Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Soaplovers]

Coopers had been in America for at least two generations so it made sense that the family had become more American than Greek, which is typical for most families/groups that are in the country for two or three generations).

In regards to Eleni, I had no idea that the actress didn't speak with a Greek accent until she was on something else and didn't have the Greek accent.  At least Eleni was played by a Greek actress.

In regards to the Reardons, I could have bought that they were Irish and Protestant if Marland had bothered to build/mention their backstory where their ancestors fled Ireland because they were a religious minority and came to America to avoid religious persecution.  Both Ireland and North Ireland have a decent Protestant population (and I know this because my paternal ancestors were Irish protestant and my maternal ancestors were Irish Catholic).

[Soapsuds]

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[Mitch64]

Bev and CB's Alan had an incestuous vibe, but it was more gothic , these two powerful people raised by an abusive father cut off from other people their age growing up. Marj's was more annoying and pathetic...like she actaully wanted to get it on with RR's Alan..it WAS weird.

I think Borne would have been a good Kyle recast, or the man who met Reva when she had  amnesia (a Richard replacement but there woudl be no stupid island royalty..it would be more gothic.)

[DRW50]

Thanks @Soapsuds 

Only a few minutes in and I run into the buzzsaw of sanctimonious, dreary-ass Mallet, reminding me all over again of how he drained Harley of life. 

If he and Nick were ever in any scenes together the air would have literally been sucked out of the room, leaving corpses on the floor.

Holly and Blake had such an interesting relationship under Sherry and Maureen. It was always so believably fraught. Very ahead of its time in many ways - the type of relationship you'd end up getting on "peak TV." Liz was a good enough actress, but she often played Blake as much weaker on the surface, whereas you knew how vulnerable Blake was under Sherry, but she put up a front, just like her dear mother.

That Royal Family/Davis Rules promo is torturous. Maybe Jackee already got the vibes about Randy Quaid.

Even when the stories aren't necessarily compelling, we get to see different stories and character groups interacting (like Alan-Michael and Billy). That was one of the things which often drew me to ATWT and GL.

I never knew they were playing around with Jenna/Fletcher.

Beverlee breaking your heart in that paternity "reveal" scene. She got a bit more OTT in her last year or so in the part, at times, but she is subtle and devastating here.

Ugh Nick.

Edited April 7 by DRW50

[Contessa Donatella]

The only way I  know of where this work out is if the information was on pink pages where pink pages refer to  new or changed information.

[TEdgeofNight]

No, I wasn’t there but put me in the ‘I Know Things’ category.

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[DRW50]

I think it's because JFP did not see GL as a community-based show, unless the community was a shantytown in service to her friends. We were meant to be honored by their presence.

Edited April 7 by DRW50

[DRW50]

@P.J. You probably already saw this but there are some fun Vanessa scenes. Maeve's performance here is interesting to me - she was never just OTT as Vanessa even in the bitchiest plot mover days, but it feels like a bridge to her later work, even if there's still a foot in the past (like her repeatedly calling Trish "darling" in that society circuit way - I wonder if they ever considered each other genuine friends). I laughed when she said young women only marry older men for money. How prophetic. Mike White would have had a field day with her character arc. 

Someone in the comments mentioned expecting to see Diane sashay in and how they had quit for a while after her murder. The office does lack a great deal of spark without her. So much earnestness. Still, at least one Marland touch is gone (Trish and Alan did not throw stones at Vanessa as she ran out of the room).

Jennifer Cooke had improved as Morgan by this point...still not great, but they were writing to her strengths - more direct, less of the ingenue. I wonder if they had any plans to put her back with Kelly or if they were done done. Jennifer may have already chosen to leave by this point, I'm not sure. I rarely see Kelly in 1983 or 1984 episodes, although admittedly, I am not exactly looking for him. Something about the character puts me off.

Mona/Rebecca reminds me of Sheena Easton (who reportedly could have played a great villain). The character is generally more entertaining when she enters into the bitch phase of that meandering storyline, which I guess we are at by this point. The couch she is sitting on is hideously ugly. I wonder if the real reason Mrs. Renfield left so hurriedly is because she had murdered a housewife and stole her suite.

Jennifer must have been one of the biggest sad sacks in GL history. Poor Geraldine Court. Morgan shutting down her trying to use her delusional marriage as a yardstick for other couples was satisfying.

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Edited April 7 by DRW50

[Soaplovers]

Ah, this is during that awkward stage between Marland's stint and Pam Long's stint where it seemed as though a lot of the stories were in standstill or being cleaned up.

Regarding Morgan, I do recall that between this period and May 1983 that she hung out more with Rick and Philip before she left the canvas in May 1983 just as Mindy/Beth were arriving on the scene.

Kelly doesn't have a lot to do for awhile until Claire Ramsay comes on the scene later in 1983.. and they're roommates that eventually date before he leaves the show in 1984. 

The Dobsons/Marland's were pros at writing gothic stuff.. and you can tell that whoever was writing the show at this point didn't know quite how to write effective gothic content.  If I recall, most of this story is resolved just before Long joins the canvas as headwriter.

[DRW50]

In one of her later episodes Philip is hanging out with her and seems to have a crush on her. That could have been a good angle to continue, as they aged Philip so quickly, too quickly, once he graduated high school.

I don't think a lot of the Quint mystery stuff is that thrilling even with Marland there, but at least it has a throughline. As you said, this is clear stall mode, mostly just helped by some of the supporting people, like Helena. 

Thanks for the answer about Kelly.

[prefab1]

I recently watched the climax of the Rebecca/Mona storyline, where she takes Amanda, Mark, and Quint hostage, and I thought those scenes were fantastic. They seem to be from the very brief period when Gary Tomlin and the Cullitons were headwriting, and I like them a lot more than the touches of Gothic storytelling I've seen from Marland:

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[Dan]

Just dropping in to correct some timing. Holly was dropped first but it was announced mid February 2003 just as she was appearing in the Reva stalker story. I only know this cause that was the first hint that we were in for a terrible ride under Ellen Weston. 

[Maxim]

Let me say that... every time I open and see your posts here... I read them with such joy. I don't always comment, because I don't know a lot of the stuff that is being discussed and don't want to sound like I'm posting empty praise. But I just LOVE your takes. It makes me want to continue watching my 1993 binge in the future. Trouble is - first I have AMC that is waiting for me - hot and fresh. 

And one thing I have found to be true for myself and it may be true for you too - even when sometimes I've been warned by vet fans who know a lot more than me and whose opinion I cherish and respect... about a certain storylines or bad writers... or told that a certain period is bad or boring and etc... It's always 50/50 experience in the end. Meaning - half the time the advice is spot on and soon I'm finding myself thinking why am I losing my time with this junk... but I've also had situations where I've been told how bad something will be or stupid or irrelevant and I'VE LOVED IT. I've then had to argue with my friends that they are wrong. Hehe. Soap operas are very subjective experiences. So I'm really happy that you are finding pearls and great stuff in this period. That's amazing. 

Edited April 7 by Maxim

[chrisml]

Did JFP, Rauch or Conboy really understand most of the shows they produced? Conboy has the look of SB down, but the characters lost IQ points. Rauch took away everything that made SB and GL special and unique.  I remember Liz Keifer saying something in a Locher interview about Rauch always wanting to see the underbelly of everything. He never wanted to see the good of anything. JFP wasted so much money to turn AW into a copy of ER. That awful opening that copied ER's. Not an original thought just copy copy copy. She then redid the Maureen/Ed/Lillian story with Sharlene/John/Felicia. While I think Conboy has more talent than Wheeler (and I think he could put together a decent GL episode), he didn't get GL either and he did damage to the cast. It's funny how even Locher calls Conboy out for being terrible for GL and Locher is usually on the fence for most things.

[DeeVee]

Hi, popping in to introduce myself. I have been lurking as a guest for a little while. I LOVE the discussion here! Was stunned to find out people are still talking about even the vintage era of soaps. I guess YT is keeping them alive.

I started watching soaps as early as the 1960s, mainly because my mom watched them. (Except for Dark Shadows, that was totally a me thing). Over the decades I've probably watched almost every soap at one time or another, even oldies that have been gone for a while, like The Secret Storm, Somerset, and Love of Life.

My mom's soap viewing was very much dictated by whichever male actor she had a crush on at any given moment. We started watching GL during the early part of the Dobsons era because she had a huge crush on Michael Zaslow. I was a fairly consistent viewer during the late 1970s and the 1980s. Somewhere during the 1990s I became a less regular viewer, but still checked in occassionally until the end of the show's run.

It's been amazing rewatching episodes on YT. It's nice to confirm the good stuff is a good as I remembered (and the not so good stuff is, well, you know...)

Anyway, looking forward to taking part in the conversation!