GH: Classic Thread

[Faulkner]

When did Michele Val Jean start? I see she’s in the credits.

[DRW50]

This episode (February 1975, apparently) was already on Youtube, but this version seems to have better audio quality. 

 

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[Vee]

Oh my. I didn't know this existed.

[DRW50]

 

You may already know about those but there are about 4 or 5 episodes from 1975 on Youtube (I think someone once said they came from an Australian station), all in B&W. 

[Vee]

The show pre-Monty/Marland (minus some of the 60s episodes Mystery Science Theater 3000 used to run) is such a strange enigma. You hear it was deathly boring but it did manage to hang on. I know they brought in Denise Alexander (and Gerald Gordon?) to try to give it some boost.

Edited July 5, 2021 by Vee

[DRW50]

 

I think the idea is that the show was in good form until the early '70s, where it slowly began to decline (peaking with Audrey's passing Tom Hardy off as someone else's baby, or being on trial, or something), then really began going into freefall around 1974 or so when they began dumping actors en masse. 

[carolineg]

 

Wiki (which obviously take with a grain of salt) says Claire Labine hired her in 1993.  So it seems that episode is a real hybrid of Labine/her new staff/playing out Levinson's last stuff.  This would probably be one of MVJ's first episodes as a script editor/writer.

[titan1978]

Awesome, thanks for posting!

 

I’ve seen so few episodes of GH pre Monty, I know that Tom Donovan was considered a good producer, and the show had stabilized before it expanded to 45 minutes and lost a lot of viewers.  I have seen a couple of these older episodes with Diana Taylor, but this time she actually had scenes with some meat.  I can see why people liked her, although I enjoy Bundy as well.

 

This episode, while there was movement, felt kind of claustrophobic to me.  It was such a simple idea, to make that rounded nurses hub, and those hallways off from it, but it really allowed the show to feel more open, even if the set was technically more closed off.

 

 

[AdelaideCate007]

I have about 30 episodes from between around 1975 to 1977. All in pretty bad condition so I'm not sure they're really worth posting without trying to really clean them up. The ones pre-Quartermaine and Spencer families are pretty bad. It does seem like the show was just trying anything to get a character off the ground. It's jarring to see Lesley, Jessie Steve, and Audrey and a cast of long forgotten characters lol. You can definitely see why they ran with people like Laura, Alan, Monica, Bobbie, Luke and Tracy once they realised they had something there.

[beebs]

Honestly, if you know of a way or place that can clean them up, I'd say do it. If expense is the issue, considering the rarity of the episodes, it may well be worth crowdfunding it, because I guarantee a LOT of fans would be grateful!

Regardless of the quality of the writing hahah.

[victoria foxton]

It still would be interesting too see. Something from that wonky era. Even a little clip. BTW i really enjoy your channel.

Edited July 6, 2021 by victoria foxton

[Vee]

I'd heard about these scenes but never seen them, though I was watching afterschool in the '90s. Audrey tells Liz about her rape. Probably Rachel Ames' last great showcase as an actor on the show - she's so good.

 

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[titan1978]

That was great!  I remember seeing this back when it aired, but not since.  What a lovely scene, especially since they didn’t give her much to do for such a very long time.  And here she got to use her own character’s important history and had something to actually perform, that was about her.

 

BH really acted the hell out of that storyline.

[Faulkner]

 

Wow. Really great scene that I don’t remember watching. These veteran actors add so much richness and wisdom to these stories. Such a shame these shows began to see older actors are expendable. (Even today, they could play Jackie Zeman with Eden McCoy more to tighten the Bobbie/Joss bond. It would add a lot of depth to Joss’s character.)

[Vee]

I've been rewatching some GH from 77-80 in these lazy summer months with my world still half-shut down by the pandemic (the Marland/Monty and later PFS, etc stuff really, really holds up). Jackie was there back with the old, old guard, before a lot of other people. I know her facial work frankly leaves her and her performance all over the place from month to month but they could do more with her. I just don't care about Frank's desperate attempts to clone Starr Manning with the mediocre Eden McCoy.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Vee