GL on DVD!

[antmunoz]

Lucille was actually trying to kill Jennifer, if I recall correctly. During the struggle, Lucille stabbed herself with the letter opener or knife.

[katie_9918]

Hey, Roger, just a question for future reference.

Is it better for Soapclassics to order any future DVDs from the site directly, or does it make a difference if we order it from Amazon?

I already ordered the Jennifer Richards set when I got the heads-up from Amazon, but I definitely want to do everything I can to support Soapclassics.com and if that means waiting an extra couple of days, I'm more than willing to do that.

[sheilaforever]

FYI: Both GL and B&B, the German box sets, have been discounted on AMAZON - so if you want to order, now would be a good time...

[RogerNewcomb]

I think that's right. Jennifer actually confessed at her first trial (it's a bit fuzzy in my mind) so she was in jail and didn't want a second trial. Mike found some new evidence and got a second trial which is where this DVD picks up the story.

I think it's all the same. It's the SC Amazon account so as long as it's not a bootleg seller I think it's the same difference to them.

[DeliaIrisFan]

Thanks!

My Jennifer DVD arrived on Friday and I was so hooked that I've already watched the entire disc. And I say that as someone who, having discovered Doug Marland's work completely posthumously via YouTube, etc. has always wondered if I would have been able to watch one of his shows on a daily basis.

I know it's sacrilege, but the dialogue is not my favorite when I watch his episodes of ATWT or GL, and I think I might overdose on all of the secret parentage stories, etc. But obviously Marland's stories were masterfully plotted and he laid the groundwork for decades' worth of material, and seeing this many consecutive episodes in succession, I can absolutely see the appeal. The way that everything led up to that courtroom scene, and all the key players ended up being there…I was on the edge of my seat, even though I essentially knew what happened.

I wonder what the long-term plans were for Jennifer, had Marland stayed longer at GL. There was something so relatable about her, as melodramatic as her story was, and she seemed to have the makings of an old-school longtime soap opera heroine (I wasn't surprised to read on IMDB that Geraldine Court had originated the role of another memorable character named Jennifer - on ATWT). There was something about her that actually reminded me a lot of Ellen Parker's Maureen…would Jennifer have gotten together with Mike and become the Bert daughter-in-law/protege had Marland lasted until CB passed away, I wonder?

Other random observations/questions:

That looked like a nice bit part for Mady Kaplan, the actress who went on to play Marie Kovac on ATWT, one of Douglas Cummings's victims (and, according to IMDB, the real life daughter of AMC's Fran Heflin), as Jennifer's cellmate. Was she a FOD, or was it just a coincidence back then when there were half a dozen or so NY-based soaps (sob)…I thought she was already on ATWT when Marland took over, and he wrote her off…?

What was Derek Colby's story about? His scenes with Lanie Marler were really boring. For the first episode or two, I thought this was the same character Mark Pinter later played (because he was involved in managing Amanda's finances, plus I remember it being a generic-sounding name).

Speaking of Mark Pinter, what was with the cover art for the DVD case? I could swear that's MP standing next to Jennifer, but his character wasn't on the show yet… And was that Marsha Clark's Hillary between Bert and Kelly? They were a C-story at best in these episodes, and Kelly and Morgan were the much more recognizable couple, I would think…plus Kelly's main connection to the trial was that Jennifer was Morgan's mother. So why not Kelly and Morgan, if anything? Most importantly, where was Amanda?

Did Mr. Stafford survive his surgery? I would think so, since killing him off before Jennifer/Jane Marie got to reunite with him - on top of having Amanda miscarry before Jennifer could publicly acknowledge the baby as her grandchild - would have been a bit excessive. But I found myself genuinely moved when Jennifer was reunited with her brother after her ordeal in court, and introduced him to Morgan. I was sorry I didn't get to see Jennifer reconcile with her father.

I always wonder how on earth Harding Lemay ended up coming to GL as a staff writer under Marland at this time? With all due respect to both writers, I just can't imagine them working well together in that way, at that stage in both of their soap careers… Obviously this goes to show that I've watched too many soap operas, but the only explanation I could think of every time I saw the credits on this disc was that he was finalizing his tell-all book about AW (which came out later that year, no?) and took the GL job to gain access to P&G's headquarters for some kind of last-minute undercover research.

[Soapsuds]

Just received my copy of the Jennifer Richards Trial. That was fast!! ..it only took 2 days to get it. I also received a coupon for discount on my next purchase....come on Roger...give me that Lucinda Walsh DVD.....

[~bl~]

I ordered on Friday, it sent on Monday...hopefully I will get it by midweek.

[Marco Dane]

What would I do to see the Karen Wolek trial on DVD!!! OLTL

[Soapsuds]

Jennifer Richards was introduced to Guiding Light under tragic circumstances. In April of 1980, she, her husband, and her daughter Morgan were driving through Springfield when they were involved in a head-on collision with attorney Mike Bauer. Jennifer's husband was killed instantly, leaving her and Morgan alone in Springfield. Needing money, and harboring a dark secret, Jennifer stayed in Springfield, and took a job as household manager for the wealthy Lucille Wexler. Lucille learned Jennifer's secret and, as a result, tried to stab her to death. In the ensuing struggle, it was instead Lucille who was killed.

Lucille's dying words to her daughter, Amanda, were that Jennifer had tried to murder her. During her trial, Jennifer inexplicably confessed to the crime, and was given a long prison sentence. But her attorney, Mike Bauer, wasn't satisfied that justice had been done. He uncovered fresh evidence, which resulted in a new trial. The audience was riveted by the second trial, which had many surprising twists, and ended with a shocking revelation. This collection features ten consecutive episodes from January 1981, which tell the story of the trial of Jennifer Richards

Taken from: http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Guiding-Light-Jennifer-Richards-Trial/17611#ixzz29QRK8mrh

[DRW50]

I really like the actress who played Jennifer (sorry I have forgotten her name - which sucks) but I have to admit when I see some of the clips of her she sort of feels like she was grafted onto the show.

[DeliaIrisFan]

Geraldine Court...apparently she passed away a couple of years ago. Very sad. I don't recall reading about that at the time?

I guess she was grafted on, but compared to some of the characters that were grafted on afterward and stuck around permanently, I'd have rather seen what became of Jennifer. Also, if Marland had only stayed at ATWT 2-3 years, I wonder how random those early scenes of the Snyders would seem..

One other thing I meant to ask - how exactly did McTavish, et al rewrite this story? I know Amanda ended up being Brandon's daughter, but I always assumed that Jennifer had been involved with both men. But in these episodes, the possibility that Brandon was really Amanda's father seemed to be solely because of his relationship with Lucille, and that all was forgotten when it turned out Jennifer was Amanda's biological mother. Did they really rewrite this so that Jennifer became pregnant by Brandon? I hadn't realized Jennifer was so young...that seems a bit Victor Lord-esque. I also recall that McTavish got flak for showing Amanda's birth certificate with "Jennifer Richards" listed as her mother, even though Jennifer was still going by her real name, "Jane Marie Stafford," at the time Amanda was born. But I hadn't realized that it was a significant plot point in the original story that the birth certificate had been partially destroyed, and as such the mother's name was not even visible...what were they thinking?

[DRW50]

Her passing away was mentioned here briefly, although at the time we were talking more about her Doctors work (which I've never seen, sadly).

I'm not sure if McTavish did the Amanda rewrite or if it was the interim writers. I know McTavish started the story of Vanessa being forced to give Roger info, not sure about the rest.

The rewrite was tacky but if they'd actually done something with the story I think viewers would have been less irritated. Instead, aside from a few strong scenes, there was no effort made whatsoever.

It's a little tough for me to remember that Jennifer was Amanda's mother and Morgan was her sister. I guess that was part of the story ,since Amanda was never fully bonded to them. I wish they'd kept Lucille around longer, for contrast.

[silascrocker]

Just Finished watching the entire Jennifer Richards DVD. Great DVD!!!! When I first saw these Episodes in 1981, I was 11.

Watching This Brought back so many Memories of how Great Guiding Light was back then.

The Douglas Marland years are My Favorites. I hope Soap Classics releases more from this Era, Like the Diane Ballard Murder

mystery, Eva Stapleton's Stalker, and Nola/Quint. I would also like to see more of the Andy Norris Blackmailing Springfield

story. When I was a kid I thought Andy Norris(Ted Leplat) was gross, but now think he was actually quite sexy.

[dragonflies]

The TVShowsonDVD description of this made me want it and I'm not even a GL fan and wouldn't even know most of the character's LOL

[zanereed]

Roger,

I don't know if you can answer this or not, but is this new set and the "Bob & Kim" set sort of a "test" by SC to see how well consecutive episodes sell (i.e. - similar to the recent "Springfield Story" German DVD set)? I placed my order hoping this is the case. If nothing else, it's more Mike Bauer, regardless! This is a bold move, because it's an older storyline (pre-Lewis, pre-Shayne, etc.), but still a great one. I might even purchase a second set for Christmas presents. Thanks, Roger, for helping to get this released.

Although, I still hope for a Roger and Holly set in the future...!