Isn't Andy Holly's brother?  I swear, her family sucked. 

Yeah, I always hope there will be a missing episode finally posted, but it's either a different episode or doesn't show the character I am interested in. I wish someone would just buy the episodes from P&G and sell them to watch! 

11 minutes ago, MLH said:

Isn't Andy Holly's brother?  I swear, her family sucked. 

Yes, Andy is Holly's brother, and he was a pretty nasty guy.

He wasn't just a blackmailer. He also abused women. Both Trish, his ex-wife, and Katie, who was his girlfriend while he was in SF.

He was a grifter, insinuating himself into people's lives by flattering them. He got close to Alan by claiming he wanted to write his biography. That's how he found info to blackmail him.

When Alan and Hope were separated, he gave Hope his shoulder to cry on--the implication being he would eventually marry her after she got a rich divorce settlement. 

Like I said, he didn't click with the audience, so he was hustled off to jail.

23 hours ago, DeeVee said:

Yes, Andy is Holly's brother, and he was a pretty nasty guy.

He wasn't just a blackmailer. He also abused women. Both Trish, his ex-wife, and Katie, who was his girlfriend while he was in SF.

He was a grifter, insinuating himself into people's lives by flattering them. He got close to Alan by claiming he wanted to write his biography. That's how he found info to blackmail him.

When Alan and Hope were separated, he gave Hope his shoulder to cry on--the implication being he would eventually marry her after she got a rich divorce settlement. 

Like I said, he didn't click with the audience, so he was hustled off to jail.

Her Dad and two brothers were horrible! I know they tried to make Ken Norris a thing again in 1998, but I think that would flop because he gone forever on that show. 

I have been reading recaps of Smallville episodes and I swear someone who wrote for Smallville was either of fan of GL or soaps, because some of the storylines seem to be similar. Clones, Lex buying the Daily Planet, Lucy faking her kidnapping... LOL

I just watched a reaction vid on YouTube of Season 2 Ep 15 of Smallville called Prodigal and Lionel is into Asian art/culture, instead of pretending to be paralyzed, he was pretending to be blind and told the Scorpion and The Frog story like Roger told.  

Edited August 20Aug 20 by MLH

Andy Norris didn't click with the audience? Or Marland just decided his newest toy (Carrie) was going to suck up plenty of airtime? He's already laying the foundation of Andy's return a couple of weeks later, with a letter to Barbara where he declares he really did love Katie. The fact Andy never made a return might've actually worked against both Katie and Trish's development.

I must not've been paying attention because of Anna Stuart. I didn't realize Vanessa sent Ed the entire letter that Rita wrote, where she declared her love to Alan. OUCH. Damn, Vanessa---you should've thought that one through. I thought Van just sent him Rita's San Fran address and telephone number.

And re: Carrie's murderous intent---I just rewatched some of that. She's quickly unspooling and getting more violent, isn't she? She's practically throttling Vanessa, and while Sara's talking to her she's eyeing/got a gun within reach. And I know Carrie nearly attacks Ross with a scissors. I could see where he's building to Carrie attacking Jackie.

52 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Andy Norris didn't click with the audience? Or Marland just decided his newest toy (Carrie) was going to suck up plenty of airtime? He's already laying the foundation of Andy's return a couple of weeks later, with a letter to Barbara where he declares he really did love Katie. The fact Andy never made a return might've actually worked against both Katie and Trish's development.

Possibly they were looking into recasting the role? That's why they sent him off for a time? And Marland's departure got in the way of a return?

You might have a point about scuttling him off the show to give Carrie more airtime. Diane and Joe Bradley were killed off soon after.

I really have a problem understanding his reasoning here. Three villains were tossed within a short time. One, at least, was a really good one with perhaps years more of story (Diane). They had recently lost Rita, who was not a villainess, exactly, but the kind of gray character who generated story. During this period Alan was (pardon my French) de-balled, living in suburban paradise with Hope and swearing to everyone he didn't miss being at the head of Spaulding. 

With Carrie, you have this character who is behaving very violently, with the intention of having her kill yet another main character. Unless he was planning some amazing twist, I don't see how she could have remained on the show much longer.

He then brings in Mark Evans as the new Big Bad, and he's even less of a success than Andy. What a dull-ass character. 

I think Marland just wasn't very good at writing villains. Maybe he did better on ATWT? James wasn't his creation. I can't recall if there were others during his tenure.

25 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

 

He then brings in Mark Evans as the new Big Bad, and he's even less of a success than Andy. What a dull-ass character. 

 

I can't bag on Mark Evans because I saw a LOT of him when first started watching the show religiously due to my crush on Maeve Kincaid. At the time she was squiring him around town.

The thing about Mark is (well I was going to say the protype but there may have been more like him long before I started watching) he represents a character type GL would become VERY fond of in the coming years: the seemingly normal man and potential love interest for the ladies who is secretly...evil.

Let's see we have:

David Preston, Will Jefferies, Daniel St. John, Edmund Winslow, Brent Lawrence and probably a host of others I've forgotten or missed during those horrible Peapack years when I barely caught an episode.

 

59 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

Possibly they were looking into recasting the role? That's why they sent him off for a time? And Marland's departure got in the way of a return?

You might have a point about scuttling him off the show to give Carrie more airtime. Diane and Joe Bradley were killed off soon after.

I really have a problem understanding his reasoning here. Three villains were tossed within a short time. One, at least, was a really good one with perhaps years more of story (Diane). They had recently lost Rita, who was not a villainess, exactly, but the kind of gray character who generated story. During this period Alan was (pardon my French) de-balled, living in suburban paradise with Hope and swearing to everyone he didn't miss being at the head of Spaulding. 

With Carrie, you have this character who is behaving very violently, with the intention of having her kill yet another main character. Unless he was planning some amazing twist, I don't see how she could have remained on the show much longer.

He then brings in Mark Evans as the new Big Bad, and he's even less of a success than Andy. What a dull-ass character. 

I think Marland just wasn't very good at writing villains. Maybe he did better on ATWT? James wasn't his creation. I can't recall if there were others during his tenure.

I've never heard any official musings on why Andy was so quickly kiboshed. Diane, Roger, Alan all spent years wriggling out of trouble. I don't think Ted Lepat is the problem. The story might've been a little more tawdry than the GL audience was used to, with the repeated connection to everyone's sexual frustrations and his abusive behavior toward three women.

Marland's villians aren't his strong suit. I can't think of one on ATWT that was really ever seemed to be built to last. For the most part, they're short term like Tad Channing or Brock Lombard. Tonio Reyes was the walking equivalent of cardboard. He infamously switched the killer in the Carolyn Crawford because of Rex Smith's popularity (ugh...the man couldn't act)

The story was that Sophia Landon Geier wanted to leave. And I can see why she would've been hard to recast. I think it would've been a hard sell to just ship her out of town. 

I think it would've been hard to keep Carrie viable, even with a successful treatment. What do you do with a "healthy" former split personality? She's not OLTL's Viki, with a long history of stability for the viewers to trust in. 

Is Mark Pinter the problem, or is the story is too convoluted and implausible? I'm sorry, but I think Jennifer and Amanda are both hard sells as a third leg in a love triangle, and putting them together in one was a huge miscalculation. Snoozeworthy is the kindest way to describe that.

Edited August 21Aug 21 by P.J.

5 minutes ago, P.J. said:

The story was that Sophia Landon Geier wanted to leave.

I did not know that! Yeah, she would have been a tough recast.

6 minutes ago, P.J. said:

She's not OLTL's Viki, with a long history of stability for the viewers to trust in. 

The difference with Niki Smith was they were careful to have her not do anything TOO heinous. She was different from Viki personality-wise, but not really a bad person.

One of my fave stories they did with her was when she witnessed a murder, then reverted back to Viki. They had to bring back Niki to save Tina from a murder charge.

Now THAT was clever writing.

10 minutes ago, P.J. said:

Is Mark Pinter the problem, or is the story is too convoluted and implausible?

Yes and yes.

It would have been worse if Marland had stayed on the show. The original plan was for both Jennifer and Amanda to get pregnant. 🤢

So glad the Vault is open again!

21 hours ago, DeeVee said:

It would have been worse if Marland had stayed on the show. The original plan was for both Jennifer and Amanda to get pregnant. 🤢

Saints preserve us! 

 

24 minutes ago, MLH said:

So glad the Vault is open again!

Me too! 

1 hour ago, MLH said:

So glad the Vault is open again!

Me too!  Had to go 5 days without watching GL. Can't complain though, so grateful the Vault is there for us   It allowed me to catch up on Young Sheldon anyway (I freaking love that show haha).

On 8/19/2025 at 9:51 AM, anthonymolchan said:

I remember the soap press reporting exactly that:  she was often late for taping and unprepared. 
 

Yes, Jennifer Cooke played Morgan differently, but Morgan had grown up and manifested a backbone. She couldn’t be childlike forever. 
 

Ironically, Cooke is younger than Vigard. 
 

Apparently, OLTL was willing to put up with Vigard…for awhile, anyway. She was recast as Joy. 

Jon Michael Reed's column at the  time

While "Guiding Light" is taping sequences on location in the Canary Islands, Kristen Vigard, the freckled red head who originated the role in early 1980, has been "dropped" from the Cast and replaced by a blonde soap opera newcomer, Jennifer Cooke.

Several sources claimed that Ms. Vigard has been repeatedly chastised by the production office for frequent lateness on the set and laxity in learning her scenes which disturbed co-workers. The straw that broke the came!'s back apparently was drawn two weeks ago when production had to be halted due to Vigard's absence. Ms Vigard's performance  as Morgan has been lackluster, to say the least.

Despite obvious efforts by beadwriter Doug Marland to shape the character into the "teen queen" mold, a la Laura Baldwin on "General Hospital," on the show Ms. Vigard was woefully deficient in emotional range and projected zero personal charisma. Al the more mystifying, then, that she possesses impressive theatrical credits for an actress not yet out of her teens, including "Home to Stay," a CBS movie with Henry Fonda, and "I Remember Mama," a Broadway musical with Liv Ulmann. The grind of doing a daily serial, after all, isn't everyone's cup of tea, at least not Vigard's.

6 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Jon Michael Reed's column at the  time

While "Guiding Light" is taping sequences on location in the Canary Islands, Kristen Vigard, the freckled red head who originated the role in early 1980, has been "dropped" from the Cast and replaced by a blonde soap opera newcomer, Jennifer Cooke.

Several sources claimed that Ms. Vigard has been repeatedly chastised by the production office for frequent lateness on the set and laxity in learning her scenes which disturbed co-workers. The straw that broke the came!'s back apparently was drawn two weeks ago when production had to be halted due to Vigard's absence. Ms Vigard's performance  as Morgan has been lackluster, to say the least.

Despite obvious efforts by beadwriter Doug Marland to shape the character into the "teen queen" mold, a la Laura Baldwin on "General Hospital," on the show Ms. Vigard was woefully deficient in emotional range and projected zero personal charisma. Al the more mystifying, then, that she possesses impressive theatrical credits for an actress not yet out of her teens, including "Home to Stay," a CBS movie with Henry Fonda, and "I Remember Mama," a Broadway musical with Liv Ulmann. The grind of doing a daily serial, after all, isn't everyone's cup of tea, at least not Vigard's.

I'm going to defend her a little bit here:

People need to keep in mind how young she was at the time, and how much was put on her shoulders. She was front burner for almost 2 years, and had to play a lot of stuff (like being a rape victim) that would be tough even for an adult actor.

Genie Francis went through something similar when she was on GH, playing love scenes when she was only 15 years old. She talked a lot about how difficult that was for her as she was not even been thinking of things like that in her real life. People were also furious when she left the first time, and she wasn't even accused of unprofessional behavior.

If Vigard was so "woefully deficient" when it came to emotional range, Kelly and Morgan would not have been so popular. This is a male adult critic trashing a barely 18 year old girl. It's kind of gross.

In the Locher Room, Vigard said they let her go at the end of one of her 13 week cycles because they knew she wasn't going to sign again, as her first 2 years were almost up. The wedding scenes had been shot on location way ahead of time, so they kept her until then. Cooke was hired just before she and a large portion of the cast went to Tenerife to do a big location shoot.

The timing of letting her go, PLUS the sort of recast they did (a more conventionally pretty actress to do the upcoming modeling storyline) seems to me to make her version of why she was fired much more plausible. 

Edited August 22Aug 22 by DeeVee

On 8/20/2025 at 10:28 PM, P.J. said:

Is Mark Pinter the problem, or is the story is too convoluted and implausible? I'm sorry, but I think Jennifer and Amanda are both hard sells as a third leg in a love triangle, and putting them together in one was a huge miscalculation. Snoozeworthy is the kindest way to describe that.

I think the issue with Pinter and Leplat both, is that they, or the characters, come off as inherently "sleazy" which does not make a good long term villain. Roger and Alan, despite their crimes, never came off, at least to me as..."yucky" and I think in a woman's medium that is important. Leplat looked like he should have been hanging out in a fern bar in the 70s, not a matermind of mischief...and Pinter, no matter how often they paraded him around shirtless (too skinny...) always, no matter what character, came off as..skeevy.  (his Brian McColl was dull AND sleepy to me...) And a big yes that Marland could not write a good villain to save his life. Tonio was supposed to be sexy darkness on a stick and I thought he was cardboard and completely without charisma...) He took a sexy villain 30 something  Tad Channing and recast with a guy who looked 50 and drank too much...a total sleaze. Johnny boy was already on his way to just being the town curmudgeon and flicking the Hughes and the Stewarts noses, but Marland made even him bland..rubbing feet with Emma...(UGH) and talking about honesty with Iva!

Thank you for someone saying that Jennifer and Amanda were dull...Cullen was a washout in the role..sorry. So bringing it back to Diana Ballard...I also though Poser would have been a great lost daughter of Dianes (I could see her giving the kid up to pursue her career..) not of Alan...she could come back for revenge and assume a new identity and seduce Alan (much better then him panting over 44 year old Reva..the eternal sex goddess..) I know so many viewers would not know who Diane was but a good writer could update them on her back ground easily. 

Edited August 22Aug 22 by Mitch64

16 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

think the issue with Pinter and Leplat both, is that they, or the characters, come off as inherently "sleazy" which does not make a good long term villain. Roger and Alan, despite their crimes, never came off, at least to me as..."yucky" and I think in a woman's medium that is important. Leplat looked like he should have been hanging out in a fern bar in the 70s, not a matermind of mischief...and Pinter, no matter how often they paraded him around shirtless (too skinny...) always, no matter what character, came off as..skeevy.  (his Brian McColl was dull AND sleepy to me...)

Yes, that's a really good point. Slimy villains have their place on soaps (usually short-term) but they don't work over the long-term. 

18 minutes ago, Mitch64 said:

Cullen was a washout in the role..sorry.

No one...and I mean NO ONE...could have come out of that Mark Evans story looking good. Not only sleeping with her mother's husband, but when he tells her he is entitled to Spaulding SHE HELPS HIM. She betrays her entire family for this clown. Yeah, they were recently acquired family, but they had all been loving and good to her.

Girl, no guy is worth that. Definitely not THAT guy.