Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Soapsuds]

Yup, even Charita wasn't fond of him. 

This was before Simon joined GL. It was a story told to him and his wife Courtney. The whole cast I believe was involved in the discussion and Peter wasn't there yet.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Soapsuds

[Vee]

Fair enough. There was also a "Robbie Berridge" but who knows.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Vee

[DRW50]

 

I think someone here posted synopses from 1976 - wasn't Rick missing and a big story point was about Leslie believing he was dead, or something?

 

Sorry, I know this was already answered - I was just responding to the second part.  I could swear I read something about them considering a recast of Rick not long after MOL left in 1991, but I'm not sure. 

[bboy875]

SOD did report that the show was recasting Rick, and his next story would be about his undying love for Beth, coming off them pretending to be together while trying to prove Philip innocent of killing Neil. But then Grant Aleksander quit, so they sent Philip and Beth on their "happy ending," and scrapped plans to recast Rick. Had Aleksander stayed i don't know what would've happened because Pam Long left around the same time and I don't know what Curlee/Demorest/Reilly would've done with them.

[DRW50]

 

Thanks. That sounds right. I'm so glad I didn't have to see any of that - the later Beth/Rick material was bad enough.

[Soaplovers]

 

I heard that the show was planning to kill Beth off again with an illness...but when Aleksander quit...the show married them off 

[robbwolff]

 

The Simons weren't certain which child character was slated to be killed off. At first, Courtney said Frederick but then she seemed to second guess that.

 

[Bill Bauer]

 

 

Yeah, this was one of those legendary stories that they were recounting. PS wasn't there when it happened. They were just talking about Charita Bauer and he brought up an old story about her. They were talking about a child actor. PS was talking about how everyone hated the child actor but you could tell Courtney was trying to be more diplomatic and said she didn't remember that part even though that was the point of the story. Although I'm surprised they would consider killing off Freddy Bauer. It might have been Billy Fletcher that they were talking about. That's the only other kid around that time, I think. You can see Gary Hannoch as Freddy Bauer in the Papa Bauer funeral episode even though he doesn't do anything but color in a coloring book. 

Edited September 7, 2020 by Bill Bauer

[Mitch]

I think they were thinking of recasting him during JFP days...but Oleary got a bunch of his fans to write in and say they needed Rick to be play by MOL. JFP was under fire about Maureen and then the Eve actress quit and they killed her off so she played it up to the press "Yes we killed an almost Bauer but we brought back a real Bauer." Too bad they didn't recast at that time.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Is anyone here familiar with GL, when it was still located in Selby Flats?  It seems so unusual for a such a traditional soap opera to be located in Southern California.  Does anyone remember if the locale was used or discussed much?  For example, the weather, or other unique aspects of living in Southern California??   I'm thinking of NBC's Santa Barbara, which never let the viewers forget its location -- through dialogue, set architecture, etc. -- meaning the locale was really featured as an important part of the show.  Was it the same on Guiding Light?  Was the California location important and noticeable?   

[Bill Bauer]

 

 

Very much so. They made a lot of use of the location being on the coast. People falling off cliffs, fog, foghorn sound effects, etc. The night Meta shot Ted, they played it up being very foggy. They had Meta wandering around in a literal fog while she was in a mental fog with the foghorn sounding in the background. In fact, when she shoots him, the last thing you hear in the episode is the foghorn sounding. It's pretty haunting. One family lived at a place right on the coast called "Land's End". They also played up the Hollywood aspect with several of the characters being in show business. Selby Flats was a modest part of town but the more ambitious characters strived to live in Beverly Hills. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by Bill Bauer

[DRW50]

 

For some reason (I may be wrong) I think Michael may have only been intended as a shorter return, then when Laibson came in they made him permanent. 

 

I have to admit I don't think I would have wanted to see JFP's recast, although I will acknowledge A Martinez would have brought a very unique presence to the role of Rick Bauer.

Edited September 8, 2020 by DRW50

[Mitch]

Hahahaha....

 

Why did JFP never lure her great love Deas to another soap. I know he didn't want to leave NY but OLTL???

 

 

[slick jones]

"The role of Dr. Rick Bauer is now being played by Timothy Gibbs"

 

Peter Simon looks down.. "Rick, did you lose a foot?"

"What do you mean , Dad, I just lost another patient and my best friend stole my girl, again"

 

(Peter Simon)  "What happened to the tall guy?"

[vetsoapfan]

 

Are we sure that the story about Charita's comment  was supposed to be about a child performer from the 1970s? I wondered if they were referring to actor Damion Scheffer, who played the unbearable Jonathan Brooks in the early 1980s. By Scheller's own admission years later, he was miserable as a kid.