GL now joins some illustrious company in the cancelled soap thread.

Let's share memories and ask questions here.

5 hours ago, Mitch said:

While I would be totally for a same sex couple with two bi guys, I like that Long presented this intense "Bromance," before the word became popular.  Guys can form intense non-sexual bonds and Long infused that with all the loyalty, rivalry, jealousy, admiration and yes, just a touch of sexual spark that guys can have together. Long was the only one who got it right.

 

ITA. The complex relationship between Rick and Phillip was one of Long's best creations. 

 

5 hours ago, Mitch said:

 

Agreed, it was stupid to let her go.  After that I think Rick and Frank could have existed as the nice big brothers of the town and everyones' best friend, who occasionally dated day players, etc. Actually, I think Rick and Frank would make a better same sex couple then anyone else...Frankie D, after middle age hit him, couldn't must chemistry with anyone since Melina. 

 

While never one of my favorite characters, I was fine with Frank being featured on the show as a supporting player; as you say, a supportive big-brother/friend type. That worked well for the actor's strengths. Rick, on the other hand, should never have turned into the "comedic" schlub next door. He had inherited the mantle of the Bauer family's younger male lead, and should have been an attractive, interesting leading man. He wasn't. It was a waste and a weakness TGL never remedied.

 

5 hours ago, Mitch said:

 

Though I do think if they wrote for Mel during the Phillip goes nuts and then had her be one of Harley's lawyers could have fiilled her out. She had a quiet firebrand feeling underneath her, and one of Rick's wives clashing with Phillip, a suspect in his murder and then say cross examing Lizzie on the witness stand would have made more senese of Rick turning to Beth.

 

The show never figured out what to do with Rick, let alone Mel. I got to the point that I wanted them to write her out if they were never going to use her effectively, and then have Abby return for Rick. 

 

5 hours ago, Mitch said:

It thought having a shady family besides the Spauldings ,having a conflict with the Bauers was a good idea..especially a new immigrant family vs. old immigrant family..however, not how it played out of course. And yes, Mike Bauer coming to town once Chele marries Danny to sniff around Carmen (who would have been trying to go legit but had a "SECRET" she was hiding (I would say she killed Papa Santos with her own two hands in self defense when he tried to rape her..) would rack up the tension..Mike pushing on Carmen to give up her contacts in the mob and Carmen getting very nervous about Mike getting too close to the truth.

 

Of course, everything is dependent on how characters are presented and storylines played out. A new family being introduced to be in conflict with the Bauers might have worked and provided TGL with years of storyline fodder, but there were not enough "good" Bauers on canvas battling against the bad Santos clan, so the conflict was never really developed. I loathe how soaps have glorified degenerates like mobsters, rapists, murderers, etc., over the last several decades. Turning mobsters into supposed romantic leads never worked for me on TGL, a show that was created and built upon traditional, moral values. Without decent people there battling the Santos mob, I just wanted the mob erased altogether.

 

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

Carmen was a character who could have been a viable character long term...shame the show went caricature with her.

 

The bad writing and cartoon presentation became so bad, I doubt Carmen could ever have been made viable again.

 

2 hours ago, Soaplovers said:

One of Long's strengths were male friendships..and male/female friendships.

 

Agreed.

 

1 hour ago, zanereed said:

Mart had slimmed down as early as the spring/summer of 1980, as he appeared in some of the pool scenes at the Bauer house during that year shirtless. Speaking of Mart, @vetsoapfan- thank you for pointing out that the photo posted earlier was from 1974! I confess I thought Mart's hair was thinning a bit by then, so that must have been a careful combover.

 

I remember MH's hair starting to thin a bit, but honestly, I think TPTB care more about things like that than the audience does. Regardless of how shallow "the suits" think viewers are, we love our vets even as they age, lose some hair, and get pudgier like the rest of us do! (And Peter Simon's hair was not a lion's mane, either.)

 

1 hour ago, zanereed said:

 

Oddly enough, Mike Bauer would have still known most of the people in Springfield at that time. He would have been able to fit back into conflict with Alan and Alex, and there was Lilian to rekindle a romance with. Looking back at the week Mike returned in 1997, the show hinted at it during an all-to-brief encounter Mike had during that celebration with Alan, as well as Lilian gleefully leading Mike around by the arm during that event (which may have been all Tina Sloan's idea, because I have a feeling that Tina would have been insistent on some continuity there).

 

So much wasted potential always happens when soaps are headed up by producers and writers who either don't know, or just don't care about, the shows' rich legacies. Things would have been so much different if scribes like Marland, Falken Smith or Curlee had remained, and if a capable, sensitive producer had been in charge. Instead we got Phelps, Rauch and Wheeler. I'm honestly surprised the show survived as long as it did.

11 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

I remember MH's hair starting to thin a bit, but honestly, I think TPTB care more about things like that than the audience does. Regardless of how shallow "the suits" think viewers are, we love our vets even as they age, lose some hair, and get pudgier like the rest of us do! (And Peter Simon's hair was not a lion's mane, either.)

 

That's what I found unbelievable - TPTB replace Hulswit with a "younger" actor in Simon, who was essentially *3 years younger* versus Hulswit, and who eventually also had his own hair challenges! 

12 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Rick, on the other hand, should never have turned into the "comedic" schlub next door. He had inherited the mantle of the Bauer family's younger male lead, and should have been an attractive, interesting leading man. He wasn't. It was a waste and a weakness TGL never remedied.

That's the writers, directors producers fault for allowing MOL to do that. I know Wheeler went on and on about how funny he is and keeps everyone's morale up but while that might be true with people you work closely with, it does not translate well on the screen. I think Rick was so underwritten that MOL threw things in he felt were funny to just get attention and fill a scene. I think in scenes where he is a good husband, brother, son and friend he did quite well (and he looked damn good in those scenes of Abby leaving him.)  A show needs "normal" people to ground it and the Bauers were always those people (while having soap issues.)

 

12 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Regardless of how shallow "the suits" think viewers are, we love our vets even as they age, lose some hair, and get pudgier like the rest of us do! (And Peter Simon's hair was not a lion's mane, either.)

This is exactly right...and I think the Bauers filled that "everyman" role on the show so they, like us, can get a bit more pudgy and loose hair and still exist in Springfield.  I actaully thought Zimmer's weight gain and aging made Reva likeable again. It was totally in character for Reva with her big appetites to get a bit heavier and maybe get tired of "dolling herself up to go Kroger" but  oh, if they only knew how to dress women who weren't stick figures..they made her look worse.

 

14 hours ago, zanereed said:

Oddly enough, Mike Bauer would have still known most of the people in Springfield at that time. He would have been able to fit back into conflict with Alan and Alex, and there was Lilian to rekindle a romance with.

Oh, yea, there would be issues there with Lillian and her role in Mo's death. Great fodder.  I wish that McTrash brought Mike back when PS left under her reign of terror. Alan was busing destroying 5th Street and Mike on AM's behalf could have intervened and then Alex would be caught between Mike and Alan. The only problem was that really bad recast of AM was on then.

 

12 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Of course, everything is dependent on how characters are presented and storylines played out. A new family being introduced to be in conflict with the Bauers might have worked and provided TGL with years of storyline fodder, but there were not enough "good" Bauers on canvas battling against the bad Santos clan, so the conflict was never really developed.

I agree, and yes, the Santos and Carmen should have been developed more. With Carmen wanting to get out of the dirt but constantly dragged back in, as a Latina trying to get power and respect in Springfield, and Danny who she felt was the ticket to respectability so she would both hate Chele for her role in whatshisfaces death and also see her as a ticket to social respectability through the Bauers.  I think SS could have played it well, but they just brought her on and kept her as Cruella Deville and it never worked.

The 1990s were such a great standing for this soap. Miss those times.

 

20 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

 

 

This was fantastic, and I find it interesting that both Nicole Forester and Laura Wright were working at the same time in the same role.

16 minutes ago, Mitch said:

It was totally in character for Reva with her big appetites to get a bit heavier and maybe get tired of "dolling herself up to go Kroger" but  oh, if they only knew how to dress women who weren't stick figures..they made her look worse.

 

I don't want to besmirch anyone and since I don't recall if I read it as a fact or simply speculated in my head, I am going to ask.
Has anyone ever discussed the issue of Reva's latter-day wardrobe? I have always assumed the problem was as much about KZ's taking time to adapt to her new shape (to be fair, many people including me postpone changing their wardrobe because they expect to lose the weight and then never do) and her ego not letting them dress her plus-size as it was GL not knowing how to do it.

I seem to vaguely remember her admitting that by the time OLTL came around she was more comfortable in her own skin and that was why her wardrobe there was a lot more appropriate.

But I could be wrong. Do we know?

1 hour ago, zanereed said:

 

That's what I found unbelievable - TPTB replace Hulswit with a "younger" actor in Simon, who was essentially *3 years younger* versus Hulswit, and who eventually also had his own hair challenges! 

 

I enjoyed Peter Simon on SFT and even on ATWT, but to be frank, I found Mart Hulswit to be much more attractive.

 

36 minutes ago, Mitch said:

That's the writers, directors producers fault for allowing MOL to do that. I know Wheeler went on and on about how funny he is and keeps everyone's morale up but while that might be true with people you work closely with, it does not translate well on the screen. I think Rick was so underwritten that MOL threw things in he felt were funny to just get attention and fill a scene. I think in scenes where he is a good husband, brother, son and friend he did quite well (and he looked damn good in those scenes of Abby leaving him.)  A show needs "normal" people to ground it and the Bauers were always those people (while having soap issues.)

 

This is exactly right...and I think the Bauers filled that "everyman" role on the show so they, like us, can get a bit more pudgy and loose hair and still exist in Springfield.  I actaully thought Zimmer's weight gain and aging made Reva likeable again. It was totally in character for Reva with her big appetites to get a bit heavier and maybe get tired of "dolling herself up to go Kroger" but  oh, if they only knew how to dress women who weren't stick figures..they made her look worse.

 

Reva gaining weight and looking frumpier actually helped make the character more accessible, it's true. Who could relate to a clone, a ghost, a time traveller, etc.? 

 

36 minutes ago, Mitch said:

Oh, yea, there would be issues there with Lillian and her role in Mo's death. Great fodder.  I wish that McTrash brought Mike back when PS left under her reign of terror. Alan was busing destroying 5th Street and Mike on AM's behalf could have intervened and then Alex would be caught between Mike and Alan. The only problem was that really bad recast of AM was on then.

 

There were so many times throughout the last decades when Mike and Hope could have been used effectively and logically. 

 

36 minutes ago, Mitch said:

I agree, and yes, the Santos and Carmen should have been developed more. With Carmen wanting to get out of the dirt but constantly dragged back in, as a Latina trying to get power and respect in Springfield, and Danny who she felt was the ticket to respectability so she would both hate Chele for her role in whatshisfaces death and also see her as a ticket to social respectability through the Bauers.  I think SS could have played it well, but they just brought her on and kept her as Cruella Deville and it never worked.

 

Exactly. Caricatures are more of a turn-off than anything else. Once I see that some characters will never be more than one-dimensional caricatures, I just want them off the show.

 

On 5/13/2021 at 4:05 PM, victoria foxton said:

 

 

I loved this..both had good stories and good wifi.

 

I'd love if Alan could find Sofia Landon Geier (Diane Ballard)

On 5/14/2021 at 8:10 PM, Soaplovers said:

 

I loved this..both had good stories and good wifi.

 

I'd love if Alan could find Sofia Landon Geier (Diane Ballard)

 

I could have listened to this for twice the time they were both on. Both had great stories to tell, and Mart has amazing recall. Actually, Fran did as well, once her memory was jogged.

 

Again, I wish Alan wouldn't have a tendency to talk over the guests, as there were times when Mart or Fran were in the midst of a story, and he would tend to try to push to the next question. I really want someone to interview these two again, as I wanted more questions asked and answered regarding writers, fellow actors, etc. At least they had time to talk about Charita. Mart was very nice in his response to the question regarding Ed and Rita and working with Lenore Kasdorf.

 

Speaking of which, I would love for Kasdort and Sofia Geier to be interviewed!

I thought the interview with Mart and Fran was ok but too safe. The questions were dull. It was great seeing them but overall I was disappointed. Alan giggling and laughing was very annoying.

Edited May 18, 20214 yr by Soapsuds

2 hours ago, Soapsuds said:

I thought the interview with Mart and Fran was ok but too safe. The questions were dull. It was great seeing them but overall I was disappointed. Alan giggling and laughing was very annoying.

Edited 2 hours ago by Soapsuds

alan has never been a great interviewer, which is a shame since he gets great people.

 

i know there’s still a lot of discussion about the best ed. for me it was mart’s predecessor, robert gentry, who left gl around the same time i started college (prior to gentry assuming the part, was called billy, since he was named after his father). then there were jobs. so in those pre-vcr years, i didn’t get to see a lot of mart’s ed. i did like peter simon’s ed.

 

fran’s peggy i remember very well. when she mentioned having a crush on don scardino (who played her first love interest, johnny fletcher), i giggled, because i, too, had a huge crush. actually got to see him on broadway — forget which show.

 

i’m very much looking forward to hearing from nicholas coster — gl was one of the few soaps he wasn’t on. hope alan lets him talk without too many interruptions. 

23 hours ago, wonderwoman1951 said:

 

 

i know there’s still a lot of discussion about the best ed. for me it was mart’s predecessor, robert gentry, who left gl around the same time i started college (prior to gentry assuming the part, was called billy, since he was named after his father). then there were jobs. so in those pre-vcr years, i didn’t get to see a lot of mart’s ed. i did like peter simon’s ed.

 

 

 

 

I agree with you. I think Robert Gentry gave the most quintessential portrayal of Ed Bauer. Mart's portrayal of Ed surely made him more likeable but, problem is, I don't think Ed was supposed to be that likeable. Irna and Agnes's Bauers always had an edge to them. Later writers always made the Bauers too "nice". 

On 5/17/2021 at 7:47 PM, zanereed said:

 

I could have listened to this for twice the time they were both on. Both had great stories to tell, and Mart has amazing recall. Actually, Fran did as well, once her memory was jogged.

 

Again, I wish Alan wouldn't have a tendency to talk over the guests, as there were times when Mart or Fran were in the midst of a story, and he would tend to try to push to the next question. I really want someone to interview these two again, as I wanted more questions asked and answered regarding writers, fellow actors, etc. At least they had time to talk about Charita. Mart was very nice in his response to the question regarding Ed and Rita and working with Lenore Kasdorf.

 

Speaking of which, I would love for Kasdort and Sofia Geier to be interviewed!

 

 

Agreed! I wish we could get vetsoapfan to interview the old-timers. Alan has always been the king of missed opportunities but especially with the actors that were before his time. He just doesn't know history. 

25 minutes ago, Bill Bauer said:

I agree with you. I think Robert Gentry gave the most quintessential portrayal of Ed Bauer. Mart's portrayal of Ed surely made him more likeable but, problem is, I don't think Ed was supposed to be that likeable. Irna and Agnes's Bauers always had an edge to them. Later writers always made the Bauers too "nice". 

in total agreement! there is a scene somewhere between gentry’s ed and his mother bert. watching her defend her husband to her son, who wants to hold his father accountable for his philandering is absolutely riveting.  Of course, it has a lot to do with the writing: the conflicting emotions all stem from an emotionally authentic place. 

9 hours ago, wonderwoman1951 said:

in total agreement! there is a scene somewhere between gentry’s ed and his mother bert. watching her defend her husband to her son, who wants to hold his father accountable for his philandering is absolutely riveting.  Of course, it has a lot to do with the writing: the conflicting emotions all stem from an emotionally authentic place. 

I know it was partly due to the writing and to TPTB disintrest..but when Gentry came back in 96 he had NO chemistry with anyone..and that is saying a lot coming off of PS' cold distant Ed. Its too bad as Holly needed Ed there for her post Meg crash and they could have been a viable long term couple.

On 5/17/2021 at 9:04 PM, Soapsuds said:

I thought the interview with Mart and Fran was ok but too safe. The questions were dull. It was great seeing them but overall I was disappointed. Alan giggling and laughing was very annoying.

Fran had a long run as Peggy. Which was only glanced over by Alan. Would've loved to have heard Mort. Talk about his 1981 firing. Both Fran and Mort were great interviewees. But Miss Thang remains  a terrible interviewer. I wonder if youtube pays Alan? Because it's clear. He has no great love for soaps. It's probably monetary.

Edited May 20, 20214 yr by victoria foxton