My guest this week is Jesse Murray, who got hooked on soap operas as a kid when he watched them with his mom … and then as an adult, found himself working in writer’s rooms at ABC, helping to make soap operas for a new generation. As a young viewer, Jesse’s enthusiasm for the soaps was bolstered when he saw gay teenage characters on daytime TV. It’s a measure of inclusivity that’s steadily improved in the years since — thanks to folks behind the scenes who appreciated its importance.
We’ll have that conversation in a minute. And by the way, speaking of gay teens on television: If you like this podcast, you might enjoy my new podcast about the 90s TV series My So-Called Life, which featured a groundbreaking gay teenager named Rickie, played by Wilson Cruz. The podcast is called Matt’s So-Cast Pod, it features a bunch of fabulous guests, and it launches March 25, 2024. You can subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts, and at SoCastPod.com.
And you may also like my YouTube videos about movies and TV shows. I just premiered a new video about the 1961 movie Victim, which helped overturn England’s 400-year-old ban on homosexuality. Also check out my weekly livestreams on Twitch, my book Hi Honey, I’m Homo!, my email newsletter. You can get all that and more at MattBaume.com.
And by the way, here are some fun soap clips that Jesse sent along:
Susan Lucci being amazing as Erica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-YlCHBbE_8
Susan Lucci being even more amazing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT98I87Fsaw
Another fun Erica scene, ending on a hilarious delivery of “I’m not even that rich!” https://youtu.be/RT98I87Fsaw?si=Sg_B6i-91L7W-aOU&t=444
Erica compares herself to Yoko Ono: https://youtu.be/NH9xsXKbpuA?si=oiXnjNdZZlEmCFHe&t=323
Called to the Kitchen (Ep 352 - Cookbooks/Adam Roberts)
Queer Dark Souls (Ep 351 - Dark Souls/Illusory Wall)
The Luckiest Little Homosexual in the World (Ep 350 - The Tonys/Jeffrey Masters)
In my Own Way I'm a Doomsday Prepper (Ep. 349 - Phuong/Drag Race)
Tough on the Outside, Nice on the Inside (Ep 348 - Pokémon/José)
A Little More F'd Up (Ep 347 - Six Feet Under/Scott)
The Devil's Name is on All my Paychecks (Ep 346 - Fran Tirado/Greek myths)
My Cat Makes Me Laugh (Ep. 345 - Bette Midler/H. Alan Scott)
Good Luck, Kid (Ep 344 - Beatrix Potter/Carl Bishop)
Always Dreaming (Ep 343 - The Brady Bunch Movie/Stan Zimmerman)
Really Stupid and Delicious (Ep 342 - Desperate Housewives/Benji Carr)
The Lone Wolf Doing Theater (Ep 341 - Ravi Roth/Broadway)
We Were Too Busy Being Gay (Ep. 340 - Stonewall/Tree)
A Pride Omnibus (Ep 339 - X-Men/Joe Glass)
Glamour Rampage (Ep 338 - Justin Vivian Bond)
Misfits and Aliens (Ep 337 - Lypsinka/Gypsy)
If You Can Survive it, do it (Ep 336 - Gay New York in the 70s & 80s/Mark Finley)
Camp is like Pornography (Ep 335 - Eurovision/Jānis)
Beauty in Trash (Ep 334 - Bruce Vilanch/Bette Midler)
It Was All There in One Album (Ep 333 - Bette Midler/James Sie)
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