Liz Keifer could pull of sexy stuff. Why was she like a soccer mom from the start? Ugh. I like Keifer but Sherry was just so wonderful as Blake it's hard to get past the difference now that I've seen so much of Sherry in the role.

[BetterForgotten]

Oddly enough, I think by the time he left in 2002, Rauch had started to tone down the Walmart lighting and the show was starting to look good enough again.

[BoldRestless]

Rick Hearst is a great interview. I was dying at his stories about the Emmys and the Universal Studios wedding. It's a shame he's not on daytime now, he still looks great.

 

Edit: I found the scene where he has tell Lucy that their wedding is at Universal Studios, Orlando LOL

 

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Edited July 18, 2020 by BoldRestless

[titan1978]

Sherry is so great in that bad girl formula- she is ambitious, sexy, smart, and also vulnerable, angry, desperate and longing for love.  Sherry also adds a fantastic sarcasm and biting humor to a lot of her scenes.  She really stands out, has specific relationships with many characters and holds her own with characters like Alex, Roger, and Holly.

 

I loved her character on ER. Susan Lewis was my favorite back then.  Now that I have seen so much of her Blake, I really am impressed by her talent.  Blake and Lewis are so different, and I love them both.

 

I remember reading the rumor that she was in the running for Phylis on Y&R, and they chose Gina.  I think that was a real missed opportunity.

[KMan101]

 

The Walmart Lighting

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I'm dead. So accurate.

 

I do think it got better around 2002-2004 (maybe it lasted through 2006 but my viewing was spotty at the time mostly due to the Jonathan propping; ConWest really turned me off before that though) and then ... (EDIT: The lighting I'm referring to, not the writing ...)

Edited July 18, 2020 by KMan101

[KMan101]

 

I love Gina but I can't believe they passed on Sherry Stringfield! And that she even wanted to do a soap again is amazing.

 

Sherry was just perfection as Blake. Blake was such a fun and fascinating character as you described. They tried to keep Liz similar to Sherry initially but it quickly faded over time. JFP doesn't seem to like smart and strong capable women. 

 

Susan was my favorite on ER too.

 

Honestly Sherry/Liz reminds me of Anne Heche/Jensen Buchanan. Like, the look is there, but the style is all ultimately wrong for the role. Remember how they had Jensen looking like Anne's Vicky for a while but then ... soccer mom Vicky (and then soccer mom Paulina)

Edited July 18, 2020 by KMan101

[Forever8]

I also believe Sherry also auditioned for the role of Quinn on Bold and Beautiful that went to Rena Sofer in 2013. 

[Vee]

That is nuts. And makes me more set in the belief she could anchor a digital GL someday. Bye, Keifer.