Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

Messy, messy situation. I know soaps are fast-paced, but if you've hired a replacement, why try and still entice the current portrayer to stay? I get they may have wanted Sherry Stringfield to finish out the storyline, but I don't think hiring someone else while asking someone to stay is the right route, LOL.

It is clear Krista Tesreau is synonymous to the role, but, based on everything I have seen, Kimberley Simms did the best in the role in terms of what could have been with Mindy. I could not have seen Tesreau work in the storylines Simms sold.

Losing those three, especially Beverlee McKinsey, is a major loss for a soap opera like Guiding Light. And that should have been a glaring red light for P&G and CBS. Clearly, it was not.

McKinsey knew what was up and I love how she outsmarted her executive producer with the "out" in her contract. That'll go down as the ultimate WIN in daytime, and you know every single executive producer made sure to be aware of what could go into those deals.

She assumed wrong. Barbara Crampton is a good actress but, following Simms, she just was not Mindy in any sense of the word.

[bboy875]

Does anyone know why Vince Williams was taken off contract and Hamp and Gilly broke up in 93? I've always wondered why but never found the reason 

[Franko]

Speaking of which, today is the 28th anniversary of both the announcement that Jill would begin working on Another World and that Loving would be rebooted (the SoHo move, new title, Morgan Fairchild -- but not her role, apparently -- and serial killer storyline were all announced in one fell swoop).

[DRW50]

And that wasn't even her first Mindy recast.

I still feel bad for longterm AW fans over her tenure.

He passed away at the start of 1997 from cancer. I wonder if that was one of the reasons he stopped appearing as much. I can't remember his last GL appearance. I know he had a recurring role on AW in his last months.

I always thought his closing credit photo as Hamp was just beautiful.

Edited June 13, 2023 by DRW50

[bboy875]

I always wondered if he was diagnosed back then, or if he was cut to open a spot for 1 of Jill's friends. And yes, him on the sax was a great photo 

[kalbir]

Episodes I'm always on the lookout for are 1979 and 1980 episodes of Roger/Holly storylines as those episodes set in motion so much of what we saw a decade later (I've accepted we'll probably never see any 1976-1978 episodes of Roger/Holly storylines), and Robert Calhoun years (June 1989 to July 1991) as that was the last golden era. Early JFP (July 1991 to August 1992) is still good, but it was coasting off the groundwork laid during the Calhoun years.

I know the early Gail Kobe/Pamela Long years (Spring 1983 to Summer 1984) were popular and that era pretty much set in motion GL's final 25 years, but from what I've seen, it was too much chasing 1980s trends.

[Sapounopera]

I am always looking for episodes from the Dobson, Marland and Calhoun eras. The Long Kobe years ruined it for me and what came after them was much worse. 80s Reva was so tasteless as the show's heroine, though she might have been ok as a Nola Dancy/Delia Ryan type.

JFP's arrogance took so much away from the show and once again, what came after her was much worse. The sad thing is that even by the end, prior to the new "model", GL was such an easy show to fix. 

[soapfave06]

100% agree, I would happily pay to see 1975-1983 and 1989-1991, I have some interest through 1993 but the more I read about how JFP stirred the pot, I just can’t. 
 

Between this thread and the ratings thread, it’s absolute insanity how they set the soaps to fail so very intentionally. 

[Darn]

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[Soapsuds]

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[DRW50]

Thanks @Soapsuds Poor Judi has been through so much but is always able to find some inner light. 

Some form of this episode was probably up before on the mega GL episode channel that has been gone for several years, but it isn't up right now. (the episode before it is)

Fletcher reminding me how few men can make slicked back hair work.

Ed judging Maureen after his ho-ing is really something.

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[SoapAnon]

I've watched all of 1998 and most of 1999 so far. Michelle and Blake are easily the two least likeable characters, at least for non-villains. Michelle was not nice to Jesse at all and it's hard to feel bad for her with Danny because she knew what she was getting into. Blake just always makes trouble. She ruined poor Ross and unlike Dinah and Annie, she just does bad stuff just to do it.

Edited June 19, 2023 by SoapAnon

[Beetle Bailey]

Instead of GL moving to Peapack in 2008, why didn't the show move to Brooklyn and share resources with ATWT, since it was already located there?

[Soapsuds]

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