Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[antmunoz]

It’s more like what DIDN’T she say about EW. 

 

EW cried. ALOT.  She was apparently scared whenever Kim went upstairs to confront her.  Kim alternately trashes her and sees that she was in way over her head in Kim’s book. 
 

Kim refused to go to Biloxi to rebuild houses because she believed the audience wanted to see Reva, not Kim. She agreed to go when EW told her that the footage would be used as a web series only, not on CBS network broadcast. Then it was. 
 

EW wanted to “reboot” the show by  starting over from Zero, wiping the slate clean. THE NEW GUIDING LIGHT would’ve allegedly kept the actors and characters but “reset” them without so much baggage. Kim’s book is vague on the specifics but comic books and movie series do this all the time now. Certainly, GL could’ve lived without some of its convoluted past (Reva giving away TWO children being just one example, but also every other adult woman on the show—Vanessa, Olivia, Alexandra, Jenna, Selena—also two!—and so on).  It’s not a bad idea, really, but Kim hated it. It didn’t happen, obviously. 
 

Peapack. No elaboration necessary. OK, a little—the lack of dressing rooms (Kim got caught naked in a bank restroom by a fan, although why she didn’t lock the door...”Reva!  It’s good to SEE you!”). And Reva and Jeffrey’s declaration of love was poorly edited and scored so that all the audience saw was a waving flag. 
 

She notes that she wasn’t fired or even admonished for her weight gain. Patti D’Arbanville was not as lucky a few years prior. Kim doesn’t say that, but SOD did in a blind item when it happened. Anyway, Kim felt that a female producer was possibly more understanding of this. But she preferred male bosses and Rauch was her favorite. 
 

Her book is good with a few minor errors that a good editor who knew soaps should’ve caught. EW was on AW before and after AMC.  And was Lillian really the first character on daytime with a breast cancer storyline?  It certainly wasn’t in 1980 though. 

 

Kim HATED Josh and Cassie. So did we. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by antmunoz
Misspelling

[DRW50]

 

I think the first was Jennifer Brooks on Y&R.

[antmunoz]

 Yes!  Thank you. I was drawing a blank on anyone other than Miss Ellie on DALLAS. 

[Errol]

Another GL reunion on 4/15:

"Spend the afternoon with some of your GL favorites on April 15 (Grant Aleksander, Beth Chamberlin, Yvonna Kopacz Wright, Michael O'Leary and Tina Sloan)."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW8LgEr_gBo

 

Also one on 4/22:

Don't miss the chance to see Daniel Cosgrove, Wes Ramsey, Emme Rylan, Cynthia Watros and Laura Wright when they join me for a chat on April 22.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QxK_eHsL0E

[Soapsuds]

The 4/15 sounds great minus Yvonna ....the 4/22 I only care to hear from Watros.

[victoria foxton]

The line up for the GL one sounds interesting. Yvonna's character was a dud. But it doesn't mean she'll be boring. Totally skipping the GH/GL mesh up. What a boring group that is. Aside from CW. Don't want to watch Laura all over Wes. With that entitled resting bitch look she always has etched on her face

Edited April 11, 2020 by victoria foxton

[Vee]

When the show was near rock bottom, and the production value and artifice was minimal, GL got a glimpse of what Reva/Kim could and should be at that stage - a hardbitten old soap heroine/matriarch straight out of the British soap tradition. You could've put her next to Barbara Windsor and Pam St. Clement from Eastenders at that point. There was absolutely no older woman on American daytime like that in the mid-late 2000s. It's a shame the show was too much of a disaster to properly utilize this.

[Paul Raven]

i believe Meg Baldwin on GH in the late 60's had a mastectomy.

[Aback]

 

I'm surprised that a soap vet like EW would be so sensitive. She was not cut to be EP although her initial term seemed to rejuvinate the show.

 

 

 

Yeah but comic books suck nowadays. Movie series like James Bond have no other ways to survive if not to keep their main actor young and kind of reset his history. I really don't think that was the way to go. Soaps forget the characters' past conveniently all the time, so I don't see why a reboot was necessary.

 

I wish Kim were honest enough to admit that Rauch was her favorite because he treated her like a goddess. I didn't know that about Patti. I just thought the Selena character was over.
 

 

Which is why it didn't happen in 1999 either, I'm sure.

 

 

 

I can't wait! I'm not that curious about YKW, WR or ER but it's tremendous that we get CW.

 

 

I'm not familiar with the British soaps but I'd love to know more about the type of matriarch you could see Reva become, if you'd like to discuss it.

[NothinButAttitude]

 

This would've been the perfect route to go for Reva to go in the final years; however, Reva's whole soap history consists of being up under some man. Peggy and Pat had their history with men too, but they at least had other things going on--their kids/grandkids, businesses, being stalwart members of the community. Reva (though I loved her) was somewhat isolated from everyone in Springfield. She always remained that Shayne/Lewis bubble for the most part except for when she'd come out and scold Alan every now and then. 

 

 

On another note, I for one am glad that Yvonna Kopacz Wright is being involved on these livestreams. I'd like hear her perspective on the show seeing as she was more in the background, which means she was probably more observant than others. Plus, I want to hear her thoughts on the Phillip/Rick/Ross arc (and later the Rick/Beth affair arc), if she thought it was written poorly (I sure did), and how they missed beats that could've put Mel in the forefront. I also wanna hear proposed stories that she was promised and like always was squashed b/c TIIC didn't care for Black actors on these shows. 

 

 

[DRW50]

 

I agree. The revolving door of the people who played her parents and brother. The rushed pairing with Rick. Memories of working with Richard Biggs. I always thought she was underrated as Mel and never had much of a chance.

 

Thanks. I knew I forgot someone.

[Soaplovers]

 

I would agree Reva being isolated in the late 90s and thereafter.  In the 80s, Reva wasn't islanded off from Spingfield..and I think it just underscores that it Pam Long knew how to write her.  I think Reva is a character difficult to write well..and this maybe unpopular..but she should have remained dead instead of being bought back because only Long could have written her well.

 

Also, I do recall Zimmer kept wanting to work with Maureen Garrett...and you did see the two started interacting more in the late 90s and after.

 

While I love that Garrett rolled her eyes at the Nursery Rhyme stalker (which had a good start and middle..but a bad ending)...I'm surprised she didn't mention the Sebastian story...which was far worse (and kind of led her to leave the show).  I did like back in the day her thoughts on Peapack when she came back for the finale...not very fond thoughts 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Agreed.

 

I think that Mel and Rick could've been something special as I felt she had chemistry with Michael; however, as pointed out, it was rushed. Mel was somewhat written as someone to quickly slap with Rick as a pity prize b/c he was knocking on death's door at the time, which I didn't like. 

 

But seeing as that was done, what p*sses me off the most were the beats that were acknowledged during Rick's affair with Beth. This was the writer's perfect chance to do a modern day spin of Ed/Maureen/Lillian IMO. We should've seen Mel pushed to brink and for Leah (the perfect time to SORAS) to lash out at Rick for breaking up their family. It would've been the perfect time to have brought back Ed and have him be in Rick's ear reminding him of what he lost because of his affair--basically trying to be Rick's moral compass. 

 

And I always say that the death of Ross should caused the Marler twins (one if not both) to plot the downfall of Rick and Phillip. If anyone could've taken them through the ringer, it was the seeds of Roger Thorpe. 

[Soapsuds]

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[Mitch]

Hell I would be too!

 

Totally agree with this! Kimmer looks like Reva would have actually looked, not scary skinny Lucci, but a gall who lived her life and had huge appetites for food, booze and men! She should have been the one running Company not Buzzard...I would have her behing the bar, a smoke and a brown drink smaking the [!@#$%^&*] out of the dummies of SF when they brought her their problems.

 

I do believe she was isolated in the Lewis bubble and then the Annie bubble and then in Rauch Goddess bubble, which is too bad. Zimmer is one of those soap actors who have easy friendly chemistry with everyone..kind of like O'leary..Parker when she was on the show, etc.

 

She did briefly but it was in relation to Newman's story about Zaz..."Oh yes, remember Sebastian?"