Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[Faulkner]

Oh I didn’t read it here in your post but in @FrenchBug82’s. 

 

I’m just glad that after the snore fest of Tangie we at least got MW back at her bitchy best as Liza on AMC, at least while the writing was good (which wasn’t long).

 

At least we’re not bringing up Ann Hamilton’s run as Mindy.

 

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Edited July 22, 2020 by Faulkner

[BetterForgotten]

MW was a breath of fresh air to AMC when she returned, it’s too bad they also later turned their back on her and wrote so terribly for her in the end. 

[DRW50]

 

If memory serves, this was an attempt to boost GL's ratings, as Dr. Quinn had made a splash at the start of the year. 

[Dan]

I wonder if Marcy was an edict from JFP or higher up. Tangie lacked the vibrancy and the well-put-together feel the rest of the Curlee years had. "Hey, we got Marcy coming in for a splash, now find a character please?" or it could be Curlee already knew she was heading out and didn't want to lay out the character completely for the new writers. Either way, it kind of doomed the character. 

Edited July 22, 2020 by Dan

[Mitch]

I love her for actually calling Deas out..I have NEVER heard anyone in the industry say that...they all thought his yelling and running around was SOOOO cutting edge and great acting!

 

Yes, this was post Mo death, post BevAlex, PostSimmsMindy, currently the Buzz Cooper Hour and the show was just..there. Lando was one of the many "Hot Hunks" that no one really remembers now.

 

Tangie was brought on to combat the return of Luke and Laura on GH. I no doubt thought that they wanted to bring Zimmer back then but JFP wouldn' t do it so she threw out another "big name" in her place. I actually didn't mind Tangie at first..she came off as tough and was different..but her weird backstory and I never saw Walker as a romantic lead..

[DRW50]

 

Definitely had to be an FOJ situation I think. I think there must have been some thin plans for Tangie that were hobbled by many factors - writer turnover, and also the real lack of chemistry between Robert and Marcy. I think they just expected viewers to automatically love Tangie and the rest would go forward. It didn't. 

[Soaplovers]

I recall when they lured back Robert as Josh..there was excitement..and people wondering if the show would do a Harley/Mallet/Josh triangle.   But when the actors playing Harley and Mallet opted to leave..the show had to think fast and I believe Tangie was created to give Josh something to do.  You could tell Tangie felt shoehorned in. 

 

Ironically, by 1995..Tangie finally felt like she fit working at the journal, being friends with Blake...and had a father/daughter like connection to Roger.  Too little, too late 

[Mitch]

Newman also had great chemistry with Fiona's Jenna, and they looked like they were heading there but she left the first time...too bad there.

[DramatistDreamer]

Stunt casting clearly began in the immediate aftermath of the OJ trial because until then, I'd never really heard of soaps just bringing in a character for a long run just for the sake of bringing the actor/actress on board without a plan for story.  That's not the way it's supposed to work.

[BetterForgotten]

Nancy Curlee has been very honest about how "forced" and "shoehorned" the Tangie character was, but also said MW had a lot of talent and deserved a better constructed character. 

 

I think JFP just considered MW a big "get" and tried too hard to make the character work and fit in, but none of it ever worked. 

[prefab1]

 I think it depends on what you consider "stunt casting." For instance, when One Life to Live poached George Reinholt and Jacqueline Courtney in 1975, that was a kind of stunt casting. And, speaking of another GL character that didn't quite work, Jane Elliot's Carrie might be viewed as stunt casting, given that she'd just played a very popular character on the #1 soap (and GL's timeslot competitor).

[Soapsuds]

Gawd Robert Newman is still a stud.

And here comes all the Mariahs

[Soapsuds]

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It was a great reunion. The girls were very excited and talkative so the reunion flowed well. It was nice seeing Ashley and Kimberly again. I didn't realize Kimberly had returned as Mariah in 2006.

 

No Shaynes in sight

[victoria foxton]

Alan still has the personality of a rock. 

[Soapsuds]

Well the girls pretty much ran the chat with Kim and Robert. Alan was basically a listener and asking questions. I was happy about it because when he is in charge of the chat it goes off the rails.

And yet he has such a hot boyfriend/husband. Go figure.

Edited July 22, 2020 by Soapsuds