Jump to content

Guiding Light discussion thread


Paul Raven

Recommended Posts

  • Members

It's not even a guess. It's him doing what he's always done from his career during the dying days of the old P&G soaps defending their failing honor, and it's very tiresome especially when you get actors and writers who want to dig into an issue from that period where he minded the store (or even before) and be candid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 15.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

In my opinion, it is  nearly always bad for soap operas when they start copying one another, or all try to follow the same trend.  So I believe it shook the genre in a bad way.  

Similarly, several soaps tried to copy GH's Luke and Laura capers, science-fiction-ish plots, and international intrigue in the 1980s, and none of them were successful.  This did damage to the genre that it has never recovered from.  

Yes, I do. And GL's back-in-time painting plot.  Also the Lumina plot on AW. The 3-women at the spa plot on ATWT.  Labidizone on AMC.  Probably a few others I'm not recalling.  

Edited by Mona Kane Croft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

You're talking about Alan Locker here, correct?  For a minute, I thought you were talking about James Riley, and I was wondering what you were trying to say.  Sorry -- Yes, i agree completely about Alan Locher.  But I always try to defend him a bit, because he at least has the guts to do his interviews.  Few others have been able to do that.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Well, McTavish is one who has "going too far" in her bailiwick but she comes to it of her own stuff, not by copycatting. 

Lumina, I believe came from NBC & they were onto violence against women & other way out there things, I believe on their own, also not as Reilly copycats.

I also don't think Hogan Sheffer was copycatting Reilly. The white robes/spa storyline came out of trying to solve the problem of having three leading ladies all showing very pregnant at the same time. 

Time Travel/Via Portrait was James Harmon Brown & Barbara Esensten (sp?) wasn't it? I think they, too, own their own outrageousness. 

I have no clue who wrote Labidizone. 

Have you seen the watch party of GL with Beverlee/Alexandra & Roger & Billy & Mindy where Nancy Curlee & Kimberly Simms were in the zoom?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

No... I would love to see it. 

Please register in order to view this content

  Maybe I'll play it before my bed time... so if I fall asleep... it's not accident. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Totally agree. Monty undoubtedly, without any question, did what was best for GH at that moment in time but it was not what was best for the genre, although if American businesses did not have copycatting in their organizational makeups, it would not be an issue. For it to be the dilemma it is requires both the tendency to copycat & a lone genius to be copied. In 1980 that was Gloria Monty. In 1995 that was James E. Reilly. The good & the bad, two sides to a coin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Sorry, this website is always so glitchey with me...anyone else? What I wanted to say was the the Clone did come to catch the trend of "outrageous" storytelling, but there were a lot of factors...Kimmer was hot to play a twin storyline and lobbied to play what would be Cassie...the first introduction of face tape for Zimmer. Even with that they knew they could not get by with Zimmer playing it, so they begin looking around for ways to get her in a twin storyline (which is Emmy bait for the idiots who vote for the Emmys) and the Clone hit all the checks...keep Kimmer happy...Reva and Josh front and center in between bringing Annie back..and ramp up attention.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Maybe you and I have a different definition of copycatting. But I don't believe any of those plots would have been green-lighted (much less encouraged or even demanded), if James Riley's crazy plots had failed at DOOL.  In my opinion, Riley's "success" (if I can call it that) gave the other soaps "permission" to copy him (directly or indirectly) and concoct similar (in tone, not detail) storylines. And that meets my definition of copying.  And I'd suggest it was the production companies and the networks who wanted to copy Riley's style, not necessarily the writers -- some of whom I feel sure detested that kind of stuff and felt like they were prostituting themselves.  Contessa, this is less an argument from me, and more of an explanation of my point of view.  I do respect you point of view, even if I might misinterpret it or even disagree with it.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

@Mona Kane Croft

I wondered if we were working toward the concept of one person's actions giving permission to a group of persons to do similar things. I think Monty & Reilly are excellent examples of it & I think it is an accurate portrayal. 

Thanks for the additional background on that awful story! I always felt that the info of that woman from CBS pushing the idea & Rauch resisting the idea & not knowing any more detail, rang very hollow. Adding in KZ's perspective at the time fleshes it out nicely. GL didn't win any awards for it, did they?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy