Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[SoapDope]

Actors do so many roles over the years that they forget some of them. In those Archive Of American Television interviews, sometime actors are stunned when the person asks them about a role and they are like " I did that ?...".I don't even recall being on that show or doing that commercial" etc... or it will jog a memory and they will say " I forgot all about doing that". 

[Khan]

I always wanted Reva and Cassie to open a dance studio, just as I wanted Beth to get back into art and maybe open a new art gallery.

[TEdgeofNight]

Exactly. That’s why I chuckle when folks take something that someone said as fact. Time passes and the memory fades. An example: Pam Long gave interviews back in the day about writing Reva’s post partum depression storyline ushering Reva off the show when Kim left. 20 years later when GL was going off the air, Pam was interviewed and said that she didn’t write that storyline. Really??? Not sure how Pam could forget such a memorable story and moment in GL’s history (I’m coming Bud…..).  

[P.J.]

Sometimes I'm more amazed at the small things the actors remember. I swear to God, every Kim Zimmer interview manages to throw out that she was brought on to bust up Billy and Vanessa. Or they remember who they auditioned with or who they were up against. Robert Newman and Scott Bryce auditioned for Josh, and Scott was cast as Craig Montgomery from that, according to Robert.

[Mitch64]

Especially since the aftereffects are part of the reason she left.  She was mad that she could not write a romance between Harley and Matt Weiss...but she also wanted to bring Reva back as a ghost at Christmas to comfort Marah. A sane head at CBS said no..for one thing that meant Reva was really dead..and Long got pissed. I guess that sane person left 5 years later when JFP cribbed the storyline to bring Kimmer back, but not really bring her back.

[SoapDope]

I went back an re-watched the 1973 Papa Bauer Memorial episode. I was scrolling through the comments and just had to share this one.

 

@LannieLord

11 months ago

Compared to the ABC soaps ; The CBS and NBC soaps were like going to the nurses office and waiting for your parents to pick you up from school because you were not feeling well. They were so so slow moving and dry. I used to think they were religious as well.

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I don't even know what to think about that comment. Is it Greek?

[Mona Kane Croft]

Funny, the things I loved about CBS and NBC soaps are the very characteristics other people ridiculed.   

[ClassicsSoapFan]

I totally agree. Plus the NYC based soaps (which CBS and NBC had a lot of ) employeed a lot of Broadway actors who were - better  actors!

[SoapDope]

I saw that comment posted under the video and laughed and had to share it here to see what everyone thought about it. I grew up watching CBS soaps and I felt they were more grounded in reality than other soaps. 

[kalbir]

I might be wrong here, but I always thought the New York soaps were originally created to be day jobs for theater actors.

I once read that the difference between New York soaps and Los Angeles soaps was that the New York soaps were all about the theater and the Los Angeles soaps were all about the looks. I don't know if I agree with that, considering what we saw on screen on a good number of soaps in the 1980s.

[Contessa Donatella]

I think this is an urban myth. 

 

[GL Oldtimer]

The number one factor that attracted me to Guiding Light was the acting. Guiding Light was certainly one of the least glamorous soaps on at the time when I was watching, but the top-notch acting is what kept me coming back day after day. I think Guiding Light employed some of the best actors in the business. 

Annette

[kalbir]

Two of daytime's finest Michael Zaslow and Beverlee McKinsey. Also Maureen Garrett who was so underappreciated. 

I'm so glad I was able to experience that early 1990s golden era in both real time and online.

[DRW50]

This is a great example of just why the last P&G soaps (especially ATWT) were gutted to try to be ABC-like. The narrative was how hip, fun and fresh ABC soaps were, and how the other soaps were dinosaurs.