Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Contessa Donatella]

Some more photos:

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2 more:

 

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Just listened to the Lipton interview. 

 

Lipton: You're asking me too much about soap operas. There are much more important things about my life to talk about. 

Interview: Ok, we can move onto other topics. 

Lipton: Good. 

Me: click

Edited January 17 by Reverend Ruthledge

[Paul Raven]

Lipton spent the 50's acting on a soap and then wrote for them in the 60's, 70's and 80's.

He should have a lot to offer on the subject.

 

[wonderwoman1951]

look forward to hearing your thoughts after you watch the interview. 

Edited January 17 by wonderwoman1951

[Contessa Donatella]

On January 5, 1993, on GL, Ellen Parker as Mo, delivered my favorite of all lines of soap opera dialogue, “You have reduced us to a ridiculous suburban joke and I will never forgive you for this”. - Mo to Lillian, GL 1-5-1993. Scriptwriter of the day was Courtney Sherman Simon, Headwriter, Nancy Curlee Demorest, Exec Producer, Phelps.

 

GL HW Nancy Curlee when asked if she had any story regrets, "Although Maureen's death was a lynchpin in a carefully conceived, well-executed story, Ellen Parker was so fine & so well loved, that her absence left a hole in the show that was later hard to fill.

 

From this mag:

MAUREEN BAUER, WIFE AND MOTHER, DIES

Husband's affair cited

Renowned Cedars Hospital surgeon Ed Bauer lost more than a patient in early 1993, when his wife Maureen was involved in a fatal car accident. "You have broken my heart" were reportedly the last words she spoke. Maureen had allegedly just learned of her husband's affair with nurse Lillian Raines via a note from the nurse to Ed. After Maureen confronted her friend Lillian, she had an argument with her husband, and then drove over an ice-covered road. Cedars staffers noted that the triage nurse was Lillian. After Maureen died, the shattered Ed approved her organ donation. Maureen left behind a stepson, Rick and a daughter Michelle. 

Picture caption: A close moment for Lillian and Ed at Cedars. 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

One of the cuts says it is

James Lipton on writing controversial storylines for Another World and other daytime dramas

 02:03

And, there was absolutely zero discussion of controversial storylines!

Lipton claims that he created LIAMST & I have a feeling that Irna would like to have a word with him about that because I'm pretty sure she created it!!!

He was downright offensive if you ask me about schooling the interviewer that he was asking too many questions about soaps & they weren't important enough. Yes, he claims to have always given his all but at the same time they were not a priority for him, instead what they were is the perfect subsidy for him. 

Oh, wait, I know where they got "controversy". He claims to have been involved in the first story about abortion although they couldn't call it that. They said "illegal medical procedure."

[wonderwoman1951]

according to imdb, he was not involved with liamst in any capacity. 

and, also according to imdb as well as his book,’inside, inside,’ he began writing aw after irna left in 1965 — a year after the abortion story. 

granted he was 83 when the interview took place and may have misremembered some events. of course, given his proclivity for self-aggrandizement…

[Maxim]

Beautiful photographs. Make me earn to see this period. Thank you for sharing. 

[Contessa Donatella]

THANK YOU!!!!

OMG, I cannot say this is a surprise!! I'm so glad you decided to do research today. I couldn't have gotten to it till sometime during our wonderful approaching weekend.

I've got to say that this even before your lovely research reinforced some thoughts I've held about him, in the soap universe at least, which would not be classified as positives. 

Still, very glad you posted the link!

 

[Reverend Ruthledge]

He wasn't saying he wrote the abortion story for AW. He was saying his character of Dick Grant on TGL was involved in the first abortion on TV. I'm not sure what that's about. Dick was on the show from 1951-1962. I have only read up to 1955. What he's referring to could have happened between 1955-1962 but it sure didn't happen from 1951-1955. I'll have to see. I doubt they would have had Dick perform an abortion. Perhaps Marie had an abortion. I don't know if I'd trust his memory. He also said he married everybody on the show but his mother. I know he's trying to be funny but he only married two people. That's a pretty low number for a soap opera and definitely not "everybody on the show". It was a weird comment to make. And I wouldn't trust him to remember the stories he wrote, either. He was the original hack writer. 

Edited January 18 by Reverend Ruthledge

[Khan]

James Lipton was a very good dialogue writer for THE DOCTORS.  That's about as far as I'd go in praising his writing, lol.

[wonderwoman1951]

just took a look up to 1961, the year before he left, didn’t see anything that even remotely mentioned an abortion. 

as far as his memory, people are being asked to recall events that took place decades earlier. so, of course, there will be some misremembering. when i hear one person’s version of any given situation an interview, i always try to find what others involved had to say.

but, with this guy — much as he appears to distance from soaps. he also wants to exaggerate his role.  

Edited January 18 by wonderwoman1951

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Interestingly, he said Irna couldn't write dialogue to save her life but that she was a master plot-writer. I found her dialogue could be dull and affected at various times but the majority of times her dialogue was good and a few times downright brilliant. Considering the amount of dialogue she had to write, weaknesses are bound to come through at times but I don't get how he could think she was a BAD dialogue writer. 

[Khan]

Someone else has said that, too, although I can't recall who it was atm.

I thought Bill Bell's dialogue on Y&R was very dull and affected, too.  Then, I heard Y&R WITHOUT his dialogue, and I realized just how integral the dialogue was to his storytelling.  Maybe his characters didn't talk the way real people talk, but no one else in daytime has used dialogue to reveal characters' inner thoughts and feelings the way he did either.

[wonderwoman1951]

lipton wasn’t the only one who had issues with irna’s dialogue. don mclaughlin said the same thing same thing re both dialogue and plot. 

and irna didn’t actually ‘write’ dialogue. here’s how she describes her process:

I know I am one of the few serial writers who dictates rather than types their scripts. But instead of being a detriment to me, dictating has been one of my strongest assets as a writer. When I dictate I, in fact, act out the entire episode. People who have watched me work have commented that when dictating I change my voice to fit each character, that I used certain gestures when speaking the lines intended for this character or that [one]. In fact, one observer called my work routine “a one-woman repertory company.” Secretaries have no problem knowing which character is speaking when I dictate.