Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[danfling]

The late Agnes Nixon was known for instilling humor into her shows, going all the way back to when she was writing Search for Tomorrow.  I did not watch Another World when she was the writer, but I am told that Robin Strasser, Ann Wedgeworth, and Audra Lindley were used effectively for comical scenes.   Her One Life to Live and All My Children were filled with comic scenes.    

 

 

Yet, when she was writing The Guiding Light, there were few scenes that utilized comedy.   I realize that maybe because this was a 15-minute show could be a reason, but so was Search for Tomorrow.    

 

Do you remember many comedy scenes on The Guiding Light?  I could have forgotten them.   Why do you suppose that The Guiding Light was the show without as much comedy?

[titan1978]

Damn

[DRW50]

 

Search seemed to be the exception to the rule for 15-minute soaps and humor (and maybe someone felt that a show about a young widow who was constantly at threat of losing her livelihood as well as custody of her daughter needed some lightness).

Edited April 3, 2021 by DRW50

[All My Shadows]

I feel like there might have been some gentle comedy between "Berta" and Papa Bauer in the 50s and 60s, especially playing on her neurotic, meddlesome nature vs. his curmudgeonly voice of reason role.

[KMan101]

 

lol just sayin' .... 

[DeliaIrisFan]

In general I would say Nancy Curlee's team wrote the hell out of so many of JFP's questionable casting choices.  The writing was mostly intelligent and—in stark contrast to JFP's later work—they tried to fit new characters/characterizations into the canvas in logical ways, at least until the wheels came off with Tangie.  As far as Alex's reintroduction scene, specifically, I think it made sense pre-internet that Alex wouldn't have necessarily gleaned from the headlines during a layover that her company had been taken over in her absence.  If none of the articles happened to say "Roger Thorpe and Jenna Bradshaw, who earlier this year won control of Spaulding Enterprises in a lawsuit..."  Alex might have just seen that the stock prices were down or whatever and resigned herself to deal with that once she got home, because she was unable to go down a clickhole.

 

And I don't think Marj Dusay was inherently a bad recast Alex.  By that point, in hindsight, the cast overall had just been so gutted and she was yet another new face with a familiar name who couldn't replicate what came before.  (Alongside potentially familiar faces playing new characters, of course.)  I enjoyed some of Dusay's work on GL I saw over the years, and especially much of that early material, but of course she couldn't have replaced McKinsey.  I really doubt any of the other actresses mentioned could have either.

 

As far as persuading McKinsey to come back just long enough for the battle for Spaulding, I actually wonder if that story ever would have happened if she were still on the show.  It was implied that the reason Jenna and Roger were able to get away with it was because of Alex's absence and Alan-Michael's screwups (one of the best scenes from that time, after truth be told it had been a little hard to swallow 20-something A-M a serious contender for the presidency, was when he acknowledged to Vanessa that he was never qualified to challenge her for the position and essentially apologized for being an entitled brat to her).

 

I feel like the writers scrambled with Alex abruptly gone from the canvas, and ended up giving the Spauldings some of the same materials/beats they had planned for the Bauers after Maureen's death.  Of course, going by Ellen Parker's telling of how she learned the news that she was fired (on opening night of the play she was doing, which the NY Times said was in November of 1992), it wouldn't have been too late to reverse course on killing off Maureen once McKinsey quit, or at least postpone it.  Whatever else I may think of the decision to write Maureen off, failing to reevaluate in the wake of what would otherwise have been the show's most shocking departure in a decade or more really sealed the deal.

[Forever8]

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[RavenWhitney]

Hot but his "acting"skills were atrocious and the dreaming death plot was one of Long's worst...a rip off of Marland's lassa fever (sort of) on GH in 1979. Jim needed to be a half naked life guard then his presence on the screen would have been compelling..That otter fur...woof.

[Soaplovers]

And I thought Jim and Hilary made a good couple as well.  When watching Reva's slut of Springfield episode...Jim/Hilary were featured as well..talking about their relationship and where each wanted it to go.

 

Shame the show killed Hilary off...while Jim languished for a few months before being written off.  Least the show could have done was have them leave together so Hilary could have returned later.  

[KMan101]

 

Michael Woods was sexy AF playing Jim but yeah he was never the strongest actor (remember his stint as Alec Woods on ATWT LOL, with him clean shaven you almost wouldn't know it was him). Jim didn't feel needed though. Just a younger, sexier replacement for Justin IMO. But I would have kept Justin and had him mentoring Jim. Anywho ...

 

I didn't mind what I've seen of Hillary and Jim, though I don't think Marsha Clark really has much "hot" chemistry with anyone she's paired with. I do like several of her pairings but I can see why they never really "took off". Clark and Jay Hammer seemed to have some chemistry. Early Fletcher is so much better than later Fletcher.

Edited April 6, 2021 by KMan101

[Forever8]

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[Mitch]

I wish they had kept them fighting..though over something more interesting then Limp Richard.. They should have turned Cassie into a raving bitch (I mean, the kind the rest of the characters would notice) after Reva pulled the plug on Richie.

[John]

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[applcin]

It was a nice chat with Bolger, DePaiva & Goodwin. They told some stories about Beverlee and Bernau. And I agreed with Kassie...JB is a handsome dude, always thought so. He kind of gives off a Scott Bakula-type vibe to me. I saw him in all 3 of the soaps he mentioned but I especially liked him as Gabe on AW. I hated that they killed Gabe and it was during that period (not long after Frankie's death) when they were still going for the shock value so Gabe was gunned down in the street and then shown on the slab splayed open. Cute how he was asked about Ray Bolger. Would be cool to see an AW chat with Bolger, Linda Dano, Robin & Matt Crane. Or a GL Lewis chat that included Jordan Clarke, Maeve and Jean Carol.

I honestly hadn't recognized JG from the picture and had to look up who it was; then I was like, oh, that's Johnny Bauer!

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by applcin

[RavenWhitney]

Finally dug out my old GL scripts and outlines!  The attached are just the first page of each document.

 

GL 1990 Breakdown written by Nancy Watt, assigned to Rich/Lawrence (includes head writer hand written notes by either Long or Curlee

GL 1988 Script written during writer's strike (Grant's shooting copy)

GL 1990 Script

GL April 1969 Soderberg/Sommer Story Projection!!!!!

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Edited April 13, 2021 by RavenWhitney