GH: Discussion for the Month of July

[Skin]

I hope Kelly Monaco leaves GH. I never understood why she didn't jet back in 06/07' when her contract expired originally. She should have had great prospects after DWTS was a huge hit in television.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Tony actually has been back at GH since 1991, when he played Bill Eckert. Luke didn't come back until 1993 when GF/Laura did, which is when Bill was killed off.

Interestingly enough, Steve Burton began airing in December 1991, making him one of the very last actors hired by Gloria Monty in her GH career (her work last aired about a month or so later).

[DRW50]

She had the pilot for Football Wives, which wasn't picked up. She may have decided to just keep a steady income after that.

[alexisfan07]

Haha WTF! I never knew he played another character. Very cool.

The first four are Geary, York, Burton and Benard. I did some digging and apparently York was recurring for a bit from 2001-2002 and then reinstated on contract around 2003? And Burton made guest appearances in 2000 and 2001 and returned full time in 2002. Benard also left in 1997 and resumed in 1998...yet all three of them are ahead of Grahn and Herbst who were on contracts from 1996 and 1997 on, respectively. That's weird to me since Elliot, Ingle and now Hughes were not reinstated to their original contract placing (though Ingle, who returned in 2006, is ahead of all the 2005 debuts and is behind Elliot - strange). Just totally weird and random it seems like.

I wonder if John J. York has some sort of weird clause in place that allows him to remain listed in the contract credits (and retain his #2 spot) even if he goes recurring like Chrishell Stause did when AMC moved to LA. Just like her, he is still listed in the contract credits but isn't in the opening (though she was later added when MCE left).

[Chris B]

See, I found it a little stupid because she picked up Footballers Wives fairly quick. If I were her I'd have kept going for a bit, then worst case senario she could return to soaps. I think that time period would've been good for her in primetime.

[Cheap21]

She couldnt leave after FW didnt get picked up bc she was on contract at GH. I think the role was given to her in part due to Frons. She had a primetime holding deal with ABC which gave her daytime contract flexibility to be placed on a primetime series on ABC. They gave her Football Wives but unfortunately that wasnt picked up. I guess they didnt seem to have another show to place her on after that got canned or maybe like others said, she decided to just stick with the steady income.

[frequentsoapfan]

Kemo has nothing going for her acting wise. She couldn't have made it in primetime unless they were making another Baywatch style show.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Yeah, when Gloria Monty returned to GH in 1991, one of the first things she did was try to bring back Luke & Laura. Well, GF was on AMC at the time as Ceara, and Tony wouldn't play Luke without Laura, so the show created Luke's cousin Bill and his young son Sly, and the rest of the Eckert family, who many felt were shoved down the viewer's throats that year. Bill's last scene was getting shot and dying in Luke's arms shortly after he, Laura and Lucky returned to PC.

[DRW50]

Someone once told me that when Bill and Bobbie first met, they were flirting, and the show was hinting at them getting together (even though they were cousins). I don't know how accurate that is, but it's bewildering.

[MissLlanviewPA]

If that's true...EW!

[OldGHFan]

Yea, Gloria Monty was fired before L&L came back. Gloria was the one who invented Bill Eckert and gave us romantic Robert & Anna. Then GM fired Finola Hughes. Ratings weren't good so ABC fired Monty. ABC hired newcomer Wendy Riche as EP and she is the one who brought back Luke & Laura.

[MissLlanviewPA]

Oh I know. I meant that she wanted them (or at least Luke) back, but only got Tony because Genie was on AMC then. I know L&L came back during Wendy Riche's era .

[OldGHFan]

Oops. I misread it originally and then changed it. I see you said GM tried to bring back L&L. Sorry.

[MissLlanviewPA]

No problem.

I do have a Gloria Monty question, though: Was she the one to bring back Emma Samms in 1992, or was it Wendy Riche? For some reason it makes sense to me that bringing back Holly would be one of GM's last stories.

[quartermainefan]

I don't remember that at all. When Bill first came on the show Bobbie had to call in Ruby I think to help determine who this exactly was and Ruby quickly realized he was one of the dreaded Eckerts. I don't think there was ever a hint of romance.