Beth got there before Ricky and utterly surprised several of the first arrivals to check in. Ricky arrived shortly after all the guests were seated and quickly went through the restaurant to say 'hi' to everyone and then he and Beth each spoke to all the guests. Ricky went first. He thanked everyone for coming out and expressed how he and Beth felt they wanted to bring the fans together for one last time. He explained that several additional Guiding Light cast members had said they would be coming but sadly they wouldn't be putting in an appearance after all. It appears CBS/Guiding Light were unhappy with an event celebrating "Gus" and "Harley" and "discouraged" cast members from attending. Ricky explained that CBS/GL were also very unhappy with him for comments he made about the show when he co-hosted the Red Carpet Show at the Daytime Emmys. He said that since it was an ABC production, that network was obviously pushing their own shows and he worked hard to get some of the cast of GL together to interview but ran foul of CBS when he referred to GL as "the little show that could." Ricky said he was very puzzled by the reaction and sorry if his comments offended anyone; The Little Engine That Could is one of the greatest stories of all time, he added, and that his comments came out of love for GL, his time on the show and his dearest wish that it continue for many, many years.
Beth spoke at length about her unhappiness with how Gus and Harley's story was handled during the final year. Her frustration and sadness with how the story ended and how she and Ricky were kept apart poured out of her every word. She desperately wanted Gus and Harley to have scenes together to give some meaning to how Harley was behaving and for Harley to be able to explain to Gus that she was reacting to him not being in her life, that he was the love of her life, and how his leaving affected her. Beth was very passionate about her unhappiness and it was very clear that she gave up trying to explain to those in charge that breaking Gus and Harley up should have been a prelude to putting them back together. She repeated how unhappy she was when Ricky told her that he'd passed on renewing his contract and that what she'd hoped would be a wonderful reunion of Gus and Harley was never going to happen. Ricky chimed in to reiterate what he'd said several times in interviews about how bad he felt for Beth and cared more about her than how he felt about leaving or his character, who was, after all, scattered all over the sidewalk!
Both Ricky and Beth are both looking forward and very excited about their story on All My Children and it's beginning to take off just about now. Ricky touched on the relevance of the story and, as always, was very excited about working with Beth and her new character. Beth gave some background to her new character but we didn't learn anything that hasn't already been put out there by AMC. Ricky did tell us a cute story about changing roles and now playing a doctor. He told us that the evening before he'd been in a pharmacy picking up some cold medication for someone and there was a lady there trying to choose a cold remedy. He offered to help her and she recognized him and declared 'Ooooh, it's Dr. Jake!" Ricky seemed very amused by this and said that he has learned a lot about being a doctor and wisecracked that "I'm not a doctor but I play one on TV!"
After Ricky and Beth addressed the fans, Ricky opened it up for a Q & A session. I am sorry that I was not able to hear too much of what was being asked or answered so hopefully someone who was closer will add to this.
Brunch was then served....the line was a little long but I understand that the wait was well worth it. Reports coming back were that the food was really yummy. While guests ate, Ricky and Beth visited each table (11 in all) where they sat, signed autographs and chatted. The event ran way, way over the noon end time and both guests of honor made sure that anyone who wanted photos or autographs, got them. The fans who waited were so patient and even though both Beth and Ricky were mobbed continuously, everyone got their turn.
Beth's sons, Hank and Will, turned up with their sitter towards the end. Beth had earlier reminded us that last year one son (Hank) had broken his arm on the very weekend of the Guiding Light Fan Club Luncheon (she didn't attend because of his accident). This year, her second son, Will, broke his arm a couple of weeks ago and sure enough, there he was with his arm in a cast. Once fans had had their photos taken with her, or with her and Ricky, Beth left with her boys to attend the Bowling Event.
On a personal note, I was thrilled to meet a number of you from this board. Thank you so much for being there. Meeting you and seeing the love and affection for Beth and Ricky made my day. A special thanks has to go to Val for putting on yet another wonderful event. Brava! This one was very special if tinged with a lot of emotion and sadness but it was a beautiful celebration of two great fictional characters and the two wonderful people who brought them to life for us.


