It's a little wild to me that Phillip and Beth were a supercouple when IIRC they were only together a couple years in their classic incarnation? And then came Lujack? Everything with BC's Beth in the '90s, after she returned, always felt like Rauch just inserting a scheming, hard-up grasping vixen into the mix that seemed to clearly demean the prior character. I knew nothing about Phillip and Beth when I first saw the show in the late '90s, and even I was like 'wow, this chick is pathetic.' It was only Chamberlin's talent that kept the character afloat to evolve further, but putting them back together for real always seemed a bit sad to me after everything they'd both become and done with other people, for good or ill.

But I only know so much about her classic years - I've seen more Lujack material than I have Phillip and Beth in earnest. So I could misjudge their impact.

Edited September 9Sep 9 by Vee

Actually, Beth and Phillip lasted about a year. Beth was introduced in May 1983 and Lujack came around that November. By July 1984, Beth was with Lujack. I remember rolling my eyes when Beth was going on about her relationship with Phillip being a fantasy, while her relationship with Lujack was based in reality. Or something like that. And moments later, a horse shows up on the beach for them to ride on, just like a romance novel. It was absurd.

21 minutes ago, Vee said:

It's a little wild to me that Phillip and Beth were a supercouple when IIRC they were only together a couple years in their classic incarnation? And then came Lujack? Everything with BC's Beth in the '90s, after she returned, always felt like Rauch just inserting a scheming, hard-up grasping vixen into the mix that seemed to clearly demean the prior character. I knew nothing about Phillip and Beth when I first saw the show in the late '90s, and even I was like 'wow, this chick is pathetic.' It was only Chamberlin's talent that kept the character afloat to evolve further, but putting them back together for real always seemed a bit sad to me after everything they'd both become and done with other people, for good or ill.

But I only know so much about her classic years - I've seen more Lujack material than I have Phillip and Beth in earnest. So I could misjudge their impact.

I think they were only together for a year, if that. 

To me Judi Evans is what is appealing for Beth. I don't think any of the material for Beth is that original or compelling, but Judi brings so much heart, strength, vulnerability to her work.

Beth Chamberlin does her best with some insane material - the Carl story may be her best work - but Beth as a character is just a trash heap through that whole run.

It is a lot weird, just in terms of time. Phillip and Beth (Grant and Judi) were together less than a year before she took up with Lujack. They broke up when Mindy turned up pregnant, and never really got back together. Beth and Lujack were together longer, before he died in Nov '85. John Bolger and Judi were briefly a couple before she left in '86.

It's really the teenage zeitgeist that they captured that made them enduring. There was something about the way they were each other's first true love and how they bonded because of the traumatic events in their lives (he found out he wasn't a Spaulding, she was raped by Bradley).

It's kind of the same thing with Josh/Reva. They initially were only involved for a year before Robert Newman left the first time. But they ended up being played by the same actors throughout the run. (I can't even recall anyone ever being a short recast for either of them, which is kind of amazeballs.)

26 minutes ago, Vee said:

Everything with BC's Beth in the '90s, after she returned, always felt like Rauch just inserting a scheming, hard-up grasping vixen into the mix that seemed to clearly demean the prior character.

Beth in '89-'91 is nearly a completely different and sane character. She's grounded and the voice of reason.

22 hours ago, DeeVee said:

I never watched Smallville, and this may be a stupid question, but I can't help asking...didn't they know who Superman ends up with?

LOL, I remember some fans trying to explain how the character of Chloe (played by Allison Mack, now known for... something other than acting) was actually Lois Lane, and thus the love of Clark's life.

I just have to say real quick - I can't stand Ben Warren!  I thought I would in his first week or two when things were intriguing, but now he's just nasty and the way he's treating Abby, Ross and Blake during this trial is disgusting.

18 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

I just have to say real quick - I can't stand Ben Warren!  I thought I would in his first week or two when things were intriguing, but now he's just nasty and the way he's treating Abby, Ross and Blake during this trial is disgusting.

You aren't the only one.  I never got the hype of this character nor actor.  He had none of the charm that Michael Zaslow had and how Blake acts during this storyline makes me loathe her as a character.  The writing on this show became 'jump the shark' with every new storyline. There just wasn't any real life like material to me at this point. 

Blake goes to Roger like she's a teenager asking him to tell Ben to stop harassing her and Roger does a lame 'leave her alone' and nothing else to meet their Grandpa Roger quota.  The writing was just plain pathetic, IMO. 

I truly never really knew of Beth and Phillip.  Maybe Josh and Reva, but I seriously didn't know anyone that really was into Guiding Light. I knew Judi from Days more than anything. 

 

Edited September 9Sep 9 by MLH

53 minutes ago, alwaysAMC said:

I just have to say real quick - I can't stand Ben Warren!  I thought I would in his first week or two when things were intriguing, but now he's just nasty and the way he's treating Abby, Ross and Blake during this trial is disgusting.

If I was composing a top 5 for worst characters in the history of GL, he would definitely make the list.

1 hour ago, alwaysAMC said:

I just have to say real quick - I can't stand Ben Warren!  I thought I would in his first week or two when things were intriguing, but now he's just nasty and the way he's treating Abby, Ross and Blake during this trial is disgusting.

OH HONEY....not only did I have to put up with Hunt Block's "acting" on GL, he spent 5 BLEEPITY BLEEP YEARS coming between my Jack and Carly on ATWT. One of the most overhyped actors in daytime. PERIOD. 

2 hours ago, MLH said:

You aren't the only one.  I never got the hype of this character nor actor.  He had none of the charm that Michael Zaslow had and how Blake acts during this storyline makes me loathe her as a character.  The writing on this show became 'jump the shark' with every new storyline. There just wasn't any real life like material to me at this point. 

Blake goes to Roger like she's a teenager asking him to tell Ben to stop harassing her and Roger does a lame 'leave her alone' and nothing else to meet their Grandpa Roger quota.  The writing was just plain pathetic, IMO. 

1 hour ago, DeeVee said:

If I was composing a top 5 for worst characters in the history of GL, he would definitely make the list.

 

1 hour ago, P.J. said:

OH HONEY....not only did I have to put up with Hunt Block's "acting" on GL, he spent 5 BLEEPITY BLEEP YEARS coming between my Jack and Carly on ATWT. One of the most overhyped actors in daytime. PERIOD. 

 

LOL @P.J. - I'm sorry you had to deal with that, considering how much you loved Jack/Carly.  That would have driven me crazy. Hunt was on AMC, but only for like a year, maybe even less and he was such a non-factor, that I barely remember what he did on that show and who he worked with. But now that I'm seeing him on GL, gosh he's not great. He's wooden, flubs his lines (so far), and just comes across as icky.  I like villains, but this one isn't it.

@MLH - I'm starting to understand your comments re: Blake in this storyline. She makes horrible decisions sometimes where I just want to shake her and ask her WHY are you doing this haha. I still love her generally, but yeah...

@DeeVee - oh that's a fun game, who are the other 4 in your worst 5?   

15 hours ago, P.J. said:

It is a lot weird, just in terms of time. Phillip and Beth (Grant and Judi) were together less than a year before she took up with Lujack. They broke up when Mindy turned up pregnant, and never really got back together. Beth and Lujack were together longer, before he died in Nov '85. John Bolger and Judi were briefly a couple before she left in '86.

Two reasons for the breakup: #1) Grant Alexander made it clear he would be leaving as soon as his contract was up in 1984. #2) There were stories of friction between Grant and Judi Evans behind the scenes.

Years later (when Judi was on Another World), she recounted a story, specifically saying this happened on another soap. That a certain male co-star made a lewd gesture towards her while they were running lines in his dressing room. Yes, she could be referring to someone on "Days of Our Lives," or she could be referring to someone on "Guiding Light."

But Judi would later tell stories of the "toxicity" from certain co-workers on Guiding Light. Since Grant would be leaving, and allegedly he and Judi were not getting along, it made sense to split them up and pair Judi with Vincent Irrizarry.

But Judi & Grant seemed to have patched things up, as they participated in an hour-long "Four Musketeers" reunion on the Locher Room. Seems to be water under the bridge after 40 years.

Edited September 9Sep 9 by TheyStartedOnSoaps

15 hours ago, P.J. said:

Beth in '89-'91 is nearly a completely different and sane character. She's grounded and the voice of reason.

I really like the 89-91 version of Beth a lot!  She was like Mindy, feminine yet spunky. I really bought her and Phillip as soulmates.  I liked her way more than Phillip though.  I wish they just re-casted his character. I wanted Beth Chamberlain and Kimberly Simms to stay on the show. 

I didn't care for Phillip. He came off over the top so many times. He and Rick with their stupid 'fake Phillip's death' over getting help from Roger was something else. 

 

2 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

LOL @P.J. - I'm sorry you had to deal with that, considering how much you loved Jack/Carly.  That would have driven me crazy. Hunt was on AMC, but only for like a year, maybe even less and he was such a non-factor, that I barely remember what he did on that show and who he worked with. But now that I'm seeing him on GL, gosh he's not great. He's wooden, flubs his lines (so far), and just comes across as icky.  I like villains, but this one isn't it.

Unlike P.J., I'm one of the few people who actually liked Hunt Block's Craig on ATWT. But Ben Warren didn't work for me either. He was clearly meant as one of those "love to hate" villains, but Block played him as this toxic combination of slimy and smug, which just wasn't any fun to watch. Block isn't bad-looking, but it just seemed insane that Blake (or any woman) would be attracted to that guy. 

Ben is the main soap role I didn't mind Hunt Block in. The character was extremely sleazy, and the writing was misogynist, but Block seemed to know the material was soapy trash and never took it too seriously. I also thought he worked well with Liz Keifer. I didn't even mind when they tried to clean him up later on. 

I think GL of that period suited slicker, coarser personas. It was one of the reasons I thought Wendy Moniz finally found her feet after struggling mightily from 1995-1997. And Laura Wright, who is a harder actress compared to many GL ingenues up to that point.

The main reason I disliked him as Craig was that he just was not Craig and he was incapable of playing the material they gave him. I also did not think he had chemistry with Maura West, no matter how many times I had to read about their amazing banter. There was way, way too much press hype about the wonders of Hunt Block and how fantastic everything given to him was. No, SOD, I don't think Craig laughing at a man being raped is brilliant. Go to hell. 

It was disappointing that they didn't try to have a proper relationship with Ben and Ross, as I think Ross becoming such a boxed in character by the early '00s is one of the reasons it was easy for Conboy to start the process of dumping him off.

I wonder how James de Paiva would have played the material, as IIRC the part was played for him. Probably not much different.

Edited September 9Sep 9 by DRW50