Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Bright Eyes]

A random inkling made me look it up, and it's kind of crazy how quickly Mike Bauer was aged. If my quick google search is correct, he was born in 1952 and by 1954 was already a pre-teen, or at least, played by one (Christopher Walken). If this is incorrect, please enlighten me.

Edited January 9, 2024 by Bright Eyes

[SoapDope]

Charita Bauer was only 12 years older than Don Stewart and 17 years older than Mart Hulswit. Elevera Roussel was born in 1948, so Charita was 25 years old when she was born. 

[Mitch64]

I never understood his fascination with Buzz or the Coopers but damn can that guy write great dialogue. ...on some Twitter (X) post I mentioned that GL at that time...(Curlee era...BevAlex/ Roger/Mindy everything else going on with everyone...back when it was an ensemble and not Reva eats the show alive) was as good as anything going on in primetime and he liked it and I was dorkily

 

Do you have a link to the interview?

[Khan]

I agree.  He and Frank Salisbury were the best script writers ever employed by the soaps.

[Contessa Donatella]

I suppose I was pretty dorky myself! At least I was not star-struck & totally shy!!! 

No, it was at a time when he & I would DM every day, so not an interview per se. We'd talk politics & twitter stuff & always we'd talk about soaps, his career, specifically Santa Barbara & Douglas Marland. He informed me of things about SFT & Mary-Ellis Bunim (who he was a staunch defender of).  About Pete Lemay's brief time at SFT. About how furious he was with the errors on his IMDb & wikipedia pages! He was the one who told me that those writers like him who had been hired for Texas actually wrote for AW for a few months but nowhere is there any credit, which burned him up. I only took notes on SB, GL & a little GH. I felt so fortunate to spend that time with him. And, I really picked his brain! 

Good grief! I think that is the worst case of SORAS I've ever heard of!

[Mitch64]

Very cool! Lemay was with SFT?  I know he was consulting on ATWT pre Marland...(during the Bob/Kim wedding, and I have a feeling that is why Nancy had her snap back during that time..I know Lemay was always freaked out about a matriarch and I think original recipe Nancy was right up his alley with her controlling ways...) Did not know Mulcahey was on Search either, would love to hear what he says about MEB..I think the Dobson's second stint worked better because of her, but it still was not ATWT..(though I would love to hear about her Fulton's tug of war.)

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, GL fans, please bear with us very briefly as we move to another P&G show, SFT. I'm sure you are aware that MEB got tons of criticism. People said she tried to drive off Mary Stuart & do away with the character of Jo. Her defenders say that is just not so. It is at best a gross exaggeration. That what she did & what she was hired to do (!) was to "youthenize" the whole show but that was all. Mulcahey said that she would NOT defend herself. She was known as a "mover & a shaker". He said she was effective & that she got things done. He was definitely an advocate for her. 

Pete was HW for SFT in 1981. His tenure was ended because a Writers' Strike went into effect. "The stint ended with the writers' strike and charges by Lemay that producer Mary-Ellis Bunim urged him to 'spice up' the romantic scenes. (She, in turn, merely said that Lemay proved 'ineffective.')"

That strike ran from Mar. 7 to Sept. 24, 1981, a 5 month strike. I can find Mulcahey at SFT in '79-'80. I can find Pete there both '80, also '81. It is a bit unclear exactly who/when but they both were definitely there pre-strike. IDK about after. Generally Pete fans chalk up SFT as a wash because he didn't really get a chance to do his kind of stuff there! 

What you say about Nancy when he was Story Consultant at ATWT, never thought of that, very insightful! Lemay is one man who did not have a problem writing women! Examples are Ada, Rachel, Iris. 

[BetterForgotten]

Jerry Dobson quote from an article dated last April. 

“They [viewers] thought the characters on the screen made it all up. My own sister didn’t think we had anything to do with the story. For two years on ‘Guiding Light,’ we dished up my own family. It got us great ratings. My sister never knew. Bridget’s scripts were masterpieces,” Dobson said.

Hollywood writer taps into soap-opera experience in Prague drama premiere

Edited January 9, 2024 by BetterForgotten

[dc11786]

We talked a bit about Lemay's 1981 run in the SFT thread. His on-air run is very short. I want to say the last week of March until whenever the strike episodes hit (probably the second or third week of May). Due to his love for meddling mamas, Mignon Sentell returned to Henderson fresh from the asylum and became obsessed with her new adopted grandson, Roger Lee. Mignon showed up during the strike, but it seems pretty clear that she was a return planned by Lemay. Lemay's bible was most likely used through at least July, but I think it was more than likely picked through until at least early August when Suzi and Brian are both introduced properly. Don Chastain told the press that he (Chastain) had been writing for the show during the strike, but didn't submit a story bible until September/ October, 1981, and was basically fired immediately afterwards. His bible included a plotline involving Travis Sentell going to outer space; Chastain was quoted as saying he had the NASA footage he was going to use for it in his hallway closet, or some closet. 

Mulcahey came to soaps through "Search for Tomorrow." The Corringtons knew of his work and invited him to write for them. This was stated in his Locher Room interview. 

[Contessa Donatella]

That had such audio problems that I couldn't get through the whole thing!! 

[Soapsuds]

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[SoapDope]

 That sounds craptastic !

[BetterForgotten]

Going back and watching Alexandra’s introduction - it’s amazing how carefully plotted and what a statement Bev made from her very first episode in this role. TPTB knew they had a formidable actress and were going to give her an equally formidable role on the show. This wouldn’t be done on any show for a middle aged woman today. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Absolutely! Pamela K. Long showed herself & her abilities as a HW & a creator of characters in the best light possible when she drafted Alexandra Spaulding for Beverlee McKinsey!  At one point I had not learned yet that she was custom-made & when I found out, so much fell into place. I have since wondered if Pete Lemay did something similar at AW when he created Iris Wheeler & I imagine that he did. Bev had previously played one of the Frame sisters, so he knew what he was getting. Sometimes I try to imagine more scenes. We could have had more if only Jill had listened to her. Jill has the reputation of being an "actor's producer" but this was one time when she failed completely!

[Sapounopera]

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For some reason the Reardon house exterior never made sense to me.