Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Vee]

Zimmer was blamed by the show and/or network for other people taking cuts, which she's said in her memoir was untrue - she outlined the timeline fairly clearly, IIRC. And Jerry verDorn left for the same reasons. She also said they tried to blame his exit on her.

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, there's no question that she had that right. Everyone had the right to refuse. I just don't agree with her choice to do so. 

Jerry left for one reason only. Mark Derwin recommended him to OLTL & they offered him a paying gig. 

I don't believe that anyone thought she had anything to do with Jerry leaving. They weren't stupid. Jerry took a job as Clint. No reason to look for a reason beyond the obvious. Occam. 

[GLATWT88]

Do we have any actual figures in regard to these cuts. I know visually the show looked "cheaper" after this, but it was still okay. I rewatched some 2003 episodes and I'm surprised by the sets and extras...2005 definitely reeled that in. 

 

 

[dc11786]

There are times I´m incredibly grateful that ¨Guiding Light" was cancelled when it was so we never got the opportunity to see Ron Carvilati´s ¨Guiding Light" complete with a tribute to Conboy´s gay rave with 30 something Marty West running around in bootie shorts handing out drugs to Emma Spaulding. 

I enjoyed Tom Pelphrey´s Jonathan at the beginnning. His initial arc was strong, in my opinion. The minute the show decided that Jonathan / Tammy were end game, I was done. It negated the initial tawdriness of Jonathan seducing Tammy by making their relation tru soap love without any of the angst. The show lost all objectivity to Jonathan and that led to so many poor decisions. 

Now that I think about it, didn´t Frank Valentini try to steal Crystal Chappell for one of the Dr. Paige Millers recasts a few months later and GL wouldn let her out of her contract? People may have agreed, but they also were quick to jump ship. 

I remember Jerry ver Dorn had left, but, for some reason, I thought he had been dropped to recurring with Marj Dusay, Michael O´Leary, and I think someone else. I know they also cut Michelle and Danny at the same time after giving Nancy St. Alban an extended maternity leave to, what I assume, was to test the waters with a Manny-less show. Zimmer´s story, as I recall, also got traction because the cuts came when she was up for ¨Best Actress," which was just terrible optics. 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Hated Sandy. Hated the dadgummed sock puppet. Thanks again Ellen Weston. Hated Marty West's Shayne. Thanks again Conboy. 

Loved Tammy, Jonathan, Jami, Aubrey Dollar, Matt Bomer, ... 

Still say GL was robbed of the Emmy that year with Tammy's death & funeral. I'd put that up against a stupid Metro court hostage situation anytime. And, I am a GH fan! 

Yes, you're correct. Jerry was moved to recurring. Now I love EW but if it had been me I would have cut Cole loose & kept Jerry on contract. I believe at that time he had 2 sons in college. 

The someone else moved to recurring you're reaching for was Maureen Garrett, which pissed her off no end! Later she was ready to kill EW for wanting her to be romantic with Roger's son. 

[dc11786]

Garrett was dropped to recurring under Conboy with Liz Kiefer, Beth Chamberlain, and Yvonna Wright. Wheeler brought back Garrett who had only had a handful of appearances after being dropped to recurring (the Bloss Christmas remarriage was one of them and a random February appearance talking to Ed as the Maryanne Carrouthers story was winding down). Garrett returned in September, 2004, when Kriezman launch the Roger´s death storyline. Garrett then appeared pretty consistently until at least January, 2005 when the San Marcos revisit was concluded.

I think there may have been a lull in appearances in spring 2005 as the original ending of the San Marcos revisit was suppose to bring Peter Simon´s Ed back to the canvas. Simon didn´t agree so they scrapped Ed's return. Just before the budget cuts, the show was launching a new storyline with Holly. Holly had sold part of the Journal to Alan Spaulding in exchange for shares of Spaulding Enterprises while Josh Lewis, Blake Marler, and Sebastian Hulce had united under a plan to takeover Spaulding. The show then cut Doug Hutchison (presumably as part of the production cuts) and stopped using Garrett, who had remained off-contract since August, 2003. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by dc11786

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, sorry then, I don't know who else it was at the same time as Jerry. I really thought it was MG. My mistake.

They wanted Ed so bad that they even got Courtney to plead their case. And, they held off on story hoping he would relent. And that threw the timing of the story off when they ran with it. Who in their right minds would ever think Peter Simon would change his mind once stated?!!! 

[Vee]

I don't recall offhand but it's entirely possible and does sound familiar. I recall Mary Beth Evans turned down the Paige merry-go-round at one point - such a huge host of names spun around or cast for such a pointless placeholder character, up to and including the period when (as we've learned recently) Frons' ABC was taking it out on Hillary B. Smith for advocating for the OLTL cast in labor negotiations by coming very very close to killing Nora off and supplanting her with Paige.

[SamandWillowFan]

I wish there was a young actor like Tom Pelphrey on soaps today.

[GLATWT88]

@dc11786 when did you stop watching? 

It's wild how so many things changed or were scrapped because of the cuts. I do remember a lot of cast changes around 2005 and the show did unfortunately begin to feel different. 

I remember taking a break mid-2006 for a few months, not because I wasn't enjoying it, but I just had too much going on. When I finally did come back the show just felt so different. Then when Peapack happened, I just couldn't take seeing what happened to the production value. I know some people say it got better, but it was so hard to watch at first.

[SamandWillowFan]

Why was Joan Collins randomly Alexandra for a few months?

[Contessa Donatella]

Paul Rauch was able to arrange that. It was supposed to be for 6 months but some wires got crossed so it was only 3. She was incredible. She stated all sorts of things like how much she admired daytime actors & how they were the salt of the earth & indeed the hardest working people in the industry & buckled down & learned more lines than she ever had etc. I was one who was SO dubious & I was completely turned around. 

The new production model was dictated by CBS. How to implement it was on EW. They absolutely had to learn as they went with a humongous learning curve. There were problems but there was brilliance & it was a soap once again trying to reinvent itself. 

[Paul Raven]

It seems unfair that Conboy was allowed to run riot with the budget and then others had to face the consequences.

Wheeler must have been a lot cheaper than Conboy but I wonder if she took a salary cut along the way?

How many execs who let Conboy do his thing took salary cuts?

Is it only the actors who paid the price?

They really needed someone who could restructure the show successfully and Ellen proved she was not the person for the job.

The whole Ed debacle speaks volumes.

[chrisml]

I think the whole Peapack thing was cruel because it was obvious the decision had been made to cancel it beforehand. Why not let the show go in a graceful way?Ugh.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Completely agree. And I know by & large where he got to spend money at other shows he was considered successful. 

Yes, she did herself before, some unknown amt of time before,  she went to others. 

Nobody. 

No, I think not. I don't know details about staff or crew & crew would have had to have union approval, which in other business situations has happened.