Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

I have a book on women in television where Irna Phillips has a whole chapter & they misspell Procter & Gamble about 2 dozen times!!!! 

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Hey, it happens! And, with typos, we are never safe! ARGH. Thank you for being a good sport about the proofreader's habit! 

BTW, Frank & Doris Hursley were just appalling if you ask me in their treatment of one of their children, Bridget. She first wrote GH for them & under them & they were always disparaging of her talent. Her father told her she would never get a job in daytime working for anyone but them. She was so surprised when P&G indicated that they'd just been waiting for her to get ready to have her own HW job!! 

[Khan]

Take this with a grain of salt, but one story that I have heard is that Agnes Nixon (or whoever was HW at the time) deliberately stopped referring to "Selby Flats" in the scripts for a period of time, or making any other references as to the show's locale.  Then, when the writers began mentioning the name of the town again, it just became "Springfield," as if GL always had been set there, with no explanation.

I agree, @SoapDope.

[Vee]

The GL Vault has been a gift for a lot of this late '70s-early '80s period. The Christmas '80 scenes where they had what amounted to Elizabeth's final scenes (I don't think they were, but it was pretty much where her story seemed to tie off) where she talked with Jackie finally about giving her Phillip and leaving for Europe were impeccable; it was absolutely incredible work by Lezlie Dalton and Jackie #2 (Carrie Mowery?) even if it wasn't the same as not having Cindy Pickett.

I always was fascinated with Dalton's sort of ethereal, gothic presence as Elizabeth back when old episodes used to first surface on WOST when I was in college - by then Elizabeth was someone never, ever referenced on the show that I can recall. I thought they should've tapped into and brought back Phillip's long-lost, tragic foster mother who'd raised him (and Jackie too, for that matter), especially as Phillip was circling the drain psychologically around that time. But it never happened.

Edited January 5, 2024 by Vee

[Contessa Donatella]

How can I find out about the GL Vault? 

[SoapDope]

They sound like self centered ego driven snobs. I'm glad she was able to break out on her own with her husband. I read that Frank Hursley left his first wife and child to hook up with Doris. They have a grandson Joe that does a lot of crazy comedy acting in commercials, TV and film. He looks like a younger version of Hugh Laurie.

It was strange that Elizabeth or Jackie never resurfaced in all those years. I wonder if Lezlie Dalton was ever approached to reprise her role ? Maybe she was, but declined saying the character was finished like Victoria Principal did on Dallas. Cindy Pickett was in California, so I doubt she would return to NY to do the show, even though she talks fondly of her time on GL. I did see on IMDB that Dalton took a short stint on SFT in 1983. I have not seen any of her SFT work. Is it on Youtube ? The Spaulding/Marler saga was front burner 1977-1983. All those actors/character were gone within 5 years except Alan and Phillip. Even Alan was gone for a few years with the exit of Chris Bernau in 1984. 

 

[TEdgeofNight]

Lezlie Dalton was kind of like Janet Grey. Bad actresses. Lezlie kinda sniffed all the time. Couldn't stand her.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Based on the evidence, that seems to be the most likely scenario. If true, that's unfortunate.  Agnes Nixon was on of the best head writers in the history of the genre. Surely she could have created an amazing and convincing storyline surrounding the move to Springfield. Too bad she apparently chose not to do so.  

Edited January 5, 2024 by Mona Kane Croft

[Soaplovers]

Elizabeth seemed like someone that was kept in a bubble and I wonder if she had past mental health issues.  Why else would Alan pretend to have Jackie's baby be Elizabeth's baby.

I do think the actress opted to leave because we all know Marland was  obsessed with therapy and she would have been used for that alone during his regime.

Had Ms. Dalton opted not to leave in early 1981, she would have been written out for sure in 1983 since Gail Kobe wanted to move the show away from the Gothic elements of Dobson and Marland's works.  That was why Amanda was written out in 1983.

We know why Jackie opted to give Philip up and quite frankly I think it was fitting and karma that she perished before Phillip ever got to know she was his mother.  She was kind of selfish and vindictive.

Edited January 5, 2024 by Soaplovers

[SoapDope]

Allen & Elizabeth Spaulding were like earlier versions of Victor & Julia Newman on Y&R. I wonder if Bell (who said he watched all the soaps to see what they had going) was influenced by that. He was going to have the Newman come in 1979, but waited till the hour expansion in 1980. The Spaulding arrived for the hour expansion on GL in 1977. 

Edited January 5, 2024 by SoapDope

[GL Oldtimer]

On page 812, @bboy875 asked if anyone knew what the show planned to do with Roger/Holly/Amanda before Michael Zaslow and his replacement, Dennis Parlato were let go from the show (I'm sorry for repeating the question here, but I haven't figured out how to copy someone's comments as I've seen done in other posts). I've often wondered this myself. Before Zaslow was let go, it seemed as though the writers were working toward a reconciliation between Roger and Holly. Holly had certainly softened toward Roger by the time Zaslow was let go and was replaced with Parlato. I wonder if the writers had to abandon whatever they had planned when Zaslow was let go. 

Speaking of Roger, I think the show lost a lot when the character was written off. He was such a great villain and soaps need that. Of course, I think a lot of credit goes to Zaslow for creating such a nuanced villain. He was just a marvelous actor, and despite all of Roger's misdeeds I found myself rooting for him at times. I always felt bad for Parlato because he truly had impossible shoes to fill, and the entire situation with Zaslow was handled so poorly by TPTB.

I do wonder though if handled correctly could a character like Roger ever be successfully recast? There have been some successful recasts of other big characters, so the precedent is certainly there. I just think Roger's absence left a big hole in the show. Of course, being a huge Michael Zaslow fan, I think I would have had a tough time accepting another actor in the role.

Annette

 

 

Edited January 5, 2024 by GL Oldtimer

[DRW50]

I don't think you could have recast Roger by that point. Zaslow was just too integral to the part.

I guess Roger and Holly would have had an affair, and Fletcher probably still would have left the show - not far off the way the story played out.

[Contessa Donatella]

About writing they certainly were snobs! And, they must have been awful parents. I love the Dobsons. I'm still angry that AW didn't get to have a Dobson Renaissance in 1993. Excuse, me, off-topic. 

[Paul Raven]

Re Selby Flats. The explanation that a town name was not mentioned for a good while seems most likely but still the question remains as to why there was need to change it.

Selby Flats had operated as the locale since the 40's so why would anyone feel it was a problem ? It's not like the show was dealing with issues about living in an LA suburb. Mike Bauer wasn't kvetching to Bert about freeway traffic.

[DRW50]

I could see someone deciding the name sounded hokey, part of the past - similar to '50s soaps like Hawkin's Falls.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm one of those people who believe any role can be recast but not every role should be. So, I believe in total "recastability" in theory. In practice I think you couldn't recast Stefano, Roger, Marlena.