GH: April 2024 Discussion Thread

[Liberty City]

Imagine the emotional depth Lulu would have with Miller...? Amazing:

[Vee]

Donna, I'm only indulging this despite having you blocked because I already addressed the rest of this mess when it got quoted in someone else's post. I never said anything about how or when SN was hired. I'm not disputing any of that. What I specifically said is that you going off the word of some Patch/Kayla fan on Twitter that Stefan and Katherine was 'always the plan' from Guza and Wendy Riche is nonsense. This is where reading and listening are fundamental and you just don't do that to anyone on this forum other than yourself. You get excited and start saying things that aren't accurate.

Now if you want to show me in black and white, in print, where Stephen Nichols or anyone else specifically claimed that Stefan and Katherine was always the plan under that creative regime, you can do so and I'll eat crow and eagerly apologize to you. But otherwise this is another example of you wanting to make yourself central to any conversation and not accepting it when you're not.

Edited April 20 by Vee

[carolineg]

There was a clear shift when Guza left from Bobbie/Stefan (which was popular AND interesting) to boring Stefan/Katherine out of nowhere IMO.

I agree there was something very dark about Alexis's past that was never fully realized.  I would have bought Stavros, but it was probably too much for ABC/Disney at the time.

I think it was okay with the audience because we finally got some, ANY answer about Sam's father.  In the scheme of things it's an unwise move because it's not very important.

Guza actually wasn't head writer at the time.  It was Culliton then Iacobuzio/Whitesell.  Guza returned a bit later although you could feel his work once Culliton was gone.

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm sorry I misunderstood part of what you said. But what you posted is still weird. As if I were touting someone as gospel? No. And I don't think anyone who watched that could have mistaken that they were trying to recreate the "magic" of Patch & Kayla at GH. So you trying to cast aspersions on some fan who thought that is very odd. Literally, everyone thought that. And your repeated contention that I desire to be the center of attention is just bullshit & it's boring. You're better than that. So, are you now going to claim that they weren't making the mistake of trying to recreate what had worked at DAYS between the two actors? I'm anxiously awaiting that answer. 

Well, thanks again. I'm totally turned around. Clearly I've got to go look up when the Cullitons began PC with regard to this time at GH. 

[janea4old]

Quotes from the GH 60th Anniv edition of SOD.
Digital copy free on my local public library's website, with plain text copy/paste for free, too.
Exact copy/paste from that – just the sections relevant to the current conversation.
**** Disclaimer:  Of course, these 2023 quotes are from actors describing what they remember from decades ago. 
Not necessarily objectively accurate.  Just the way they remember it.
 

Not posting as proof or disproof of anything.
Posting *only* because of what Nichols says about Mulcahey and the Cassadines.

---------

Mary Beth Evans

SOD: Then, of course, Stephen Nichols, who you’d created magic with at DAYS, came aboard as your love interest, Stefan. How did you feel about that? 

Mary Beth Evans:
“Stephen was off DAYS, and I had had lunch with him. I said, ‘You need to come to the Emmys with me so Wendy Riche [then-executive producer] can see how great you are.’ It was cool that he came to GH. They put us together, but I don’t think it was ever as successful as DAYS’s Patch and Kayla. [The pairing] didn’t have the sweet, vulnerable love stuff that Patch had, where he was wounded. It did work, but it wasn’t as enduring as Patch and Kayla.”

SOD: What are your memories of working with Tyler Christopher (ex-Nikolas) and that whole May/December relationship?

Mary Beth Evans:
 “It was wonderful. I think I was his on-screen first kiss. He was such a doll baby. I remember when our characters were going to have an affair. I told him, ‘If you call me mommy, it’s over.’ And I was, like, 33 at the time.”

SOD: Do you have a storyline you loved? 
Mary Beth Evans:
“I loved the triangle with Stephen and Tyler. To work with both of those guys was great. It was crazy and controversial. Wally Kurth [Ned] and Rena Sofer [ex-Lois] and I were all in a triangle together, too. I remember we did a cover for Soap Opera Digest with Rena and me in wedding dresses. I said to Wally, ‘This isn’t fair because you guys are getting married in real life. You’re going to pick her, I know it [laughs].’ That was all really fun, too.”

------------------------------------------

Stephen Nichols

SOD:  What do you remember about getting the job on GH? 

Stephen Nichols:
“It all happened very quickly. In 1996, I had signed with an agent in NewYork. I had always dreamt of working there in the theater. My intention was to look for a soap on the East Coast to support my theater work. Around that same time, I attended a fan event with Mary Beth [Evans, ex-Katherine; Kayla, DAYS] in L.A. Before I knew it, I was meeting with Wendy Riche [then-executive producer] over at GH. They were planning to bring on the younger son of Mikkos Cassadine, Stavros’s younger brother, Stefan; reviving the Cassadine/Spencer feud. The story they pitched at GH intrigued me. I was excited to start my journey as Stefan Darius Mikkosovich Cassadine.”

SOD: What stands out about the early days? 

Stephen Nichols: 
“The amazing dialogue I was given. And how difficult it was to memorize so many monologues. I was driving my wife crazy! It was a lot of work but so well-written. The great Patrick Mulcahey [then-script writer] was responsible for much of the Cassadine dialogue. The sets were absolutely gorgeous. The actors! Constance [Towers, ex-Helena], Mary Beth, Tony [Geary, ex-Luke], Tyler [Christopher, ex-Nikolas], Nancy [Lee Grahn, Alexis], Jackie [Zeman, Bobbie]. All superb and so much fun to play opposite.”

SOD: When did you feel like your role was catching on? 

Stephen Nichols: 
“Right from the beginning, the stars were aligned, and everything seemed to fall into place. Everyone was so supportive. I owed so much of the success of this new character to the writers’ ability to incorporate the Cassadine family history, also to the lyrical, often poetic exchanges and speeches we were given. These writers were some of the very best in daytime. I suppose I felt like the role was catching on when a large faction of the audience started rooting for Stefan and Laura. I was told that no one had ever come between Luke and Laura up until this time.”

SOD: Do you have a favorite storyline from your run as Stefan? 

Stephen Nichols:
“I loved the reveal when Stefan told Nikolas that he was his father. The depth of Nikolas and Stefan’s journey was the most satisfying. Also, Laura and Stefan’s backstory and rekindling of their relationship. Both Tyler and Genie [Francis] were so damn good.”

-----------------------------------------

Posting *only* because of what Nichols says about Mulcahey and the Cassadines.

Edited April 20 by janea4old

[carolineg]

If you ever go back and watch 1997 GH you can tell when Guza leaves the building IMO.  Pretty much every story is botched except the Carly/Jason/AJ/Michael stuff.    Even no brainers like the Sonny/Brenda reunion don't work right.    I think Culliton's main plot was the Dorman murder umbrella story (that Guza started I believe) and it got really overly complicated fast.  There was no real need to bring Sonny/Jax/Brenda into it and tie it to Lily's dad. 

[titan1978]

I wondered about that fear too, until I saw the 1983 story play out. She was terrified of Stavros, and now that I have gotten to see so much of 1979-her return, she was very different when the character came back from the Cassadines.

Also Genie has said she played Laura as if she had a mental off switch. She deals with trauma by disassociating, which can explain how she dealt with Luke raping her as well as all the other things that happened to her. So it made sense to me.

However, I felt back then and now that they kept Luke and Laura apart too long, that Stefan outlived his usefulness, and Laura especially should have been allowed to kill Helena permanently by 2000 at the latest. Lucky’s return storyline should have ended the Cassadines. Nikolas and Alexis could easily have stayed without the baggage of the rest of the family.

 

[Vee]

Appreciated. It's about what I expected.

[titan1978]

Guza left in 1996, and he had a very detailed six month bible that the writers had developed that was used, including Miranda and her backstory. Culliton was credited as HW while they were using that bible. The network made them use Tracy before she took over as lead on The City, so Culliton and the team reworked that storyline/came up with most of it to justify her short stint. Stefan/Bobbie was supposed to last way longer.

Things start to get iffy around the Laura faking her death storyline to cover Tony and Genie taking some time off, as well as was Lesley part of that plan? I tend to think she was, because Culliton barely used her.
 When they came back in 1997, it was pretty much Culliton from that point on until he was fired. He came up with Carly/AJ conceiving Michael.

Guza came back and was in the building but not credited for about 5 weeks before his relaunch week. That’s when Luke tells Alexis her backstory (which was ported from Miranda), the two Mac’s and Guza loved the Carly story, but wanted it moved from Tony to Jason to create renewed conflict with the Quartermaines and Jason.

And I believe Shelly Curtis had more to do with the idea of pairing up MBE and SN again due to her history with them and that they had made magic before. Riche had no background there. They had to stall Stefan/Laura because Genie was going to return from her vacation and work for a couple of months before her second maternity leave which she kept extending somewhat because she didn’t want to return to crappy writing.

[carolineg]

Thank you so much for all that information.  This probably belongs in the Classic thread, but it's the weekend, so was it Guza's bible to do the whole Pierce Dorman murder story or did Culliton change it?

I have always known RC was responsible for Carly/AJ, but I have always wondered where the Dorman/Tin Man/Rivera story went wrong.  Laura's "death" was a bit before this, so I was assuming RC just messed with it too much.

[titan1978]

The affair was, and how the affair began at first was going to repeat when the affair stopped and he became more of a stalker, the gifts were going to become creepy. I don’t know beyond that what was going to happen/what Culliton changed. But the affair and a certain unhinged behavior by Dorman was all Guza/Harris. I tend to believe the trial for sexual harassment was Guza because he loved trials. All his tenures involved major court cases.

Tin Man stuff was way after Guza’s projections, although I can’t remember if it was Culliton or the next writers that also started the Aztec doll nonsense.

Apologies for dropping all this in this thread but that’s where the discussion about SN was happening!

[carolineg]

Again, thank you for your thoughtful reply.  I just find that whole era so strange.  Watching in in real time it didn't feel that bad, but when I try to figure out how a hospital story became about the mob way before that was GH's style I am always confused.  Add Jax get arrested for drug smuggling, Alexis wanting Stefan to think he was in love with his sister, Laura's fake death, and Aztec dolls it's just a very hard time to analyze.

[Contessa Donatella]

@titan1978  Thank you so much for so much information! You said Shelley Curtis & mentally I said, "Bingo!" 

 

@janea4old Thanks for the quotes from GH60 mag! 

[titan1978]

It was very strange. Not to mention this is all in such a short amount of time, a little over a year. It’s wild how messy the show was onscreen and off from end of summer 1996 to December 1997 (Guza officially credited again). The rough writing contributed to Maurice leaving, Vanessa almost leaving, and Genie refusing to return to the show (she was really happy at home with her two children, why leave that for the aggravation happening at the show).

 NLG was hired without an actual part to play, so Alexis wasn’t a well crafted character and they made it work on the fly. She has said that poor foundation is why she felt like they just did whatever with her for years.

Nobody was happy, even Guza was upset with the timing and he was leaving for a show he was going to have a created by credit on. Because the show was on fire and they had barely started.

[carolineg]

I certainly don't envy the cast upheaval at the time.  Mo and Vanessa were quoted in magazines saying they were leaving together and a few weeks later Vanessa was back in for another year.  That had to derail a lot of plans.  Not to mention Genie's extension of her maternity leave.  They also had other minor to moderate issues (Kristina Wagner not coming to terms immediately, Miranda and recast Gina Cates flopping, KMC's college schedule, Rena's ins and outs, having to figure out something for Jane Elliot and Tracy last minute etc.)  I am not blaming the talent and most were worth the trouble, but it must have created some unforeseen issues.  It was just unfortunate timing all around.