Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Paul Raven]

As stated the Bauers had a different trajectory compared to the Hughes/Stewarts.

ATWT also had actors stay around for decades eg Don Hastings,Eileen Fulton whereas apart from Charita and  Ellen Demming everyone else departed.

I believe Peggy was made an 'honorary' Bauer because of this-did she live with Bert? I think so.

So not to honor that and bring in her son Johnny in the 80's was a misstep. Would Fran Myers have agreed to a recurring/guest appearances at that time?

Who else from the 60s and 70's should have been kept on/brought back?

[DRW50]

I think there was a place for Sara and a proper recast of Tim, maybe with a wife and child. And Adam too, I suppose - Sara and Adam as frequent recurring figures, possibly, especially once Roger and Holly came back.

Edited August 25, 2024 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

I just now realized that Peggy's son was named Johnny. I would've probably been good to simply made Johnny Bauer, Johnny Fletcher. He still would've had the connections to the Bauers, as you pointed out, Peggy was considered family. Plus, if he was still on the canvas when Roger, Blake, and Holly arrived, that could've provided some content too. 

[prefab1]

I think ATWT was in an especially good position because many of the characters/actors who stayed around for decades started off as troublemakers (e.g. Lisa, John, Susan) and never quite lost that edge, which made them more dynamic characters than, say, Dr. Bob. And that's not to begrudge Don Hastings' contributions to the show--every soap needs a Dr. Bob--but you can't have too many stolid, regular decent guy characters like that. 

In GL's case, they ended up writing some of their best troublemaker characters from the 1960s and 1970s into a corner and then killing them off: see Charlotte, Kit, and Roger. Thankfully, they were smart enough to bring Roger back from the dead, which drove story for another decade. But there weren't that many morally complex past characters to draw from, and they kept nearly all the most important "troublemaker" characters introduced by the Dobsons and Marland: Alan, Ross, Vanessa, Josh. The only one they could have and should have brought back was Rita.

[DRW50]

Bringing back Morgan/Jennifer/Amanda sometime in the late '80s or early '90s might have been interesting too. Perhaps a much more forceful Morgan, returning with Josh's child. Jennifer possibly with a terminal illness, falling in love with the wrong man one last time (maybe Daniel St. John). Amanda might end up torn between Ross and Roger. 

Edited August 25, 2024 by DRW50

[BigMAnOnDeck]

I can translate them for you. Email me [email protected]

[prefab1]

I think they could have had an interesting opportunity to bring Kelly back after Shayne had his car accident (circa 2003). John Wesley Shipp might have done it too, since he was done with Dawson's Creek by then. And there's several directions they could have taken a story, depending on how spicy they wanted to go.

Mild: Kelly comes back to town as Shayne's doctor, helping him recover. Fed up with his father, who's been pushing him to become a baseball star, Shayne begins to idolize the compassionate doctor, which makes Josh jealous and ignites old rivalries between Josh and Kelly.

Slightly spicy: All of the above, only Kelly is now bisexual. Josh gets it into his head that Kelly is trying to corrupt or even seduce his son, even though nothing has happened between them. A scandal ensues, with the town picking sides.

Very spicy: All of the above, with Kelly as bisexual and Shayne exploring his sexuality. Kelly and Shayne try to fight the mutual attraction that develops during Shayne's rehabilitation, but they can't. An even bigger scandal ensues, with the town picking sides. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay. I pick extra crispy spicy!!

[prefab1]

Of course, with Ellen Weston and John Conboy helming the show at the time, we would have just ended up with burned spicy 

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[Contessa Donatella]

Well, we could meet up at the baseball diamond!

 

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[Reverend Ruthledge]

Good and accurate description.

He wasn't. He was named Billy. Johnny was Billy's stepfather. 

Yes. 

Edited August 25, 2024 by Reverend Ruthledge

[P.J.]

But honestly, unless Bert had been there to shepherd someone like Trudy or Meta (who I never knew existed when I was watching as a child back in the day) I don't  think they would've felt grounded to the canvas. Even Hilliary felt like a fake Bauer to me, tbh. Of course, Justin would've always been an important character to have back, and I mourn that they botched it so badly in '89 and with Sam, who was just this little mouse of a thing.

ATWT to me is always much more family-centered. You always supported them, and you always strove for their approval. On GL, you loved each other, but you did what you damn well pleased. 

They could've found a way to bring back Jackie. That was a stupid, stupid mistake, no matter how bad Carrie Mowrey was in the role.

[Mitch64]

Ha...I love that description and why I was always drawn more to GL. I do have to say, that theme, and also the more realistic theme of loving your family even as they pissed you off or drove you crazy, carried through from Bauers, Spauldings, the Thorpes, Lewises and the dreaded Coopers. Though I don't think the writers ever realized that was the theme. 

 

Well I am sure Ship would have no problem seeing Marty West's butt but they would have to recast Shayne...lord MW was bad...(now Kelly and the last Shayne would have been hot as hell...) 

I think that this would be the problem with bringing a gay storyline in that had something other then two young guys chastely fall in love like on ATWT...the storyline would be interested but some viewers would use it as an excuse to say that "See, those gays are predators..." even though we have seen that story a million times with straight characters. 

Edited August 25, 2024 by Mitch64

[prefab1]

Interestingly, I don't think ATWT got much backlash when they actually did an intergenerational storyline, one that was a lot trashier than my idea. Remember when Larry Lau played Lucinda's boyfriend, who was actually a closeted gay man and developed the hots for Luke? But that relationship seemed fairly one-sided and never progressed beyond kissing before Lau's "bad gay" character was ushered offscreen. 

[Sapounopera]

As far as I am concerned, the last time GL could have been saved, was early 2007.
Jonathan was gone, Tammy was dead and the show had some air to breathe and try some other things.

I'd bring back Rick Hearst as Alan-Michael, Amelia Marshall as Gilly, Petronia Paley as Vivian, John Wesley Shipp as Kelly and Lisa Brown as Nola. Nola would be staying with Michelle and the kids in Bert's home and serve as the nosy Bauer aunt. Kelly would be a successful doctor, obsessed with the late Morgan and would blame Josh for her death. I'd bring back Trudy Bauer for occasional visits (probably Helen Gallagher) and Barbara Norris (Rosemary Prinz) as well. I'd have Ed and Holly remarry and a recast Blake would be treated as a Bauer daughter. 
I'd burn Company down and have Reva run a bar. With Buzz.

I'd bring Cynthia Watros as Annie who is now a psychiatrist after her doctor ex-husband changed her life. And I'd pair her with Josh.

Hope would be back with a crazy story that would explain her absence.

I'd have Alan-Michael marry Blake and take over Spaulding Enterprises and be Springfield's power couple. 

I'd bring a Detroit Grant as a niece for Gilly and I'd play with All About Eve for a while.

Oh and a recast Shayne would be gay in the army.

Edited August 25, 2024 by Sapounopera