Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

I thought Laura Bell Bundy was OK, but I never cared enough about her or her stories. I think the circumstances of her firing ended up making people rally around her. I do think she was more believable as a Lewis and a Shayne than Lindsey McKeon, but you're right that the writing was never there. When Reva first returned there was natural conflict to be found in Marah and Shayne preferring Annie to her, but the show had to make Annie evil because that was the easier choice (and that probably did save the show from being canceled).

Kimberly J Brown was the best of the Marahs, for whatever that was worth. I remember seeing a bit of an episode where she briefly returned, which must have been odd for viewers who had never seen her in the role originally and just remembered a vapid blonde tearing off her clothes and begging to be raped. 

IIRC he did have a very loud fanbase, which similar to the loud fanbases for Gus/Harley and Michelle/Danny seemed to dominate the show's final years. I remember being bewildered at the time because I actually DID like Bradley Cole as Richard, and I even liked Richard/Cassie (even if he had more chemistry with Edmund...), but I was not sending flowers or doing letter writing campaigns for him, and I sure wasn't interested in watching him [!@#$%^&*] Marah or Beth or whoever it was on the floor of a Chinese restaurant. 

I liked him at GL too, the little I remember now. I know he had one of those generic "goes overseas and is scarred by war trauma" stories soaps love. I think he did his best with some shocking material at AMC. My good will did not go far enough to watch the retcons of Nina he was involved in on Y&R.

I do think having two former AMC men leading in GL's last year is a reminder of how the show had lost its identity, although AMC got their own back by hiring RPG, I suppose.

Edited September 22, 2024 by DRW50

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks, Robb. 

[Mitch64]

I actually like McKeon when they let her (for a bit) be angry with Reva, who was in prison and March goes to visit her and lets loose on Reva that yet again, she is gone and Marah has to pick up the pieces and try to take care of Josh and Shayne.  As you mentioned, the natural conflict would  have been for Marah and Shayne (especially Shayne) lean towards Annie and not trust Reva. They could still have EVIL Annie still care about the kids, but also can't help herself in manipulating them against Reva. But Rauch had to have Reva be all good and subtle writing was out by then. It could have provided year's of underlying tension and also provide reasons for Reva contstantly running around as she does not feel comfortable with her own kids. 

It was for that reason that I didn't like LBB as they were trying to hard to make her Reva Jr. I thought Marah should be more like Josh, calmer but also judgmental towards Reva and her crap. I did think they missed the opportunity to make Shayne gay, with this time Josh being accepting ("I always knew") and Reva freaking out thinking it was her fault for being gone and just being way too OTT all the time. But then she becomes the world's most obnoxious PFLAG mom ever ("No Mom, you can't go to the bar with me..people will think YOURE the drag queen.) 

[Contessa Donatella]

At this time I would like to nominate 2 selections as POST OF THE DAY

#! About Marty West

DRW50:

[16 hours ago, chrisml said:  Marty West has not worked as an actor since. ]

He wasn't working as an actor then either.

#2 About a gay Shayne & Reva:

Mitch64: 

But then she becomes the world's most obnoxious PFLAG mom ever ("No Mom, you can't go to the bar with me..people will think YOURE the drag queen.) 

 

[P.J.]

Well, while I hated Gus, RPG had roots with P&G. 

Am I misremembering? There was a gap in births on the show after Marah was born? Bill was born the end of '84, Michelle in '85, and Ben must've been born in '86. Marah was '87. I don't recall another birth until Shayne in '90.

Bill/Michelle/Ben got lumped together as group in '89.  And I always thought they benefitted from having that established friendship. Marah never got that, and on some level it quashed some natural storylines for her.

I fully admit some of the reason I don't remember the older Marah and Shayne is because my interest rapidly declined in the 2000s when a bunch of nobodies and bland actors overtook Springfield. I watched at the time, but I certainly don't feel the need to review and refresh my memory.

[DRW50]

I can't remember any either - there were a number of miscarriages instead. A far cry from soaps now with endless babies. 

Seeing Bill, Michelle and Ben as friends definitely endeared them more to viewers, at least with the original actors (the recasts never recaptured it). 

I don't think it helps with your memories that Shayne and Marah never had anything interesting to do as adults anyway. 

[P.J.]

I did remember one, Susan/Daisy had to be sometime in '87 or '88. And there was Meredith's miscarriage somewhere in there.

Re: Marah and Shayne--too true. At least the show tried at times with Marah. Shayne was mostly ignored.

[DRW50]

You're right. They did give Annie a few layers (like saving Abby from the house fire but not Reva) but could have gone further. 

I remember LBB dancing on a table or something. I think her spark helped make her more memorable but the Reva Jr aspects, not as much. It might have been more interesting to write Marah as withdrawn and fearful, contrasting with vivacious Reva. McKeon probably could have tapped into that if they had tried.

I remembered Daisy but I thought that was all offcamera. 

Sonni also had a miscarriage. 

[P.J.]

No, Daisy was born on screen when Alan Michael and Dinah crashing into Harley's car while she on the way to the hospital. It must've been '87, because it must've been shortly before Vanessa's '88 exit. AM and Dinah are dating while Alan and Vanessa are. AM stole a motorcycle from Frank's shop and crashed it with Dinah riding on the back. Alan was livid.

[DRW50]

Oh that's right. Thanks. 

[Mitch64]

Your right..so odd that they always cast Marah younger and didn't SORAS like Chelle (I would have SORASED a bit for Reva's return, that kid who played Marah made me teeth hurt with her cutesy pie ways...lord, remember LOWHAD???)She really should have been in the Chelle, Bill group.

[Liberty City]

To think we nearly got Marah back but P&G/CBS pulled the plug. Damn.

[P.J.]

I think the Bill/Michelle/Ben trio formed almost accidentally. It was convenient for Michelle and Ben to be the same age, as it lead to some confused Maureen/Fletch feels, and when Vanessa returned, you couldn't not bring Little Billy back. I don't mind that Marah wasn't in Bill's peer group, (one boggles at the potential of Bill's cousins Ben and Marah dating, after all, even if the show rarely/never acknowledged that Bill and Ben were cousins), I just wonder why Marah never got one of her own. I guess Marah had enough trouble with Reva as her mother, she didn't need friends drawing her into more. 

Susan/Daisy's backward aging still stumps me. 

I'm trying to remember if other shows were doing tween stories at the time.  A show might have one precocious kiddo, but three had to be unique. 

[Mitch64]

Imagine my shock when Branson came on and I thought Shayne Lewis was hot..a bit weird where boring generic little Shayne became a deep voiced hottie..getting it on with hottie Dinah!!!!

[Soaplovers]

Laura Bell Bundy... god.. too Broadway and OTT.  There is a reason I don't see plays or musical on stage.. too OTT for me. 

Kimberly J Brown was the best of the Marah's... and I did like her brief return and it was a shame that the show didn't think to have her come back for more visits played by Brown.

Mckeon had a snarky cynical take on Marah.. and I thought that was an element that the show didn't utilize more of.