57 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Cat Hickland was too old for the role. She's older than Barbara Crampton. Yes, I know that shouldn't matter, but she'd have been more suited to play Reva than her former stepdaughter.

She's 2 years older than Michael O'Leary! So, how is it you see a problem? I do not.

13 minutes ago, Contessa Donatella said:

She's 2 years older than Michael O'Leary! So, how is it you see a problem? I do not.

MOL wasn't even on the show at the time. But no, I can't imagine Hickland embodying the quirkier aspects of Mindy, or clicking with MOL as ex sweethearts.

11 hours ago, DRW50 said:

I think Storm would have been an excellent choice.

I think so, too. I remember his intensity when he was on Dark Shadows. He played a mute ghost for months and conveyed so much with just his eyes and face. Very underrated actor, IMO.

10 hours ago, chrisml said:

I remember reading in magazines JFP complaining how hard it was to cast Alexandra.  Casting was never JFP's strong suit so I can only imagine what she would have done with Alexandra if Alexandra had not been available. JFP made specific mention that Penny Fuller auditioned, but didn't understand the demands of daytime. I could see Ann Flood from Edge of Night playing Alexandra. Anna Stuart from AW even that would not have been possible. Judith McConnell from SB.

First of all, she was wrong about Penny Fuller. I know this because I have a clear memory of walking around Greenwich Village with my mom in the early '70s. We saw this lovely, elegantly dressed woman surrounded by people who looked like they were fans. My mom said, "Look, that's Penny Fuller! I loved her on Edge of Night!" 

She knew the demands of daytime because she had already done daytime, JILL.

There were HEAPS of actresses who could have played Alex. It would have been so cool to see Ann Flood play against type. The idea there is ever a dearth of excellent actresses in their 50s looking for work is insanely ridiculous.

4 hours ago, P.J. said:

It is too bad they wasted Ariane Munker in the role of Christine Valere. She had the right look for Hope, and seemed to have chem with Chris Bernau.

Casting Hope should have not have been as difficult as recasting Alan or Alex. I mean, I really liked Elvera Roussel, but she did not leave an iconic impression on the role like they did. 

The problem with recasting her is Alan Michael. Ariane Munker was only in her late 20s when she was on GL. They brought back the teenaged AM around the same time she was on or right after she left. (Strangely enough, Elvera was playing younger than her age. She was already in her 30s with she started play Hope, who was supposed to be early 20s, like the Crampton example).

I think someone mentioned once that TPTB had no interest in Elvera when they were thinking of bringing back Hope, so that wasn't going to happen.

If they had recast Hope around the time Alan returned in 94, by then AM was in his late 20s. Yeah, it's weird when kids are jumped in age, but soap viewers are kind of used to that. I think it would have been stranger to have a much older than expected Hope hit town. If she was suddenly the same age as Alan, you would have lost that older, worldly man/younger, more naive woman vibe between them.

Of course, they could have waited to SORAS AM, or they could have sent him away for a time and brought him back deaged a bit. But that would have been a lot of tap dancing for the return of one character. Which maybe is part of the reason they never brought her back.

Edited June 29Jun 29 by DeeVee

Considering what a disaster Barbara Crampton was as Mindy,  I wouldn't want Hickland as Mindy though because JFP and the writers did not seem to know what to do with Mindy once Simms left (from little I've seen). Hickland was emmy worthy on OLTL and she would never have gotten the same material on GL. JFP and her writers destroyed the character.  I assume there was no talk of Krista Tesreau coming back?  

Thanks @P.J.for the info about Alan/Alexandra. This is what happens when you come into a show after a storyline/relationship has been retconned. I thought it was so odd and mean-spirited @DeeVeethat JFP mentioned Penny Fuller by name as someone who couldn't understand daytime's demands. Even if she didn't, why shame her in print?

1 hour ago, P.J. said:

MOL wasn't even on the show at the time. But no, I can't imagine Hickland embodying the quirkier aspects of Mindy, or clicking with MOL as ex sweethearts.

Okay. No point belaboring this uh ... point. Just say 1 more thing. Cat is quirky & she can dam* well play quirky.

Susan Seaforth Hayes also auditioned for the role of Alexandra. 

1 hour ago, DeeVee said:

I think so, too. I remember his intensity when he was on Dark Shadows. He played a mute ghost for months and conveyed so much with just his eyes and face. Very underrated actor, IMO.

First of all, she was wrong about Penny Fuller. I know this because I have a clear memory of walking around Greenwich Village with my mom in the early '70s. We saw this lovely, elegantly dressed woman surrounded by people who looked like they were fans. My mom said, "Look, that's Penny Fuller! I loved her on Edge of Night!" 

She knew the demands of daytime because she had already done daytime, JILL.

There were HEAPS of actresses who could have played Alex. It would have been so cool to see Ann Flood play against type. The idea there is ever a dearth of excellent actresses in their 50s looking for work is insanely ridiculous.

Casting Hope should have not have been as difficult as recasting Alan or Alex. I mean, I really liked Elvera Roussel, but she did not leave an iconic impression on the role like they did. 

The problem with recasting her is Alan Michael. Ariane Munker was only in her late 20s when she was on GL. They brought back the teenaged AM around the same time she was on or right after she left. (Strangely enough, Elvera was playing younger than her age. She was already in her 30s with she started play Hope, who was supposed to be early 20s, like the Crampton example).

I think someone mentioned once that TPTB had no interest in Elvera when they were thinking of bringing back Hope, so that wasn't going to happen.

If they had recast Hope around the time Alan returned in 94, by then AM was in his late 20s. Yeah, it's weird when kids are jumped in age, but soap viewers are kind of used to that. I think it would have been stranger to have a much older than expected Hope hit town. If she was suddenly the same age as Alan, you would have lost that older, worldly man/younger, more naive woman vibe between them.

Of course, they could have waited to SORAS AM, or they could have sent him away for a time and brought him back deaged a bit. But that would have been a lot of tap dancing for the return of one character. Which maybe is part of the reason they never brought her back.

OMG---I had not realized Munker was such a baby on ATWT! 

I can understand it being hard to recast Alex. Look at how divisive Marj Dusay in the role is, and she is by no means a slouch. Any actress is going to suffer by comparison. Yes, that's JFP's job. But there were so many qualities that Beverlee brought to the role, that it must've seemed impossible. 

I

Various comments to follow:

Hickland as Hope Bauer?  A very definite yes on that.  Hickland as Mindy?  No way.  And I am thankful that TPTB didn't bring Tesreau back to play Mindy following Simms' departure.  Tesreau's perky, chirpy, dumb blonde, cheerleader Mindy was fine during the 1980s, but after Simms, that ship had long sailed.  GL didn't need two Nadines.

A shame that we never saw Bernau, Zaslow and McKinsey grace out screens simultaneously for a 2-3 year time span.  Can you imagine that?!   Sure, we saw two of the three for various periods of time, but not all three.

And yeah, Dee Vee, the fluidity of character relationships (of all types) during the early 1990s was remarkably well done.  Frank and Sherry had fantastic chemistry...and it would make sense that Blake might be interested in/respectful of Frank, despite him being boring (even more so than Ross).  Blake would be attracted to his stability and "solidness" considering she never had that in her life.

Incidentally, regarding Frank, I found the semi-burgeoning friendship between him and Alexandra fascinating as hell (Alexandra hired him to get the goods on Musette, who was black mailing A-M).  There's a scene where Alex intimates to Frank that she believes Eleni would be better off with him rather than Alan-Michael, but that she can't actively support that idea because A-M is her nephew.  McKinsey and Dicopoulis have a real easy-going on-screen connection that's very appealing.

One day, we need to comment on the McKinsey/Roerick chemistry and abilities.  Alex and Henry laughing, conspiring or sparring - wonderful stuff!

It's this kind of thing that I hope attracts AlwaysAMC and Ryan to watch the early 1990s GL.  Perhaps they can someday synchronize their watches.....

 

 

 

 

54 minutes ago, chrisml said:

 JFP and her writers destroyed the character.  I assume there was no talk of Krista Tesreau coming back?  

Thanks @P.J.for the info about Alan/Alexandra. This is what happens when you come into a show after a storyline/relationship has been retconned. I thought it was so odd and mean-spirited @DeeVeethat JFP mentioned Penny Fuller by name as someone who couldn't understand daytime's demands. Even if she didn't, why shame her in print?

No on Krista. Krista said about six months after she left, Pam Long called and tried talking her into a return. Is she on OLTL at this point?

I'm not sure it was initially made clear who was older, but during the Susan Piper story, it was established that Alex and Alan's mother had died shortly after giving birth to him.

Retcons/story "tweaks" so often seem completely unnecessary.

 

Catherine Hickland wouldn't have been the right pick for Mindy either... it's the one thing JFP was correct about.

Unpopular opinion:  I would have kept Mindy off the canvas after she left in 1992 and only bring her back if Simms or Krista T were available to reprise the role.

Characters like Reva and Mindy fit in better during the 80s.. and we saw how much they didn't fit into GL in the 90s and beyond.  In fact, the show went OTT in order to fit Reva onto the show.

Some characters are best left in the past.

10 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

 

One day, we need to comment on the McKinsey/Roerick chemistry and abilities.  Alex and Henry laughing, conspiring or sparring - wonderful stuff!

It's this kind of thing that I hope attracts AlwaysAMC and Ryan to watch the early 1990s GL.  Perhaps they can someday synchronize their watches.....

I adore William's chemistry with everyone. He and Jerry ver Dorn as a pseudo father/son-in-law were gold.

26 minutes ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

Susan Seaforth Hayes also auditioned for the role of Alexandra.

Um... you know, I like Susan, but I don't think she had the gravitas to play Alex.

25 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Any actress is going to suffer by comparison. Yes, that's JFP's job. But there were so many qualities that Beverlee brought to the role, that it must've seemed impossible. 

I think I just proved your point. 😂

15 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

Incidentally, regarding Frank, I found the semi-burgeoning friendship between him and Alexandra fascinating as hell (Alexandra hired him to get the goods on Musette, who was black mailing A-M).

Alex had several friendships with young men, especially after Lujack died. Someone mentioned McKinsey was very supportive of the young people in the cast, and it came through in the character as well.

1 minute ago, DeeVee said:

Um... you know, I like Susan, but I don't think she had the gravitas to play Alex.

I think I just proved your point. 😂

Alex had several friendships with young men, especially after Lujack died. Someone mentioned McKinsey was very supportive of the young people in the cast, and it came through in the character as well.

I remember SSH as Lauren Fenmore's bitchy mother, so that definitely would've been a 'no' from me. Even someone like Susan Flannery, who is arguably in the top ten of soap actresses, I can't see having Alex's softer qualities or humor.

I think Krista could've played a more adult version of Mindy easily. However, I don't think she could've played Mindy's affair with Roger. 

"Characters like Reva and Mindy fit in better during the 80s.. and we saw how much they didn't fit into GL in the 90s and beyond.  In fact, the show went OTT in order to fit Reva onto the show."

So nice to read a comment like this!  Mindy would make an easier return than Reva.  IMO, and in many ways, it's Reva's mere presence on the show from 1995 forward that ruined Guiding Light, and for the exact reason you mentioned.  The entirety of GL is seriously dumbed down when Reva is on the canvas.  "Reva" was an enabler and an excuse for really poor storylines, plots, scripting and characterizations across the entire Springfield landscape. 

 

11 minutes ago, Speed Racer said:

"Characters like Reva and Mindy fit in better during the 80s.. and we saw how much they didn't fit into GL in the 90s and beyond.  In fact, the show went OTT in order to fit Reva onto the show."

So nice to read a comment like this!  Mindy would make an easier return than Reva.  IMO, and in many ways, it's Reva's mere presence on the show from 1995 forward that ruined Guiding Light, and for the exact reason you mentioned.  The entirety of GL is seriously dumbed down when Reva is on the canvas.  "Reva" was an enabler and an excuse for really poor storylines, plots, scripting and characterizations across the entire Springfield landscape. 

 

But that is much more about the writing than the characters themselves. As long as the Lewises or some assemblage of the Three Musketeers was on screen, there was a place for Mindy on canvas.

Yes, characters also benefit from rests. But there's a huge difference between Mindy and Reva. No way, no how was Mindy ever going to get the outrageous, continual front burner status that Reva enjoyed.