Jump to content

Guiding Light Discussion Thread


Paul Raven

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 17.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

When people talk about Reva driving off the bridge (suffering from post partum depression)... I always remember this set of scenes as a very very small child..and my mom having to explain what was going on...as she rooted for Reva to climb up the ladder.

One of the commenters on this video mentioned Kim Zimmer didn't get this story...but it seemed in character for Reva...who always jumped first and asking questions later.

And what was interesting was the voices she heard as she was in the water (where she was loving herself...and voices of her future kids).  Sadly this was just as Pam Long was leaving the show the first time so we didn't get to see what her plans were for Reva post suicide attempt.

 

Please register in order to view this content

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You are correct. I interviewed Kim for a local paper in 1985, and she told me that she was vehemently opposed to Reva’s suicide attempt.  She lost that battle and had to play it. 
 

The Cain story was also supposed to be different. He was supposed to be a true mountain man whom Reva would civilize and tame.  Kim was intrigued by this. (She always embraced the most bizarre storylines because she got to ACT!!! and play something different, and I get that.) This isn’t what we got, though.  The show moved away from this story rather quickly. Kim didn’t like it either, and she and Jerry Lanning weren’t really hitting it off or setting the world on fire. 
 

Of course, the story, like so many others on GL (Susan Piper/Carrie Carruthers; Reva is Rebecca/Catherine; Reva gives up a son, Dylan/Jonathan), was repeated when Reva was stranded on the island by Annie with Sean, who had a way off but didn’t want to let her go, although his obsession was less than Cain’s. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Watching a lot of San Cristobel clips lately and MAN, this is bad soap. Laughably bad. Everything is arche and nonsensical and not in a fun way like Days in the 90s, it screams desperation. Characters squeezed into situations that don't read as authentic for any of them. I started watching just before story kicked off (and didn't stick with it at the time), I can't even imagine being a long time fan and having to suffer through this.

And listen, no hate to Kim Zimmer but she sticks out like a sore thumb in this story. It's like "whose mom is this?" every time she pops up in a scene.

The amount of money they invested into this stupidity is astounding. The set they built for Richard and Cassie's wedding was enormous (I don't even know how they found that much room in NY) and hideous. It's crazy to think even the lowest rated soaps could still afford this sort of opulence.

Please register in order to view this content

Actually what were the ratings like during this period? I wonder how many rubberneckers they attracted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've said it many times, but I started looking in on GL for rubberneck value: Cynthia Watros as Annie, the clone and later several of my beloved OLTL alumni who moved to the show for the San Cristobel story (Chappell, Thom Christopher). The insanely overly-lit sets, OTT performances, peroxide blonde stylings and general air of sheer tackiness turned me right off, but the biggest issue was San Cristobel. I did not understand how or why so much of a supposedly down to earth show centered around a clearly fake and silly fairy tale island kingdom, and I've made it clear how ludicrous I felt the aging Reva being presented as the unattainable sex goddess of the show was during this. It's as ridiculous a story now as it was then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thank you for replying. I didn't want to tag people because they weren't new, just reuploads of some of the DVD releases, but I hadn't seen them on Youtube lately. I'm always impressed at just how well the Roger "death" location shoot holds up - it feels much more stark, and less glossy or goofy, than later '80s location shoots. It's beautifully directed (like the scene of Ed and Holly embracing, Holly clinging to him for dear life, after Roger is gone) and has the weight of whether two good, moral characters can kill to survive (unlike later years on soaps, where murder isn't a big deal...complete with a shootout in the Bauer kitchen). Yet Alan and Mike worrying over Roger's lost documents reminds that the story isn't fully over. 

The moments of Bert praying for her sons are also very effective - reminding of the amazing yet very down to earth talent and presence of Charita Bauer.

(I love Diane's whole look in that April episode, especially her necklace...I never know why Marland thought she should be killed off)

Edited by DRW50
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've been on a GL binge of late in addition to my other COVID-era classic binges* and maybe it's me but the Dreaming Death virus is really, really creepy to me. Lesley Anne's death spiral hallucination of her last dance with her con man husband and moving off into the light with the spooky music is really, deeply disturbing. I can see why GL might've been the wrong show for this material but I think the idea of a killer virus which induces these hallucinations is good stuff for GH or something.

I also don't understand why they put so much time into hiring and building up Michael Woods as Jim Reardon and then he leaves like a year later.

(* apologies to Knots Landing fans, I promise I will get back to it shortly; it's just such a dense show and I want to give it my full attention when I'm not so busy. Also I am kind of hoping it starts going up in HD like Dallas sooner than later.)

Edited by Vee
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I am kind of glad you're taking your time as I think that era is better for a viewer when they let it savor. 

Woods was probably just hit by so many of his co-stars leaving (and the bad choice to fire Marsha Clark).

Have you seen the Roger death episodes? You probably have, but if not, I'd recommend the two I posted above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   1 member




  • Recent Posts

    • Unrelated, sort of, but he looks absolutely nothing like Amanda Setton or Dominic Zamprogna so it's kind of hilarious they decided to make Gio their kid.  It's very clear this was not the original origin story for Gio when they cast him. He is a very handsome guy though. 
    • I tend to agree, although going back to OLTL, Frank has so often cast guys who are meant to be attractive yet come across as cold and dead, I'm surprised he managed to get one who has a bit of a pulse.
    • For all I care, the boy can parade around in a g-string.  It won't make this show suck any less.
    • AMC was about a decade later so things may have changed by then, although maybe they never approached her anyway. She joined Santa Barbara in 1985, when they didn't seem interested in bringing back Hope. SB ended in late 1992, so JFP could have asked her back, but I doubt she did. For as much as JFP clearly had some use for Rick Hearst given that she hired him on GH and kept him around as often as she could, I don't think she ever used Alan-Michael well. I can't see Elvera as Delia, but she could have worked well as Faith - she had a glimpse of a strong personality alongside warmth, which only one Faith ever managed (Catherine Hicks).
    • IIRC, FC reruns aired for awhile on Lifetime, way before the network became the Women in Peril Channel, lol.
    • PAM!! YES!!! You have jogged my memory. She worked at Cedars. She's mentioned in a write-up of Tim's history in the show. It says she was a nurse, but I seem to remember she was a secretary at Cedars, working for either Ed or Sarah. (It's almost 50 years ago, so I definitely could be wrong). I'm certain she was an unwed mother. I recall reading an interview with the actress, Maureen Silliman (I looked it up, that's her correct name, LOL). She started on the show just before the Dobsons started writing it. She was shocked to get a script that said her character had been pregnant since she hit town. I remember a scene where she told Tim she was going to leave SF for a better job for her daughter's sake (really, I think she was upset he was serious about Rita). I don't remember them getting married and leaving town, but according to "Who's Who in Springfield" that's how the characters were written out. Mattson did All My Children for several years, so she might have been persuadable. Here's an interesting factoid I recently learned on these message boards: Elvera Roussel was in the running to play Delia on RH when the show first hit the air. How wild is it that Mattson played Delia for a while? (Though from what I saw of her performance, she was miscast). It's hard to know if Roussel would have been a good Delia. You'd think she would have been better suited to playing Faith Coleridge, but who knows? She didn't get to show a whole lot of range as Hope.
    • If I were to do an EON reboot, I think I would start at the beginning, with Mike Karr leaving the police force in order to begin a new career as an attorney, and dealing with his wife, Sara's, crooked family.
    • I don't know if it was the writing or performance but I felt like we finally got to see the real Ted. Especially the way he talked to Martin when confronted, felt like a completely different person. He felt darker and like a total liar who was mad he got caught. I expected him to be remorseful and want to apologize to each and every family member who he came into contact with but he seemed like he didn't care. It completely changed how I view him and it makes me wonder if this is the direction they're going to take Ted in with the recast.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy