GH: Classic Thread

[Vee]

I've never heard anyone specifically blame JFP for Stuart Damon.

Guza had creative power well above JFP, and his writers have always insisted Damon's firing was not his choice.

[titan1978]

I will always respect Kimberly McCullough for publicly speaking out against Stuart Damon’s firing.

Leslie Charleson made some comments too, I remember she said she and Geary had been commiserating that they are all now seen as expendable by TPTB, easily shown the door.  He included himself in that.  I have no idea if Frons would have had the balls to fire him, but I get the sentiment.

[Contessa Donatella]

Yeah, I know how Jill fires fast & early & then hires later so you have  no net savings. She gets herself hired frequently but also ends up being fired frequently. Nobody else has EPd so many shows not these days anyway. But, GH kept her so long! 12 yrs I think. Absent other knowledge, I think I will stick with current wisdom, which blames her for Stuart Damon. I only know of 3 good things she's done.

[allmc2008]

Wait. Guza had more control than JFP? How the hell was that? Who said that!

[Contessa Donatella]

I think it was Vee who said it. Don't be so shocked though, JFP found herself with diminishing power at the end of her tenure most places! At AW she'd lost power & HW Magaret de Priest had gained power before they showed her the door. The prelude to bye-bye was oh shut up.

[allmc2008]

Now I wonder how much of what I hated that happened on her shows was actually her doing.

[Contessa Donatella]

Like what? There's a good chance someone knows! I think more actual negatives are known about Jill than anyone else.

[Vee]

JFP was dethroned as a showrunner when her GH run with Megan McTavish in 2001-2002, where they were in full control, tanked the show. Guza, who had quit/was fired due to creative clashes with previous EP Wendy Riche in 2000, only agreed to come back in '02 if he was given a co-producer credit and associated control/autonomy. All of JFP's favored leads fell by the wayside or were fired outright, and it was well known from then on in the 2000s that Guza had creative control just below Brian Frons, who believed Guza was the only writer who understood GH. After his battles with Riche, Guza was never going to be left stymied by an EP again. JFP was reduced to the show facilitator for Guza's stories and glorified line producer, and could no longer creatively control the show or its storylines. The only time JFP got her own vision back onscreen in full was during the 2008 writer's strike, when Guza was out of the building. Suddenly Rick Hearst had a frontburner story for the first time in aeons, as though he was back on Jill's GL circa 1993.

This was all well known at the time, it's not some big secret.

Edited May 30, 2022 by Vee

[OzFrog]

Happy Clink/Boom Day!

 

[carolineg]

Yeah, I remember hearing the exact same thing, so it was pretty widely known.   Obviously, Guza had many flaws, but if someone stronger was allowed to reign him in and control his worst urges I think Guza would have been much more successful in his later years on GH.  I have always thought Guza was a decent writer that just fixated on certain characters, loved the mob and violence way too much, and had the tendency to repeat stories over and over.  He knew how to do an exciting arc and just needed an EP to tell him to stop using Jason/Carly/Sonny in every story and episode.

Speaking of good Guza-my favorite soap opera episode ever!!!

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I could watch Lily blow up all day!  Re-watching the anvils of Lily dying are pretty obvious, but I have never been more surprised and happy than I was on that day watching GH.

[Taoboi]

 

Happy Clink-Boom Day to you!!! I knew you would see it instantly.

 

Oooo that shade at Lily. hehe...

[titan1978]

Guza and Pratt negotiated for those producer credits and autonomy when they came back as a package duo.  It was the same thing at Y&R when Pratt arrived- neither was over the other with creative decisions.

From what I have heard the only place Jill had some power to wield was with the budget, staging, and how it made it on the screen.

 

I’ve been thinking about the trajectory of Carly and where she stands today.  What fascinates me is that if she had stayed with AJ, her place on the show would probably be the same as it is today.  Hotel owner, involved in everyone’s business, center point of stories.  Only a handful of times in the last decade+ have had her being with Sonny matter to her day to day life.  She goes everywhere without visible guards, she isn’t really in the mob life, and she plays the part as entitled, not scrappy.  

[carolineg]

Lol!  I don't even mind Lily that much, but in my youth I felt like her getting blown up was like Christmas/My Birthday rolled into one.  It's sad she died, but she's been made out to be the saintly saint ever since her death and it's completely swept under the rug she manipulated herself into marrying Sonny and he didn't even love her-even when she died.  

Do you think if Carly would have stayed with AJ she would have lasted?  I have my doubts.  Half the reason she lasted is because she was so heavily featured with Sonny/Jason everyday of our lives.  I agree her life trajectory would be similar, but with the Q's and Bobbie/Tony being minimalized I don't see her lasting past the early to mid 2000's.

[Taoboi]

Seeing some of those past Lily/Sonny/Brenda clips, Lily definitely was no saint and stronger than I gave her credit for seeing her through older eyes. 

 

But those youth memories...are boss.

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[titan1978]

When Sarah was there?  Yes.  And I would have kept the Jason ties.  Just not the full Sonny relationship which for me has at times ruined the show.

Who knows what would have been possible if AJ was recast with someone that could actually hold space as a lead though.  BW was not  as good as SK in the role.