Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[P.J.]

lol...I don't watch him long enough to notice. I stumbled across his first scenes, complete with cowboy hat, and OY.

I do think a lot of pot-stirring characters get a new dimension when they get a true love, and stop scheming and manipulating for a bit.

[DRW50]

I'm still surprised at how long they took to get Alan-Michael and Lucy together properly...maybe because there wasn't a ton of viewer interest or just how easily distracted JFP was. 

[Soaplovers]

I remember when Lucy first came on in the fall of 1993 that the show seemed intent on pairing Lucy with Alan Michael.. but by the following summer of 1994.. that pairing seemed over with Lucy being tested with matt and Alan Michael first trying to pursue Eleni again.. then teased with Gilly before the short lived triangle between him/Tangie/Alan.

By 1995, once Lucy's raped... then the show began the process of slowly pairing the two together.   The only reason the coupling had any legs was because of the chemistry between the actors... once Michael Dietz takes over as Alan Michael.. the coupling loses any momentum.

[P.J.]

I haven't watched, but this is under Boderick, correct? On ATWT, I found her to be a very plodding type of HW, writing plot and semi-ignoring chemistry. I believe she wrote the more ridiculous side of Carly's $50 million dollar baby story, which kept changing the terms of the trust. ( I think she wrote the reveal on her way out.)

JFP at this point was trying to save her job bringing Marcy Walker on, etc. so I'm sure a new actress wasn't high on her to-do list. I think a lot of Lucy's initial point was to rehabilitate Buzz as a father.

[kalbir]

From what I've seen of Krista Tesreau original recipe Mindy, she was a spoiled brat/daddy's little princess. Kimberley Simms Mindy had some remnants of spoiled brat/daddy's little princess but her Mindy grew up and matured.

Despite the initial torridness of Roger/Mindy (affair with business rival's daughter), I believe Roger did love Mindy but they wouldn't have worked as a long-term couple because the specter of Roger's feelings for Holly would be lingering in the background.

[DRW50]

She seems to have been at GL through summer 1993 so she might have started some of the pairing. Curlee was also phasing out and then we had all the 1994 and early 1995 turnover.

They did seem to mostly want to establish her as the plucky daughter to Buzz.

I still wonder if they ever would have gone anywhere with Alan-Michael and Gilly (probably not).

[P.J.]

LOL...I checked, and in '94, everyone under the sun except Broderick is a HW. LOL. 

Yeah, I don't think the show was interested in AM/Gilly. Which is a shame, because Amelia and Rick had oodles of chem.

Well, the character was only 17-18 when she appeared in town. Aside from being a contrast to the goody-two shoes Beth, Mindy was a younger version of Vanessa.

Roger was always a "love the one you're with" kind of guy. Until there was something else he wanted. I'm not sure he loved Mindy as much as he needed the adoration she provided.

[MLH]

Long time lurker but had to post a THANK YOU for providing links to ways to watch old episodes of Guiding Light provided by Blake Marler but recently started watching the German ones to fill in some missing episodes (only wish someone would translate/subtitle them on the screen).  I never really watched Guiding Light & just recently got in a rabbit hole of watching when Holly and Roger returned in 1989. Don't know why, but I was drawn to Roger Thorpe (the 89 version) right away. 

IMO, I think Mindy didn't want to be the 'other woman' & didn't act adoringly. Roger dropped a major coup from Lewis Oil for her & she had already put a pause on sleeping with him at the time. IMO, his love for her & Blake was his downfall in 1991.  I think Blake brought out the worst in him. I think Simms did the role great.  She really showed how she loved her family and Roger. I liked how it was a slow progression with the whole Tower fiasco was for Roger & the Four Musketeers ending for Mindy.

My favorite relationship was Harley & little Marah. I loved them together. I also loved Maureen (most wasted character), Gilly/Hamp and some aspects of Alexandra/Roger. I also liked the pace Holly & Roger was going, but then in 1995/1996, it just seemed to crash to basically no interaction. Holly was sort of all over the place to me (but she had great chemistry with just about everyone) & I never cared for Blake. I loved how Sherry played her, but not my favorite character. 

How Michael Zaslow left also left me a bit bitter, because how much it hurt him. Roger should have been killed off after Michael died & not in 2004 when the vast majority didn't know who he was. No way would Roger ignore his son being killed by Dinah (btw, I hated Dinah/Roger), Holly's daughter being kidnapped (a crime) by Fletcher or not being part of his grand children's lives. As a Roger fan, it was a slap in the face! 

I tried to continue, but I was not impressed with Ben being the next Roger & just decided to read what happened next and didn't really feel the need to continue. However, it's still fun to read fans of this show after Michael died. 

Thank you for being a great resource for this cancelled soap opera. If there is any way to help support financially for space needed to keep the uploads going, please let me know how and I will see if I can. 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

I feel the need to rise in defense of Louise Broderick who I feel before she retired last year has provided many hours of soapy messy goodness to many fans of many shows & after all she was one of Agnes Nixon's proteges & that carries with it no small degree of excellence conferred. 

[DRW50]

@MLH Welcome to the board.

I can see where the treatment of Michael Zaslow - some of the most shameful in soap history - would cause you, or any viewer, to quit watching. 

Whatever one feels about Roger and Holly, they did have a very compelling, complicated connection for most of their return, until McTavish and Laibson just junked all of it, aside from maybe one or two scenes. I never will get what the logic was.

You're right about the Roger/Blake relationship - just two very broken people.

[P.J.]

Welcome!

Did you know you can get the translation on youtube?

I think it's always Roger's arrogance that brings him down. in '90, he doesn't burn the deed to the Towers as soon as he got it from Ruth Price because he wanted to burn it in Billy's face. And after that blunder, he no longer wanted to be "Mr Spaulding", so he decided to embezzle from Alex before getting out. And because he was still plotting to build his "empire", he alienates both Hart and Blake. In '93, he manipulates Jenna's situation to stick it to Vanessa/Henry/A-M/Nick, and he's not satisfied with Jenna having Spaulding, he manipulates her too.

But Roger is one of soap's most complex and fascinating characters.

 

 

Why? I was wrong about her being HW in '94, and her time on GL is one unique position--subbing in for Curlee while on maternity leave. I think the first half of '93 is the end of a golden time for GL. And a lot of the troubles (Maureen's death, two bad Mindy recasts) she didn't have control over.

I guess I would still complain that '93 is plot-point heavy, but the week of Frank & Eleni's wedding is nearly perfect, ending with Nadine getting a double whammy, confronted by Vanessa with the truth about Peter seemlessly playing into Harley confronting her about Buzz.

[Contessa Donatella]

 

Maybe The Most!!

Well, I didn't mean it directed AT YOU! 

[P.J.]

But I did bring up the subject. Honestly, you need an interactive dance card to keep track of the writers at certain points. And Broderick's situation is only slightly less weird that whoever was fired, and then asked back when they couldn't give the HW position away. (Was that Taggert?)

I was scoping out the ATWT thread and there seemed to be a question of what might've happened if Marland had lived past '93. Someone said he might've been part of the shuffling that went on between P&G shows later. It started me wondering what might've been if he'd agreed to go back to GL in the mid-90's. I mean, as much as he wrote for the over the top Lucinda, I can't see him writing for Reva. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Claire Labine!!!! And, to the rest, Yasss! Testify! P&G in the 90s & moving onward from then. Looking back, how is it that we stood it? They were no doubt out of their minds. Too many changes. Exec musical chairs! The Headwriter of the month club?

If Marland hadn't died, then at GL once more, clearly Reva versus Nola, right? Lisa Brown his stated muse. Zimmer her own muse?

Take the scene with Vanessa & Nola in the same ball gown, where would he have gone from there? Would Nola have had a fountain scene? Would she have driven her car over a cliff like in Thelma & Louise? Would Nola & Reva been daytime's Thelma & Louise? Just what CBS needed.

 

[P.J.]

Oh, I think he would've reignited Van and Nola's feuding, and reluctant bond over Henry.

Maybe he would've created a better rival for Josh for Reva's affections, ala Damian/Lily/Holden.