My late mom was a GL fan in the 80s and she was the age group that I think these beautiful pieces of eye candy were meant to appeal to... and her favorite was Terrell as Rusty (she liked a man in tight blue jeans with a rugged swagger).  

Looking at 80s GL from my modern day lenses, I didn't find any of the men attractive except if they were a priceless work of art to admire (i.e. GA as Phillip, Terrell as Rusty, etc).  I guess P & G men didn't appeal me (I found myself drawn to the NBC daytime type of individual).

Generally speaking it seems to me that most of the people on soaps fall into the category of beautiful or good looking. In the past we had a time when that was not so, when soaps had numerous people who were just ordinary looking but that passed out of fashion a very long time ago. But, of course, we people we have subjective preferences. On GL I recognize Grant & Robert Newman as probably having the matinee idol good looks. Grant is an incredible physical specimen & this Newman's blue eyes are blue like a much more famous Newman's eyes were blue. To me there's not a woman who would not turn heads if she walked into a party dressed to kill. I think it was PJ last week reminded me that some people did not think Melissa Hayden was "pretty enough". I don't have a lot of patience with that kind of narrow judgment of physical beauty. She has a cute nose & a very animated face & there's not a thing wrong with her body. Soaps seem to have mature straight women & gay men as people they're aiming at for looks approval. As a mature gay woman no one cares what my subjectivity says, LOL!!!

7 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Michael Zaslow in his prime was a helluva lot sexier. WOOF!

Hold up, MZ was being checked for BITD?

I remember SOD Best of 1989 Most Intriguing Couple Roger/Holly write up described MZ as "dashing" but I never gave his looks much thought when I watched in real time. Then again, I was in middle school and high school when I watched in real time (Calhoun/Long/Curlee and first year of JFP/Curlee). 

From watching online I admit MZ looked better 1989-1994 than from what I've seen of his original 1971-1980 run, but if there was glow up I somehow didn't recognize it.

 

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by kalbir

26 minutes ago, kalbir said:

Hold up, MZ was being checked for BITD?

I remember SOD Best of 1989 Most Intriguing Couple Roger/Holly write up described MZ as "dashing" but I never gave his looks much thought when I watched in real time. Then again, I was in middle school and high school when I watched in real time (Calhoun/Long/Curlee and first year of JFP/Curlee). 

From watching online I admit MZ looked better 1989-1994 than from what I've seen of his original 1971-1980 run, but if there was glow up I somehow didn't recognize it.

I have always thought he has a classic head & face. He could be a bust. I'm not a sculptor (and I don't play one on TV) but, I bet he'd be an excellent subject. 

Edited July 21, 2025Jul 21 by Contessa Donatella

I think John Wesley Shipp had something special from what I've seen of his time on GL. I can see why people had a thing for him. I would understand if Douglas Marland let his hormones dictate the casting choice. Matt Bomer and his undies. Jay Hammer was attractive (no, my mother is not forcing me to write that). I've met Paul Anthony Stewart and he was extremely beautiful in person. Vincent Irizarry could be sexy although I never felt writers capitalized on that during his second run. Terrell Tilford was also sexy and he did some cable shows where he showed his backside so I appreciated that. He's a creep in real life, but Stephen Martines was nice looking. I almost forgot Carl Tye Evans who I thought was just the cutest. I'm sure I'm forgetting many people, but I don't want to cheat by googling.

 

I can't believe we're debating the handsomeness/sexiness of Michael Zaslow. 😂

Sure, personal taste comes into it, but he also had so much charisma, which added to his attractiveness, at least to me.

Today is Jordan Clarke's birthday! 

I always thought the East Coast soaps were better at casting for ability rather than "traditional" beauty.  (*coughB&Bcough*) But attractiveness was only part of my various crushes or what I  connected to---it's Ross' eyes and how he'd take care of people, Billy's sense of humor how he was always unapologetically himself, Alan-Michael's perpetual chip on his his shoulder, okay, Phillip and his tortured soul and his speedos. I mean, thank God some casting director talked GL out of casting some blue-eyed yuppy type as Roger.

4 minutes ago, chrisml said:

I think John Wesley Shipp had something special from what I've seen of his time on GL. I can see why people had a thing for him. I would understand if Douglas Marland let his hormones dictate the casting choice. Matt Bomer and his undies. Jay Hammer was attractive (no, my mother is not forcing me to write that). I've met Paul Anthony Stewart and he was extremely beautiful in person. Vincent Irizarry could be sexy although I never felt writers capitalized on that during his second run. Terrell Tilford was also sexy and he did some cable shows where he showed his backside so I appreciated that. He's a creep in real life, but Stephen Martines was nice looking. I almost forgot Carl Tye Evans who I thought was just the cutest. I'm sure I'm forgetting many people, but I don't want to cheat by googling.

 

I forgot about John Wesley Shipp. I think he has classic good looks, too. And, there was a period of time when he was regularly in a newsfeed I'd read daily & as a poster, he was a really cool dude in a kind of a nice guy vein although if something got him outraged he'd turn electric like that. 🫰

When we lived in Brooklyn I knew both Tilford (and then Victoria) plus PAS a little & they were both nice looking & fun. PAS had this adorable little pocket dog on a leash, headed back to the studio one night for a long shoot & this is going to sound silly but he had such nice manners. 

26 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

I can't believe we're debating the handsomeness/sexiness of Michael Zaslow. 😂

Sure, personal taste comes into it, but he also had so much charisma, which added to his attractiveness, at least to me.

In spades! Off the scale! I can't believe it either but it seems glorious, and also harmless. 😇 

9 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Today is Jordan Clarke's birthday! 

I always thought the East Coast soaps were better at casting for ability rather than "traditional" beauty.  (*coughB&Bcough*) But attractiveness was only part of my various crushes or what I  connected to---it's Ross' eyes and how he'd take care of people, Billy's sense of humor how he was always unapologetically himself, Alan-Michael's perpetual chip on his his shoulder, okay, Phillip and his tortured soul and his speedos. I mean, thank God some casting director talked GL out of casting some blue-eyed yuppy type as Roger.

Happy Birthday, Jordan Clarke! May you have many more! 

 

I was watching a 1990 episode on Springfield Story, and I can't believe it! Roger asked Vanessa out to the party Alexandra threw for Beth! You could knock me down with a feather!

I wish I knew what exact date it aired.  

Speaking of Betty Rea, I found an article from 1995 about her.  However, I don't have a subscription to the Chicago Tribune.  Does anyone have a subscription?

Edited July 22, 2025Jul 22 by MLH

 

17 minutes ago, MLH said:

I was watching a 1990 episode on Springfield Story, and I can't believe it! Roger asked Vanessa out to the party Alexandra threw for Beth! You could knock me down with a feather!

I wish I knew what exact date it aired.  

I think the week of January 22-26, 1990. I remember the party was on a Friday and the end of the episode was an intoxicated Blake crashing the party.

9 minutes ago, kalbir said:

 

I think the week of January 22-26, 1990. I remember the party was on a Friday and the end of the episode was an intoxicated Blake crashing the party.

Yup. Roger had to slap her. She was so hysterical!  Then Phillip acted like he wanted to physically harm Blake!  He's just as bad as Blake!

He had a good one and one talk with Alexandra. Vanessa and Roger didn't even interact much, so I don't get why they had him ask to go with her.

33 minutes ago, MLH said:

I was watching a 1990 episode on Springfield Story, and I can't believe it! Roger asked Vanessa out to the party Alexandra threw for Beth! You could knock me down with a feather!

I wish I knew what exact date it aired.  

Speaking of Betty Rea, I found an article from 1995 about her.  However, I don't have a subscription to the Chicago Tribune.  Does anyone have a subscription?

OMG...I have to see that! I caught the next episode where Billy gets PO'd, grabs Vanessa and she tells him to get her paws off her. 

26 minutes ago, MLH said:

Yup. Roger had to slap her. She was so hysterical!  Then Phillip acted like he wanted to physically harm Blake!  He's just as bad as Blake!

He had a good one and one talk with Alexandra. Vanessa and Roger didn't even interact much, so I don't get why they had him ask to go with her.

I think Roger's doing it to provoke Alex, Vanessa accepted to provoke Billy (See, Billy/Josh and Alex/Roger were vying for a Saudi Arabian business deal. Van was temp President of Spaulding at the time, and got mad that Billy was trying to ace Spaulding out of the deal. He'd stood her up on NYE to fly to Saudi Arabia. I think Roger wound her up by implying that Billy was walking all over her, and she flew there intending to distract Billy. Josh flew home because Reva was having labor pains, and Billy had a deadline to submit a final offer. Vanessa dressed up like an Arabian dancer and pretended like some sheik had "sent" Billy a woman. She comes on to him, and got Billy all flustered. He finally realized it was her and they had a fight. Either she threw his alarm clock, or it got knocked over in their fight and while they made love, Billy missed the deadline. Billy asked her to marry him. But Vanessa got tripped up by a handkerchief embroidered with her initials, and he realized that Van had gone there to help ace Lewis out of the deal. He either calls her a whore, or implies it pretty heavily. They broke up and it really kicks off his involvement with Nadine. Saudi Arabia (the Al-Radi deal) really haunts Billy and Van for quite a while.

This was also when Roger was trying to hook Alex, and I think he was using Van to make Alex jealous. Roger is getting all his ducks in a row to marry Alex and become President of Spaulding. He's also swindling Henry in poker games to get his Spaulding stock.

Phillip was pissed that Blake had kept Beth's being alive from him and had him institutionalized to stop him from searching for her.

 

Now, back to 1988....Reva is shocked by a dirty movie.  Not exactly the take I'd expect from the Slut of Springfield.  

Edited July 22, 2025Jul 22 by P.J.

@P.J.  I think it is 2718 in 1990.  Although, I got to say that some of the translations are eyebrow raising.  I wish they were in their original voices speaking English!  LOL

 

Edited July 22, 2025Jul 22 by MLH

16 minutes ago, MLH said:

@P.J.  I think it is 2718 in 1990.  Although, I got to say that some of the translations are eyebrow raising.  I wish they were in their original voices speaking English!  LOL

 

Thanks! I remember having started watching the 1990 before I learned how to get the translation. And not a lot of that is up in English, unfortunately.