GH: Classic Thread

[Paul Raven]

Leslie with OG Laura (Stacey Baldwin) and Barbara Vining (Judy Lewis)

 

[amybrickwallace]

I'd love to know whatever happened to Stacy Baldwin.

[Faulkner]

 

[titan1978]

I was watching a bunch of 1982 eps on YouTube, and I started thinking about the show at that moment.  How did they stay at number 1 for the year, and how did their ratings not completely collapse that year? I don’t mean the logical settling after the wedding of Luke and Laura.  Their ratings stayed really high anyway, and other soaps had good stuff going on, it’s not like now when they are all bad.

 

Between 1981 and 1982, they lost so many characters that drove major story- Diana, Jeff and Laura to name a few. The major plot of David Grey is also incredibly stupid, and there  are a lot of bland new characters all of a sudden.  People must have really loved Luke and Robert.

[ghfan89]

GH dropped to #2 the summer of 1982 and was overtaken by AMC, IIRC.

[titan1978]

There were lots of times they dipped below other shows, but they still had high enough numbers for the year to be number  one.  Challengers didn’t dethrone them for the season until Y&R later in the 80’s.

There were plenty of great characters still doing interesting things- especially the Quartermaines.  It’s just interesting to me that the show’s success survived such an awful year story wise and great characters being replaced by bland ones.  Laura Templeton was no Laura Spencer.

Edited June 20, 2020 by titan1978

[ghfan89]

True. I think in 1982 it was really close between GH and AMC though it was the closest GH came to losing the #1 spot until Y&R in the late 80's.

[j swift]

After commenting on the 1991 SOD thread I researched Connor Olivera and came up with this old thread: 

 

Sean Donnelly's son?  Did he go to the wedding with Tiffany?  How long was he on the show?  The actor and his song styling did not age well, but the idea of an expanded Donnelly family tree is intriguing.  If anyone has any additional information on this character I would appreciate it.

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by j swift

[AdelaideCate007]

I don't remember a single thing about him really except that his singing was annoying af and that the backstory was really convoluted. Like I think his mum was a friend of Felicia's grandmother and there was something involving Sean and a mask maybe? It's probably just me but I always found both Felicia and Sean's Mexico/Texas backstories to be messy and not really make sense. I remember him being around for a while though, like at least through maybe the end of 1992? I think he was long gone though by the time Dominique died and Felicia fake died at that was early 1993. I don't even remember when he showed up but Sean and Tiffany been married for a while when he did.

Edited June 24, 2020 by AdelaideCate007

[victoria foxton]

 

Conner popped up from nowhere.  As Sean's insta son. He was cute but extremely BLAND. I don't remember him ever having much to do. He dated Dominque. Worked and sometimes sang at the Outback. I forgot that they tied him to Felicia. @j swift Conner was on from 1991-92. Most likely a 1.5 yr. 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by victoria foxton

[Dion]

 

If you use ctrl + F to search for 'Conn' at the curlyqgirl recaps (Connor and Conner are spelt interchangeably, hence you have to shorten his name to get all the mentions, but unfortunately it will also pick up 'connected' and 'Connecticutt' as well) you'll get an idea of his storylines.

 

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/eps/gheps1991.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/eps/gheps19912.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/eps/gheps1992.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/tv/curlyqgrl/gh/eps/gheps19922.htm

 

Basically the TLDR version is that Connor first appeared June 24, 1991. Mac and Dominique encountered him first and Mac hired him to sing at his new jazz club, The Outback and the now infamous wedding rehearsal scene takes place on June 27, 1991. Connor also became friends with Dominique and Robin. Connor performed again the following month at the opening of The Outback.

 

By September 1991, Felicia had become suspicious of Connor. Connor revealed that he was looking for his father and that Mariah might have some answers since as @AdelaideCate007 mentions, they were connected. Mac, Connor, Felicia and Maxie went to Texas where a friend of Mariah's told them about Connor's father, El Patron.

 

By December 1991, Connor was in trouble with immigration and needed to prove that his father was American. Sean tried to help Connor and was shocked when Connor told Sean that his father was El Patron. Sean revealed to Robert that he was El Patron. This is where the video - "He's my son" - that @victoria foxton posted comes in. Sean saved Connor from deportation by revealing that he was Connor's father. They took blood tests at the beginning of 1992 and the results came back in February. Connor was hesitant to accept Sean as his father (and they still had an uneasy relationship as late as July).

 

Then there was a brief storyline about Connor being hired by Lucy to write a theme song for Deception.

 

By September, Connor had feelings for Dominique but she got ended up getting married to Scott. There is no further mention of Connor in these recaps after October 22, 1992.

[victoria foxton]

 

  

[j swift]

Through a 2020 lens, the casting of Connor Oilvera, (the son of El Patron who was facing deportation), is as anachronistically amusing as his appropriation of new jack swing music. 

 

Unlike All I Need, Lady in Red, or (Think of) Laura, Connor's lyrics have no association what so ever with the love story of Anna and Robert.  Now That You're Here?  Anna and Robert spent years around each other while pursuing other lovers, (and were never written as each other's destiny), so it is not like they just found each other.  A more appropriate title would have been Now That We've Exhausted All Other Options (including the alien in my garage and your virgin pianist girlfriend). But, I guess, that's harder to dance to.  I'm also amused by the rehearsal dinner scene where Mac had founded a jazz club for live music, but the performers lip synced to video backing footage, very 90's cabaret...

 

Lastly, can we talk about the insta-wealth that all GH characters achieved in 1991?  Mac went from an environmental activist to a jazz club owner.  A family inheritance caused Bill Eckart to go from a dockworker to buying that gorgeous lighthouse.  And his sister Jenny (who for some reason did not benefit from that wealthy dead relative) went from student nurse housing to the Quatermaine mansion!    Gloria Monty gave up all pretenses of relatability as soon as those ratings drooped.   

Edited June 24, 2020 by j swift

[Franko]

Darn it, I'm now wishing Lypsynka would have shown up at The Outback.

 

Don't forget Bill and Julia becoming ELQ shareholders.

[titan1978]

I think Monty had the right idea just forced everything too quickly and didn’t hire strong enough writers to execute that vision.  There was no Marland or PFS to make her vision work.

 

She wanted a more grounded version of the show, with more economic diversity amongst the characters.  Which we got under Riche.  She just forced all the people we liked off to the side, and forced Mac and the Eckerts down our throats, and then lost Robert and Anna due to her own control issues.

 

I think if Bill had been played by somebody else, and the show had spent more time getting there, what she wanted would have worked.  But it is funny how everyone suddenly had money and no longer cared about challenging the system.