Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Mitch]

Thanks! God even in that ad Malloy is annoying and overly dramatic.  Not a great time on GL..poor Maeve..Vanessa reduced to be the hand writing housewife!

[amybrickwallace]

Kyle/Larkin wasn't even on GL that long, right? 

[MichaelGL]

Wikipedia says from Dec. 1984 to Jan. 1987

[Franko]

Just over two years (12/31/84-1/23/87), according to Soap Central. If you told me that Larkin was fulfilling the terms of a contract with P&G, I'd believe you.

For that matter, Sharon Rose Gabet was on AW for slightly less (3/13/85-1/5/87).

[amybrickwallace]

Wow, I thought he was only there for a year. Thanks for clarifying.

[FrenchBug82]

Let me ask something I have always wondered as delicately as I can: was Larkin M. considered attractive at the height of his popularity? 

[amybrickwallace]

That makes sense, given his last week at EDGE and first week at GL overlapped.

[Mitch]

There were many Kyle/Reva fans..so I would say so. I always thought he was more attractive when he first started on Edge, as that was before the flaming nostrils and over enunciating started.

I think Kyle was not the best role for him, he was Alan lite..but there was something in Malloy's acting that changed. From the reunions everyone seemed to kind of insinuate that he wasn't the easiest to get along with...(He confronted poor Terrel Anthony on his first day with a "Don't piss on my leg, I am the resident hunk" even though they were totally different characters) don't know if playing a character trying to essentially in the closet (married to society woman but turned on by Reva) was too close to his life or if he was drinking... I dont think the show or the actor were upset when he left. 

I wish they had just brought him on as Sky and had him fall for Reva and then Raven comes to town...THAT would have been fun to watch Gabot and Zimmer bitching and diva the place up.

[amybrickwallace]

I think Sharon Gabet would have gone for that rather than go to AW, in hindsight.

[Mitch]

A Raven/India team up against Reva...with Alex throwing shade along the way...soap heaven for all of us gaylings back then!

 

 

[j swift]

My opinion was that Larkin had panache.  He wasn't conventionally sexy, and it stretched the imagination that young women like Roxie and Mindy would physically attracted to him, but his appeal was evident.  As I recall, Larkin was hit by car at the height of his initial success on Edge of Night.  When he returned he was noticeably more gaunt, but he still played shirtless sex scenes. 

It was also an era when east coast actors were not all as ripped and toned as actors today.  And, a slightly older guy could still be cast as a single leading man without many questions.  For example, Michael Wilding Jr who played Jackson Freemont had some of the sharpest cheekbones in the biz, but he wasn't a chiseled hunk, and Warren Burton who played Warren Andrews got by on his charms, without the visible attributes that would indicate he was attractive to gals like India.

young Larkin

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slightly older Larkin

Edited September 23, 2021 by j swift

[amybrickwallace]

I actually find that refreshing.

[Joseph]

Does Anyone know if Joan Collins as Alexandra was Any good ironically it's harder to find clips with her than with earlier Beverlee or Marj

[John]

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[Franko]

And don't forget, Sky and Raven had Jamey and Charlotte. Jamey (born in December 1978) could have been SORASed alongside Alan-Michael (September 1981). It's smoother with Charlotte (December 1984), who could have been peers with Bill (November 1984) and Michelle (November 1985).