I couldn't agree with you more. Marland was an excellent writer who created many wonderful characters and storylines, so it was such a shame that fall 1982-spring 1983 consisted of convoluted stories, especially those focusing on Mark and Rebecca (whom I guess most viewers did not care about). The early Pam Long era was good overall, but too many long-time characters were needlessly written off.
I'm agreeing with you both on so many points. After Marland left, interim headwriter Pat Falken Smith carried on in Marland's vein, and Pam Long's early era was good, but when paired with then-executive producer Gail Kobe, long-held characterizations when through the proverbial window once she was hell-bent of ridding the show of certain long-time beloved characters. Incidentally, when we first became aware of Rebecca Cartwright swathed in bandages in Cedars (before we saw her face) I recall a number of fans writing in to soap magazines at the time that they assumed she'd turn out to be the resurrected-from-the-dead Jackie Marler.
We are seeing here the last days of head writer Douglas Marland's work- With backstage drama involving Marland and the then executive producer the stories go off in a very bad direction, when Marland quits. The Mark/Jennifer/Amanda story gets ridiculously convoluted and goes on for nearly a year. A Long Year!!!!! The show's ratings begin to slowly, then quickly collapse. In the spring of 1983, we begin to see the work of Pam Long and our story gets back on track. But the coming year from this episode on is not for the feint of heart!
I remember Pat Falken Smith taking over after Marland, but it wasn't for too long. But I totally agree about the Amanda/Mark (and Samuel Pasquin stuff) getting way too convoluted. The show was still good in 1984 and early into 1985, but I personally found it unwatchable until the mid-90s again.
Which writers, after Pat Falken Smith sent the show off the tracks? I vaguely remember Mark's storyline going haywire. I assumed Marland was still head writer.
I couldn't agree with you more. Marland was an excellent writer who created many wonderful characters and storylines, so it was such a shame that fall 1982-spring 1983 consisted of convoluted stories, especially those focusing on Mark and Rebecca (whom I guess most viewers did not care about). The early Pam Long era was good overall, but too many long-time characters were needlessly written off.
I'm agreeing with you both on so many points.
After Marland left, interim headwriter Pat Falken Smith carried on in Marland's vein, and Pam Long's early era was good, but when paired with then-executive producer Gail Kobe, long-held characterizations when through the proverbial window once she was hell-bent of ridding the show of certain long-time beloved characters.
Incidentally, when we first became aware of Rebecca Cartwright swathed in bandages in Cedars (before we saw her face) I recall a number of fans writing in to soap magazines at the time that they assumed she'd turn out to be the resurrected-from-the-dead Jackie Marler.
We are seeing here the last days of head writer Douglas Marland's work- With backstage drama involving Marland and the then executive producer the stories go off in a very bad direction, when Marland quits. The Mark/Jennifer/Amanda story gets ridiculously convoluted and goes on for nearly a year. A Long Year!!!!! The show's ratings begin to slowly, then quickly collapse. In the spring of 1983, we begin to see the work of Pam Long and our story gets back on track. But the coming year from this episode on is not for the feint of heart!
I remember Pat Falken Smith taking over after Marland, but it wasn't for too long.
But I totally agree about the Amanda/Mark (and Samuel Pasquin stuff) getting way too convoluted.
The show was still good in 1984 and early into 1985, but I personally found it unwatchable until the mid-90s again.
Which writers, after Pat Falken Smith sent the show off the tracks? I vaguely remember Mark's storyline going haywire. I assumed Marland was still head writer.
Headwriter Pamela Long Hammer DESTROYED Guiding Light
Marsha Clark is such a good actress. Pamela Long was awful to kill off such a legacy character like Hillary Bauer.
Josh sure was messy in his early days.
He was blackmailing Lesley Ann
Hilary never seemed to have any chemistry with the men that they tried to pair her with on the show.
She had chemistry with Jim Reardon
I loved her with Jim Reardon.