Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Mitch64]

That was long writing as if SB was GL...(I remember one critic called it "Grafting a horse head on a zebra") and yes, crafted a whole family around "Jodie" a high spirited gal with a hulking ex-husband with a spoiled daughter (hmm where have I seen that before) Long even copied Nolaaerobics with GinaJeans!

 

Yea had to be. Long was so talented and Kat a great character but she got pushed aside for air time for JFP's new fave...Lucy Cooper at that time!

[P.J.]

I think all shows do. 

But I also think that the acting core was stronger when Kim left, than it had been for a while in the late '80s.

[chrisml]

As we've all discussed before, Marcy Walker was hired to save JFP's job. JFP had no plans for her, and Walker never forgave her for the way she was treated. Her costars were equally baffled by her treatment. I think Long was there for a little of Walker's tenure but I'm not sure (my knowledge of post-Maureen's death GL is spotty). She was certainly there for all the workplace mistreatment that was going on during the time that McKinsey quit. She knew what JFP was like and what went down with those workplace meetings. 

Sydney Penny was very strong on Santa Barbara. Kim Zimmer just did not work and her entrance along was too laughable for her to be taken seriously.

Edited March 26 by chrisml

[P.J.]

No, Long was gone from GL by '91. *unless you meant Walker/Long on SB.

Edited March 26 by P.J.

[Khan]

Oh, PLEASE don't remind us of Gina Jeans.  We could've gone the rest of our lives without being reminded of that foolishness, lol.

[Vee]

I believe they're referring to Nia Long, per Robin Strasser's anecdote on the last page.

Edited March 26 by Vee

[BetterForgotten]

Nia Long had started to do non-soap work before and during her GL run. Most notably playing Whoppi Goldberg and Ted Danson's daughter in the 1993 movie Made in America while still being under contract at GL.

Melissa Hayden said in an interview not too far back that the "producers" were not too kind to Long whenever she'd ask to do other work during her time on GL. I assume that's why she was eager to leave when her contract was up, in addition to JFP turning GL into the Buzz Cooper & Friends hour by that point. 

Edited March 26 by BetterForgotten

[chrisml]

Yes, I was. I should have made that clear as it never dawned on me to connect Pamela K. Long to the Strasser anecdote. That was my fault as Pamela Long is the "Long" more associated with GL. 

Edited March 26 by chrisml

[Contessa Donatella]

Sydney Penny was the only positive out of that family in SB, if you ask me.

That makes me think about Tamara Tunie talking about how positive ATWT was to her for 15 years on that very topic, other work besides the soap. What a contrast!!!

[Franko]

When did Buzz on the roof air? I'm tempted to watch.

[Contessa Donatella]

Nia Long ousted for Sonia Satra?!! That is just sad. 

[alwaysAMC]

I am too.  I'm trying to figure out if it was the episode I watched recently where he's in the streets talking to the citizens of Springfield to encourage them about rebuilding 5th Street, just prior to the Ball.  Or if it's another scene being referred to.  I question it because I don't remember him being on a rooftop, but more of a podium, but he was long-winded and sort of just rambling hahaha, but you see older extras out there tearing up and getting motivated.

Otherwise, the only rooftop yelling scene I've witnessed so far in my current 1995 watch is Fletcher yelling from the roof at the Ball, declaring his love for Holly to everyone below.  In typical Fletcher fashion, it was so over the top and ridiculous haha.

[Soaplovers]

I actually liked Zimmer as Jodie on Santa Barbara.. she played a convincing middle class cop and she had chemistry with the guy who played her husband.  Had the Capwells been maintained as the wealthy family.. I think the show could have worked long term.

The actress that played Lucy had also auditioned to play Mindy back in early 1993, but lost out to Ann Hamilton.  I shudder to think what she would have done with the character of Mindy had she been cast instead.

I did notice that Kat lost any sort of presence/story once Lucy came in and became first the sidekick to Julie and then Bridget.  Most of her last year on the show was basically being David's girlfriend and trying to make nice to Julie and then Bridget.   It was telling that one of her last significant scenes was when she told David that she felt like the tagalong in their group of friends and that she was restless staying in Springfield.

[tonymidnight]

Maybe it was just me reading too much into things, but I felt there was some homoerotic   undertones to Sonni and Alex's friendship.   Alex may have hated Reva, but there was something more going on in her attachment to Sonni.  I remember that scene that had Alex and Sonni sitting on the bed while Sonni was tearfully confessing to killing Will.  Sonni had Alex wrapped around her finger, but it played very much like Alex was in love with Sonni.  Alex was willing to go to the end of the earth to protect Sonni.  It was never really truly explained why.  There was something else going on that perhaps Long was flirting with?   

Finished reading an old Douglas Marland interview in the February 11 1986 issue in which he said he was ready to move on from ATWT in a few more years because he was "not the kind of writer who stayed with one show for 15 years".  He believed in moving on to a new show and new batch of characters after a certain period of time.  If he had lived, which show would have been a good fit for Marland's style of writing?  I'm wondering if he would have been able to salvage CAPITOL, perhaps?  One wonders what he could have done with DAYS OF OUR LIVES or ANOTHER WORLD.   

[P.J.]

Good grief, did anyone appropriate for the role audition? Sonia and Ann were too young. Barbara Crampton (who came in later) was all kinds of wrong. That role wasn't uncastable, fcol.