A new release of Guiding Light DVD set was announced on Friday. The focus is on the character of Phillip Spaulding, and a free episode was posted on soapclassics.com from June 20, 1983. This entry summarizes the new free episode.
The new Phillip DVD features four episodes with Grant Aleskander as Phillip, and one episode from 1977 when Jarrod Ross played the part as a boy. The other episodes are from 1983, 1991, 1998 and 2009. Visit welovesoaps.net for more details, but once I get the disc and watch it, I'll go into specifics of what was on these episodes.
The episode that is currently running is the class of 1983 prom episode. It is one that people have been waiting years to see again and others to see the first time. A lot of popular music was used: Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, The Commodores, Sheena Easton/Kenny Rogers version of "We've got tonight", the original version of Abracadabra, and David Bowie's Let's Dance. The slow songs that played were Truly while Phillip and Beth danced, and If I Fell, which was a Beatles tune.
The episode begins with Rick (Michael O'Leary) and Beth (Judi Evans, currently Adrienne on Days of Our Lives), waiting to be announced to enter the prom. The person checking everyone in happens to be Rick's grandmother Bert (Charita Bauer). She has chaperoned the high school prom for years.
We then see Phillip (Grant Aleksander, who played Alec on All My Children in the 90s) and Mindy (Krista Teserau, who played Andie on Santa Barbara and for a time was Tina on One Life to Live) get announced. Then it was Beth and Rick's turn to come out, and everyone was silent as they were stunned that Beth came to the event. Beth had been responsible for the set design at the prom. Phillip started clapping so everyone would do so for them.
The other chaperones were Tony (Greg Beecroft, who played Brock on As the World Turns, and the Duke recast on General Hospital many fans would like to forget), his date Annabelle (Harley Jane Kozak, who was Mary on Santa Barbara, and now is a professional mystery writer. I didn't recognize her at first in this episode as she was wearing huge glasses.), Rick's father Ed (Peter Simon, who was Scott on Search for Tomorrow prior to GL), and Maureen (Ellen Dolan, best known as Margo on As the World Turns). Justin (Tom O'Rourke) and Helena (Rose Alaio, who played Rose on Ryan's Hope) also showed up, but neither had any chaperone activities. It was odd that Justin would take Helena to this event as Phillip had no idea Justin was his biological father.
Hillary Edson is in this episode as Tonya. She reminds everyone to vote for king and queen. Years later she plays Eve Guthrie, but after this short minor role she ended up playing Tanya on General Hospital and later Stacy on Another World. Later there was a character named Tonya on GL who was Beth's friend, and played by another actress, which made this a bit confusing.
Bea (Lee Lawson) and Henry (Bill Roerick) appear about 9 minutes into the episode. We hear Henry talk to himself in voice over. (Perhaps he is thinking about Lake Elizabeth story, which the audience did not know about at this point.) They toast to their kids, and then see St Mary’s church on fire. Henry doesn’t get to tell Bea what he knows about the demise of her husband Tom.
One of the teacher chaperones was missing, and she had been there so many years that Ed even remembered her. GL moved locations, and the Bauers weren't in Springfield while Ed was a teenager, but I digress. Bert as one of the few trusted people in Springfield has the honor of counting the ballots. There was also talk about how Tony was the prom king of Springfield High. During "If I Fell" the kids danced with the adults. Beth danced with Ed, Phillip with Helena, Justin with Mindy and Maureen with Rick.
Outside the prom, Annabelle and Tony talk about his friend Ray who died in Vietnam. They both were serving, and passed away while trying to get the hospital in Saigon. Tony and Annabelle kiss and she finally saw something of Tony that was not a macho man. Earlier in the episode, one of the students hit on him, as he had been teaching self-defense to some of the female high school students. While he said she could come to Company, when she's of age, he didn't seem interested in her.
Beth goes outside once the nominations are announced due to nerves. Philip goes to get her and then finds Rick. She is freaking out and Rick calms her down. It is announced that Phillip and Beth won…though Phillip had been going around trying to get her votes. They hug and then he gets a sash and she a tiara. Truly by Lionel Ritchie plays as they dance. At the end Rick tells Phillip they need to talk and they go outside. Rick goes off on Phillip about him wanting Beth. He mentions how he kept quiet about Mindy but this he cannot do. Phillip is fickle and once he gets the girl he desires, he tosses her away. Mindy is strong and can handle it, but Beth is different.
Like Cinderella, Beth has to leave as the clock tolls, and she loses a shoe. She runs outside, and has to change. Her outfit was courtesy of Mindy, and her family cannot see that she wore it. Beth finds Phillip drinking and tells him to put up a blanket as she does. Then he puts flower in her hair and holds on to the one shoe, Beth left. Phillip admits to Justin about his love for Beth. Mindy comes and says to Justin she will take care of Phillip and that he won't be driving the convertible. They go to a hotel room. Phillip is drunk and singing "I'm in the mood for love", which was not the worst rendition I've ever heard, even though the character was inebriated. He and Mindy are on he bed and become intimate. In the now empty room, Rick finds Beth's other shoe and thinks of her. Beth is looking out her window thinking about her night. She has feelings for Phillip, but cares for Rick. They are best friends and she's a good person. After doing it Phillip is asleep, dreaming of Beth and says her name. And Mindy says to the sleeping Phillip, he should say Mindy.
That's my summary of this classic Guiding Light episode. This is the first time, I've watched it, and I apologize for any errors. Unfortunately due to the music issues, it could only be posted as a free episode, though the music was really great if you like 80s tunes. I’m glad I was finally able to see this episode and that it lived up to my expectations. If someone has the time, inclination and ability to do so they should watch this free episode.
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