I was surfing the internet and found an old online article/post on Guiding Light from 2009. I got on my soapbox and wrote a response to one post, re: Pam Long and the Bauer family. I know my opinion isn't a popular one, but, I'd like to post my response here, as well. I apologize in advance for the length.

1) Scott Bryce stated in an issue of Soap Opera Digest, back in the 1980s, that his father, Ed Bryce, had wanted to retire. Yes, maybe they could have re-casted the part of Bill Bauer. But, then, Peter Simon actually got a lot of flack for replacing Mark Hulswit and Simon's replacement in 1984 also got flack. 2) According to the Gail Kobe interview for GL's 50th anniversary in Soap Opera Digest, Peter Simon chose to leave. The show couldn't do anything about that. 3) From the same interview, Kobe lumped Don Stewart in with the group (actress who played Hillary Bauer and the actress who played Hope) that had storyline disagreements. However, Don Stewart later stated in a Soap Opera Digest article that he was getting burned out worked on a daytime soap and wanted to leave. That it was his choice. Before he left, the show was clearly playing with the idea of an Alexandra/Mike/Lillian triangle. He was put in multiple scenes with Alexandra. Also, his character, as a lawyer, probably would have been the one to defend Lujack, if Stewart had stayed. 4) Charita was ill. There was nothing that the show could do about that. What they could and did do was treat her better than the TIIC who were running the show in the 1990s treated Michael Zaslow. They told her that she could work as much as she wanted to. 5) Hillary and Hope's exit were definitely over storyline disagreements. The actress who played Hillary had writing aspirations. The actress who played Hope didn't want Hope to be an alcoholic. 6) Anyone could have brought the character of Hope back. But no one, especially not Curlee and Demorest, brought her back. They also did nothing to expand the Bauer family, but, instead, expanded the Cooper family. It was ultimately the Cooper family that supplanted the Bauer family in the 90s and 00s. I think Curlee and Demorest were top tier soap opera writers, but, they didn't do the Bauers much good other than writing the few Bauers that were on the show during their stint as head-writers, well. Expanding the Cooper family helped bring about the demise of the Bauers. I have read that David K. was a fan of Curlee and Demorest's work with the Coopers. Not to mention, Maureen being killed off by Curlee and Demorest due to a focus group finding her boring. Maybe there was nothing that Curlee and Demorest could have done, that would have made Maureen more interesting to that focus group, but, maybe they could have written better stories featuring her. With Another World, the character of Frankie Frame was another case of "death by focus group". It is unlikely that the Swajeski-era Frankie would have been deemed "boring". 7) During the Pam Long-era the Bauers were the "fun" core family. Frequently, the actors talent at humor was utilized and showcased. She also put her significant other, Jay Hammer, in scenes with the Bauers and the Reardons during his first two years on the show. Fletcher was in love with Hillary in the beginning of his run. He later became best buds with Maureen. He was involved with Claire while she was pregnant with Michelle. The show even played a little with the idea of a Maureen/Ed/Fletcher triangle during the late 80s. 8) Pam Long created a Bauer, Michelle. 9) She developed/co-developed two of the younger generation of the Bauer family (Rick and A-M) into big fan favorites. As long as I live, I will never understand why her long-term contribution to the Bauer family, via her development of Rick and A-M, isn't even acknowledged by her critics. 10) Pam Long didn't create the character of Johnny Bauer. He was introduced in 1986, after she had left the show. But, she did write the Johnny Bauer/Chelsea Reardon romance. 11) So, while it was a mistake to write off the characters of Hillary and Hope and they should have wrote Bert's death into the show sooner, I have never agreed with the Bauer purists (whose fandom apparently doesn't include Rick and A-M) feelings on Pam Long. It was pretty standard for TIIC at various shows to pressure head-writers to create new characters who could be played by cheaper new actors vs. the more expensive veteran actors. Pam Long, in terms of her GL run, just happened to be a more successful character creator/co-creator/developer/co-developer than most head-writers. Curlee and Demorest created a bunch of new characters during their run. 12) I loved Doug Marland's era of ATWT. However, even he had his faults. He wrote the character of Roger Thorpe into a corner. Long's human and well-developed characters mantra from GL helped make the character viable again. When Marland redeemed the characters of Alan on GL and Craig on ATWT he softened them too much. Craig, on ATWT, went from town scoundrel to the guy who wouldn't even tell a white lie --- per a soap opera magazines criticism of/commentary on Craig's reformation. Marland created the very large Snyder clan on ATWT. Who ended up supplanting the Hughes family as the core family. Even during the Marland era, when Chris Hughes died on the show, the Snyder family farm was heavily featured in those episodes. The viewers didn't get to see Tom and Margo find out about Chris's death. But, pretty much everything going on at the Snyder farm, we got to see. Actor Brian Bloom was not happy with the way his character was written out. He was getting a lot of fan mail, but, was barely ever used in storylines. He was basically phased out.

I do agree that Marland wasn't the end all, be all of head-writers. He had his strengths especially with writing a community and being able to be a great breakdown writer and pacing. However, he always wanted to introduce a lower income/working class family onto his show while also featuring a teen romance as well at the same time.

I think Marland's creation of the Reardon's was better then the Snyders at least at intergrating the family into the fabric of the show.

Plus, I thought Pam Long wrote the Reardon's just as good as Marland did. I do agree she didn't quite get Nola/Quint.. but in her defense, they were kind of losing their uniqueness before she'd shown up to be head-writer. Though I think she wrote Nola way better then she did Quint. Plus, she gave Tony more layers as well.

If what you said about the actress not agreeing with Hope being an alcoholic is true.. then I can see why she was fired. Hope being an alcoholic totally made sense given the toxic state of her marriage to Alan and having a young child causing her stress. Plus, her uncle and grandfather were alcoholics.. and addiction is genetic as well as environmental. I think Pam Long had a great handle on Hope's character, and I forsaw having a War of the Roses story brewing between Alan/Hope.. and I could have easily seen Alexandra being an ally against Hope especially if Alan was threatening to keep Alan Michael from her.

You also mentioned the actress playing Hilary having writing aspirations?? Did the actress want to write on the show, or was she trying to dictate story? It looked like the show flirted with Fletcher/Hilary.. as well as hint at a Tony/Annabelle/Jim/Hilary quadangle before Hilary was killed off. Killing Hillary kind of doomed Jim's character and he was written off a few short months later (or did the actor choose to leave). It's a shame the show killed Hillary because she would have been useful in 1988/1989 when Roger/Holly came back into the picture due to her ties to them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11v5bTW_JqM

Was Eve trying for a Didi Conn lookalike contest?

So Rita, like Morgan a year later, was undone by lying over stolen jewelry. I wonder if Marland was trying to warn ladies.

Alan is terrible at hiding his affairs. Wow. He's lucky Diane was so in love with him she couldn't see the obvious. Why did she even think he was talking to Rita?

Nice to see Rita. I almost forgot who she was at first as it had been a while. This must be the closest material to her exit that has been on Youtube.

Nola's scheming is so inept. You have to go to dinner with me and my mom because...I dunno, it's bad and awful if you don't!

Morgan looks so young here.

Vanessa is in fiddle-dee-dee wardrobe mode. And Joe's hair is too long. I had no idea Ed and Vanessa were close at this point.

Here are parts 2 & 3, Carl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKDjxWmNBU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78XKC9MK3PM

Maybe I am overprotective of Nola but I can't stand Hilary and Katie. Or Kelly and that drip, Morgan. So glad that Nola went on to become Mrs. Chamberlain while the rest of them went on to do nothing. Kelly left town alone after Claire broke his heart. Morgan left without Kelly after being deemed a harlot. Katie faded into irrelevancy. Hilary was blown to smithereens. Floyd went to prison.

*sighs*

Nola is WINNING.

Can anyone tell who is doing the VO for this episode? It's not the usual guy.

Milette Alexander is such a great actress - I love Sara's shock when Nola says she's been lovers with Kelly for months.

I like Hilary and Katie but I don't care for all the Nola focus. It's just repetitive and one-note. And it's distracting, because at this time Katie was with a man who beat her, yet she's still just given material talking about Nola. I can see why Denise Pence was not happy by this point.

Edited January 30, 201510 yr by DRW50

I like Hilary and Katie but I don't care for all the Nola focus. It's just repetitive and one-note. And it's distracting, because at this time Katie was with a man who beat her, yet she's still just given material talking about Nola. I can see why Denise Pence was not happy by this point.

Katie was getting her ass whooped? I thought that Andy just beat Trish. I didn't know he was whooping up on Katie too. I might need to reread her backstory.

She mentions it briefly in the third clip. This is one of the things Denise Pence was unhappy with as she thought it made Katie a miserable character.

Andy was so ridiculously arrogant and nasty. In a way kind of a waste of a Norris. I'm glad they didn't go the same route with Ross, even if Jerry ver Dorn plays sleazy well (and I like his hair here...)

I love the work from Geraldine Court (Jennifer) when she leaves Morgan's hospital room.

Alan and Rita seem oddly chaste. 

Ben gives Ross a beatdown, and Eve gets a beatdown from her doily! Dangerous times at the Copper Lantern.

I guess this is more typical of the era but Katie and Hilary both seem a little blase about Andy being violent toward Katie.

I love Vanessa but she's so artificially twee at this point it's amazing Ed didn't see through it.

Steven Jackson! I wonder if this was his last appearance.

Alan and Rita seem so oddly detached, especially since both of their marriages were blown up over this.

Did Rick in later years ever bring up his grandfather or any of his Jackson roots? Was it mentioned that Dr. Jackson had passed onscreen?

Speaking of Alan and Hope's affair, I still hate that Gus was not Rita's son. It would've stuck to the canon and would've opened up so many possibilities. Rita returning at that time would've given Ed, Alan, and even Holly so much to do.

Not that I remember, but I missed a lot.

The last mention I've seen of him is in a November '81 episode when he's supposed to be taking Bert home.

Steve took Bert home, rocked her world, and never called her again. Typical man.

Steven Jackson! I wonder if this was his last appearance.

You may be right. The following month, Stefan was appearing on The Edge of Night in their Switzerland sequences.

Thanks. I never knew that. I have to watch those clips while they're still on Youtube...

The kind person who uploaded these said his last appearance was 6/11/81.

Thanks. I never knew that. I have to watch those clips while they're still on Youtube...

The kind person who uploaded these said his last appearance was 6/11/81.

I wonder whether the dates on the latest clips are correct (February 1981)? Several characters mentioned recently swimming in Ed's pool.

True. I do wonder. I guess maybe it could be spring? If I ever find any SOD synopses I have from that era I should check...

True. I do wonder. I guess maybe it could be spring? If I ever find any SOD synopses I have from that era I should check...

It aired in June 1981. Tim and Morgan's car accident occurred as part of May 1981 sweeps.