Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[slick jones]

@Reverend Ruthledge Allow me to join the groupof people that love your insights about the years most have lost, and have been appreciative of your take on the show's history. Is there anything else about Trudy and Clyde that you recall? One of the writers from various soap publications and I have brought them up elsewhere, but very little has been shared.

This is, literally, all that he and I have come up with.

Clyde Palmer    Married Gertrude ""Trudy" Bauer and moved to                                       New York City

                               ?????  1952

                            ?????  1957-58

Gertrude "Trudy" Bauer Palmer    Sister of Bill and Meta; married Clyde and moved to New York City                     

                                 Gloria Grant   1948     Radio

                            Laurette Fillbrandt  1948-49     Radio

                        Mary Patton   January 1950 - ???    Radio

                            Anne Marie Geyer   Radio 1951

                            Charlotte Holland   1951   Radio

                       Anne Marie Gayer    Television 1952

                                  Lisa Howard   1957 - 58

 

 

The fact that Trudy didn't want children is the most interesting thing I've heard about her.

 

[SoapDope]

Trudy not wanting children could have been used in so many different ways.

People telling her they envied her decision not to have children, but she feels guilt because she did have a child in the 50's she gave up for adoption. It would also be a scandal if the baby's father were revealed. 

She had a Oops baby with her husband. As the child grew up they had a stormy relationship with her because she really didn't want to be a Mother, sent them to boarding school etc...

She had a child (her only one) and she became obsessed and over protective of and tried to run their life. She also disapproved of any relationship they had and tried to interfere thinking she knew best.

 

Edited August 8, 2024 by SoapDope

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Thank you. Well, she was a very interesting character. First off, she was surprisingly sexist. At least when she was younger. She was adamantly opposed to Mama Bauer having a female doctor, Dr. Mary Leland, when Mama had cancer. Of course, this could have been a sign of the times and what was happening culturally. Also due to the fact that she was very young and also very worried about Mama. She also hated Meta and thought she was selfish. Meta and Trudy were the original Marcia and Jan Brady. Trudy was a "plain Jane" and Meta was the prettier, more glamorous sister so there was a lot of jealousy as Trudy had pretty low self-esteem. In fact, when Clyde showed interest in her, she asked him why he would and couldn't quite believe him. Trudy fell in love with the guy who lived in the apartment of the Bauer home, Dr. Ross Boling, but he was in love with Meta even though Meta was married to Ted White. You can imagine how this fueled Trudy's hatred for Meta even more. The Meta/Trudy fights were some of the most compelling Bauer moments. Trudy never held back from telling it like it is. She often put Meta and Bert in their place and Papa would always try to calm her down. She didn't like Bert either mostly due to the way she treated Bill. Her hatred for Meta ran much deeper. Trudy did something very out of character and went on an adventurous vacation in Jamaica and that's where she met Clyde Palmer who was also vacationing there. It was such a great experience for Trudy that she had a hard time believing it was real and didn't expect to ever hear from Clyde again. When he got back to the States, she was surprised to see that he was still pursuing her. When she finally agreed to marry him in spite of her doubts, they moved off to New York City where Clyde lived and worked. She was in and out of the story after that. She made the comment about not wanting children when she came back in 1957 for Papa's birthday. It was during the same conversation where Clyde told her not to gloat because Meta was going through a rough time. Trudy was fiercely loyal but was very jealous (probably due to her low self-esteem) and held resentments for a very long time. Even though she could be quite bitter and cutting, I liked her and felt sorry for her. There were many comments after she left the show by the Bauers that they were aware that Trudy felt the need to distance herself from the family. Bert, I think it was, made the comment that that was encouraged by Clyde who felt Trudy needed to be her own woman and forget the negative family dynamics (which had mostly to do with Meta). 

Edited August 8, 2024 by Reverend Ruthledge

[Khan]

IIRC, there was a rumor that Claire Labine had not only planned to bring back Trudy, but to reveal that in the years away from the rest of the family, she had become destitute.

[wonderwoman1951]

may have missed this. but, i don’t think that anyone’s mentioned that trudy bauer was played by helen wagner (1952-53 according to imdb). 

[Reverend Ruthledge]

Someone else who I talk with here who knows a lot about the golden days of the show and I have discussed that before and we've both come to the conclusion that that is just something that was reported somewhere but isn't true or that she may have filled in as Trudy for another actress a time or two but was never a regular on the show. She definitely didn't play Trudy in 1953 as nobody did. Trudy didn't appear on the show that year. 

Edited August 8, 2024 by Reverend Ruthledge

[SoapDope]

Trudy should have came back when Meta was brought back and re-ignite the sister feud. 

Rosemary Prinz may have been a good Trudy. She is 5 years younger than Mary Stuart. 

[bboy875]

Thanks for all this info! With all this to work with, ignoring/forgetting about her is all the more worst 

[vetsoapfan]

Okay, so probably I am misremembering that bit, no doubt because I could not stomach watching it, LOL.

There are so many errors and flights of fantasy; so much fan fiction on SoapCentral. UGH!

It's nice to know that history was honored at least once in the show's final years!

In her Christmas toast, Aunt Meta said, "When I was a girl, we used to listen to Reverend Ruthledge, in the church in Five Points. He was the best man I've ever known for finding hope for people in trouble...."

So the history/accuracy was wonky, but I doubt that besides die-hard history buffs, few viewers would notice.

Please register in order to view this content

 

Great synopsis, as always.

If you wrote a book, detailing the history of TGL's early years, I'd buy it.

Please register in order to view this content

[Mona Kane Croft]

Yes, it is wonky.  But it seems the script writers at least tried to make it vague enough to be palatable to soap history buffs.  Meta did not literally say the Bauers lived in Five-Points.  And even though she used the term, "best man I've ever known" -- even that is a bit vague. Did she literally "know" him?  Perhaps not.  Is it plausible the Bauers listened to Reverend Rutledge on the radio from their home in Selby Flats?  The radio airwaves were full of preachers back in the 1930s and 40s.  I know I'm grasping at straws, but I do find the words of Meta's speech carefully and vaguely written.  

Since the Bauers never lived in Five-Points or even met Reverend Rutledge -- nor did any other existing character on the show -- the only way to mention the show's origins on-camera was to stretch the truth a bit.  The only other option would be to forget about anything pre-Bauer and pretend GL began when the Bauers showed up.  I really don't think any of us would have liked that!!

Edited August 8, 2024 by Mona Kane Croft

[vetsoapfan]

I did the EXACT SAME mind exercises to justify what Meta said, in order to make it work within the context of established history, LOL!

That's why I tried so hard to make the pieces fit. 

Please register in order to view this content

[DRW50]

I have to admit I also take the "listen to" as her hearing him on the radio, but we are probably putting more thought into it than warranted.

Didn't Josh meet a relative of his when he was briefly a minister? Or am I fancrufting?

[Mona Kane Croft]

Yes, I believe Josh met a relative of Reverend Rutledge during GL's final couple of years.  But that really has no connection to Meta's speech years earlier.    

[P.J.]

I'll never understand why Mike and Ed weren't given more children. You can't keep a core family going with one kid. 

[slick jones]

Please register in order to view this content

     

Ray Virta                                                 Armand Schultz

 

 

@DRW50  I have two actors that played a Reverend Ruthledge towards the end of the series. I don't have years for either as yet.

One did have scenes with "Rev. Lewis", but I don't remember which.