Guiding Light discussion thread

[saynotoursoap]

You may be right, Carl. Maybe Lujack was built up in case Judi Evans failed to have chemistry with actor succeeding Grant Aleksander. Also, Pam Long enjoyed writing opposite extremes, such as that and Vanessa and Billy (the lady and the cowboy).

Understand that I have no criticism for Vincent Irizarry. Vince saved Lujack from being a total disaster in the hands of a lesser actor. I agree that his scenes with Bev McKinsey were wonderful. I simply could not get past the triteness of the gang thing and how quickly Lujack went from being a threat to the hero. Unlike others, I preferred Nick McHenry over Lujack. Vince and Bev still had the same wonderful adversarial scenes together, but without the Gallahad nonsense.

As for Beth, the point I attempted to make was that Phillip could not move on with Beth being alive in the story. If she were offscreen doing work for the foundation, it would not have made sense for Phillip to stay in Springfield. Beth had to be dead to free Phillip for other stories. Beth's presumed death also opened up story potential, though later on when Pam Long returned. There was an extended story in which Phillip basically stole Spaulding Enterprises from Alan. It had been motivated by years of anger and pent up grief for Beth. The story played very well and gave Chris Bernau an excellent swan song to GL.

Also, the audience knew that Beth probably wasn't really dead, which added a smidgen of suspense to the stories. I loved the way Pam Long set up Beth's return. Phillip was married to the viperous Blake, who plotted and schemed behind his back. There was an art dealer, Bruce something, who had paintings supposedly created by Beth. Phiilip began to receive mysterious phone calls that were apparently from Beth, while the audience saw the back of a woman painting in a studio with a tape of Still playing. Phillip discovered that Alan had paid off the coroner and became obsessed with the idea that Beth was still alive. For weeks and weeks, the audience was teased about whether or not Beth had actually returned.

The whole thing climaxed on a Friday with Phillip and Rick bursting into the studio of the artist. Phillip, stunned, gasped, "Oh my God. It's you." Fadeout. The show was preempted on Monday, so we had to wait until Tuesday to discover that Bruce's girlfriend Dana had pretended to be Beth. Bruce had been paid by Alan to arrange it as revenge from having him sent to prison. Phillip was gutted, and so was the audience, until...the twist at the end of the same episode. In the final scene, Phillip held a photo of Beth (with actress Beth Chamberlin in the photo). A vicious Blake snatched it out of his hand. "Don't you get it? There is no Beth!" she exclaimed. She set the photo on fire. The camera zoomed into the flame, and when it pulled back out again, we saw the flames of a campfire with a girl sitting beside it. Off screen, a man said softly, "Come to bed, Beth." He took her hand, and pulled her up toward the camera, which moved in for a close up of Beth Chamberlin's face.

No, I think Beth's death generated more story and drama than we would have gotten had she just been alive all that time. JMHO.

[saynotoursoap]

John Bolger is fine as an actor, but horribly miscast as Phillip. Bolger is more of a romantic leading man. He plays light stories and characters well. He was hot back then. It was fun watching him dance on the tables of the Blue Orchid. But, he was not Phillip Spaulding. Grant played the complexities and inconsistencies of Phillip so very well that I could never see any other actor in that role. Maybe TPTB could have found someone else to play him effectively. We will never know. What I do know is that person was not Bolger.

They did flounder with Phillip upon GA's return. For one thing, Phillip changed so much under Bolger, that Phillip was not really the same character that GA abandoned. It took time for the writers to readjust the character back to Grant's interpretation. Also, Sheri Anderson had no idea how to write for GL. I ranted about this in another post. 1986-87 was almost impossible to watch, it was that bad. One of Grant's first stories back involved a hit man who was after Alan. I cannot even recall the reason. I seem to remember Alan being presumed shot and dumped into a shallow grave. The hit man went to Springfield. Phillip was restoring the lighthouse. The hit man poisoned a steak (I am not making this up). Phillip ate it, and then fell off a scaffolding while painting. It was an homage to D.O.A. I believe Rick raced against time to find an antidote to the slow-acting-but-fatal poison. Aye yi yi.

Phillip did not really recover until Pam Long returned and wrote the aforementioned stories about the Spaulding takeover and his involvement with Blake.

Edited September 5, 2010 by saynotoursoap

[DRW50]

I did enjoy the clips of Phillip's revenge on Alan. There were some really unique and strong moments, like when Phillip was all alone in the ballroom and we heard voices or sort of saw things around him. I was thinking more about his relationship with Chelsea or the story with Rick and Meredith. I had wondered if that was successful.

I do see what you're saying and I agree with a lot of it.

The stuff with Beth's return does seem intriguing. I know some fans felt that Beth Chamberlin did not come alive in the role until later on when Beth went "bad", but in a lot of ways I think I preferred Beth as a heroine, no matter who played her. Judi's Beth seemed much stronger, but Chamberlin seemed OK. I also liked her as Lorelei, but I think a lot of the other stories she had where Beth was written as neurotic or crazy were kind of a mess.

[Bright Eyes]

So, I got really bored and worked on a little Genealogy project for the Bauer family. No one is probably interested in this but I'll post it anyway for giggles. However, there are TWISTS! This is an UN-SORASED genealogy, for the most part. Some dates that were unknown, were made up (ususally by taking the actors real life birth date).

The Bauer Family

MR. & MRS. BAUER (b./m. prior to 1892 - d. prior to 1948)

---FRIEDRICH 'PAPA' BAUER (b. March 14, 1892 - d. February 13, 1973)

------'MAMA' BAUER (b. July 4, 1898 - d. December 14, 1949)

------(m. 1916)

---------META BAUER (b. August 16, 1917)

------------THEODORE 'TED' WHITE (b. 1915 - d. September 22, 1950)

------------(m. February 6, 1950)

---------------CHARLES 'CHUCKIE' WHITE (b. 1949 - d. 1950)

------------JOSEPH 'JOE' ROBERTS (b. August 3, 1918 - d. December 24, 1955)

------------(m. September 7, 1951)

------------DR. BRUCE BANNING (b. March 31, 1911)

------------(m. February 1960)

---------WILLIAM EDWARD 'BILL' BAUER SR. (b. September 24, 1921 - d. August 8, 1983)

------------BERTHA 'BERT' MILLER (b. December 20, 1922 - d. March 4, 1986)

------------(m. December 9, 1949 - div. March 1978)

---------------MICHAEL 'MIKE' BAUER (b. March 1952)

------------------ROBIN LANG (b. May 3, 1953 - d. October 27, 1979)

------------------(m. July 1973 - ann. 1974)

------------------JULIE CONRAD (b. June 27, 1953 - d. July 1, 1978)

------------------(m. May 1976)

---------------------HOPE BAUER (b. September 20, 1976)

------------------------ALAN SPAULDING (b. July 11, 1955 - d. September 16, 2027)

------------------------(m. May 1998 - div. 2001)

---------------------------ALAN-MICHAEL SPAULDING (b. September 23, 1999)

------------------------------HARLEY DAVIDSON COOPER (b. July 23, 1997)

------------------------------(m. February 2018 - div. June 2019)

------------------------------CHRISTINA 'BLAKE' THROPE (b. July 9, 1995)

------------------------------(m. June 2019 - div. 2019)

------------------------------ELENI ANDROS (b. April 23, 1996)

------------------------------(m. November 2020 - div. 2022)

------------------------------LUCILLE 'LUCY' COOPER (b. December 17, 2000)

------------------------------(m. May 5, 2025 - div. 2034)

------------------CHARLOTTE WARING (b. May 22, 1958 - d. August 1986)

------------------(m. April 1983 - div. 1985)

------------------LESLIE JACKSON, RN (b. July 26, 1946 - d. June 1, 1986)

------------------(m. June 1986)

---------------DR. WILLIAM EDWARD 'ED' BAUER JR. (b. December 31, 1954)

------------------LESLIE JACKSON, R. N. (b. July 26, 1946 - d. June 1, 1986)

------------------(m. September 1980 - div. 1983)

---------------------DR. FREDERICK 'RICK' BAUER (b. August 18, 1983)

------------------------DR. MEREDITH READE (b. June 5, 1974)

------------------------(m. November 2006 - div. 2007)

------------------------ELIZABETH 'BETH' ANN RAINES (b. March 16, 1983)

------------------------(m. August 2008 - div. 2008 - rm. July 4, 2025 - div. July 4, 2026)

------------------------ANNIE DUTTON (b. September 2, 1986)

------------------------(m. 2011 - div. October 2013)

------------------------ABIGAIL 'ABBY' BLUME (b. June 25, 1988)

------------------------(m. February 20, 2016 - div. August 2018)

------------------------HARLEY DAVIDSON COOPER (b. July 23, 1997)

------------------------(affair)

---------------------------JUDE COOPER BAUER (b. October 12, 2019)

------------------------DR. MELISSANDE 'MEL' BOUDREAU (b. January 8, 1990)

------------------------(m. May 31, 2020 - div. 2025)

---------------------------LEAH BOUDREAU BAUER (b. March 30, 2022)

------------------------MELINDA 'MINDY' SUE LEWIS (b. January 10, 1983)

------------------------(m. 2029)

------------------HOLLY MARGARET NORRIS (b. December 7, 1965)

------------------(m. May 1986 - div. July 1979)

------------------RITA STAPLETON, RN (b. July 27, 1951)

------------------(m. November 1981 - div. 1984)

------------------MAUREEN REARDON (b. October 16, 1958 - d. January 11, 1996)

------------------(m. February 14, 1986)

------------------DR. CLAIRE RAMSEY (b. April 29, 1959)

------------------(affair)

---------------------MICHELLE BERT BAUER (b. November 4, 1988)

------------------------DANIEL 'DANNY' SANTOS (b. February 23, 1978)

------------------------(m. January 8, 2007 - div. October 2008 - rm. July 2011 - div. 2013 - rm. November 11, 2013)

---------------------------ROBERT FREDERICO SANTOS (b. 2009)

---------------------------MAURA HOPE SANTOS (b. 2011)

------------SIMONE KINCAID (b. August 9, 1939)

------------(affair)

---------------HILLARY BAUER, RN (b. May 23, 1977 - d. September 24, 2006)

---------GERTRUDE 'TRUDY' BAUER (b. September 3, 1922)

------------CLYDE PALMER (b. 1920 - d. 1984)

------------(m. 1951)

---DOUGLAS BAUER (b. 1894)

------ELLEN BAUER (b. 1895)

------(m. 1913)

---------DAVID BAUER (b. 1915)

---KARL BAUER (b. 1896)

------ALICE BAUER (b. 1899)

------(m. 1917)

---------MARY BAUER (b. 1919)

---OTTO BAUER (b. 1898)

------MYRA BAUER (b. 1903)

------(m. 1921)

---------JACK BAUER (b. 1931)

------------MELANIE 'LANIE' BAUER (b. 1932)

------------(m. 1950)

---------------JOHN 'JOHNNY' BAUER (b. July 24, 1961)

---------------LACEY BAUER (b. 1966)

[soapfan770]

Wow I looked up a few of those actors on IMDB and I was shocked to discover the then 14-year old T.J. Hargrave would later be killed on 9/11, his office being located in the WTC.

[DRW50]

I think I remember reading someone from GL had died but didn't connect a name to a face until now. That was the role Kevin Bacon later played wasn't it.

That Bauer family tree looks great.

[shadow]

I agree, I do not understand why Lujack was created and never did I see the chemistry between VI/JE, at least it didnt make me forget the chemistry between GA/JE like it supposedly was intended to do. Beth and Lujack shouldve remained close friends like maybe Jesse/Jenny and instead of Alex having a son she couldve had a naive daughter (the Spauldings needed a young ingenue) and linked her up with Lujack who I do not think shouldve ever been a Spaulding.

Hated the Gang crap, hated India and Phillip, hated the Music crap. I did like Phillip going dark, it made sense as he had lost Beth and he is a Spaulding LOL. just didnt like the reason why he went dark.

FYI, the song Beth and Phillip danced to was "Truly" by Lional Ritchie

[heffer]

I'm sure a lot of people disagree with you guys, as the pairing of Lujack/Beth proved to be as popular as Phillip/Beth. In fact, it was one of few times in soap history a super couple was paired successfully IMMEDIATELY after one half was in a successful super couple.

Part of the reason I didn't like the Beth/Phillip pairing after Lujack was the way he was portrayed by Bolger. Here we are having to believe the character made a complete swing back in a short time, being cordial about/with Lujack after the year before being turned into "Alan junior" (IMO unsuccessfully) after Chris Bernau took his hiatus from the show. Maybe if they brought back GA sooner, the re-pairing would have been more believable.

Edited September 7, 2010 by heffer

[DRW50]

I wonder if people liked Beth/Lujack because Beth was tougher and this was a contrast to her relationship with Phillip, where she often had to suffer.

Judi Evans, to me, has often come across as a tough actress, yet she so often has had to play weepy characters...

[saynotoursoap]

heffer, I totally agree with you that Beth and Lujack had a significant fanbase. I will not argue that point in the least. I had friends at the time who were totally pro Beth/Lujack and loathed Phillip. I just did not see it myself and never will. This is not a personal attack on you or your opinion. You disagree and that is cool. Differences make the world go around. I just wanted a chance to explain why I disagree. No hard feelings, okay? BTW, I agree with you about Bolger. The pairing of Bolger and Evans did not work.

[saynotoursoap]

Good God. I always get the name of that song wrong. I can hum it. I can sing the first few verses of it ( not that you would want to hear that), but I always confuse it with "Still". I think it is because the word "truly" is not mentioned until the song is 3/4ths completed.

Now I have to listen to it again.

[saynotoursoap]

If I had my druthers, Judi Evans would have always played Beth, but I thought Beth Chamberlin did a good job as a replacement. The only time I really did not like Beth was during her return in the Rauch era. They dressed Beth in designer clothes. She always had a string of pearls around her neck. She had taken up with sleazeball Carl who abused her in front of her daughter Lizzie. All of that seemed so terribly horribly wrong for the character. I think that this was the Beth that viewers began to detest.

To me Beth Chamberlin played comedy well. I thought Lorelai was hilarious instead of bad. Even in Chamberlin's initial run, there were scenes of Beth making funny faces at Phillip inside the sanitarium. It is too bad the writers did not emphasize that more.

I was also annoyed that when Chamberlin played the part, Beth's creative side was ignored. Beth was an artist and art was so important to her when Evans played the role. I think artistry was mentioned in passing later on, but it would have been nice if that aspect of the character was developed under Chamberlin. When Alan-Michael returned in 1987, he talked about Hope being an artists' rep in New York. Emphasizing Beth's artistry would have been a wonderful way to bring Hope Bauer back into the narrative.

[shadow]

Oh no doubt L/B had a sig fanbase, and it grew bigger after GA left I am sure.

Wasnt a fab of JB's Phillip pairing with JE's Beth, just stated that Phillip and Beth were always endgame couple, no matter who they were paired with or how popular the other pairings were imo, especially if GA had of stayed with GL.

I am sure this is true but she suffered to in the B/L pairing

[MontyB]

LOL, I loved Lujack. I thought he and JE had qreat chemistry.

[soapfan770]

Would the Nick story would have worked better(or worse) had Nick been a back from the dead Lujack instead? Then again, Mindy was later played the dreadful Ann Hamilton and then Barbara Compton, while Dusay came in as Alex, so when the show did a semi-repeat of Nick and Mindy's 1992 wedding in 1994, it was pretty bad to watch and hard to care about. I guess I too wish Alex and Mindy fought over men rather than a meddlesome mother tale.