Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Vee]

It's not even a guess. It's him doing what he's always done from his career during the dying days of the old P&G soaps defending their failing honor, and it's very tiresome especially when you get actors and writers who want to dig into an issue from that period where he minded the store (or even before) and be candid.

[I Am A Swede]

Nope, she started in early 1993.

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay. 1. Thanks for the correction. 2. Maureen Russell's book shows 1992. 

[I Am A Swede]

According to Jason47's website she started taping January 6, 1993 and first appeared January 22nd.

[Mona Kane Croft]

In my opinion, it is  nearly always bad for soap operas when they start copying one another, or all try to follow the same trend.  So I believe it shook the genre in a bad way.  

Similarly, several soaps tried to copy GH's Luke and Laura capers, science-fiction-ish plots, and international intrigue in the 1980s, and none of them were successful.  This did damage to the genre that it has never recovered from.  

Yes, I do. And GL's back-in-time painting plot.  Also the Lumina plot on AW. The 3-women at the spa plot on ATWT.  Labidizone on AMC.  Probably a few others I'm not recalling.  

Edited January 25 by Mona Kane Croft

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, there you have it, two totally impeccable sources disagree. Ain't life grand? 

[Mona Kane Croft]

You're talking about Alan Locker here, correct?  For a minute, I thought you were talking about James Riley, and I was wondering what you were trying to say.  Sorry -- Yes, i agree completely about Alan Locher.  But I always try to defend him a bit, because he at least has the guts to do his interviews.  Few others have been able to do that.  

[Maxim]

I haven't seen a single Locher interview that didn't made me sleepy. That's all I'm gonna say. Different strokes for different folks. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, McTavish is one who has "going too far" in her bailiwick but she comes to it of her own stuff, not by copycatting. 

Lumina, I believe came from NBC & they were onto violence against women & other way out there things, I believe on their own, also not as Reilly copycats.

I also don't think Hogan Sheffer was copycatting Reilly. The white robes/spa storyline came out of trying to solve the problem of having three leading ladies all showing very pregnant at the same time. 

Time Travel/Via Portrait was James Harmon Brown & Barbara Esensten (sp?) wasn't it? I think they, too, own their own outrageousness. 

I have no clue who wrote Labidizone. 

Have you seen the watch party of GL with Beverlee/Alexandra & Roger & Billy & Mindy where Nancy Curlee & Kimberly Simms were in the zoom?

[Maxim]

No... I would love to see it. 

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  Maybe I'll play it before my bed time... so if I fall asleep... it's not accident. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Totally agree. Monty undoubtedly, without any question, did what was best for GH at that moment in time but it was not what was best for the genre, although if American businesses did not have copycatting in their organizational makeups, it would not be an issue. For it to be the dilemma it is requires both the tendency to copycat & a lone genius to be copied. In 1980 that was Gloria Monty. In 1995 that was James E. Reilly. The good & the bad, two sides to a coin.

[Mitch64]

Sorry, this website is always so glitchey with me...anyone else? What I wanted to say was the the Clone did come to catch the trend of "outrageous" storytelling, but there were a lot of factors...Kimmer was hot to play a twin storyline and lobbied to play what would be Cassie...the first introduction of face tape for Zimmer. Even with that they knew they could not get by with Zimmer playing it, so they begin looking around for ways to get her in a twin storyline (which is Emmy bait for the idiots who vote for the Emmys) and the Clone hit all the checks...keep Kimmer happy...Reva and Josh front and center in between bringing Annie back..and ramp up attention.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Maybe you and I have a different definition of copycatting. But I don't believe any of those plots would have been green-lighted (much less encouraged or even demanded), if James Riley's crazy plots had failed at DOOL.  In my opinion, Riley's "success" (if I can call it that) gave the other soaps "permission" to copy him (directly or indirectly) and concoct similar (in tone, not detail) storylines. And that meets my definition of copying.  And I'd suggest it was the production companies and the networks who wanted to copy Riley's style, not necessarily the writers -- some of whom I feel sure detested that kind of stuff and felt like they were prostituting themselves.  Contessa, this is less an argument from me, and more of an explanation of my point of view.  I do respect you point of view, even if I might misinterpret it or even disagree with it.  

[Contessa Donatella]

@Mona Kane Croft

I wondered if we were working toward the concept of one person's actions giving permission to a group of persons to do similar things. I think Monty & Reilly are excellent examples of it & I think it is an accurate portrayal. 

Thanks for the additional background on that awful story! I always felt that the info of that woman from CBS pushing the idea & Rauch resisting the idea & not knowing any more detail, rang very hollow. Adding in KZ's perspective at the time fleshes it out nicely. GL didn't win any awards for it, did they?

[Contessa Donatella]

You WILL love it.