Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I have had my criticisms of Gina Tognoni but I think she was probably a better choice for Phyllis than someone who hadn't been on soaps in 20 years. I think Sherry would have been a great fit for daytime again in a certain type of role but I'm not sure how she'd be in a Blake type of role all this time later. I loved her work as Blake, and I did like her on ER, but with the brokenness of soaps today she would need a lot of care to avoid the same car crashes as so many names who have come in and gone right back out over the last few decades.

[KMan101]

 

That's a fair point.

[John]

Is Marty West (Shane) part of The Lewis reunion this week? What could Alan ask him? Were u ok showing your ass on GL?

[victoria foxton]

 

Walmart Lighting that's a good one. I'm currently watching 1994. Where the lighting is the complete opposite. A while back i watched Jenna's death. Where Buzzard was having flashbacks of Jenna. So the scenes feature  both Rauch's Walmart lighting. And JFP's much darker lighting. It's very jarring to say the least.  Buzzard's flashback's start at 32:38.

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[BetterForgotten]

I wish it was Buzz who died instead of Jenna..

 

Apparently, it was MADD/Rauch's retaliation against Hutchison after she publicly spoke out about Zaslow's firing. So stupid - she didn't say anything the entire audience wasn't thinking. 

[titan1978]

I think Gina became a superb actress after leaving OLTL the first time (and I liked her as Kelly!), and she absolutely should be a lead on one of these soaps.  I felt when she was cast and also on the show that she was too young.  Just something I could not get past with her, especially when we still saw Christine and she was with Jack.

 

As far as being able to produce on daytime as it stands now- I think there is no way to know unless we ever get to see it.  I do know when a show hires Gina, more than likely she would put in the work and stay unless the show is done with her. With Sherry it could very easily be one contract and then off on her terms.  JFP certainly had that experience with her.

 

Good soap writers compliment the strengths of the actors.  It just happens over time.  If Sherry has stayed, Blake would have remained capable of anything. With Liz, the impression I get is Blake “grew up”, and became more of a Lucy Coe type in the stories they gave her.  Could be catty, sometimes selfish, but mostly a good person who made mistakes, because Liz lacked that edge.

What a waste because Fiona is one of those soap stars that I always felt added so much without being over the top or losing a real emotional core.

 

She is so fantastic as Jenna in the stuff I have been watching, early era from the Blackout.

[KMan101]

 

Yep. Old Buzzard kept sticking around as the interesting women around him were either ruined or killed off. Nola was wasted on him. Nadine was killed when it should have been Buzz and Jenna was killed when it should have been Buzz.

 

And ah, retaliation. I was watching at the time and didn't know what I know now about how things are run and never understood them killing her off. But by that point all she did was cry and they really exhausted the Jeffrey thing. She was such a great character earlier on though. I just love what I've watched of her first run.

[BetterForgotten]

Jenna wasn't even supposed to stick around - JFP offered the role to Hutchison without an audition and with the understanding that it was for a limited run. Hutchison had no intention of sticking around either and wanted to try her hand in LA (and after her first run on OLTL had ended very badly).

 

But I know she said she fell in love with Jenna and playing her earlier on was a "fun relief" as by time she left OLTL, all Gabrielle did was cry according to Hutchison.  

[DramatistDreamer]

Looking back on these episodes from 1994, Nadine was definitely a more valuable character than Buzz, or even Jenna for that matter (although I loved Jenna's budding relationship with Vanessa in the recent episode I watched) but both women were more interesting to me than Buzz was--not sure of the reasoning that got rid of them, while allowing him to stay.

[Manny]

I am watching now March 20 1979. Elizabeth Spaulding just won custody of Philip and Alan is furious. The moment when Alan gets out of judge's chambers and goes over to Mike, pushing Jackie out of his way in the process.. wow, show some real disrespect and selfishness on Alan's part. And then when Alan was telling Philip how Mike won the case with lies... wow, Alan was really deceitful. But amazing story and great acting by Chris Bernau.

And then the fight scene between Jackie and Alan.. wow.. long uninterrupted scene of the two of the arguing and Jackie confronting Alan with his bad ways. Loved it. 

 

I also enjoyed the dynamic between Jackie and Elizabeth. Were they friends? Or just respected each other for Philip's sake?

[Mona Kane Croft]

 

Why does Jackie have the last name Marler?  Was she Justin's ex-wife, or his sister?   

[DRW50]

 

I think Fiona and Jean both wanted to leave - Jean because of lack of storyline. It never made any sense to me why they didn't do more with Nadine - I adored her. They really wasted her when she just began obsessing over Buzz. Jenna also lost most of her spark with Buzz. It's an example of how many characters were squandered in these years.

 

I think the main reason Buzz stayed so long was that by this point Deas was happy enough for a steady job in order to allow Margaret Colin to be able to pursue artistic freedoms. As a result I'm not sure if he was very demanding about money or storyline. 

 

Jackie and Justin had had a brief, unhappy marriage, which was, I think, one of the reasons she had given Philip up for adoption (Justin had never known about Philip).

 

It's still so disappointing to me that all the key moments of this story took place after Cindy Pickett left. I'd love to see her get an interview. 

Edited July 19, 2020 by DRW50

[DramatistDreamer]

 

That's quite sad that the call for a well written, relevant story would be seen as a demand. I still maintain that writing shabbily for a character might as well be seen as giving her a shove out the door.

[All My Shadows]

I just watched this a few weeks ago, and I agree with everything you said. CP played Jackie's disgust with Alan so well as she watched him feed all of that Mike hatred to Philip, and then you remind yourself of the inner conflict she's facing, knowing that she's pregnant with his child.

There are so many interesting characters on the show in this period - I'm currently obsessed with the deliciously shady Diane Ballard. She's that great archetype of the coolly calculating torch-carrier, devoted to dirty dealing in the name of the object of her affection. I don't know if she wants to be with Alan more than she just wants to be Alan.

[Manny]

 

Wait, how did Jackie give Philip for adoption? Wasn't Philip only her stepson when she married Alan?

 

Oh I did not yet get to see so much of Diane. I only saw two episodes of '79. But now I am looking forward to her.

But everyone else is really good and interesting. 

I saw in this episode that Roger is on trial for something. Holly had a black eye and was afraid of Roger, so I guess he beat her?