I don’t know what’s happening with the efforts to keep Guiding Light alive, but the one thing I do know is this: In just over three months, the last CBS episode will play out on our screens (and our Interwebz browsers, of course).
I’m incredibly happy that the show is bringing some familiar faces back, like Danny, Michelle and Mindy. Peter Simon’s return as Ed has been confirmed, and I keep hearing through the grapevine that Maureen Garrett will also make an appearance on our screens. This is awesome, since we really need to see Ed and Holly before GL is just a memory on CBS.
There’s a few more folks who once lived in Springfield that I’m curious about. It’s unlikely most of these characters could make a return visit, but I still wish we could see where they are now.
Here are ten (okay, eleven) old friends I’d like to see in Springfield again.
India Von Halkein. I’ve been clamoring for this for a while now – almost two years ago, I blogged about India. She’s just so much fun to watch every time she’s on screen. She’s a perfect foil for Phillip and Beth (and also a friend to Phillip, when push comes to shove).
Even if it’s only for one day (Phillip and Beth’s wedding day, maybe?) the show should ask the fabulous Mary Kay Adams back. If only to hear India call out across the room in her perfectly patrician voice: “Phillip!”
Kyle Sampson. I mentioned Kyle in my recent post about the Josh/Reva/Sonni/Will story. His disappearance – after fathering Ben Reade, discovering he was Billy’s half-brother and having a mad, passionate affair with Reva – is a great soap mystery.
I’m curious what Kyle has been up to – not to mention Larkin Malloy, also known as Travis Montgomery to AMC fans and the debonair Schuyler Whitney to those of us who remember Edge of Night (another canceled P&G soap).
Roxie Shayne. Roxie’s disappearance from Springfield has been nearly as mysterious as Kyle’s.I always wondered about Roxie, partly because she had so many ties to the people on our
screens, and partly because it seemed so out of character for family-centric Reva to (a) forget about Roxie and (b) embrace Cassie so suddenly and completely.
Some of Roxie’s lengthy absence might be explained by the fact that no one seems to know where actress Kristi Ferrell is.
Trish Lewis. Before we see the last of Josh and Billy, I’d love to see them get a visit from sister Trish, and take time to remember their much-missed father, H.B. Lewis. We last saw Trish at Josh and Reva’s last wedding in 2002, but another visit is overdue.
Quinton and Nola Chamberlain. This should need absolutely no explanation. It’s Quint and Nola, people. And, oh yeah – we need to see them TOGETHER. (It would go a long way to wiping Nola’s last visit in town from our memories.)
Bridget Reardon. Bridget’s portrayer, Melissa Hayden, recently said in Soap Opera Digest that she’d love to come back for a visit. Here’s hoping she does (and bring Peter with you, Bridget). Just don’t get near any hair dryers….
Alan-Michael Spaulding. I know Rick Hearst is going to B&B soon, but I’m still holding out hope that we might see a few scenes with Hearst revisiting Alan-Michael.
A-M would be a welcome addition to the Spaulding family, which has already been revitalized by Grant Aleksander’s return as Phillip and the arrival of Zack Conroy as James. (More Marj Dusay as Alex, please!)
Tony Reardon. I’d love to see what happened to Tony; I always thought it would be fascinating to see a guy like Tony in his later years, and see how things went for him and Annabelle. Greg Beecroft was always so handsome, and he’d give Vanessa food for thought in terms of her current flirtation with two-time ex-husband Billy.
Marah Lewis. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Reva’s oldest. I’d love to see how Marah’s fashion career is doing. And I still wonder if Josh is really Marah’s biological 
father….or is it Kyle? Alan would know….
Annie Dutton. No list could be complete without a visit from our favorite naughty nurse Annie Dutton (in the form of Cynthia Watros). Annie may have been a bad, bad girl, but she also has (or had) a good side.
She has ties to Rick and Phillip, and for my money, Annie was the best match for Ron Raines’ version of Alan. And of course, Annie vs. Reva is always a big deal.
A | THOUSAND | OTHER | WORLDS 
I just had a conversation about this with a mutual friend of ours, Patrick. I’ll always love Maureen and Vanessa, that’s a given. I’d also love to see the faux Spaulding, Simon, once again and, as you mention, India. Gotta love her. I’d also like to see Chelsea Reardon, just because I’m a firm believer that the more Reardons, the better.
Hi, Lana! I would have put Mo on the list but I was sticking to living characters. Otherwise I’d have also included Jenna, Sarah Shayne and Nadine Cooper, for sure!
Simon and Jesse would be great to see again. I always thought they would come back, and maybe bring their kid(s) with them, to give Springfield some new members of the younger set.
And you’ve made me remember Kat and David too!
Patrick: You are brilliant. For a moment, I forgot about India. This was a great read. I will shout out a link for you.
Best,
Mary
Hi Mary – thanks for the kind words!
I was so loopy when I typed that…I didn’t mean Maureen…I meant Holly (I was thinking Maureen Garrett.)
I, too, liked Kat and David. Nia Long has become quite something. What happened to the guy who played David? He was really charismatic and natural in front of the camera.
And if we can’t see them, how hard would it be to name drop? At this point, I’d positively enjoy a few characters sitting around a picnic table for Labor Day, tossing names at each other, segue to a flashback, and another character pipes up with, “Yeah, I ran into Kyle while at Disneyworld and he’s…..”
(well, maybe not Disneyworld or Universal, that would be cheesy. I’m not paid bucks for being creative and clever….oops…)
KM, I agree 100%…although overall GL has been OK about mentioning absent characters. They’re not as good as, say, Y&R or ATWT about it, but they’ve had Reva talk about Roxie a fair amount, for example.
I am crossing my fingers that India makes a quick appearance on our screens. She’s the perfect humorous foil for Phillip/Beth. Not to mention her and Alexandra together – golden!
I don’t have a history with GL, although I recognize all of the names on your list.
But what I love is your characterization of “ten old friends”. THAT is what soap opera viewing brings to long-term viewers, and what is uniquely true for these long-term dramas. THAT is the casualty of this cancellation and those to come.
People will lose their “old friends”, and such friends are not replaceable.
I’m not sure, as a business, that any network owes us the perpetuation of these friendships, but it is definitely a part of the strong reactions that are shown by the loyal remnants of the audience.
Patrick,
Wonderful column here. You’ve brought back such great memories of friends I miss.
India and Alan-Michael are certainly my top choicces for a return visit. But only if its Rick Hearst playing A-M.
Would also love Quinton and Nola. They could easily come back for a visit since Quint is Vanessa’s brothe and therefore Bill’s uncle. Perhaps for the Bill and Lizzie wedding.
I, too, wonder what Tony Reardon is up to these days. He was such a central character on the show in the early 80s. Then he and Annabelle suddenly moved away never to be mentioned again. So, I’d love to see him stop by Company for a burger. After all, Tony’s the one who originally opened Company (it’s original name was Tony and Company).
And you’re right, Annie Dutton, as played by Cynthia Watros, was the best pairing that Ron Raines has ever had. So, would love to see her come back to stir up trouble for a few weeks.
Marah Lewis’s absence from the show for these past 5 years has been such a huge oversight. She’s a legacy character who should have been front and center all along. And there’s plenty of story to play with her — namely the fact that her mother is now married to her old boyfriend. But at this point, the show may be scared to go there.
While I miss Marj Dusay, my understanding is that she has not been well, which accounts for the sparse Alexandra sightings in the past year or so.
James, thanks for your comments!
I’m not sure about Marj and any health issues. When I met her in December, she looked fantastic and was full of energy. I hadn’t heard anything to the contrary on that front.
There’s so much that Alex could and should be a part of, but we’ve seen her perhaps three or four times since then. However, I’d rather see her in a few great scenes with Alan and Phillip – scenes that had great writing and were totally in character – than see her doing insane out of character things (e.g., Alex the drug dealer).
I wanted post more than a good list response, which is why this is coming so late.
For Lizzie and Bill’s wedding, I’d like to see Lizzie’s other grandfather Justin and Aunt Samantha show up for the occasion. Like that wouldn’t frost Alan, and it would be interesting to see how Phillip would interact with them.
I’d like to know whatever happened to Mallet’s sister Julie as well.
I’d also like to see all of Reva’s children in a scene together. So along with Marah, I’d like to see Dylan again where we find out he and Bridget are reunited.
That’s my list for people who aren’t dead, but off screen and not mentioned by you and not SORAS children or Alan-Michael or Hope (who you didn’t mention though I’d like to at least hear what she has been up to from Ed.)
BL, great additions to the list. A few months back Daytime Confidential had a great idea to bring back Robin Mattson as Hope; it would have made for a great Alan/Hope/Buzz triangle and reunited Justin Deas and Robin.
Of everyone on my list, I still hope India makes even a brief appearance, although I’m not holding my breath.
Kristi Farrell taught, of all things, soap opera acting style at a performers’ school in Texas for awhile. Go figure! LOL I have found glimpses of her on the net here and there over the years (like her dad’s obit), but she does not appear to be an active performer. I seem to recall Kim Zimmer mentioning once in a SOAP OPERA DIGEST interview that she was in contact with Kristi, and tried to get her back on GL, but Kristi declined. Sometimes, people want to be remembered the way we remember them. Former actors probably let their public images go after they “retire.”