Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I wonder at times if Bert took over Meta's personality after Meta was written out. Either that or her old self fit more with Lyle Sudrow's Bill - Ed Bryce's Bill seems a little more "off" even here. 

I also had questions. Was that Philip Sterling as the lawyer? I couldn't tell. I know his character George was a lawyer but I didn't think he'd arrived yet. I wonder who some of the other guest characters were. 

I had forgotten while watching this that Paul would go on to marry Robin only a few years later. Was their age difference a big part of the story?

It's a shame characters like Paul or Johnny weren't ever used for Peggy in later years. There are a lot of interesting '60s characters they could have done more with.

Edited April 5, 2024 by DRW50

[Paul Raven]

@DRW50 thanks for the tag. this would be August 1960 I would think.

@NothinButAttitude Selby Flats was a suburb of LA.

ATWT was always promoted at the end of GL as the next P&G show on the schedule. I think EON got a tag at the end of ATWT for the same reason.

Mike and Karl were both involved with Robin and for some reason Mike and Robin were married. I guess this was what caused the argument b/w Bruce and Karl when he fell, hit his head and died. Not sure who is playing Robin at this point-is it Judy Robinson or Abigail Kellogg?

In another YouTube episode from later on Mike is leaving town and Robin is very cold towards him,so I wonder what changed b/w them? 

That's Milton Seltzer as the detective. Does anyone recognize the actors playing Grimes or the Judge?

Pity about the super fake backdrop. Maybe the glass should have been frosted or the window less prominent.

 

[DRW50]

Thanks. Good eye!

The date on the video says August 30, 1960.

I think this is Kellogg based on the Soapcentral dates, but someone else might know better.

[vetsoapfan]

Thanks, @DRW50!

I am always grateful the the heads up!

Edited April 5, 2024 by vetsoapfan

[teplin]

Thank you for the heads up, @DRW50! It's so much fun to see these old episodes. I especially loved seeing a different side to Bert Bauer, she was not always the saintly grandma I knew her as!

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I don't think it was a scowl. I think it was just he was going to go talk to Robin and then saw Mike walk up to her and didn't want to interrupt. It's possible he didn't approve of the Mike/Robin romance at the time but I wouldn't read much into it. He had nothing against Bill and Bert. Most likely, the actor just needed a facial expression to show why he didn't go talk to Robin. 

Selby Flats was a suburb of Los Angeles so anytime something "official" took place, like a trial, it always happened in Los Angeles. I doubt changing the setting was that big of a deal. The first time it happened, from Five Points to Selby Flats, the show had been off for a while so that helped the transition and then the second transition from Selby Flats was so quiet and gradual with no big changes that viewers probably barely noticed.

[Reverend Ruthledge]

It was never really addressed in terms of a storyline but there was a bit of an ick factor as Paul was a father figure to Robin since her biological father Bob was dead and she hated her stepfather Mark so she turned to Paul as a substitute father when she was a preadolescent. She grew to love Mark and was adopted by him so the fatherly role of Paul drifted away and then they SORASed Robin and the previous role wasn't much of an issue except for longtime viewers with good memories. 

[jam6242]

Thanks @DRW50!

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Yeah, I couldn't stand Bert but I witnessed her more in the 40s, 50s and 60s than I ever did her mellowed grandmother stage. 

Bert pushed Mike to get an annulment from Robin and, because he was so guilt-ridden over the death of Karl (who he accidentally killed in a fight after Karl found out they had eloped), he went along with it. Which angered Robin. She hated Bert for her meddling and Mike for his weakness. All the guilt made Mike leave town which is why he was stopping by to say goodbye and why Robin was so cold to him. And why Bert and Robin were so cold to each other. 

[Paul Raven]

@Reverend Ruthledge Thanks for that info

Another question-

Robin accepted Mark as her father and he formally adopted her. I know she resented his marriage to Ruth but Mark was steadfast in standing by her. But Mark and Ruth left town at some point. . Was he on good terms with Robin,or decided that he had to leave things as they were?

Were Mark and Ruth still in town at the time of Karl's death (July 12) If not why not and if so why were they not at the inquest?

[All My Shadows]

Thanks for the tag, @DRW50!! Looks like a new unearthed episode to me - I know I've never seen it before. I'll check it out later tonight!

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Yes, he was on good terms with Robin. She had gotten over him marrying Ruth. Ruth, however, blamed Robin for Karl's death and even accused Robin of trying to get even with Ruth by causing Karl's death. This was an accusation coming out of grief. Robin and Mark had left that in the past but Ruth dragged it back out when Karl died. I'm not sure if Ruth got over her resentment towards Robin before she left town, however. So, yes, Mark and Ruth were both in town when Karl died. I don't know why they weren't at the inquest. 

Edited April 6, 2024 by Reverend Ruthledge

[DRW50]

Thanks so much for answering my questions. These years of the show seem to have so many psychologically complex relationships, even if I'm not sure that was intended in the writing or just the result of intermarrying a small canvas. It does seem like they changed Robin to noticeably older by the time Gillian Spencer is in the part. Did you enjoy her work as Robin?

Do you know if that was Philip Sterling as the lawyer? George is listed as arriving in Springfield in 1962 so I guess it wouldn't have been that character (even though he was also a lawyer)?

[Reverend Ruthledge]

You're welcome. I wish I could answer everything. I don't know if that's Philip Sterling. You're right that you can get into complex relationships when there's a small canvas. Especially when a core group of characters stays around for many years. I liked Gillian Spencer but my favorite Robin was Abigail Kellogg. Although those are the only two actress I witnessed in the role so I don't know which of all the actresses who played the role would have been my favorite. 

[DRW50]

Thanks so much for all you did answer. This period is so underrepresented so it's always nice to hear more of the perspective of the time.