GH: Classic Thread

[vetsoapfan]

 

Way back when, soaps used to have a moral compass, and would never let heinous actions like rape or murder go unpunished for long. Master writers like William J. Bell, Pat Falken Smith, etc., knew how to nuance their characters and storytelling, so that characters who committed terrible actions at least suffered for years afterwards. Many shows nowadays, particularly GH, not only ignore egregious transgressions, but they treat degenerate criminals (Sonny, Jason, Franco, etc.) as romantic heroes. It's revolting.

[Contessa Donatella]

 

Bill Bell and Pat Falken Smith both wrote things that I have notated as ??controversial??. The amount of time that DOOL let go by - from Mike's birth till he was a teen - without having the reveal was atrocious!

[vetsoapfan]

 

Or a great, complex, mesmerizing, adult and long-arc storyline that kept the audience enthralled, emotionally torn and WATCHING for a decade.

[Contessa Donatella]

 

We-ell, that is one way to put it. Besides all of that, it also included its being a familial storyline because Mickey & Bill & Laura & Tom & Alice & Mike himself were all related to each other.

[vetsoapfan]

 

Yes, you are correct. The members of the Horton family were all related to other members of the Horton family.

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[Contessa Donatella]

 

LOL, yes, you put me in my place there.

 

Although my own family always felt like we were Hortons!

[OldGHFan]

 

Yea, even when Gloria Monty didn't have great writing, her show, for me, was not to be missed.  I literally was glued to the show for 10 years.  And she had that eye for chemistry that extended beyond Luke & Laura: she also gave us Robert & Holly, Frisco & Felicia and Duke & Anna.  And after Laura's rape, there was never another rape on GH under her tenure.  I give her credit for that.

[Contessa Donatella]

 

Who was in charge when Elizabeth's rape happened?

[Errol]

 

Wendy Riche, executive producer

Robert Guza, head writer

[Contessa Donatella]

Thank  you, kind sir.  I loved Riche, but I was always leery of Guza.

[Contessa Donatella]

"On daytime" I came from prime time, and originally I had very little understanding of daytime. When you look at it, it seems to be a little bit slower, so there tends to be criticism in that regard. But the reason it appears slower to someone used to nighttime is because its stories are told in real time. It is slower because the characters are living life in that moment. Daytime drama does not limit its range of emotions, or its scope of storytelling. We are only limited by what we can do in a studio, and I have found that we can do pretty much anything. The story must have a heart, a soul, and a purpose, whether its adventure-driven or issue-oriented. Daytime must reach deep inside the viewer's heart and enable a person to connect with the characters. The audience wants a personal, human connection, and when they get it, they are devoted. --Wendy Riche, Executive Producer, GENERAL HOSPITAL. THE MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO WORLDS WITHOUT END THE ART AND HISTORY OF THE SOAP OPERA (1997) Harry N. Abrams, Inc.

 

Speaking of Wendy Riche, who I have just quoted here, why in the world did they fire her?! It seems to me that she was such a success for them.

[Planet Soap]

I wanna know why they fired Riche in favor of soap killer Phelps aswell?

 

Speaking of Luke and Laura I enjoyed them under Labine in the 90s because they appeared more domesticated than their action adventure plots in the 80s. However, 95-02 basically shat on Luke and Laura with the mob violence, Nickolas' intro, Stefan, the rape revisitation, Lucky's death and the Felicia affair. Not to mention Laura going mad in 02. I liked some of those plots but it's interesting how it basically destroyed the couple. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by ironlion

[OldGHFan]

 

I actually enjoyed a lot of those stories.  I loved Stefan and Laura and I'm someone who loved Luke & Laura.  That said, when Lucky "died" in the fire, I really thought Luke and Laura should have reunited.  It was the perfect opportunity.  But they just trashed the couple instead.   I'm sure Geary had a big part in that.

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[titan1978]

It was.  I read an interview with Susan Pratt and she mentioned Hoffman visiting the set, interviewing some of the cast and watching filming, hanging backstage, etc.

[titan1978]

I also agree that the fire was a real turning point.  It was like they wanted to nail the coffin shut, not leave it open a crack like everything before it.  They kind of tore each other apart, and it was hard to watch.

 

I do think both Tony and Genie excel with that kind of dark, emotional material.  I thought we actually saw how Laura would have grieved for Lucky, even if it kind sidelined her for almost a year.  Which is rare for a soap. They do tell things in real time (especially back then) but often with extreme grief they let them move on.  She was morose for months.  Had to be hard to act that kind of pain, but it’s one of the things that I loved about her in that era.

 

I had no issue with the rape revisit storyline- it was important and made sense in the context of Lucky finding Liz.  What I hated was how he treated Laura, and how other than a couple of scenes she got the story wasn’t about her.  It was only about Luke.  And Lucky’s pain kind of eclipsed Liz at times too.  And that sucks.

 

She had kind of been sidelined during Labine’s last year (maternity leave, Luke and her on the outs), and Guza really brought her back.  She went on trial for killing Damian, then the bone marrow and Nikolas reveal, through her next maternity leave and finding Lesley.  She was the focal point of all those stories, not Luke.  It was the last time they were a couple and the story revolved around her until she went crazy.  I always wondered if it was because she kept refusing to come back to the show during that maternity leave, so they stopped trying with her character.  I remember an interview with Michael Logan when  Guza returned, and he asked about Genie.  And Bob said he would go down on his knees to beg her to come back (or close to that).  What a difference a decade makes- they refused to bring her back when she was ready, except for guest stints.

 

One thing that first Guza run did is that I did not feel that most of Labine’s work was very soapy.  Guza brought that back, big time.  Love triangles, secrets from the past, murder mysteries, and a medical crisis involving family.  All in one amazing year.

 

Who killed Damian Smith?

 

 

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Edited October 9, 2019 by titan1978