GH: Classic Thread

[j swift]

I don't think Celia and Alexandra were siblings.  The writing was very careful to point out that Celia was a second cousin.  I assume because they didn't want viewers to be confused when she had an affair with her new found relative Jimmy Lee.

 

Since everyone was so helpful with my first set of questions, I have a few more:

 

Was Crane Tolliver Lila's first husband, or was he just trying to blackmail the Q's about Lila's first husband?  BTW I always confabulate GH Crane Tolliver with OLTL Talbot Huddleston; two creepy older killers with weird names.

 

Susan Moore, and later Lorena, were obsessed by the idea that Lila or Edward could have been  bigamists, but (other than embarrassment), why would it matter if they were together for more than three decades and their children's inheritance was determined by their wills, not their prior marriages?

 

I get that Lorena could have been Monica's cousin, but given Monica's backstory as a neglected orphan who found a substitute mother in Gail Baldwin, would she and Lorena really have any shared history?

 

Did Jimmy Lee always know that Beatrice was his mother?  Because, why was he from the sticks while she was wondering around in Europe?

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by j swift

[KMan101]

LOL at random pop up cousin Lorena. Can't wait

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. Why do soaps have a fixation on spa stories? NO ONE CARES. Ever. LOL

 

I'm around this time frame in watching it's been fun. 1980-1983 have been very engaging and interesting to watch play out, with what I can see, mind you.

 

I was always surprised they never reached back into the Crane Tolliver side of Lila's history (which I'm not entirely sure of), or Jimmy Lee's side with Edward later on. Of course maybe Claire Labine would have. Never was gonna happen in the Frons era.

 

Really surprised Jimmy Lee never came back. I know soaps loved the whole "I'm a good guy I don't want your money" schtick but I find it a bit tedious and heavy-handed as a way to say "he's a good guy LOVE HIM". But I like Steve Bond.

 

You could tell the show was desperately trying to fill the void left by Richard Dean Anderson (who's Jeff can be annoying, no? Lol, just saying).

Edited March 21, 2021 by KMan101

[j swift]

Between Alexandra, Celia, and Lorena, (not to mention Quentin, Betsy, Hal, and Herbert), the Q's were much more welcoming of distant cousins than they were of their own daughter Tracy.  Edward invested in the spa, paid for both of Celia's weddings, and gave Alexandra a top job at the family business, while Tracy had to withhold his heart meds just to get some scraps.  It also begs the question of why all of these rando's would come to Port Charles rather than the family's historic home on Long Island, where Tracy and Alan were raised?

Edited March 21, 2021 by j swift

[KMan101]

 

lol, when you point it out that way it's kind of hilariously sad that Tracy has always had to fight for acceptance. 

 

Edward was SO welcoming of Alexandria in what I've seen. You'd think SHE was his daughter if you didn't know better. Was it a mistake in hindsight to freeze her off and kill her? I also feel like they swapped out Jennifer Smith and Frank Smith for Edward and Alexandria when it came to Luke and Laura. Just kinda funny how it quickly shifted to a similar dynamic. I like that about soaps back then, they had a canvas in mind and characters filled their roles. 

[Franko]

He was her first husband.

 

There was a stipulation in Edward's father's will that the Quartermaine money could only go to legitimate heirs. I would think a good lawyer could find a loophole in that. "Fine, the $20 million from 1930 is off limits. But the $200 million since then is free and clear."

 

I think I'm the only one who likes Lorena, or at least what she could have been. I dunno, I think it's nice that Monica had potential to have a close female in her life. Alas, that went to hell pretty quickly.

 

 

(Jan. 13, 1983)

Edward learns that Beatrice (Jimmy Lee's mother) was never using the money he was sending her every month. Beatrice sent Jimmy Lee (Eric) to stay with cousins in the mid west who actually raised the boy.

 

Seems like the opportunity would have been there circa 1991, when Steve Bond left SANTA BARBARA. Think of the possibilities: (a) a more organic means for the class conflict stuff Gloria Monty wanted to try; (b) having Jimmy Lee and Tracy finally meet, which would have been worth the price of admission; (c) Jimmy Lee's adoptive son, Jonah, who could have slipped into Jason's role, or Jagger's.

 

I could be wrong, but I get the impression Herbert was the true power behind the Qs. Seems like that could have been a good story for Edward.

I always felt like Alexandria was a clear substitute for Tracy.

[KMan101]

 

Excellent point about the opportunity being there in 1991. Who knows what might have been had Monty stayed. Seems like one of those classic missed opportunities in the world of soaps. Timing is everything sometimes.

 

The Herbert angle does sound interesting and something that should have been more explored. Alas, that's not what's soap became in the late 90s and 00s + ... sigh. 

 

I feel like Carlivati would have gone there with Jimmy Lee but Ingle/Edward passed away right into Ron's start at the show. I would think Edward's death would open that opportunity up but maybe they never thought about it or didn't think anyone would care without Edward around, which I can understand.

 

Alexandria was 100% a Tracy replacement. I felt like they didn't even really hide it or try to lol. It was obvious from the word go. I wonder how it would have been seeing Tracy play out the Cassadine stuff instead of Alexandria?

Edited March 21, 2021 by KMan101

[titan1978]

I always liked the issues Edward had with his kids.  He wanted Alan to be a business man like he was, and didn’t respect his choice to be a doctor.  And here is Tracy, every bit as scheming and even more ruthless than he was, but he didn’t respect her or trust her.

 

I don’t really find the actress playing Alexandra that strong.  Certainly not like Jane as Tracy.

 

David Lewis is so much fun as Edward.  I grew to love Ingle too.

Edited March 22, 2021 by titan1978

[Paul Raven]

How would GH fans feel about Doug Davidson playing Jeff Webber?

[beebs]

I actually think that's not a bad idea, truly. Y&R's indifference is GH's gain, and Liz needs her father.

[slick jones]

Let's face it though, Jeff Webber is the unicorn we can't have because Foolish Frank thinks RoHo is what the world revolves around.

 

Davidson, like Gregory Harrison, James DePaiva, Robert Newman and so many others would be great as Jeff Webber.   Instead we are stuck with countless characters no one gives a good gawd da*n about in storylines that are either really boring or so predictable (Finn's WTD story) from the get go.  I hate to say it, but Harrison's old enough to not only understand what happened, but also how not to be a baby about it.

Let's just say Jeff came to town in the guise of Doug Davidson to take over as Chief of Staff.  Britt has a medical condition/ situation arising and Monica is brought back to run Cardiac Care.

Who do you pair him with?  Another new character? Monica? Bobbi? 

 

Now look at it from this angle:  Gregory Harrison(or Doug Davidson, etc....)  came in December not as  Finn/ Chase's Daddy, but Jeff with Jackie (Kim Delaney) his wife and Liz's mother--neither of which approved of Franko.  We could have had barbs traded between Scott and Jeff causing a rivalry....   There's story to mine without bringing more newcomers the audience don't already care about.  The whole point of soaps has always been about familial connections and characters the audience recognize and recall.

 

Instead we'll end up with RoHo 4.0 (Todd Franko, Franko as Drew and whomever they bring him on as next.   
No Thanks   Bring on a NuLucky (Chad Brannon or an old one like Jonathan Jackson) 

[Dion]

 

 Herbert was actually introduced in 1987 and killed off just as quickly in a murder mystery involving the Qs (including Celia's parents Quentin and Betsy), Robert and Robert's love interest at the time. It looks like it was a weird timing though as Celia had already left the show 18 months prior and yet they had finally introduced her immediate family - well Quentin had recurred when Celia was around but he was recasted for Herbert's murder mystery storyline.

[Paul Raven]

That was when Wes Kenney came on and cleaned house of assorted Monty characters who had been hanging around for years. He decided there would be short arc stories that involved a bunch of new characters interacting with the regulars, some of whom might stay around.

That approach didn't last long.

I think the Shaun Cassidy/Dusty Walker story was part of that strategy.

[slick jones]

Betsy Quartermaine was actually Celia's step-mother.

[j swift]

 

The will is such "soap opera logic", no probate court would allow someone to bequeath their estate and then state how it could be spent.  Once Edward got his inheritance, his father had no rights over his bastard grandchildren and their fortunes; they're not the royal family. Also, ELQ was always Edward's company, not the family's business, so his cousins were not likely to benefit, or suffer, from the profits of those endeavors.  

 

My favorite "soap logic" errors are when adults are written as if they immediately have rights to inherit a family fortune as soon as they find that one of their long lost parents were rich.   Doris Duke left a chunk of her estate to a woman who she adopted as an adult that she felt was a reincarnation of her dead daughter and Leona Helmsley left a fortune to her dog.  Proving that in real life rich people don't owe you money just because you share DNA.

Edited March 22, 2021 by j swift

[titan1978]

I would be fine with that.  I have wished for Robert Newman for years, and would prefer that actor.

 

One of the reasons I don’t like the Laura Kevin marriage is that it has nowhere to go. He’s not on contract, they have some chemistry but not as much as either has had with other pairings and flirtations.