Guiding Light discussion thread

[kalbir]

90210 didn't start until 1990.

[Soapsuds]

I know

[GLATWT88]

I agree. GL tends to feel more different from regime to regime. It also lacked as many long running characters that tended to anchor many the of the other shows. The overhaul in the early 80s really changed the direction of the show. 

That 1987 and 1988 episode feel like different shows. However, this is around the time GL stabilizes after losing ground around 1984 after a very successful late 70s and early 80s phase. 

Edited October 1, 2023 by GLATWT88

[soapfan770]

Thanks for posting as @DRW50! 

The real highlight for me was Michelle Forbes in action as Sonni. 

I literally had no memories of Johnny and Reva interacting like that although given Johnny was involved with Roxie for a couple years there it makes sense. I remember Reva finding Daniel Pilon’s Alan in Mexico but don’t remember Johnny being there. 

 

Strike writers lol. I recall the show had momentum and upswing in late 87/early 88 however with Bernau’s departure it really derailed the main umbrella storyline. Alan went missing and the Spaulding/Lewis merger came to a halt. There was some good moments like Alex and HB’s breakup but summer was fairly stale. Plus not having Billy and Vanessa around that year didn’t help.

I didn’t mind Frank and Mindy friendly scenes at all lol I don’t see how they’re Lily/Holden comparable at all given; instead it reminds me of when Mindy would have random dates with guys like Patrick Cutter. Mindy here was basically in between men, having broken up with Rusty and about to embark on her very ill-fated marriage to Will. 

[Mitch64]

That is one of the things, among many that really stood out during Reva 2.0. She had always had guy friends...(when she was first introduced her best friend was a hair dresser in the salon she worked at...never mentioned but played a bit gay by the guy who played Brad on ATWT and he was actually good.Reva needed a gay bestie to fix her wagon once in a while..) Reva really, really liked men, not just for sex but she just liked them, and it really seemed realistic that Reva would make friends with guys faster than other women. Phillip, Johnny, Rick, both H.B. and Billy after their breakups, Fletcher...(she was the only one who made him tolerable...) And then she returned from the dead and it was all about Josh and then her shrill sister and she jumped from plot point to plot point and became a cartoon of her old self.  Long really knew how to write for and appreciated friendships. Mindy and Frank were just a little side story but he was only ever interesting and sexy with her (I could never get over FD's frosted highlighted hair...same with Rusty's pouty mullet and tail he had...)

 

[Contessa Donatella]

 

 

[RavenWhitney]

Too bad Morgan couldn't act. Never understood why they didn't replace him right away.

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, he's got such fabulous genes! They were probably waiting for the real thing to kick in. 

[j swift]

The Springfield Country Club was a hopping joint!  Especially when Alexandra wasn't performing a monologue, or one of Holly's rivals wound up dead in the pool. I love the interpretative spin that extra in the black strapless dress gave the dance. (Gen Z doesn't know what they're missing by not having party outfits anymore).  At first, I thought this was when Dylan was blind, then he flipped up the sunglasses, so it was either foreshadowing or a weird costume choice.  But, it made me remember when soaps had real pop songs as background music.

And, in one minor scene they have coverage from three different angles (close-up, long shot, and mid-range), which meant it had to be shot in multiple takes, you wouldn't see that on a soap filmed by robo-cams in 2023!

Edited October 8, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

As Told To Douglas, J. (1982). Jane & Jerry: Their Lives & Loves. Soap Opera Digest, 7(16), 18–25.
You Asked For It -- You Got It!
A Thought-Provoking Conversation with JANE ELLIOT & JERRY VerDORN
(Carrie & Ross, "Guiding Light")
If our mail at Soap Opera Digest is any indication, teaming up Jane Elliot & Jerry VerDorn was a real stroke of genius on the part of "Guiding Light's" head writer, Doug Marland. In the year since Carri & Ross fell in love, their tear-jerking romance has captivated the hearts of millions of viewers & they've become one of daytime's most popular couples.
Since we're received countless letters from our readers clamoring for a feature on Jane & Jerry,  we caught the "dynamic duo" on a recent day off for this exclusive interview. Enjoy! 

JD: You have become one of GL's most popular couples -- are you pleased with your storyline? 
Jane: I think what is so extraordinary is that we haven't said the same thing twice in a year. Our characters have covered more territory in a year than most characters do in 2 or 3 years. There's always a new challenge in our scripts. It's been wonderful & Jerry's a blessing to work with.
Jerry: My storyline has been a challenge. As the storyline progressed, I suddenly became a reactor & Jane became the more active one, which is quite difficult to act. It has been tough but I think the storyline has been successful in terms of credibility. 
Jane: One of the joys of working closely with someone you respect & trust & depend on is that you get to create together ... you dream up things together. When I first joined the show I was asked why our scenes always look so different from other people's & it's because we work at it. When you're putting that kind of effort into your work, you see a "layering" & a "coloring" to our relationship that other couples don't get because they are too busy thinking about their personal lives & not their acting. Acting is the break from your real life. Why would you want to sit & think about your bills when you could be pretending to be somebody else?
Jerry: In terms of work, I haven't acted with someone who's had as much enthusiasm as I've had. Jane works as hard as I do. When the camera rolls, she hears what I say & I hear what she says. We listen to each other. We're able to play off each other without taking away the main thrust of the scene. 
JD: If you could write your own storylines, what would you do with your characters?
Jane: I don't think I could come up with anything better than Doug Marland has given me. I have such confidence in him as a writer & as a friend that I don't think about what I'd like to see happen to Carrie. I spend my time thinking about what is happening to her. 
Jerry: Awhile ago, Ross was supposed to go into politics & I sorta regret that didn't happen. I thought that would have been an interesting storyline. I don't think much about what they're going to do with Ross but I would like to see him intelligently resolve his Howdy-Doody syndrome. Carrie is everything he wants in a woman, so, he's at a point now where he's doing everything he can to support, help & make the marriage work. I'd like to see Ross come out of this & not look like a sucker. 
JD: Are you happy with the overall direction "Guiding Light" is heading in? There have been so many changes ... 
Jane: It's very exciting to be on "Guiding Light" now & be part of something that's on the way up. Everything everybody says to us about this show is wonderful! I feel I've gotten my comepuppance for everybody who was snide to me about leaving "General Hospital" (on which she played devious Tracy Quartermaine) when it was at the top & coming to a 4th rated show. I believed in this show& felt strongly it was a very smart move for me to come to "Guiding Light." It was not a stupid move, as so many people tried to tell me. All the changes in "Guiding Light" have paid off. 
Jerry: I'm very pleased with the way the show is going & I'm from the old group, you know. I think there's a thread that runs through our show. I don't know where it comes from. 
Jane: I'll tell you where it comes from -- Charita Bauer (Bert). The Bauer family has always been the focal point of this show. Charita is the mainstay & always has been. Even though she's been playing her part for over 30 years, she never went to sleep. When you have an attitude like that at the top, there's a role model for everybody to follow. If Charita can keep her enthusiasm, commitment & vitality after 30 some-odd years, who the hell am I not to?
Jerry: I think Charita's enthusiasm reflects in the ratings. "Guiding light" has always managed to hold its own. This show has never had change for change's sake.
JD: What about the rumors that "Guiding Light" may move to California soon?
Jane: It's more than just a rumor. It's a question of economics. It is much cheaper to produce television in California than it is in New York, there's more space; there are more facilities. The most vulnerable shows right now are Procter & Gamble's CBS shows. The thought of pulling this kind of creative outlet out of New York terrifies me, because this city has precious few places for an actor to work. Since I have a home in both Los Angeles & New York, it makes no difference to me if we move to California. I love working on both coasts. 
Jerry: I'll go for an enormous amount of money! (laughs) I'd go for awhile but I don't like the physical layout of Los Angeles; I don't like being tied to a car. If I had my druthers, we'd be doing all the soaps in Manitoba!
JD: How is "Guiding Light" different from all the other soaps?
Jane: Well, it has maintained the original reason why soap opera became so popular: it's an intimate melodrama. Your heart gets touched. There's a lot of romance on our show. The audience likes to watch people in love meet a problem & deal with it. Doug Marland is doing some new & innovative things that people have never seen before. The fantasies are wonderful & so is the live-action disco. The bottom line is a marriage of good material & good actors. That's magic & always has been. 
Jerry: Brilliant material & actors is an unbeatable combination & I feel we've got a high percentage of both. We should go a long way with what we've got. Since we're happy at the studio - our second home - there's a great deal of whimsy & humor on the set & in our scenes. I see a distinct lack of humor on the other shows. Human beings like to laugh & they do it all the time in all kinds of situations -- even really desperate ones. Compared to our show, I find the other soaps barren sometimes when it comes to humor. 
JD: Why do you think soaps became so popular? 
Jane: "General Hospital" brought in an audience that had never watched daytime before to the degree that they are today (the college students), then nightime TV latched onto serials. And once you start putting major stars on daytime, it gives the medium credibility. It's now socially acceptable to admit that you watch soap operas. 
Jerry: The fact that soap actors are on 5 days a week has a lot to do with it, because the audience has made an investment in the characters. They care so much more about you than they would about a fellow they see once a week at night. The audience gets attached. 
JD: How do you answer people who still put the soaps down? 
Jane: That hasn't happened to me. Soaps are changing. Usually somebody who doesn't want to deal with emotionality in his or her own life won't watch it on television. There are people who don't want to deal with intimate feelings -- they'd much rather see a car chase. Some people don't want to deal with the realities of love & hate, frustration & illness, joy & fulfillment & goals -- that's what soaps are about. I think soaps are realistic -- certainly closer to reality than the "Dukes of Hazzard." 
Jerry: I'd say that soaps are a realistic melodrama & ask what they find silly about them. When someone puts soaps down, it's usually someone who hasn't seen them recently. Every time I watch "Dukes of Hazzard" or "CHIPS," it makes me doubly proud to be on a soap. We look like Shaw compared to that. Some people may think the soap format is silly & that's their opinion. If you step back & look at soaps objectively, they are rather silly. But, I happen to think "Fantasy Island" is rather silly, too. A lot of tragedies & unreal things have to happen on a soap for the show to progress. That makes for good drama. If you think that's silly, there's no arguing with you. You want nothing to happen? That's silly, too. 
JD: Where are you hoping your careers will go after you leave "Guiding Light" someday? 
Jane: I want more of the same. I was not a salable commodity in my twenties & had a hard time getting work. The older I become, the more work there is for me & my kind of woman. I just love to act & I don't care where it is that I'm doing it or in what medium. There's always something to learn, always something to strive for & get a good grip on. 
Jerry: I'd like to do regional theatre again. Before I joined "Guiding Light," I'd done nothing but plays for about 15 years. I want to do the classics -- Shaw & Shakespeare. I miss performing before a live audience. I'd also like to do primetime for a while -- shows like "M*A*S*H" and "Taxi." 
JD: Have the things you've wanted in your lives come easily to you or have you had to struggle for them? 
Jane: I've struggled for everything I've ever gotten in my life & people never think that of me. They think I plopped into this earth at the age of 35, pleased with myself, with money in the bank, a husband who loves me, a wonderful acting role, 2 nice homes, etc. I don't remind everybody that I really deserve what I've got because I've suffered & paid my dues to get here. I spend my time enjoying what I have. You get out of life what you put into it. I've put a lot into it. 
Jerry: When I first came to New York, I had 9 months of unemployment & I worried how I was going to pay the rent with my wife's $100-a-week paycheck. Sometimes you wonder if it's going to go on like that forever. When you look back, though, it really wasn't that difficult. After I met my wife, Beth, my professional and personal lives became less of a struggle. She stabilizes me. 
JD: Do you have a particular philosophy that you live by?
Jane: When all is said & done, I work to please myself in whatever it is that I'm doing. It is my belief that the only person you can really know & understand & trust & count on is yourself. The more you work to please yourself, the more clarity you give the world around you & the more people will know where they stand with you. When you try to please somebody else or second-guess what their needs are, you always run into trouble. 
Jerry: I was brought up on the work ethic. At home the attitude was we don't care what you do as long as you do it well & work as hard as you can. That really became ingrained in me, so I put a lot of faith in it. I think it's gotten me where I am. I've always worked my tail off. 
JD: Do you ever find it difficult combining a career with marriage? Are there any conflicts? 
Jane: Not yet. Jerry & I are both blessed with partners who, bottom line, really love us. My husband & Jerry's wife can watch Carrie & Ross freely loving each other & still stay confident in their own relationships & that's very special. We don't go home & pay for Carrie & Ross' love. Because we have extraordinary mates, we're more mentally healthy, I think. Since I have a relationship of my own that's as supportive & encouraging as the relationship I have with Ross, I have something to draw on. 
Jerry: There were conflicts when my time was at a premium a few years ago. I was doing one Broadway show & understudying another. I was constantly on edge. 
Jane: But that's not peculiar to acting. That happens in any business, I think. No matter what you're doing, there will be heavy stress points in your work & then there are times when the work is not that demanding. Beth & my husband, Luis (who is a video camera man on "All My Children"), have a strong understanding of the demands on us & a great deal of respect. Beth is proud of Jerry's career & it's the same with Luis. 
JD: What do you like most about being in show business? What least? 
Jane: I love working & I hate not working. Acting is a wonderful thing to do for a living. You are given license to completely forget about yourself & pretend to be someone else & this somebody else doesn't have any of your restrictions & rules. The show you're doing is the pleasure & the business is the hard part. You have to be an emotional chameleon. You have to be hard & tough to be able to deal with walking out on the stage. But when you walk into an office & somebody hands you a script, you're supposed to be an emotional, pliable thing. It's a paradox, a very difficult thing to come to grips with when you first get into this business. 
Jerry: What I like most is working. What I like least is that there are more actors than jobs. I enjoy going to work. People in this world who get up & want to go to their jobs are rare. I still love doing "Guiding Light" after 3 years with the show. 
JD: If you could have been born in another age, when would have have chosen to live? 
Jane: I've always hated history, so I don't really know enough about what it was like in any other period except the time I'm living in. I live very much in the moment. I don't like to deal with the past & I don't spend very much time thinking about the future. My present is so fulfilling & rewarding that I wouldn't want to change it. 
Jerry: I've always been fascinated by 17th-century England, because of the theatre at the time. 
JD: How would you describe yourselves? 
Jane: Marsha Clark (Hillary) described me & I think its the best description I have ever heard of myself: direct, forthright & loving -- with a hint of madness!
Jerry: William Roerick (Henry) told me I'm congenitally charming! (laughs) It's in my genes. It's a curse & a blessing, but I've learned to live with it. 
--As Told To Joanne Douglas

 

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Edited October 15, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges
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[katie_9918]

Whatever else Jill Farren Phelps did to whatever other soaps and actors, and her sins were many, I think she balanced the scales with her hiring of Michael Zaslow, who had been cruelly cast off by CBS when he started showing signs of ALS.

 

I put this elsewhere on this board, but it bears repeating - Whoever put out the statement addressing his dismissal at CBS should burn in hell.

[kalbir]

I got the impression MZ daughter wanted to call some people out and put them on blast but she held herself back.

I think I know the names she wanted to name: Les Moonves, Mary Alice Dwyer-Dobbin, Paul Rauch.

Edited October 15, 2023 by kalbir

[Contessa Donatella]

Since it is known what Paul Rauch said & what MADD said they have both been thoroughly excoriated verbally by fans even if by no one else. As far as how high up it went, I don't know anyone who knows. I just spoke to this thoroughly in the ABC Daytime thread. I would refer people there. I did not say what Paul said or what MADD said but if people do not know & wish to, I will. And I will favorably mention the GL Writing Team, and at ABC/OLTL Brynn Thayer & Robin Strasser. And, last, Zas did get some money out of suing P&G/GL. 

[chrisml]

re: Zaslow firing. This is one of the good things about social media. If a current producer and head of daytime said and did what MADD and Rauch did, the blowback would be ferocious today. They would not get work again for a very long time. It would make national news. I would not give JFP too much credit as she cruelly fired Laura Koffman during her pregnancy (something she would also do on GH to Kari Wuhrer). She was of the MADD "Wizened old man" ilk even if she gave Zaslow a job.

[Mitch64]

I love Rauch's quote when the writers wanted to address the ALS.."We all know what the outcome of that storyline is..." or something to that..as if we didn't know what the outcome of the "Clone" would be (well maybe the morons the show was pandering to didn't) or any of the Java storylines...they break up, make up, yap about "always" and then do it all over again. Same with Manny, etc.