Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Bright Eyes]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nancy-malone-dead-actress-director-702851

Nancy Malone, who played Robin Lang Bowden Fletcher from '61-'63 and was also on The First Hundred Years and The Brighter Day passed away May 8. She was 79.

[amybrickwallace]

May she RIP.

Yes, Marcia McCabe could've made a good Hope, especially since she was already in the P&G family (having played SFT's Sunny for over eight years). I still feel she could be an asset to any soap, should she choose to return to the acting arena.

[zanereed]

Marcia McCabe would have made a fine Hope Bauer.

No matter who they chose, they really needed a Hope to come back to Springfield who would be able to go toe to toe with Christopher Bernau. I actually think Elvira Roussel was making her way into a more "hardened" and thus far more interesting Hope under Pam Long in 1983, when she was all of a sudden written out.

They had so much they could have played with regarding Alan-Michael and his Spaulding versus Bauer roots, but they never chose to go there, for whatever reason. Plus, as Nothin'ButAttitude correctly states above, Hope made Alan want to become a better person. I was an amazing set-up by the Dobsons back in 1979 - Hope, the daughter of Alan's arch-nemesis Mike Bauer, crash lands on a remote island with Alan and the two fall in love. They were able to get a lot out of that storyline for the next few years (again, until Long/Kobe removed Hope from the canvas).

I seem to recall that the Hope Bauer angle was axed in 1986 when Gail Kobe moved on. Does anyone else recall?

[robbwolff]

I vaguely recollect that there was a Soap Opera Digest article around April 1986 where then head writer Jeff Ryder talked about his plans for the soap. He specifically mentioned plans to introduce Sarah and Rusty Shayne and I think he mentioned bringing back Hope, too. So it's possible the plans shifted when Ryder departed and Mary Ryan Munisteri took over as head scribe.

[amybrickwallace]

Another reason for wanting Marcia McCabe to be Hope - had she caught on and stayed for a long time, she would have been reunited with Mary Stuart (her longtime SFT co-star). How were Meta and Hope related?

[cassadine1991]

Meta is Hope's great-aunt

[amybrickwallace]

Thanks!!!

[robbwolff]

Mary Stuart was supposed to join Guiding Light around 1987 in the role of Hannah Bauer. I have no idea who Hannah was supposed to be -- perhaps Johnny Bauer's mother since he had been introduced the previous summer. But the plans fell through. Of course, Teri Keane later played Johnny's mother Lainie.

[zanereed]

That makes more sense. Thanks, robbwolff.

I will ask you this as well, since you also brought this up - in 1987 there was supposed to be other Bauers coming to the canvas that were either related to Johnny Bauer or to Ed, and Mary Stuart was to play one of them (as you mentioned). Do you remember who was also supposed to be cast along with Mary?

[amybrickwallace]

How long was Mary Stuart on the show before she passed on?

[robbwolff]

Hannah was supposed to be introduced early in the year, shortly after the end of Search for Tomorrow. I can't remember all the details but Johnny's ex Christine Valere was caring for an older person who was ill. I'm not sure if that was supposed to be tied into Hannah's arrival. The story involving Christine seemed to be dropped rather abruptly and the character written out.

The only other Bauer I recall that was slated to be added was Todd, who was the brother of Johnny and the very short-lived Lacey. Wasn't Frank Dicoupolus cast as Todd? I thought I read that. But then Sheri Anderson was axed as head writer and Pam Long rehired. And Long dropped plans to introduce Todd and instead created the role of Frank Cooper. Or so the story goes.

[zanereed]

Thanks for jogging my memory. You're right, Frank was originally cast in the role of Todd Bauer, and Long changed Todd to Frank Cooper.

[robbwolff]

Mary joined in November 1996 and passed away in February 2002. I think her last episode was toward the end of 2001.

[zanereed]

The show never did address having the character of Meta pass away, did they?

[Khan]

No, I don't think they did.