Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[kalbir]

It was posted in the "They Almost Became" thread that GL offered the role of Buzz Cooper to Terry Lester but he turned it down and instead took Royce on ATWT. Perhaps Justin Deas wasn't GL's original choice but his casting was another Friend of Jill incident.

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks for the confirmation!!! 

[TEdgeofNight]

Too funny. So Ellen Parker “thinks” Jill had to free up money for Justin and it becomes confirmation. Was Ellen in on the budget discussions? lol 

I was a watcher of GL during that period and Maureen was indeed totally boring. 

Edited April 6 by TEdgeofNight

[chrisml]

I'm the soap viewer who holds a grudge so refusing to watch Justin Deas for 32 years is par for the course for me. It also doesn't hurt that from what little I saw he was terrible and I think the destruction he caused was not balanced by what he brought to the show. As I've said before, I wish him all the luck with his health, but as an actor, he has never done anything for me. 

I really like Beth Chamberlain. I think she should have won the Emmy the year she was nominated, but she had no support in the industry and that's usually how the people win. I judged her category for goldderby (back when you got mailed discs) and placed her number one. However, it was someone I thought was terrible and ranked fifth who won. Julie Pinson maybe? [I cheated and looked. It was Pinson. Ugh].

I think it's fine to have the supercouples, but the problem is that soaps spend way too much time on the obstacles, and have no plans for when they get the couples together. It's not always about triangles, affairs, past loves that have never been mentioned before, etc. I think getting rid of Paul Anthony Stewart was idiotic just to worship at the altar of Tom Pelphrey. I know there are people like Dave Kreizman who think he was the superstar, but he repelled me. Still does. One actor whose appeal I do not get. I also enjoyed Nancy St. Alban and thought she could have been given more to do as a more grown up Michelle. Instead, she got saddled with some weird storylines. Admittedly, I did like her amnesiac Michelle flirting with Tony mainly as I had a crush on the actor. Since the actor turned out to be a scuzzbucket,  I'll pretend I didn't write that. 

From my limited viewing perspective, I think Millee Taggart was the only headwriter who could have saved the show if she had been given the opportunity to stay long term. I liked Conboy's visual style so maybe a Taggart/Conboy combo?

[kalbir]

Maureen was not boring. She was the anchor/tentpole of the community. GL being a community-based show needed an anchor/tentpole character to keep things grounded and JFP failed to realize that.

[P.J.]

Then they were looking for Buzz in '92. That's really depressing. Although i can not for the life of me see Lester as Buzz. In any way, shape or form. Good Lord. I cringe thinking about Frankie D trying to act opposite his dad. 

[Vee]

Just ignore the usual bait. He'll be in the GH threads defending Anna Lee being taken off contract next. He has no interest in what he says, he has an interest in you reacting.

Edited April 6 by Vee

[P.J.]

LOL..I fully believe in grudges. Not only can i still not watch Kurt McKinney pose and say his lines (i will however, I will watch Vanessa dump his ass), I have loathed Hunt Block through two shows. And Annie Parisse? She nearly ruined Person of Interest for me. 

I'd have voted for Chamberlain too over Pinson. Hell, I'd have voted for a lamp post over Pinson in that obnoxious role. (I swear to God it's only a coincidence Block, Parisse and Pinson played roadblocks to Carly/Jack. *cross my heart*)

[Contessa Donatella]

"'Mo was a Reardon by birth, a Bauer by marriage, Michele's mother by circumstance, seen by many fans as the inheritor of Bert's matriarchy, a tentpole legacy character and Roger's only real friend, … " - about JFP killing Ellen Parker's character, Maureen, on GL

2 focus groups on 2 shows did not see the value in 2 female characters who were both actually quite beloved likely because focus groups can be misused as easily as well used. In both instances said character was killed off to uproars that lasted years after the actual events. 

Edited April 6 by Contessa Donatella

[TEdgeofNight]

I found Maureen dull. And I do laugh that firing Ellen Parker freed up money to hire Justin Deas. They were hardly on the same salary scale. 

[Tisy-Lish]

What were the circumstances that resulted in a family named Cooper having such strong Greek heritage?   Was there a name change somewhere in the family's history?  And was this Greek heritage made evident from the Coopers' introduction?  Or was it a later retcon?   And was the Cooper being Greek thing believable to the fans at the time?   

Edited April 6 by Tisy-Lish

[Contessa Donatella]

At that point there was no way GL could afford Conboy. He is constitutionally incapable of being even a minimally decent EP if he cannot spend money on stuff. What role did Pinson win for? I guess ATWT which is a shame. I have a great fondness for both PAS & Pelphrey. I was a huge fan of both Otalia & Jami & his bipolar character on OZARK was a best ever. Millee is a dream come true. But if I were HW dreaming for GL during this time period I'd want what I did want: Nancy Curlee back. Period.

In my own way I hold a grudge soapily with the best of them. I never watched even as much as a promo for PSSN. And, I am one of many AW fans who wear that as a badge of honor. 

[P.J.]

Janet Ciccone, the Italian roadblock/personification of Jean Passanante, hack du jour of ATWT.

Later, when Uncle Stavros came to town ('91-ish), he did mention something about his brother Americanizing the name. I can't rightly recall if their Greek roots were immediately mentioned, but I have a suspicion that the Coopers were Greek because Frank Dicopolous was. Ehlers and Dicopulous started the show in '87. And I know by '89 when Harley and A-M married, they were starting a baklava business.

 

With this talk of Terry Lester, he's a decade too young, but he'd have been a GREAT Alan Spaulding.

Edited April 6 by P.J.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, the midwestern Italian descent who ate Oakdale.

I should note here that Janet & Katie were both trying to be the first to eat Oakdale!!!! 

You do know how ATWT ended up hiring Passanante, right? Please if you do not, say so. I had a Twitter/DM conversation with her once, about Lumina & it was NOT reassuring. That was AW, though, not why she landed & stayed at ATWT. 

Edited April 6 by Contessa Donatella

[NothinButAttitude]

All this talk about Jean Passanante and her idiotic creations is one of the many reasons why I never understood daytime's obsession with recycling flop writer's amongst soaps instead of breeding new talent in the 90s onward. Yes, it was cheaper and less time-consuming; however, when daytime did inject new blood in the genre or allowed someone who never held a HW position, despite how we feel about them, it did pay off most times in extending the life of some shows (ex: Sheffer and Carlivati). The remaining shows (minus BTG) need to take the hint--especially Y&R, GH, and DOOL. 

That aside, has the death of Lucille Wexler ever been uploaded? That's one GL moment I really want to see.