Jump to content

Guiding Light Discussion Thread


Paul Raven

Recommended Posts

  • Members
Posted (edited)

This is the article mentioned in the June 3 column. Sorry it's out of order. I couldn't edit it for some reason. 

Please register in order to view this content

Edited by chrisml
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 17.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • Members

It's so interesting to look at these old soap magazine columns. Thank you for posting them.

Michael Logan complaining about the GL 50th anniversary show leaving out Nola's fantasies is a head-scratcher for me.

I do recall soap columnists adoring those scenes and never could understand it back then, either. I LOATHED them, and I adore old movies more than most people do. On rewatch I like Nola much more now than I did back in the day, probably because very few of the episodes available now have those fantasy scenes bringing everything to a screeching halt.

Obviously, there are people who liked them and that's O.K. But soapdom's creative pinnacle? I don't think so.

It's wild how soap operas have been so incestuous for so long. Instead of firing people who were messing everything up and bringing in new people, just rotate the same failures over and over.

Sure, soaps are a specialized field, not everyone can produce, write, or act in them, but you'd think they would have tried to train up more replacements from outside the industry, like they did with Harding Lemay. Especially when it became obvious the heyday of soaps was coming to an end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Posted (edited)

I think it's precisely because many writers didn't want to lose these cushy and by most accounts well-paying positions (or lose them for their children/family, in a number of notable cases) that you saw less and less people trained up. Someone is always coming up from behind you.

Beyond the Gates has to its credit tried to prioritize writers of color in the dialogue/daily corps, some of whom are new or at least relatively fresh/new. But there's still a lot of friends of the show or creatives on staff, both because the entertainment industry is always about who you know and because those people know how to do the job. And I won't lie and say I don't wish a few oldheads (like Patrick Mulcahey) could be persuaded out of retirement to tweak some of those daily shows.

Edited by Vee
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

That is the 1995 executive Producer musical chairs I have referred to multiple times over many years. This is not new, folks. And, it was 95/96 when the LA TIMES article teased getting Bill Bell to write a new soap to replace GL.  ??? What's up? 

That's totally misleading. Bill Bell wanted nothing to do with this crapola. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Interesting to me that it was discussed so much in the soap press that JFP's tenure at GL was so rocky and disliked. I've never even heard of this Douglas Anderson. He must not have lasted long.

Please register in order to view this content

And Michael Logan said GL was so bad in 1994 that it needed an intervention. Perhaps, that's why JFP gave the interview in 1995 to do damage control:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Don't blame Danny Cosgrove. St Alban wouldn't have known chemistry if she sat on a book.

Ed and Lillian kissed during the blackout. They didn't have sex until September. I think it's the same episodes where Vanessa gets into a car accident on her way to marry Fletcher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Sigh......so brilliant to set fire to 5th street for like the third time in 5 years. RME.

Firing Hunt Block? Applause, applause. Ben Warren was a pale imitation of Roger, and Hunt Block couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag. I said what I said

I heartily dislike the 50th primetime special, but not because it didn't mention Nola's fantasies. I didn't like them then, and I skip them on rewatch. I love Lisa Brown, but those sequences go on FAR too long. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Posted (edited)

Well, I didn't want to be crass. Otherwise all that would've shown up in my post is [!@#$%^&*]  [!@#$%^&*] [!@#$%^&*].

And I couldn't come up with what I wanted to say...but what I should've said was "St Alban wouldn't understand chemistry if she sat on a chemistry book soaked in gasoline and lit on fire."

Edited by P.J.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I believe the rumor was that that horrible May the cigarette girl character was supposed to be Stacey working undercover for the FBI or something. But the character tanked so badly they simply fired her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
Posted (edited)

That was speculation at the time but I think it was wishful thinking.  I liked May a lot, but saw no.on-air evidence of a connection.  GL had a string of newbies with no family ties at that time.  The Reardons and Vanessa were all gone by that point.

Speaking of wishful thinking, I so wanted Mike Bauer to ride back to town, taking out the mob in a blaze of glory.

Edited by Spoon
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'm still angry that talented as she was Paul Rauch shot down every single idea Labine pitched including a romance between Holly & Olivia. Imagine them telling that story back then. I imagine other ideas might have been compelling too. Just because Paul couldn't see it, I mean what did he know? He overlit the show & ran a paranoid ship & dictated what the women could wear. Am I suggesting he was a tryrant? Why yes I am.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Rauch, or Raunch as we called him then did way more harm than good.  The focus shifted further away from the legacy families and more onto a revolving door of aimless random.  Island Sean?  Sam the cowboy? Dr. Noah?

 

 

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
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
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.




  • Recent Posts

    • Here you go, by special request! https://www.instagram.com/p/DJlXDnWJImW/ DAYS 9-26-90 Matt Ashford as Jack Deveraux in drag
    • Concluding 1976... Raymond Schafer arrives in Springfield and begins an extensive probe into Malcolm’s death, puzzling Ed, who wonders why most of Schafer’s question sessions keep turning back to Rita’s involvement with Malcolm. Ed assures the man that Rita’s only connection with Malcolm was as his nurse; he is unaware that Schafer knows a great deal more about Rita than he does. Just to protect Rita, Ed has Mike check on Schafer’s credentials, and learns that he’s a  well-respected criminal attorney. The waitress at the restaurant where Malcolm suffered his stroke tells Schafer that the woman who was with him reacted very professionally to the sudden emergency, as if she were a nurse. Realizing that her little sister has fallen hard for Tim, Rita warns him that she’s very vulnerable and innocent, but Tim tells Rita her advice isn’t necessary. But Tim then receives a plum job offer to be chief neurological resident at a prestigious Philadelphia hospital and can’t pass up the opportunity. Evie is crushed by the news and spends the next several days at home crying. Joe Werner, fully recovered, has accepted a post as a medical aide in a destitute village in India and leaves alone, with Sarah to follow him later. Justin asks Sarah to consider a partnership with him in private practice, but she explains that she thrives on the hospital atmosphere. When a call comes from India that Joe has had another massive attack, Sarah leaves on the next available flight and arrives only moments before he dies. The painful news is relayed back to Cedars at once. Sara returns from India a heartbroken woman, but the day-to-day involvement of raising T.J. and of her career seem to be her salvation. Justin shows a surprisingly compassionate and understanding side to Sara, but, ironically, Justin’s ex-wife, Jackie, arrives in Springfield with her diabetic father, who is suffering from a heart attack. In the process of consulting with Justin on her father’s condition, Jackie comes face to face with Sara for the first time since their college days. Evie’s heartbreak at Tim’s departure turns to fury and hatred when she inadvertently discovers a letter which Tim wrote to Rita just after he left. In it he concedes that Rita was right about Evie’s vulnerability where he was concerned but reminds Rita that he badly hurt her in the same way she feared Evie would suffer. Evie is now sure that Rita somehow forced Tim to leave town and is livid at the idea that Tim was Rita’s lover. She insists she’s cutting off her relationship with Rita and will pay her back for any help she’s received in the past. Ben and Hope’s wedding plans are off, as Ben, while still insisting he’s innocent, won’t explain why the robbery evidence points to him. Hope feels his unwillingness to tell her the truth makes marriage to him impossible, but confides to Ann that she is miserable without him. Ben has echoed these sentiments to Mike but won’t confide in him, either as Hope’s father or as an attorney.   Holly is trying very hard to build a life without Ed, but since she sees him virtually every day at work,she’s unable to put him out of her mind. She accepts a date with a member of the hospital administration staff but is unable to avoid making comparisons between Ed and this young man and winds up alone, sadly holding Ed’s picture and recalling how much she loves him. Believing that the hospital board’s conclusions on Grainger’s death have settled the question once and for all, Rita has regained her self-confidence, and her romance with Ed is growing daily. They admit their love for each other, and Ed confides that he intentionally  held back with Rita for fear of making another mistake. Rita then tells Ed she has never married because for her marriage must be forever. Rita’s mother realizes that Rita is truly in love when she confides in her that she doesn’t understand why she’s been so lucky in having him love her and how she wants to be the very best person she can be for him. Ed proposes marriage to Rita and gives her time to think about it before answering. Rita painfully realizes that her past could, if it rose again against her, make a life with Ed a lost dream. But Raymond Shaefer has been quietly but efficiently carrying on his investigation and has learned that Grainger argued with Rita at her apartment. He presents the evidence he’s compiled to District Attorney Eric Van Gelder, who decides the case warrants further investigation. Rita goes to Ed’s office to tell him she loves him but can’t marry him, that she doesn’t deserve him and “can’t do it to him.” As she turns from a confused Ed to leave, she finds the district attorney and a police officer outside Ed’s door, waiting to arrest her. Ed, insisting that a serious mistake has been made, calls Mike to help her as Rita, shocked and humiliated, is taken under arrest through the hallways of the hospital in which she works. Mike manages Rita’s release on bail only after she has had to submit to the degrading booking procedure. Mike sees her alone at her apartment, explaining he can help her only if she tells him the whole truth. Rita equivocates until Mike mentions Texas, indicating to Rita that he knows at least some of the story. Van Gelder has, in fact, let Mike see the bulk of evidence in the case against Rita, to convince him her arrest wasn’t a capricious whim. Rita explains to Mike that Malcolm believed she intentionally vilified him to his father, to do him out of his rightful inheritance, and then wanted his father dead to collect her money. Mike expresses his appreciation of Rita’s honesty, promising to help her. But Rita’s tormented dreams confirm that she hasn’t yet told all the truth, and after Peggy visits, expressing firm support, Rita tells Roger she has to reveal his part in the story. Roger painfully tells Rita about his being Christina’s father to show her that if Ed knew, it would end Rita’s chances with him forever. Rita, who was ready to tell Ed the whole story, now realizes how risky that would be. Adding to Rita’s pain is her forced leave of absence from the hospital until she’s cleared and the embarrassment of seeing her name in the headlines.
    • Please register in order to view this content

         
    • Yes, but the stories are all pretty awful Seeing Victor rehashing his hatred of the Abbotts  when he married one of them and has a daughter that is half Abbott as well as walking around with Traci's daughter's heart keeping him alive makes him look worse than he already is. And I remember he and Jack chatting amicably in the past few years. Victor interfering in Kyle/Claire is just repeat of Billy/Victoria. Sharon, Nick,Phyllis etc are around but again the stories are lacking.
    • I think Kevin's 1996 Emmy was fair enough. He barely appeared for his second. I don't think anyone else on the list is that deserving but I might have gone with Moore as he did try with the whole Keesha AIDS story. @alwaysAMC Thanks to slick jones' cast list I was able to see that Nikki Rene played Tina. Not much on her, as you mentioned. Tap and a few Broadway listings (it doesn't help that a younger actress with a similar name is in a lot of roles). Nikki Rene: Credits, Bio, News & More | Broadway World https://onceonthisisland.fandom.com/wiki/Nikki_Rene Nikki Rene - IMDb
    • Thank you. That does ring a bell. I remember Theresa and Julian's drunk, giggly fake wedding (with Julian asking "Whassup?" to the minister). Was Bruce tricking the pair as a prank, or did somebody put him up to it? I especially liked Katherine recalling how dashing young Alistair was when he'd pick up Rachel for dates, and how she wished she could be her sister, then feeling guilty once Rachel had her boating accident ...
    • And Kevin Mambo beat Shemar Moore for those two Emmys. I chalk up the wins to the voters not wanting Jonathan Jackson to eventually end up with a five peat (he won 1995, 1998, 1999). These were the 1996 and 1997 Younger Actor races. 1996: Nathan Fillion, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow 1997: Steve Burton, Jonathan Jackson, Kevin Mambo (winner), Shemar Moore, Joshua Morrow
    • https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/denise-alexander-obituary?pid=209074143
    • Today's episode was excellent. Clearly it was confrontation day and they didn't disappoint. I'm glad they didn't forget Mona in all of this and gave us an opportunity to see how she's dealing with this. A major highlight for me were the Kat and Martin scenes. Their chemistry is off the charts and I don't understand why we haven't gotten more of this. I love how they take turns calming each other down. They feel really well matched and believable as siblings. Speaking of siblings, they anvils were dropping strong that Kat and Eva are twins but I do wish someone would mention that they are essentially hood twins which might throw people off the scent.  I'm one of the people who enjoyed Joey and the gambling storyline so it was nice to see him again. It was nice to see different characters like Mona and Eva in that element instead of the usual players. When Doug arrived I don't know what hit me but I just see a funeral in his future. He seems so hopeless and has the worst luck. I just can't see him surviving the year at this rate.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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