Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[robbwolff]

I believe the rooftop scene was in early January 1995. As I recollect, the fire was raging on Fifth Street and it started raining at the end of Buzz’s monologue. Douglas Anderson was head writer at the time. Here’s a snippet from the scene:

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Edited March 26 by robbwolff

[BetterForgotten]

To Nia’s credit though, she’s never bad mouthed the show or any one producer specifically in public. She said when she joined GL she had almost given up acting and was getting ready to try her hand at going to college. She doesn’t regret doing GL and considers it the “college experience” she never had. 

[DRW50]

I don't know if you've ever seen Carrington Garland on Santa Barbara, but IIRC she auditioned, and she would have been a good fit. 

I have a feeling Barbara was only cast because she was well-received on Y&R. I know I had some good will for her for that reason. Unfortunately, she was not a good fit...but even if Kim Simms had stayed, it was clear JFP had no use for Mindy. 

Nice to see someone knew in here. I remember Michael O'Leary or Grant Aleksander "joking" about some homoerotic scenes in this era. I could easily see Alex having some kind of complicated emotional attachment to another woman in that timeframe, similar to Katherine on Y&R before that story was aborted. 

Marland's soap world was going, going, gone by the late '90s, but I could see him going back to GL instead of the Labines. Or OLTL.

Very classy. She was too much of a potential star to stay long - at least she did have some strong moments in 1992 and 1993. 

[Contessa Donatella]

She was 2nd generation. I sometimes think those "nepo" babies have it all going on & she was an example, IMO. Although iI can be counted on to say ONLY ONE Kelly or Mason. I know but I'm stubborn.

[DRW50]

I think he went in on Kim partly because when he arrived, she was one of the only characters involved in a strong storyline and partly because Kim always put in the work, even when the stories weren't good. He did tame the roughness of the character too much (Reva never should have been an island queen), but Kim sold every moment.

I remember Tangie coming in with Josh, and they had the stolen money story (I didn't remember her taking off her clothes in a fountain), but it did feel like they gave up after that. One of the problems is how much of Tangie's existence was down to confusing backstory. I know that's true for many characters, but you need to center them. Reva came in and was nothing but backstory for the Lewises, but they centered her (for better or worse). Tangie was often just on the side, shoehorned into the lives of others. I remember all kinds of monologues with Roger and Tangie about her parents and I remember being confused as to whether they were going to say he was her biological father. Nothing ever happened. Beyond some well-acted scenes, I am not sure if she had any impact on Roger or his storylines in those two years. Did she have any impact on any characters? I can't remember if Alan-Michael or Alan even cared after their relationships ended. 

Was his monologue the same episode where Josh rescued some kids and Vanessa and Matt had their big romantic moment running into each other's arms? I didn't care for that whole set piece but at least they did put a number of their cast in the midst of drama. Amazing to learn even that was out of JFP's control.

[P.J.]

Nope, never did. But just from the pictures I've seen, she seemed seven feet tall. Mindy needed to be a petite blonde. Sorry, I'm biased.

I think if Kim Simms had returned, Mindy would've taken an entirely different direction. Part of the problem with Barbara Crampton was she generated no chemistry with VI. Even though I didn't particularly like them, KS and VI had chem in spades. 

[chrisml]

JFP and the writers destroyed Mindy and made her utterly pathetic (typical JFP move). I wonder if CBS forced Barbara Crampton on JFP and the show. After the Ann Hamilton debacle, they might not have trusted her instincts, and decided to go with a big name to CBS viewers. A shame Crampton didn't work out. Carrington Garland definitely would have been a good fit, and she had worked with V.I. when he played Scott on Santa Barbara.

 

[Efulton]

I believe Doug Marland could have brought Another World back to the top of the ratings if paired with a strong EP and if NBC let him do his thing.

[Contessa Donatella]

I think she was a tiny thing.

[Paul Raven]

Re Nia Long and others who pursue outside roles. I kinda sympathise with the producers as it can be very disruptive to have to work around an actor who will be absent.

I guess if you sign a soap contract, that should be your priority for the duration. If you are constantly looking for other roles, then don't do a soap.

I can understand deciding to backburn a character if they seem to have one foot out the door.

I have read of many soaps making an effort to accommodate actors involved in another project, so I guess it needs to be on case by case basis.

 

[Mitch64]

I think the Alex/Sonni scene was during the writers's strike...so who knows what they intended. But as Pam Long said, Bev  said the dialogue as is, "Right down to the typos!"

 

Yes,she wanted it to be just Deas..but the net made her include other characters (I remember there was a party at Company when the fire broke out so that must have been the writers attempt to get characters there. And it was when Matt/Van were "outed,")  The funny thing is, this is epsiode is what made me REALLY hate Buzz and blanche everytime I saw Dea flapping his arms as he rushed into a scene.)

 

I am sure they did..I didn't HATE Crampton, and actually think she was better right before they wrote her out..she is one of the only actresses Oleary had THAT kind of chemistry with, and she saw Ed pull the plug on Eve,(whcih was dropped with the new  writers...) I could see that story were Mindy wrestled with her big mouth and finally had it dragged out at a hearing.

I agree that Rauch turned Reva into Viki on OLTL, and took everything intereseting out of her, and left us with the most annoying parts of her (her big mouth and her past while she walked around like her [!@#$%^&*] didnt stink.)

[alwaysAMC]

This part.  I'm new to GL, so I didn't see Reva/Josh in the 80's when they were a couple, and if I had, maybe her return in 1995 that I'm currently watching would change my mind...  but right now, this ghost Reva is off-putting.  The story doesn't even really make sense, but the way she's talking to Josh about Annie is annoying.  I was really getting into the Josh/Annie pairing, and now Reva is haunting Josh, turning him into a loud crazy man, and they're both being rude to Annie.  Reva is pulling rugs from under her, making her trip, throwing water on her and telling Josh she's no good for him and their relationship is 'on the road to nowhere'.  I was so excited knowing Reva's return would start during my '95 watch, but so far, I'm not loving it

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 I'll hold final judgment until I see how it plays how and whether they explain how she's haunting him while still being alive.

[Khan]

I've always maintained that, had Douglas Marland not died, P&G would've asked him to try and save AW, because AW needed a HW with vision BADLY. 

Either that, or some network (but probably not ABC) would've bought "The Soul Survivors," the new soap he was working on at the time of his death.

I still laugh over that SOD item that reported Kate Collins, who'd just left AMC, had auditioned for Mindy.  Talk about taking a character in a new direction, lol.

I don't see Douglas Marland going to work at any ABC show after the way they forced him to truncate the Lily Slater incest storyline on LOVING.  On the other hand, I could see him returning to GL, or even writing for AW or even DAYS!

[Vee]

That's even crazier than the apparent period report that OLTL almost recast Gabrielle with Eileen Davidson around the same time.

[Khan]

Oh my God, lol.