Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I'm not entirely sure, but I think she just wanted a break. When she returns there are long periods where it does feel like they are trying to push her out, but maybe I am just being paranoid.

[P.J.]

I watched GL through the '90's, when it originally aired. On rewatch, I stick to the eras I like. As of right now, I just don't have the heart to go much past mid'93. (between some recasts and story developments, there's a lot and too much change for me to think I'd enjoy. I suppose it's specifically Jordan Clarke's departure that breaks my heart. Not that Billy overwhelms plot like Reva does, but he's a HUGE part of GL's resurgence from '89-'93 IMO) I do occasionally find myself cherry-picking things (the Peter custody trial, Van returning to town, etc) but I it's harder to avoid characters I don't like (ie Matt, Jenna, Reva, Buzz) who seem to suck up a lot of airtime. My idea of would be being forced to watch the suckfest that is Matt. (sorry Kurt McKinney fans)

I've recently decided I developed a retro-active girl-crush on Maeve Kinkead. LOL. Because she's there for so long, and she grows so much, there's a Vanessa for every mood. 

LOL...everyone on a soap dies at least once. Reva "died" several times. I think it was always pretty much Maeve's choice when she took a break. She's gone for a year and a half from '88 to '89, and then this break, and then when she "retires" in '00. At that point, she'd been in the business 20-plus years between AW and GL, which is extraordinary and all the more remarkable considering all the regimes she survived on GL.

Edited April 30 by P.J.

[alwaysAMC]

Oh good, so you've seen the stuff I'm currently watching at least once.  

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  The rewatch strategy makes sense, as I do that with AMC myself. Still curious to see if I'll keep liking Matt or if he'll upset me down the line. I was worried at first with Dinah's return, but he ended up doing the right thing and never let her seduction attempts win over. I'm a little worried with Amanda, as they recently revealed they know each other from their time in California, so I'm curious to see where that goes...

Oh, this I've picked up on   haha

Ahh makes sense. I've already thought about her and whether she requires a long vacation break each year. This past summer, she abruptly took Peter with her to Europe for a month, so Roger couldn't get to him as he was dealing with Dinah and her 'kidnapping' story. It seemed like a pretty clear 'hey she's gotta go on vacation, so we need to figure out how to write her out for a while without Matt going with her' thing.

Edited April 30 by alwaysAMC

[chrisml]

Wasn't there bad blood between Rauch and Kinkead from when she was on AW? I seem to recall reading that but I may wrong. 

[P.J.]

I find myself amazed at how the story structure changed through the years. In the early '80's, it wasn't unusual for characters to pop up in the middle of the episode, have a five minute scene, and be gone. Characters have distinct spheres of the lives--work, family and romance. They can interact with other characters naturally---it's not just a set up to recap story. And contrary to common belief, the show doesn't move at a snail's pace. 

I think I got so grateful to find more than the odd Vanessa scene in the Quint/Nola or Josh/Reva clip sets (which was all I could find when I started out rewatching) that I got addicted. LOL. 

Beverlee McKinsey used to take an eight week vacation every year. I don't think anyone else got anything close to that.

[DRW50]

There was, yes, allegedly. That's one of the reasons I say I may have been paranoid.

[alwaysAMC]

Dec 25, 1995 - Christmas episode

This was a beautiful episode with several flashbacks and clips of prior Christmases.  Ironically, they showed a clip of Billy and Nadine showing up for Christmas together when Bill was a younger boy.  Speaking of Nadine, they showed some flashbacks of Nadine/Frank (and Frank/Harley/Mallet), and it reminded me how weird and sad it is that Nadine is frozen at the bottom of the lake while everyone is celebrating Christmas, and they have no idea (and she’s not there visiting nor has she called them!).

There was a big emphasis on Bert Bauer, who seemed like a lovely lady.  Was she Ed’s mother?  There were several other people in the older clips that I wasn’t familiar with, but still heartwarming to see nonetheless.

There was a hilarious flashback of Nola and Vanessa showing up in the same dress.  They started ripping pieces off each other’s dress in the dressing room, which ended up with both on the floor tussling around.  A clear nod to one of the old I Love Lucy episodes where Lucy and Ethel wear the same dress.  So funny!  It sounded like it was for Nola’s engagement party where they introduced Nola and Quint. Assuming this was around Christmastime given this was the Christmas episode, but they didn’t really say.

I have to admit, seeing a younger Reva was pretty entertaining. They showed a clip of Billy (while with Vanessa) throw Reva out of a Lewis family Christmas party. They all seemed to have a stronger southern accent and colloquialisms back then, especially Reva, Billy and HB.

I got to see a flashback of a young Lujack for the first time.  Seeing VI that young is fun!

Ok, Christmas is over and now I’m ready to see how this NYE masquerade ball goes...

[P.J.]

Yes, Bert Bauer was Ed's mother. Her other son Mike, was Hope Bauer Spaulding's father and Alan-Michael's grandfather.

I've seen this episode and it does tickle my funny bone that Vanessa's first Xmas with Matt is spent reminiscing about her time with Billy. The catfight at the engagement party is (arguably) one of Guiding Light's most recognized and iconic moments. It's also where Vanessa meets Billy for the first time.

Yes, the Lewises leaned heavily into the stereotypical "people from the south" archtype. A lot more when Reva showed up in town. Josh and Trish had arrived in Springfield two years before that, and didn't talk or act like that really. Billy arrived in May '83 and plays up the "good ol' boy" aspects more...but HB and Reva practically drown in the y'alls, yahoos and "down home" drawl.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, there was. As a matter of fact that is why we AW fans lost her to GL. There was an allegation made & someone made the decision that it would be sufficient to separate them, so AW lost her & GL gained her. Later on, they were at the same show which seemed to me would be a problem but nothing happened & they went on like nothing had ever happened. 

[Soaplovers]

I remember during the era when John Edward the 'medium' was popular and the show utilized that type of character for one or two episodes hosting an event that Ed and Michelle.  And the implication was that Maureen was communicating through this medium and it was hella cringe.  

Back when this individual was popular, I knew he was a fake and having a similar character appear on GL was just one of many examples of the soap world trying to jump on the bandwagon instead of picking and choosing which trends to utilize.

[Speed Racer]

P.J. -

Boy, do I ever agree with you regarding Jordan Clarke!!  It remains somewhat flabbergasting to me how GL most fans don't seem to regale him with the laudatory praise earned.

Yeah, I know Clarke eventually got an Emmy for Best Supporting sometime in the 2000s (I stopped watching the show for all practical purposes in 1998 once Watros left - everything else then was too insulting and insipid), but he deserved to win during that 1989-1993 timeframe you mentioned.

Phenomenal effort and performance on his part.  Continuously.  Never phoned anything in.

A request for all:  the next time you watch the infamous Alex/Billy interaction at The Towers ("that viral thing was your grandchild"), instead of focusing on McKinsee and what she says, zero in on Clarke instead.  He's every bit as good as she is.

 

 

 

 

[Speed Racer]

Oh - PJ - regarding 1993...

I understand where you're coming from, but I do think overall that 1993 was a decent year for the show.  As you stated, worth watching as the Peter custody trial (culminating in the fantastic court scenes of February/March 1994).  In addition, tho, I think the David/Kat/Vinny story holds up pretty well, as does Ed/Michelle/Holly.  Cliff House was good.  And while there are cast changes, there's still plenty of great actors present.  Yet, those stories were pretty much wrapped up by September 1993.

Yeah, Buzz quickly becomes a dirge, Lucy and Tangie are busts, and the revisit of Nick/Mindy is uninteresting (playing itself out in 1992).

Unlike apparently everyone else in existence, I liked the actor who finished out Billy's storyline.  He wasn't Clarke, but I thought he did well.

I also thought Bess - Brandon's secretary who came on maybe in October 1993 - was a solid addition.  Loved when Bess would give Dusay's Alex a hard time and corner Alex with her wheelchair (for example, "You liked the sex, didn't ya?", referring to Alex/Roger). 

 

 

 

 

[alwaysAMC]

Ahh - so Ed is AM's great uncle? That makes more sense now, considering a close scene they had during the July 4th Bauer cookout. So what happened to Hope? AM never really mentions her.

Did the actress playing Bert pass in real life, hence no longer on the show, or did she have an exit storyline written for her?

That iconic catfight scene between Vanessa and Nola was clearly paying homage to this iconic I Love Lucy episode, where Lucy and Ethel realize they're wearing the same dress and start angrily picking pieces off each other.  So funny!

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[Contessa Donatella]

I adore & appreciate Jordan Clarke but there is no way in the scene you describe here to compare the two. It's not even fair to put him to that test. His part is but a fraction of hers, which is as it is meant to be. You do him a grave disservice by posing this as a challenge which he is doomed to lose. Beverlee McKinsey (not McKinsee you get that she has a double ee but you have the wrong place for it.) Here he plays the supporting part of Mindy's father but Beverlee is playing the lead role, a protagonist, up against Clarke & Zaslow, who both play their parts magnificently. That should be enough.  For me it is. 

What is meant here by the use of the word dirge, which means usually a funeral song? I am confused.

 

Who is this actor & why did Jordan Clarke leave? Was this one of his personal times when he had to get himself in shape?

 

[Mitch64]

Oh Contessa...now you know how the rest of us sometimes feel

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...though we may not say it....plus, I prefer to be annoying then boring!!

 

Blame JFP and Buzz...Nadine was connected but once the "Super Duper Cooper" take over of 93 (?) she was stuck in that diner (as we were) pining over Buzz while Deas threw his hands up, Frankie D stood there with a blank look in his face and NuEleni was just wondering when she would get some lines. Did anyone besides the Coopers (and if you havent seen Deas over acting when he finds out that Nadine has been fish food for months you aint seen nothing yet) react to her death? Bridget, Nadine, Ed (who was Billy's counselor during his marriage to Nadine..

 

Someone set Ed up by hitting him on the noggin and planting an empty booze bottle in his car. This was when they were wasting David on that nobody character I forgot her name.

Is that when Nola brought a Hula Hoop to the funeral. Why did anyone in SF or especially Salem ever go  to a funeral when a body was not recovered. "Fool me once, shame on you,"