Guiding Light Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

This is up in clip form but Jim Muneco has it in more of an episodic form. 

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This clip has the very start, which adds to the disturbing nature of the funhouse.

 

[Mitch64]

Also Saundra Santiago..they were all Rauch hires so interesting point.  Patti got tossed not long after she told fans on a board to "bite me." She was trying to do a Zimmer, without half the skill, of whipping up a fan base in support of her. That was at the time people were really getting vocal in push back against Jeva hogging airtime and Patti jumped in with her comments...it didn't work well with her. I can see TPTB dictating she has to go and Rauch telling her and the others, "I can't do anything about it, its all Claire!"

[Mona Kane Croft]

I believe Labine said in interviews that she was not familiar with the history of GL and that made it a difficult show for her to write.  But if someone had told Labine that the Bauers were a third (or was it second?) generation German American family, she might have found something she could embrace with her skills.  That small fact might have motivated her to take the show and run with it.  

I remember when Labine was hired as head writer for General Hospital -- I thought she was a terrible choice!  How could the queen of believable family drama (Ryan's Hope) possibly be successful on a soap about spies and freezing the world??   But Labine was wonderful on GH.  And she became one of the two or three best head writers in the history of GH, in my opinion. And she managed to use GH's long history in several of her storylines.   I fully believe she could have been equally successful on Guiding Light.  But something prevented that.  Maybe she didn't do enough research into GL's history.  Or maybe she was rushed, and didn't have time to research.  Or maybe she was being sabotaged.  But I do recall, she accepted at least part of the blame for her failures at GL. So that was admirable, I think.

[Mitch64]

I agree that it was a little bit of all those things. I know she was sabotaged with Rauch, who did the same thing with Taggert, who had to fight for every line.  I think E & B were pliable puppets and Labine and Taggert had their own voices.  I can imagine what she would have done with the Bauers, and if the Reardons were still at the Boardinghouse and Company it would be right up their alley (which they should have done, Nola buys back Company and Buzz opens up a Greek Taverna (not a diner, I hate diners on soaps) I think Labine would have loved writing the 7th and 5th street people but I know Rauch was all about boring blonde people in fantasy stories.

I did like her handing of Meta and loved the little story about her and Claire going at it, and Alan putting them in charge of the restoration of the lighthouse..that would have been fun but was dropped.

[TheyStartedOnSoaps]

Sonni/Solita storyline in 7 minutes - as this reel I put together features over 15 Guiding Light promos featuring Michelle Forbes in order 

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[Mitch64]

I loved that storyline! Though I am sorry, CB and KZ did not have the chemistry needed to see that obsession storyline. That last promo from the music, the clips, the hair..just SCREAMS 80s.

[chrisml]

I don't know if Labine would have been a good fit with GL if she had been allowed to have free reign. In reading her interview on We Love Soaps, I don't think I would have wanted to see her version of the show.  She seemed to value quirky bits of business over story at that point in her 

Also, the fact that Todd and the parrot is one of her favourite things from OLTL is baffling to me. 

[kalbir]

CBS daytime had the best promos BITD.

[P.J.]

this almost make me want to dig into 1988. almost.

[Vee]

Labine talked about GL extensively at We Love Soaps. That's one page but she had a whole interview plus fan questions. The Holly/Olivia thing was not going to be a lesbian romance, it was going to be unrequited. (I'm glad they didn't do it.)

 

[DRW50]

I think on paper Labine should have fit GL, but she had a lot of odd writing choices at OLTL and then again at GL that make me unsure. As I also found myself confused and not thrilled with where she took RH starting around late 1979 and 1980 (admittedly the networks have a huge say in all of this) I have to give Wendy Riche a lot of credit for how productive their team was at GH.

Edited September 28, 2024 by DRW50

[prefab1]

I think Lucky Gold doesn't get enough credit for cleaning up the Labines' mess. I remember tuning into my former-favorite soap GL in late 2000/early 2001 when Labine was writing, and I basically found it unwatchable. (The main story I recall involved Cassie and Reva going undercover dressed as prostitutes to uncover some kind of people-smuggling ring in San Cristobal).

When I finally tuned in again in late 2001, I found Gold's GL to be compulsively watchable, even when it was frequently ridiculous (e.g. Reva time-traveling through the painting). More stories revolved around long-term characters I cared about, and they had emotional stakes again. True, anything was better than "Mae the cigarette girl" and "Reva, savior of the boat people," but I felt like Gold's run was a rare highlight in GL's very troubled early 2000s era.   

[chrisml]

I agree about all of this. The Children's Hour story she wanted to do is not something I would want to watch.  There was no gay representation on GL, and this is how she wants to broach the subject? No thank you. And what would be the long-term effects of such a storyline? No just no.

[Contessa Donatella]

When I've known of things WR said it would be like her describing what she did not want to 

do & then go on to describe in general terms what she did want to do instead. Then like a day would go by & Labine would present her with a rough story about Robin & Stone. Also I believe that WR also spoke very highly of Shelly Curtis. Then when she talked about the Nurses Ball evenvwn more people were involved.

[P.J.]

I'm sorry, but on what planet did a Buzz/Holly/Billy triangle make any sense?