Guiding Light discussion thread

[kalbir]

That I don't know, but I am pretty sure it's been verified here that Robert Calhoun left by his own choice. AFAIK he didn't EP any other show after GL.

GL being a more community-based show (at least in the early 1990s I thought it was) needed to have an anchor/tentpole character to keep things grounded, and JFP didn't realize that.

 

[BetterForgotten]

Laurence Casio said in his Locher Room interview last week that when Calhoun had left ATWT, he was burnt out and didn’t want to do soaps again (which is how Caso took over when Ed Trach asked him to come over from the network side). 

But Trach did get Calhoun to come back, but to GL, in many ways to help usher it into a new era.

 

[Maxim]

1982 Ive been binging in my free time and wow... What a great flow and so many talented actors. I hope that people are wrong that the show gets worse from now on... I am just hooked!

[P.J.]

psst...1983 is better. 

[vetsoapfan]

Just out of curiosity, what year did you begin watching the show? In my personal experience (and of course this doesn't hold true for every single viewer; opinions always vary among soap fans), many folks who enjoyed the period of TGL before Gail Kobe took over as producer in 1983 had a strongly negative reaction to the sweeping structural and cast changes.

Did you continue to enjoy the show throughout the 1980s? Again, just curious. I know there are viewers who did.

[TEdgeofNight]

Having been personally on the set of GL in 1982, there was better drama off screen than on. I first hand witnessed Jane Elliot and her shenanigans that got her fired. Allen Potter was not wrong. He nipped it in the bud. It lead to Doug leaving but Jane was indeed a handful. Even our beloved Jerry ver Dorn referenced it in his last interview on The Locher Room. Jane was not easy to work with. Far from it. I believe the cast cheered when they heard she left the show. 

[Maxim]

Please register in order to view this content

I hope so.

[Contessa Donatella]

Has anyone else heard anything even remotely like this?

I've just re-listened to these Locher Rooms & they say nothing like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rl28kyJncR4&t=1821s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiRC6jrryNQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXPSd5c0hA&t=3466s

Now, here Alan asked about the storyline. One other person said something highly complimentary about Jane Elliot. Jerry didn't say yea nor nay about her. Said it was Douglas Marland's version of "Two Faces of Eve" & that Jane played his wife. Question: What do you remember about it? I remember being stupid. I told myself I was so wrapped up in my work that I didn't notice these things. She killed people & I come home, Hi, honey, killed anyone today? Or she'd have on like 5 times makeup on steroids & I didn't even blink. We would say that he had to be dumbed down to make the story work. And he said We made it work. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOaKVO756c&t=2685s

Okay, just finished re-listening to this one. A very brief bit about having to be dumbed down to make the storyline work but nothing derogatory in any way about Jane Elliot. And, this seems to be the last. 

So, we know that the bolded statement above is untrue. Jerry verDorn did not make a negative reference about Jane Elliot on a Locher Room zoom chat. 

 

Edited April 26 by Contessa Donatella
more info

[Maxim]

I will take anything that starts of with - I was there... or - I've been there personally - with a grain of salt. That's how manipulators give their lies fabricated credibility. The tactics of a mid-level internet hater do no interest me. Especially when it concerns a very well respected and talented actress like Jane Elliot. Some people can't take more successful and more talented people. It triggers them and makes them spread lies. But in the end... - Who cares? 

Please register in order to view this content

 

[Contessa Donatella]

This is something that I typed up out of a soap mag. I don't think I have posted it here. If I did I apologize for duplicating. 

As Told To Douglas, J. (1982). Jane & Jerry: Their Lives & Loves. Soap Opera Digest, 7(16), 18–25.

You Asked For It -- You Got It!

 

A Thought-Provoking Conversation with JANE ELLIOT & JERRY VerDORN

(Carrie & Ross, "Guiding Light")

 

If our mail at Soap Opera Digest is any indication, teaming up Jane Elliot & Jerry VerDorn was a real stroke of genius on the part of "Guiding Light's" head writer, Doug Marland. In the year since Carri & Ross fell in love, their tear-jerking romance has captivated the hearts of millions of viewers & they've become one of daytime's most popular couples.

Since we're received countless letters from our readers clamoring for a feature on Jane & Jerry, we caught the "dynamic duo" on a recent day off for this exclusive interview. Enjoy!

JD: You have become one of GL's most popular couples -- are you pleased with your storyline?

Jane: I think what is so extraordinary is that we haven't said the same thing twice in a year. Our characters have covered more territory in a year than most characters do in 2 or 3 years. There's always a new challenge in our scripts. It's been wonderful & Jerr'ys a blessing to work with.

Jerry: My storyline has been a challenge. As the storyline progressed, I suddenly became a reactor & Jane became the more active one, which is quite difficult to act. It has been tough but I think the stoyline has been successful in terms of credibility.

Jane: One of the joys of working closely with someone you respect & trust & depend on is that you get to create together ... you dream up things together. When I first joined the show I was asked why our scenes always look so different from other people's & it's because we work at it. When you're putting that kind of effort into your work, you see a "layering" & a "coloring" to our relationship that other couples don't get because they are too busy thinking about their personal lives & not their acting. Acting is the break from your real life. Why would you want to sit & think about your bills when you could be pretending to be somebody else?

Jerry: In terms of work, I haven't acted with someone who's had as much enthusiasm as I've had. Jane works as hard as I do. When the camera rolls, she hears what I say & I hear what she says. We listen to each other. We're able to play off each other without taking away the main thrust of the scene.

JD: If you could write your own storylines, what would you do with your characters?

Jane: I don't think I could come up with anything better than Doug Marland has given me. I have such confidence in him as a writer & as a friend that I don't think about what I'd like to see happen to Carrie. I spend my time thinking about what is happening to her.

Jerry: Awhile ago, Ross was supposed to go into politics & I sorta regret that didn't happen. I thought that would have been an interesting storyline. I don't think much about what they're going to do with Ross but I would like to see him intelligently resolve his Howdy-Doody syndrome. Carrie is everything he wants in a woman, so, he's at a point now where he's doing everything he can to support, help & make the marriage work. I'd like to see Ross come out of this & not look like a sucker.

JD: Are you happy with the overall direction "Guiding Light" is heading in? There have been so many changes ...

Jane: It's very exciting to be on "Guiding Light" now & be part of something that's on the way up. Everything everybody says to us about this show is wonderful! I feel I''ve gotten my comepuppance for everybody who was snide to me about leaving "General Hospital" (on which she played devious Tracy Quartermaine) when it was at the top & coming to a 4th rated show. I believed in this show& felt strongly it was a very smart move for me to come to "Guiding Light." It was not a stupid move, as so many people tried to tell me. All the changes in "Guiding Light" have paid off.

Jerry: I'm very pleased with the way the show is going & I'm from the old group, you know. I think there's a thread that runs through our show. I don't know where it comes from.

Jane: I'll tell you where it comes from -- Charita Bauer (Bert). The Bauer family has always been the focal point of this show. Charita is the mainstay & always has been. Even though she's been playing her part for over 30 years, she never went to sleep. When you have an attitude like that at the top, there's a role model for everybody to follow. If Charita can keep her enthusiasm, commitment & vitality after 30 some-odd years, who the hell am I not to?

Jerry: I think Charita's enthusiasm reflects in the ratings. "Guiding light" has always managed to hold its own. This show has never had change for change's sake.

JD: What about the rumors that "Guiding Light" may move to California soon?

Jane: It's more than just a rumor. It's a question of economics. It is much cheaper to produce television in Califorina than it is in New York, there's more space; there are more facilities. The most vulnerable shows right now are Procter & Gamble's CBS shows. The thought of pulling this kind of creative outlet out of New York terrifies me, because this city has precious few places for an actor to work. Since I have a home in both Los Angeles & New York, it makes no difference to me if we move to California. I love working on both coasts.

Jerry: I'll go for an enormous amount of money! (laughs) I'd go for awhile but I don't like the physical layout of Los Angeles; I don't like being tied to a car. If I had my druthers, we'd be doing all the soaps in Manitoba!

JD: How is "Guiding Light" different from all the other soaps?

Jane: Well, it has maintained the original reason why soap opera became so popular: it's an intimate melodrama. Your heart gets touched. There's a lot of romance on our show. The audience likes to watch people in love meet a problem & deal with it. Doug Marland is doing some new & innovative things that people have never seen before. The fantasies are wonderful & so is the live-action disco. The bottom line is a marriage of good material & good actors. That's magic & always has been.

Jerry: Brilliant material & actors is an unbeatable combination & I feel we've got a high percentage of both. We should go a long way with what we've got. Since we're happy at the studio - our second home - there's a great deal of whimsy & humor on the set & in our scenes. I see a distinct lack of humor on the other shows. Human beings like to laugh & they do it all the time in all kinds of situations -- even really desperate ones. Compared to our show, I find the other soaps barren sometimes when it comes to humor.

JD: Why do you think soaps became so popular?

Jane: "General Hospital" brought in an audience that had never watched daytime before to the degree that they are today (the college students), then nightime TV latched onto serials. And once you start putting major stars on daytime, it gives the medium credibility. It's now socially acceptable to admit that you watch soap operas.

Jerry: The fact that soap actors are on 5 days a week has a lot to do with it, because the audience has made an investment in the characters. They care so much more about you than they would about a fellow they see once a week at night. The audience gets attached.

JD: How do you answer people who still put the soaps down?

Jane: That hasn't happened to me. Soaps are changing. Usually somebody who doesn't want to deal with emotionality in his or her own life won't watch it on television. There are people who don't want to deal with intimate feelings -- they'd much rather see a car chase. Some people don't want to deal with the realities of love & hate, frustration & illness, joy & fulfillment & goals -- that's what soaps are about. I think soaps are realistic -- certainly closer to reality than the "Dukes of Hazzard."

Jerry: I'd say that soaps are a realistic melodrama & ask what they find silly about them. When someone puts soaps down, it's usually someone who hasn't seen them recently. Every time I watch "Dukes of Hazzard" or "CHIPS," it makes me doubly proud to be on a soap. We look like Shaw compared to that. Some people may think the soap format is silly & that's their opinion. If you step back & look at soaps objectively, they are rather silly. But, I happen to think "Fantasy Island" is rather silly, too. A lot of tragedies & unreal things have to happen on a soap for the show to progress. That makes for good drama. If you think that's silly, there's no arguing with you. You want nothing to happen? That's silly, too.

JD: Where are you hoping your careers will go after you leave "Guiding Light" someday?

Jane: I want more of the same. I was not a salable commodity in my twenties & had a hard time getting work. The older I become, the more work there is for me & my kind of woman. I just love to act & I don't care where it is that I'm doing it or in what medium. There's always something to learn, always something to strive for & get a good grip on.

Jerry: I'd like to do regional theatre again. Before I joined "Guiding Light," I'd done nothing but plays for about 15 years. I want to do the classics -- Shaw & Shakespeare. I miss performing before a live audience. I'd also like to do primetime for a while -- shows like "M*A*S*H" and "Taxi."

JD: Have the things you've wanted in your lives come easily to you or have you had to struggle for them?

Jane: I've struggled for everything I've ever gotten in my life & people never think that of me. They think I plopped into this earth at the age of 35, pleased with myself, with money in the bank, a husband who loves me, a wonderful acting role, 2 nice homes, etc. I don't remind everybody that I really deserve what I've got because I've suffered & paid my dues to get here. I spend my time enjoying what I have. You get out of life what you put into it. I've put a lot into it.

Jerry: When I first came to New York, I had 9 months of unemployment & I worried how I was going to pay the rent with my wife's $100-a-week paycheck. Sometimes you wonder if it's going to go on like that forever. When you look back, though, it really wasn't that difficult. After I met my wife, Beth, my professional and personal lives became less of a struggle. She stabilizes me.

JD: Do you have a particular philosophy that you live by?

Jane: When all is said & done, I work to please myself in whatever it is that I'm doing. It is my belief that the only person you can really know & understand & trust & count on is yourself. The more you work to please yourself, the more clarity you give the world around you & the more people will know where they stand with you. When you try to please somebody else or second-guess what their needs are, you always run into trouble.

Jerry: I was brought up on the work ethic. At home the attitude was we don't care what you do as long as you do it well & work as hard as you can. That really became ingrained in me, so I put a lot of faith in it. I think it's gotten me where I am. I've always worked my tail off.

JD: Do you ever find it difficult combining a career with marriage? Are there any conflicts?

Jane: Not yet. Jerry & I are both blessed with partners who, bottom line, really love us. My husband & Jerry's wife can watch Carrie & Ross freely loving each other & still stay confident in their own relationships & that's very special. We don't go home & pay for Carrie & Ross' love. Because we have extraordinary mates, we're more mentally healthy, I think. Since I have a relationship of my own that's as supportive & encouraging as the relationship I have with Ross, I have something to draw on.

Jerry: There were conflicts when my time was at a premium a few years ago. I was doing one Broadway show & understudying another. I was constantly on edge.

Jane: But that's not peculiar to acting. That happens in any business, I think. No matter what you're doing, there will be heavy stress points in your work & then there are times when the work is not that demanding. Beth & my husband, Luis (who is a videocamera man on "All My Children"), have a strong understanding of the demands on us & a great deal of respect. Beth is proud of Jerry's career & it's the same with Luis.

JD: What do you like most about being in show business? What least?

Jane: I love working & I hate not working. Acting is a wonderful thing to do for a living. You are given license to completely forget about yourself & pretend to be someone else & this somebody else doesn't have any of your restrictions & rules. The show you're doing is the pleasure & the business is the hard part. You have to be an emotional chameleon. You have to be hard & tough to be able to deal with walking out on the stage. But when you walk into an office & somebody hands you a script, you're supposed to be an emotional, pliable thing. It's a paradox, a very difficult thing to come to grips with when you first get into this business.Jerry: What I like most is working. What I like least is that there are more actors than jobs. I enjoy going to work. People in this world who get up & want to go to their jobs are rare. I still love doing "Guiding Light" after 3 years with the show.

[slick jones]

Insinuating a poster is lying because they call you both on your b. s. is just a way for both of you to attempt to undermine them.

Jane Elliot in 1981 coming off a phenomenal run on GH may have been a pill. We weren't there, but @TEdgeofNight has stated that they were.  I believe that poster a lot more easily than the two delusional posters currently attempting to undermine their statements.

And as much as I love JE, I heard the rumors that the GL Set breathed a sigh of relief when she left back in the 1980s.  

Edited April 25 by slick jones

[Maxim]

Calling me delusional? That's a bit extreme and derogatory. Who are you exactly ? You and I have never had any real communication in this forum. I am very surprised you know so much about me to call me a strong and dangerous name like that. Do you understand that... that is bullying? Calling a person who has done nothing to you and was not speaking or engaging with you in Any way - delusional?

You are protecting a known and proven bully. Just look at this user's post history for God's sake. Do you really want to protect That?

Calling a person you don't know and have never had any dealings with delusional tells me enough about you that I want to know.

Have a good life. I have nothing against you because I don't know you. It's mind blowing to me that anyone will protect this forum's biggest bully.

I am so disappointed in humanity sometimes. Jesus Christ.

 

 

Edited April 26 by Althea Davis

[slick jones]

No matter which screen name you go by, I recall the nasty post directed at me by you under an alternate name. Your prose is easily recognizable. If the tin hat fits, you should wear it. I believe you swore you would never post here again, then started a thread six hours later. 

The poster wasn't bullying anyone, he was stating what he saw while on the set. You and the girl from Ferris Bueller 

 

are quite the pair. choosing to put @TEdgeofNight down - just because you don't like them.

 

 

@FrenchFan

Those Scripts from 1967 are wonderful. There is nothing about Meta's visit in 1967 anywhere.

Please register in order to view this content

    Thanks so much for sharing, as always!

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Perhaps you mean me. I can't really tell. But, if you do mean me, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about! I asked a specific question, a question I am endeavoring to find information about. Show me where I put anyone down here, now. You cannot because I did not. 

But as for liking or disliking that person, are you kidding me?! That person has dogged me all over this site, personally attacking me over & over again for years. They have even followed me off of this site to other sites & started up there. Yes, they give themselves away by their posting style. This person was told months ago by an Admin to put me on Ignore & not to engage with me, period. They never for even one week stopped their attacks. Maybe you need to come into contact with some facts before you make accusations.

[Maxim]

 I will not quit. This forum needs me. If I quit... there would only be people like you in it.

And that's the last time I speak to you - someone who came here only to attack me, without anyone calling you or engaging with you. You came like a hitman ready to murder me. 

Now find some other people to stalk and engage with without them ever even remembering who you are.

And some other bully to associate and protect.

I am laughing at your ignorance. 

 

 

Edited April 26 by Althea Davis