I've been following the thread for the past few weeks, but I didn't respond so I'll just post my random responses.

Gus' messy paternity was never a favorite story of mine even when it was being written by Taggart and Culliton. The original Gus / Selina / Miguel story was under Labine , I believe, or at least I think Labine set the story in motion. I thought it was Lucky Gold who killed that story with the insistence that Gus couldn't have been adopted and was the Augusts biological child. Then, Taggart and Gold revisited it when they were building a Gus / Harley vs. Phillip thread that, as I recall, started with Harley wanting custody of Zach. I seem to recall Phillip having Harley arrested for trying to take Zach from the Spaulding mansion.

The Journal was mentioned as late as 2005. In May, there was a thread building around a Spaulding takeover launched by Josh Lewis and Roger Thorpe's children, Sebastian Hulce and Blake Marler. I don't remember what the impetus for the story was, but I felt like Sebastian was trying to avenge Roger or continue his legacy. At the same time, Alan and Holly had spent some time together as Alan was interested in purchasing the Journal. Holly ends up selling him part of the Journal or all of it in exchange for shares in Spaulding Enterprises. Blake has a conniption fit because it was somehow going to disrupt their plans. This was all scrapped with the budget crunch and Sebastian was shipped off and Maureen Garrett stopped appearing. I felt like the show was going to try a Holly / Alan pairing.

In terms of gothic storytelling in 2000s, I do think the dreaded Maryanne Carrouthers storyline from 2003-2004 would also fall into the catefory. The atmosphere in that was very well done. Very moody and haunting. I thought the climax was decent at the house of mirrors, but there wasn't a whole lot happening between the reveals.

I don't hate Conboy and Weston as much as others do. I thought Ben becoming an escort made sense with who the character had been with Bomer in the part. He had made that sex bet regarding Marah and was pretty worried about money all the time. I could see Ben turning to sex work. I didn't love how Ben's sexual abuse was treated like a post script, but I wasn't as mortified as others. I felt a lot of the online reaction was a bit insane like saying there was no one Ben could have been molested because Fletcher would have known which was more degrading, in my opinion, than Ben actually being abused.

I don't think Regina / Sister Lucia was used appropriately. She wasn't just Gus' mother, but she had also been Phillip's (retcon) nanny. If you are looking to do a longer Phillip vs. Gus narrative, this was something that should have been considered. Though, I didn't really have much use for Gus in general, to be quite honest. Gus and Harley were fine as a B-couple, but didn't work in the A-couple role for me.

Looking back at the Dobsons, there were references to a woman in black at the end of the tenure. I think people have speculated this would have been Amanda's mother. I wonder if they recycled any of this for Santa Barbara with Sophia Capwell. Who was the writer that proposed the initial Janice Stafford storyline? Was it Doug Marland? I would be curious if Janice (or some iteration) wasn't the original intended mother of Amanda. The Dobsons had Sophia "die" in a boating accident. It could be coincidence, or just another reference reference to A Place in the Sun.

It's interesting hearing that they didn't want a strong headwriter after Marland and that was, in part, what led to money issues with Pat Falken Smith and her quick departure. If available, I imagine Smith would have been better suited to continue after the Dobsons rather than Marland. Stylistically, the Dobsons and Falken Smith seem more psycho-sexual in their writing than Dobson while having their own flourishes.

9 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Variety review of first TV episode.

GUIDING LIGHT With Jone allison, Herb Nelson,Susan Douglas, Lyle Sudrow,Charita Bauer ; Producer: Dave Lesan Director: Ted Corday Writer: Irna Phillips 15 Mins.; Mon.-thru-Fri,, 2:30 p.m. PROCTER & GAMBLE CBS-TV, from N. Y. (Compton)

One of the longest-run radio soap operas, “Guiding Light” has been duplicated for TV by Procter & Gamble as the first AM daytime |serial to get the combined spread.

Show preemed on CBS-TV Monday (30) with the same writer, Irna Phillips and looked as though it will achieve the same mid-high ratings it’s obtained on radio. Fact that the video version is to follow the same basic story line as its AM sister, however, indicates that it won’t pick up many viewers from the radio side. Preem had no lead-in to indicate that it was a first, merely picking up the yarn as though viewers had seen a preceding stanza last Friday. Initialer had Joe Roberts separated from his wife, Meta, who’s having nightmares over fear of, how their daughter, Kathy, will fare in Joe’s hands. Kathy, in turn, is giving Joe trouble by wishing to move into her own apartment and substitute college for a career. Sounded rather schmaltzy, but the ground work has been laid for succeeding stanzas, which, after all, is and always has been the format for these soapers.

Jone Allison and Herb Nelson, doubling from the radio version, registered capably as Meta and Joe, while Susan Douglas made for an attractive and personable Kathy. Lyle Sudrow and Charita Bauer play Meta’s brother and sister-in- law, respectively. While it’s difficult to judge the production credits on the basis of a single installment, the two sets used on the initialer, plus camera work and other mountings, reflected careful planning on the part of producer Dave Lesan and director Ted Corday. P&G is sponsoring “Guiding Light” as a permanent replacement for ‘First 100 Years,” which was TV’s first soap opera. Compton agency handles this one for Crisco and Ivory, while Benton & Bowles had “Years” for Tide.

Thank you for that, Paul.

12 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Variety review of first TV episode.

GUIDING LIGHT With Jone allison, Herb Nelson,Susan Douglas, Lyle Sudrow,Charita Bauer ; Producer: Dave Lesan Director: Ted Corday Writer: Irna Phillips 15 Mins.; Mon.-thru-Fri,, 2:30 p.m. PROCTER & GAMBLE CBS-TV, from N. Y. (Compton)

One of the longest-run radio soap operas, “Guiding Light” has been duplicated for TV by Procter & Gamble as the first AM daytime |serial to get the combined spread.

Show preemed on CBS-TV Monday (30) with the same writer, Irna Phillips and looked as though it will achieve the same mid-high ratings it’s obtained on radio. Fact that the video version is to follow the same basic story line as its AM sister, however, indicates that it won’t pick up many viewers from the radio side. Preem had no lead-in to indicate that it was a first, merely picking up the yarn as though viewers had seen a preceding stanza last Friday. Initialer had Joe Roberts separated from his wife, Meta, who’s having nightmares over fear of, how their daughter, Kathy, will fare in Joe’s hands. Kathy, in turn, is giving Joe trouble by wishing to move into her own apartment and substitute college for a career. Sounded rather schmaltzy, but the ground work has been laid for succeeding stanzas, which, after all, is and always has been the format for these soapers.

Jone Allison and Herb Nelson, doubling from the radio version, registered capably as Meta and Joe, while Susan Douglas made for an attractive and personable Kathy. Lyle Sudrow and Charita Bauer play Meta’s brother and sister-in- law, respectively. While it’s difficult to judge the production credits on the basis of a single installment, the two sets used on the initialer, plus camera work and other mountings, reflected careful planning on the part of producer Dave Lesan and director Ted Corday. P&G is sponsoring “Guiding Light” as a permanent replacement for ‘First 100 Years,” which was TV’s first soap opera. Compton agency handles this one for Crisco and Ivory, while Benton & Bowles had “Years” for Tide.

Am I the only one thinking it was strange the reviewer thought it would/should be two different shows?

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by P.J.

16 hours ago, DeeVee said:

I get the feeling from Mart's interview that he was a bit of a troublemaker and that's what they didn't like about him, so this does not sound unbelievable to me.

It would also seem that if Marland got his way on this issue, it would make sense he would be surprised and angry when he was told Elliot was being fired. Enough that he would leave.

A link to a press article regarding Hulswit's firing from earlier in this very thread:

@vetsoapfan, I believe, recalled how Marland described Hulswit as a "dodo". Oddly enough, I never read that Hulswit was difficult to work with. The same apparently could not be said about my avatar, Don Stewart...

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by zanereed

1 hour ago, P.J. said:

Am I the only one thinking it was strange the reviewer thought it would/should be two different shows?

Well, there was precedence for shows starting over when they started their TV version. One Man's Family, for example, continued the radio show as normal when the TV version started but the TV version started the storyline from the beginning. I don't know if that's what the writer was thinking, however.

15 hours ago, P.J. said:

Stolen by Brandon and raised to avenge Alan's takeover of the company. Works as well as a dayplayer nun, or whack history where Josh/Billy/Ed/Buzz and Alan all went to a carnival in Springfield.

I would have loved the "real" Spaulding male heir to show up..but it would have to be someone who could act and phyically GA's size to look like a real threat. DAM would have been great in that role..but I hated the island so.

I don't know how they would explain the baby surviving, but it probably would be a nurse stole "another" dead baby and replaced the Spaulding heir...of course the nurse would have been Brandon's lover..they guy got around.

1 hour ago, Mitch64 said:

I would have loved the "real" Spaulding male heir to show up..but it would have to be someone who could act and phyically GA's size to look like a real threat. DAM would have been great in that role..but I hated the island so.

I don't know how they would explain the baby surviving, but it probably would be a nurse stole "another" dead baby and replaced the Spaulding heir...of course the nurse would have been Brandon's lover..they guy got around.

For some reason I can picture Michael E. Knight or maybe Stephen Nichols playing the real heir. It would need Elizabeth back to make it all come together preferably with Lezlie Dalton playing her.

15 minutes ago, SoapDope78 said:

It would need Elizabeth back to make it all come together preferably with Lezlie Dalton playing her.

Now you have me wondering about a suitable recast if she couldn't or wouldn't.

41 minutes ago, SoapDope78 said:

For some reason I can picture Michael E. Knight or maybe Stephen Nichols playing the real heir. It would need Elizabeth back to make it all come together preferably with Lezlie Dalton playing her.

Stephen Nichols could have been great, although I might have said the same about him on Y&R...