Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[zanereed]

Absolutely agree.

Pilar was on TGL for two years (1963 to 1965), and you can see one episode of him from 1963 in the role of Mike on YT when Julie gives birth to Hope. Pilar didn't return again to TGL at all after leaving in 1965 - it was a few months later when Mike and Hope Bauer reappeared in Bay City some time in early 1966.

I've heard that the reason the show didn't ask Pilar to return as Mike was that they were looking for more of a "Daytime Mannix" look-and-feel for Mike Bauer. This is supposedly why they originally cast Pickering, and then opted for Don Stewart later in 1968 (and let's be honest - Stewart certainly looked like a younger version of "Mannix").

Well, Don Stewart never "left" TGL, Gail Kobe fired him. I've said this previously in this thread - I think if Peter Simon hadn't quit as Ed in the fall of 1984 and therefore TPTB had to quickly recast Ed with Richard Van Vleet, Kobe and Long were going to originally recast Mike Bauer in order to continue with the Alexandra/Mike/Lillian love triangle that was supposed to have ramifications for Beth and Lujack. Pickering certainly would have worked. Was Pickering still acting in 1984? I can't find any credits for him at all in the 1980's.

Edited March 6 by zanereed

[Soapsuds]

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[Paul Raven]

I doubt that anyone at GL in 84 had any knowledge of Pickering and would be interested in hiring him, considering he didn't work out the first time around.

Don Stewart seems to have been written out quickly. Do we know the circumstances?

I imagine his contract was up and maybe GL offered to renew with fewer guaranteed appearances, meaning Don's income would drop. That seemed to be happening a lot around that time.

Maybe Don was insulted and suddenly decided not to renew, thus requiring a quick write out.

He could see the writing on the wall that Mike would become a talk to.

Another possibility is that GL didn't want to draw attention to Mike leaving and upsetting viewers. Better to have him just fade out.

[Reverend Ruthledge]

It's a shame Gary Pilar and Robert Gentry weren't on the show at the same time as they were my favorite Mike and Ed. It would have been great to see them together. 

[zanereed]

@Paul Raven - from what I've learned over the years, it apparently started when Pam Long came up with a storyline tied to the eventual Lujack/Beth pairing. This was a love triangle involving both their mothers, Alexandra and Lillian. Since both Alexandra and Lillian were relatively new to the canvas, Long figured it would be a no-brainer to involve Springfield's most longtime eligible bachelor at that point, Mike Bauer. Lillian and Alexandra would both vie for Mike's attention over the spring and summer of 1984. You can see the show use Mike more and more beginning in May and continuing through most of June and July. I think Stewart's last major appearance was at the Springfield Founder's Day in August of 1984 (where he attended the event with Lillian). I suppose Stewart had a few more sporatic appearances, but all of a sudden in September of 1984, it was mentioned in passing that Mike left for Washington DC, and that was it. Mike wouldn't return except for an odd phone call in 1989 that Phillip made to Mike (and the voice on the other end certain wasn't Don Stewart's) and when Mike returned briefly in 1997 for the 60th Anniversary Event.

I guess Stewart did not get along well with Beverlee McKinsey, and that led to Stewart's apparent resistance in continuing with the storyline. I heard the possiblity was that by 1985 Mike would have eventually been paired with Alex for most of that year. Mike was supposed to be with Alex in Barbados during the fall of 1984 for the reveal of Brandon Spaulding. That, combined with Mike likely defending Lujack at his murder trial the following spring, would have kept Mike and Alex together as a couple. Maybe Stewart wasn't keen on it, preferring Mike to only be with Lillian?

And to be fair, I think you also may be right about the contract issue. However, it did appear that Mike was going to be used much more throughout 1984 and 1985.

I originally heard that Gail Kobe had enough and fired Stewart some time in late August via a phone call while Stewart was out playing golf. I always thought this was a silly rumor, but Roger Newcomb from "We Love Soaps" stated a few years ago that this was accurate. It was why Mike was quickly written out in September. I still think the plan after firing Stewart was to recast Mike after a few months (maybe have Mike return to Springfield around Christmas time with a new actor in the role) and try to continue with the original storyline, but obviously that was scrapped. That was probably because Peter Simon had also left in September, and it would have been too much of a shock to longtime viewers to recast both Bauer brothers in such a short amount of time.

[Vee]

You have to wonder what the show would've looked like going forward if Mike had ended up with Alex and Charita Bauer had lived for Bert to be with H.B.(?) It would certainly keep the Bauers locked into the new core. I can't see Bert marrying rich, though I would've liked to see her kept in the thick of things.

Edited March 6 by Vee

[Mitch64]

Your right, they were gearing up for an Alex/Mike/Lillian triangle, and there were scenes heading into that...(Mike taking Alex up in his plane, Lillian mistaking the intentions when Mike asked her back to his place for "dessert") Then it was dropped. It wasn't that Stewart didn't get along with Bev, it was that she was "too old" for him, and he could be, as most actors are, a pain.  That must have been when Kobe fired him( and I don't blame her...I would have just recast him immediately.) I have a feeling that the long game was for Mike and Alex to be together when Alan finally came back.

I think Long had every intention on continuing to use the Bauers...Mike with Alex and Bert with H.B.  (and I think that Bert would have been in the thick of things no matter with H.B. or not...Kobe felt that as long as Charita was there she could fire the entire cast and people would stay tuned.) But it was Kobe the driving force (and Charita's death caught them by suprise.) But there were many times that producers could have restored the Bauers, (Kobe could have recast Mike right before CB came back...but I think she was hesitant because FauxEd was not working out at all.)

[zanereed]

I think Larry Gates and Charita Bauer would have been fantastic together. TPTB throughout the 1970's could never pull the trigger on Bert and Stephen Jackson, so I had no problem with Bert and H.B. Yes, I suppose it would seem an odd pairing, but I could see Bert keeping H.B. in line. Plus, it would have made it interesting if either Josh or Billy was against the pairing, along with either Ed or Mike, setting up some odd alliances with the Lewis and Bauer brothers.

 

Thank you for the confirmation regarding Bev - that makes sense. Stewart was rather notorious over the years for "poo-pooing" potential pairings because the women were either too young or too old (Jennifer, Trish, etc,). To be fair, Bev was older than Stewart...by about 4 months

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! Again, if Stewart would have just went along with the storyline, I don't think Mike would have ever left the show. In fact, depending on who Mike ended up being paired with - Alexandra or Lillian (and they could have even played that "back-and-forth" out for at least 2 or 3 years), I think Mike would have ended up being the "tentpole Bauer" versus Ed.

And yes, Pam Long did want to write for the Bauers. She thought Don Stewart was the perfect older leading man, and like you said @Mitch64, Long would have written for Charita Bauer forever and ever. Apparently Kobe and Long both loved Charita. Charita's death did catch them both completely off guard, and they and the show, itself, never really recovered from it. I bolded your quote from above because that is the absolute truth, and Kobe definitely thought that.

[Soaplovers]

Bert and HB would have been a great pairing, both were strong minded people that had a love for family and community.  

If anyone would have had issue with Bert being with HB, I would have pegged Billy as the one that might have had reservations. 

Josh and Bert bonding during the physical therapy scenes in the summer of 1984 and Rick/Roxy becoming a couple were the seeds being planted for Bert and HB being in the same orbit down the road.  Plus, once Reva/HB broke up in 1985, I could see Bert being a source of comfort for HB since she would know what he was going through.

Even Kim Zimmer knew how important Charita was to the show per this interview from a long time ago

https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/kim-zimmer?clip=124620#show-clips

[bboy875]

I just watched a Twilight Zone episode. Didn't realize until the closing credits that the actress in the episode was...Gail Kobe

[Khan]

And that's because Miss Martha literally walked on water!

[Vee]

I do think Larry Gates and Charita Bauer would've been great together. I just have a hard time picturing Bert Bauer rich, lol. It would've been an adjustment!

[Khan]

I think her reverence came from being on THE DOCTORS and realizing how invaluable James Pritchett, Lydia Bruce, David O'Brien and Jada Rowland had been to that show.  They, along with Elizabeth Hubbard, were the only reasons why anyone was still watching TD when NBC cancelled it, because God knows the storylines and production values weren't bringing them in, lol!

That - Bert's discomfort over H.B.'s wealth - would have been a major source of tension in their relationship.  Josh and Trish would've adored her as a stepmom, though, since they had known her the longest and were more down-to-earth than the rest of the family (which I attribute to Martha's influence), while Billy might've felt H.B. was trying once again to replace Saint Martha.

Edited March 7 by Khan

[P.J.]

I could see Bert and Trish having issues---Trish had had an affair with Alan. Just because Trish almost instantly regretted it doesn't mean Bert wouldn't be bothered by it. Yes, Billy was the more likely candidate, but if they'd gone that route, it probably would've been over his addictions.

[Khan]

Years ago, I saw her on an episode of "Mannix" and said, "Well, now we know why she eventually transitioned into producing," lol.