Why The Outrage Page?

rhpreBW4rxz.jpg (19394 bytes)

Does it surprise you that fans still root for Roger and Holly?

"No. We root for deep, undying, eternal, true love. That's what we were all brought up to want and believe in. And given that Roger and Holly clearly had something between them that was true and deep, I could see why a lot of people wanted them to work out their problems. I can identify with that." -- Michael Zaslow, Soap Opera Digest Special, Fall 1996.

In a May 28, 1996 "Hit Or Miss" column, Soap Opera Weekly Editor In Chief Mimi Torchin commented on a big "miss": "I know there must be some reason Guiding Light is turning Roger Thorpe back into daytime's most vile character, but it had better be good .... he steadily has been stripped of every shred of decency that has been laboriously infused into this quintessential villain over the years ..."

Actually, there proved to be no good reason for Roger's character assassination and regression to what he'd been 15 years earlier. Headwriter Megan McTavish admitted that he was being consistent with his behavior 15 years earlier, and apparently that was her idea of continuity. Nevermind what had transpired in the 6 months before she started writing the show, much less what had happened to Roger in the 6 years since the character had been carefully reintroduced back onto the Springfield canvas. No doubt due in part to their frustrating indifference to one of daytime's most popular and long-running characters and, of course, the accompanying ratings slide, GL's Executive Producer Michael Laibson and partner-in-crime McTavish found themselves unemployed before 1996 was over.

Was it too little, too late? Absolutely. Following the disappointment of wasted opportunities presented by their long-awaited reunion in 1994, Guiding Light in 1995-96 was the worst of storyline times for Roger and Holly. The original dedication which appears below explains why this website began on October 14, 1995 as a center of protest for a group of frustrated fans.

The Roger and Holly Home Page is dedicated to Michael D. Laibson, Executive Producer of Guiding Light. Mr. Laibson joined Guiding Light in May of 1995. In the weeks that followed, loyal fans watched with shock, dismay and disgust as the story of Roger and Holly was thoroughly trashed and completely rewritten to the point that it now bears no resemblance whatsoever to anything that happened between these two characters over the past six years.

In place of the real story was a "politically correct" spin ... that Roger was Holly's oppressor and Holly his victim, successfully freeing herself from him after 20 years of trying. Holly, who just a few months earlier loved Roger and wanted to re-marry him [after living with him for nearly a year], now hated him and wanted nothing but to be rid of him forever. This recurring theme was pounded into our head ad nauseam for weeks. Holly was then married off to the editor of the local newspaper, and that was that.

Next, a 1970s version of Roger Thorpe was dusted off and trotted out ... the 100% bad guy who didn't care about anyone ... the user and abuser of people, especially women. Nevermind that the Roger we had been watching since 1989 was a multi-dimensional man who demonstrated considerable love, kindness and caring for the people that mattered the most to him, including Holly, his daughter, his son and his grandson. This version of Roger Thorpe apparently did not suit The Powers That Be. He is once again a one-dimensional villain. This time, however, there is a new twist --- Blake, whose love he could always count on, now wants nothing to do with him.

What was the fan reaction to this blatant disregard for the true story of Roger and Holly? You be the judge. Guiding Light's ratings dropped 12%, to an all-time low, during a critical three-week period when Roger and Holly's story, for all intents and purposes, ended. That was June of 1995. Months later, the show's ratings were still at that all-time low point.