From surfing the web, I found the full text of Michael James Intintoli’s book Taking Soaps Seriously the World of Guiding Light. It is available for no cost here, so I decided to write about it.
Since there are numerous chapters, and everyone can read it, I am just going to highlight what I find interesting. Since this book had nine chapters, I plan on doing three entries covering three chapters each. This book was published in 1984, but has information from GL prior to Pam Long being the head writer.
In chapter one, the author explains the purpose of the book. Showing how soap operas both are a mirror and a window into society even as fiction is part of the aim of the book. The quote I find most interesting is when he goes into the dichotomy of opinions about soap operas.
“The mere mention of soap operas tends to elicit strong opinions. For some people they are the epitome of television's penchant for the unrealistic and fantastic, a waste of time, a sop for the lonely and bored housewife, a manipulative commercial vehicle to sell soap. With the recent increase in younger viewers, familiar warnings are issued about their impact on youngsters who cannot separate the programming from reality. For others, soaps are engaging dramatic fare, programming that deals with real life problems in a way that prime-time television does not, a web of social relationships and significance they participate in, an exciting, and ultimately pleasurable, experience that complements or compensates for the experience of other portions of the day.”
On page six, there is a reference to how 50 million women within 18-49 watched at least one episode of a daytime soap opera a week (which was ¼ of the population.) Soaps also were making 1.5 billion dollars a year. Reading that number is mind-boggling even today. Of course, it is curious what happened to all that money.
In chapter two, he explains how he carried out the study. While he visited The Edge of Night and watched All My Children, his main focus was Guiding Light. What he shares about The Edge of Night is interesting to me, which is why I coded this entry to that show too.
At that point, there weren’t many books about the production of fictional television shows. He writes about how due to being a Ph.D. candidate at the time and also a professor, he was able to get access. People were willing to speak to him for that reason. What was interesting is that things were intense, but some crew seemed bored.
He compares how EON and GL were different during the taping day. EON was a 30-minute program, while GL was an hour. At Edge, they had fewer people involved, took breaks within the day and was more predictable. Scenes were rehearsed in order, the sequence was “dry, no fax—no tech rehearsal, a fax, a dress rehearsal and final taping.” At GL, they had two sessions (this was true still in the 90s per the scripts I have from that time frame.) There was a morning and afternoon session so things were split into two. Due to how things were taped, it was easier for the author to become involved in and enjoy EON. With GL, they would edit the show together the next day and since things were done out of sequence, it was harder to follow. EON also had a “coffee room” where he could overhear or talk to people involved with the show. The problem was that EON had only one executive producer who was involved in the program and an associate who was “limited”, and the EXP tended to be really busy. GL had an executive producer, two other producers and an associate producer, so he had more people to choose from in that role.
He writes about how many of the people at GL were CBS employees some of whom had been with the network for 30 years. Humor was used to make things less boring. As part of this process, he interviewed writers, directors, producers, CBS and advertising executives, but usually during off hours. At GL, the only thing they would not tell him about was the budget. Procter and Gamble didn’t want the competition to know what they were spending. Also this could cause problems among the actors, though he did find out information on stage crew and technician salaries from people at EON and GL who weren’t P&G employees. On page 26, there is a quote from an assistant who explains how complex it was due to the bartering between P&G and CBS.
The other thing that Intintoli couldn’t find out easily was future story for obvious reason. Of course, back in those days there was no internet, so it wasn’t as if there was a spoiler issue. Of course, they may have been concerned things would leak to a competitor. He was allowed to see story projections to a certain extent at GL and discuss them, but not go to story conferences. At EON as a mystery soap opera, he wasn’t told as much, with GL they even taping multiple murderers.
He then discusses money. Things like actors not knowing their lines cost the production to go more slowly, which makes it more expensive. Technicians had it in their contract that after five hours or work, they have lunch, and if they didn’t get to a certain point it was a bad day. The 1981 writers’ strike is mentioned about the economics of things. What I find amusing is that it was difficult to settle in part due to “cable, video discs and tapes, and syndication for all involved was unclear.” Weird that was an issue so early as these were still fought about in 1988.
One issue he discusses in this paragraph on page 30. “A major issue involved the relationship of the audience to the show. I sensed that the audience varied depending on where one was in the process, that the audience was an economic (viewer/consumer) being, as well as a social being inhabiting different social worlds, and that the audience out there obviously could not be known directly.”
He did not go into the discussions of the advertising or how soaps fit into people’s lives. He viewed “the programming as performances and as creating the possibility of participating in an alternative social world.” The author also had people read his account for validity. He was given suggestions for minor errors, and a producer verified its accuracy.
Chapter three goes into Guiding Light specifically and how it is a symbolic community. He explains the shows origins on radio with Reverend Rutledge to how the Bauers became central to the program.
GL is set in Springfield, which is not a small city. Spaulding Enterprises is one of the world’s largest corporations, while Cedars Hospital is very advanced. There are no panoramic views to place the organizations. In the 90s, GL did give visuals for outside buildings, so that changed.
The home sets in the 1980s were neat and clean, and you could tell the difference in economic class based on them. Amanda regressing into a child in a large dark mansion and Quint’s lab are mentioned. These fit into a gothic theme, but there is a tongue-in-cheek quality that was only recently introduced. That’s interesting he would believe it as tongue-in-cheek. Medical and legal offices are functional. Outside settings do occur for romantic and adventure stories. He mentions Jamaica, the Canary Islands, St. Croix and Paris. Laurel Falls the favorite spot of Morgan and Kelly is also mentioned.
He then goes into detail about the characters of Springfield. There are between 30-35 and most are between the ages of 20-50 with many new characters in the last two years. Most people are upper middle class, and all seem to be white and Protestant except for the Irish Reardons. The Bauers who had been German no longer seem ethnic.
He breaks the characters down by economic class. The upper class has the following characters listed: Alan, Phillip, Hope (due to her marriage to Alan), Henry, Vanessa, Trish, Josh and Quint. It mentions how Alan is old money and has an unsavory past he regrets due to his love of Hope. Phillip is a troubled teen who is torn between his dad and his aunt Jackie and uncle Justin. Of course the author and the audience knew Phillip was biologically Justin and Jackie’s child. Hope being Alan-Michael’s mother is referenced. Henry has health problems and is really devoted to Vanessa. Vanessa’s description is great, as she was amoral, and is conniving, manipulative with a sarcastic wit. “Will cheat, lie, whatever to succeed in business or romance.” It mentions how she loved Ross, but married another to save Henry’s business. This was changed in later years to the pregnancy with Dinah. HB is mentioned by name in Trish’s bio, but is not mentioned as a character in Springfield. Josh’s dark side is also referenced. Quint’s job and involvement with Nola are mentioned. Later he is compared to Indiana Jones.
The upper middle class has the most characters listed. Bert, Ed, Mike, Rita, Hillary, Kelly, Jennifer, Morgan, Mark, Amanda, Lucille, Ben, Eve, Chet, Justin, Jackie, Lainie, Ross, Carrie, Elizabeth, Adam, Barbara, Sara, Tim, Andy, Holly, Steve, Diane, Joe and Derek are mentioned. That’s a huge list, though not everyone was still on the program at that point like Holly who left town, while others had died like Diane. Ed is mentioned as honest and upstanding, but disillusioned due to failed relationships. Mike at times was self-righteous, while Bert is wise and strong. Rita had left town by this point, Hillary is sensitive and witty, while Kelly is a chauvinist. Morgan starts to become more mature due to her marriage to Kelly. Ross is mentioned as bright and ambitious, who used to be manipulative to get what he wanted before he met Carrie.
The middle working class characters were Bea, Maureen, Nola, Tony, Katie, Floyd and Mrs. Renfield. Nola’s fantasies and how she becomes involved with Quint are mentioned. Tony has a past as a neighborhood bully; Maureen and Bea have little description. Katie is bubbly with “soured” relationships. Floyd’s write up is ironic considering how he became a criminal, but at the time this was written he was considered good, honest and warm.
The realism of Guiding Light is often attributed to its focus on ordinary people. One producer spoke directly to the issue:
[These] people could be your neighbors down the street that you know, and in many instances audiences react to these characters as if they are indeed people that they recognize. As anybody watching a drama knows, it is a hyper world, a created compacted environment --therefore, dramatic. But the essence of what is going on is, for the most part, with the exception of on our show, the archaeological dig, is all in the context of "this could happen to me." It has happened to people I know--divorce, babies, jealous lovers, infidelity.
On page 52, he goes into detail about how “Repeated viewing of intimate relationships in the intimacy of one's living room contributes to the hold of the programming. Any dramatic sequence is informed by a viewer's past experiences, and since there is no sense of an ending, it is difficult to predict when resolutions to dramatic conflicts will occur. Since there are several interrelated stories, any resolution is only partial and temporary. What is in the frame takes on the problematic nature of real life.”
This concept is to me is part of why people become emotionally invested in stories and characters. Since the plot continues, what one has seen or not seen influences the audience member’s point of view on whatever the characters are facing.
On page 53-54, there is a quote from a producer about the concept of family, how it was dissolved, and needed to be rebuilt. The long paragraph ends with “The characters people care about are characters who have some emotional attachment to some central core.” I find this interesting the concept that it needed rebuilding. It is unfortunate there aren’t episodes we can watch from the five year period that quote came from to see examples of what the person meant.
The concept of community is discussed along with character interaction. They use an example of an episode from March 29, 1982. Alan (Chris Bernau) disappears from prison. It was part of a sting operation, but the characters did not know that. Hope is worried about her missing husband, Amanda feels betrayed, as Ed shares the news as he found out from his brother Mike. We also see Ross show concern for not just Hope, but also his wife Carrie who was missing and Henry, who is shaken. Kelly is also upset for Hope, which makes sense, as he is the godchild of Hope’s uncle. The characters are a community as they care about one another.
According to the author, “Guiding Light provides an experience that can be filled (with) intrigue, spectacle, and glamour, largely as an adjunct to romance. At the same time, the program is designed and often experienced, as mirroring the reality of everyday life. A realism of detail is created so that the programming resonates or articulates with dominant conceptions of how we accomplish social life or should accomplish it.” I corrected typos from the text from the web site, though I feel this is a clear description of the program.
That’s my summary/discussion of the first three chapters of Taking Soaps Seriously.
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