Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I didn't hate them. I found them vaguely interesting but it could have been my age. I doubt I would find them as likable in 2024. 

[Soaplovers]

I think a few factors worked against the Calla/Jesse combination from working:

 

1) Beth's cousin was originally named India Raines and set to hit in the fall of 1984.. but the character was eventually split into two characters (India Von Haiken and Roxie Shayne).  So by the time the show did end up creating Beth's cousin.. any potential interesting personality traits were already given to India and Roxie.

2) I had heard a rumor that the actress hired to play Calla was supposed to have been a recast of Trish Lewis.. but at the last second, changed to Calla.. Lillian's sister.

3) Pam Long, who created both characters, left the show shortly after they came onto the canvas.. so who knows what she would have done had she not left as headwriter.

[P.J.]

I get what you're saying. I know people loved Hope, and she's the only Hope I remember. But there's not really enough of her up online for me to see what everyone saw. She reminds me of ATWT's Lily...and frankly that's not really a good thing. ER comes off as very matronly at such a young age that it's confusing. 

[P.J.]

Ugh. I hated Calla. This is the only role I ever saw Lisby Larson in, and I just don't get it. She was shrill and grasping, and without one redeeming quality that I can recall. Tying her to the meek Lilian certainly didn't do her any favors.

Jessie was just bland and boring. She didn't have any kind of spark. 

I love Vanessa and Ross' friendship. There was just a point in the '90's (for sure) where I wanted better story for them than what they got. 

[Mitch64]

I think Hope should have been brought back as a recast...but, it was difficult as they aged AM up so much..(I still can't believe they could not have had her attend any one of his 50 million weddings or mention her once in a while) and then they had Ron Raines Alan perving on all the younger hotties running around.

[P.J.]

Bringing back Hope to fill the Bauer matriarch would've made sense after Maureen died.

[DRW50]

I think the best time would have been when they originally thought of recasting Hope (around 1986). By the time Maureen died, the Bauers were already so diminished, and Alan-Michael barely had ties to the family. He was also mostly written as a foil to "good" characters. Hope could have bonded with Michelle, and been some presence in A-M's life, but I'm not sure how much effort they would have made. 

I wish they had brought Mike, Hope, and a recast Alan-Michael back in the late '90s.

[DRW50]

It does feel like Ross is demoted for most of the mid-late '80s. I am sometimes surprised he even lasted through the decade. I notice in the '80s he sometimes wears a sweater that I could swear Jim Matthews (who was 40 years older) wore on AW, which they ditched in the '90s.

Matt and Blake would have made sense as a pairing if they had wanted to split up Ross and Blake for a while...more sense than Rick and Blake ever did. 

Hope's exit does seem very rushed. I wonder if they knew Chris Bernau was quitting and they had issues with Don Stewart, so she was collateral damage. That and P&G/Kobe wanting rid of the Bauers. 

I do think Elvera Roussel was one of a number of actors who lost their spark in the Marland era. She seems to have much more drive in what I've seen of her in 1979.

Edited October 30, 2024 by DRW50

[Mitch64]

I think that would have made a great way of bringing back the Bauers with "new" actors that they were falling all over themselves writing for.  Since Ed was not around Mike would make a great "good" patriarch and having his niece married to the mob was the perfect intro. (I would have had him married off camera with another family and kids to make more Bauers..and pair him with Alex.) They could have brought them back right around the time they split Ross and Blake up when she is chasing Ben and have Ross with Hope instead of the totally devoid of chemistry thing he had with India....(I LOVE India but just no on this, ) and they had brought back Alex at that time so pair her and Mike.

 

JVD always said that he attributes his survival at that time for them "forgetting I was there" in a half joking way. That bad sweater I think was handed off to Alan when he was in the wheelchair..just no to Ross or Alan wearing Chris Hughes/Jim Matthews sweaters. 

[Reverend Ruthledge]

I think them wanting to get rid of the Bauers was the biggest factor on why Hope was written out. Also, the times were changing and Hope was very much a late 70s type of character. Everything was moving into the brash, sensationalistic 80s and Hope would have seemed out of place. They could have brought her back and reinvented her like they did with Amanda (who was very much the same sort of late 70s-type character) but thank God they didn't! 

[Mitch64]

Pam Long wanted to write a War of the Roses type story with Hope and Alan....I can't see ER up to that...so it wasn't her choice to get rid of Hope (maybe ) I think they could have brought back Hope as a more jaded type, like Marland wrote Barbara, and it would work. Despite the uh, odd OTT choices for Poser's Amanda (come on, Malibu Madame) I think they could have made that work as a woman who found her own power while in Califoria (God knows I did not want to see wishy washy Marland Amanda)

[P.J.]

I'll never understand why they didn't give Ed an older, illegitimate son. (ATWT was always adding "surprise" children.) You can't tell me Ed didn't love and leave someone in all those years. 

I'm going to backtrack a bit--I just caught a scene from the very end of ER's run, where  Hope finally stands up to Alan. She might not have been able to do a full out War of the Roses type story, but I think she could've definitely conveyed a stronger, more determined Hope.

[DRW50]

They easily could have with that Janet character.

[P.J.]

[P.J.]

See, it wasn't that hard. Of course, the obvious 1st choice would be Rita. 

FYI, I just saw Springfield Story has uploaded German episodes from August 1981. Holy schnikes---the thought of seeing the end of the Andy Norris saga again...*faints*  I have been so jealous that Jim Muneco hasn't posted more GL episodes lately...and this falls in my lap!