Finally the day that I thought would never come arrived this week. GL celebrated its 70th anniversary and showed fans what the show was like in the beginning.
When I learned that the show would use their anniversary episode to take a look back, I had hoped for a look back at the whole show. Maybe have some interviews from GL actors that have gone onto other roles and clips from great moments from the past. Instead they focused on the days when the show transitioned into television. For someone like me, who has a background in broadcast radio (and some television) this was interesting from a technical standpoint. I'm always the curious person who wants to see how things are done. As a fan, I was hoping for more of a historical look back on the show. Still, I enjoyed and appreciated the efforts of all involved.
And while the show received quite a bit of print press for the landmark event, CBS Evening News didn't even mention it, which I found pretty odd. My local station, WUSA in Washington, DC did an interview that I missed with GL stars "Robert Zimmerman and Kim Zimmer" - great way of checking the names before you went to air, guys.
But the majority of the shows this week focused on the death of Tammy Randall (I have to admit that I even typed Winslow first - force of habit). This week will certainly be focused on Springfield's reaction (and the fallout) of her death.
The story will certainly end on a dramatic note. Tammy's scenes in Cedar's with Cassie and Jonathan were full of emotional impact. I have to admit that with the anniversary of my father's death coming up in a few weeks certainly fed into the impact the shows had on me. While everyone knew Tammy would die, you found yourself pulling for her recovery.
Speaking of spoilers, someone really goofed at CBS. While watching Monday's show (at least I think that is the one it was) I looked away during the commercials to do something, but my husband noticed a plug for CBS Soaps In Depth talking about "Tammy Dies". Great way to spoil everyone who didn't want to be spoiled before the show airs. I know you want to promote your publication, but maybe wait 'til after the Wednesday show when Tammy actually did die. Is that too much to ask for?
Watching the 70th anniversary episode reminds me of how much the show has changed even in the 31 years since I've been watching. Back when the show started on radio, you really had to use your imagination to fill in the blanks of what you couldn't see. I still do this when listening to sports on radio, but can't imagine a soap opera doing the same now. Listening to the podcasts of GL I feel that I do miss some things, but now they seem to remember to add hints to what a listener can't "see" on the audio version. So much of the show is visual, which really makes the characters more real when you can put a face with a voice.
This week's shows will certainly play into that scenario. I won't spoil you now, but saying goodbye to Tammy will not be easy - and the tensions involved will certainly increase. I guess I'll have to abandon the podcast for these episodes!
For those who haven't checked out the FindYourLight.com site lately, it has been updated to show some historical references and talking about how the show will celebrate the anniversary year. Here at SoapCentral.com we've updated our site so you can look back at the Two Scoops from the past two years and print them out if you want to read them on the train in the morning. If you ever have suggestions on ways to improve the site, please drop us a line.
Kimberly
