Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975, or simply GL) is an American television soap opera that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television history, running from 1952 until 2009, preceded by a 15-year broadcast on the radio. When combining its total run of 72 years on radio and television, Guiding Light is the second-longest running program of any kind in history, exceeded only by Music and the Spoken Word. With over 18 000 episodes produced, Guiding Light has more episodes than any program in the history of radio and television, and four times more episodes than Music and the Spoken Word.
The Guiding Light began airing on CBS Television on June 30, 1952 (60 years ago yesterday). With the transition to television the main characters became the Bauers, a lower-middle class German immigrant family. These episodes were also 15 minutes long. During the period from 1952 to 1956, The Guiding Light existed as both a radio and television serial, with actors recording their performances twice each day the shows aired. The radio broadcast of The Guiding Light ceased production in 1956, ending this overlap.
The Guiding Light ranked as the #1 rated soap opera both in 1956 and 1957, before being dethroned in 1958 by As the World Turns. After Irna Phillips moved to As the World Turns in 1958, her protege Agnes Nixon became Head Writer of The Guiding Light.
Agnes Nixon relinquished her role as head writer in 1965 to go to Another World. On March 13, 1967, The Guiding Light was first broadcast in color. A year later, the show expanded from 15 to 30 minutes.
The 1960s saw the introduction of African-American characters, and the main focus of the show shifted to Bill and Bert's children, Mike and Ed.
A number of new characters were introduced during the mid-to-late-1960s, perhaps most notably Dr. Sara McIntyre, who would remain a central character through the early 1980s.
Much of the story during the first half of the 1970s was driven by Stanley Norris' 1971 murder and the ensuing trial, as well as the exploits of villainesses Charlette Waring and Kit Vested. (Scheming, vindictive Charlotte was murdered by Kit in 1973, and then Kit herself was shot by Joe Werner in self-defense in 1974, after she had attempted to poison Sara McEntire.)
Feeling pressure from newer, more youth-oriented soap operas such as All My Children, Procter & Gamble hired head writers Bridget and Jerome Dobson in 1975. The Dobsons introduced a more nuanced, psychologically layered writing style, and included timely storylines, including a complex love/hate relationship between estranged spouses/step-siblings Roger and Holly. They also created a number of well-remembered characters, including Rita Stapleton, whose complex relationships with Roger and Ed would propel much of the story for the remainder of the decade, and Alan Spaulding and Ross Marler, who would both remain central characters into the 2000s (decade).
The decision was made in 1977 to re-introduce the thought-dead character of Bill Bauer. Everyone thought that he had died in an airplane crash in 1969, but he was said to actually be alive. Hillary Kincaid (Bauer), Bill's daughter (and thus Ed and Mike's half-sister) was also introduced during this period, and she would become a major character who would remain into the mid-1980s.
Shocking to most viewers, Jerome and Bridget Dobson killed the show's young heroine, Leslie Jackson Bauer. She was killed by a drunken driver, and many viewers stopped watching the show because of this death.
In the fall of 1975, the name was changed in show's opening and closing visuals from The Guiding Light to Guiding Light. On November 7, 1977, the show expanded to a full hour and aired from 2:30–3:30 p. m. daily.
The show in the 1970s focused on the Bauers and the Spauldings. Several notable characters were introduced.
In 1980, the Dobsons began writing As the World Turns, and were replaced by writer and former actor Douglas Marland. He created some new characters like vixen Nola Reardon. In May 1980, Guiding Light won its first Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in a Daytime Drama.
During the early 1980s, the show began to focus more on younger characters, in an attempt to compete with the younger-skewing ABC soaps. A number of longtime characters were written out during this time, including Ben and Eve McFarren, Diane Ballard, Sara McIntyre, Adam Thorpe, Barbara Norris Thorpe, Justin Marler and Steve Jackson; actress Lenore Kasdorf left the show in 1981, and producers decided not to recast the role of Rita Stapleton Bauer, given how popular Kasdorf had been; and Bauer family matriarch Bertha "Bert" Bauer died, after Charita Bauer's death in 1985. (The character was initially said to be visiting Meta Bauer for several months, until a tribute episode could be constructed where the characters could mourn Bert's passing onscreen.)
An ever more complicated storyline focused on the Bauers, Spauldings, Reardons, and Raines families. Pam Long became head writer in 1983 and refocused the show on Freddy Bauer (now called "Rick"), Phillip Spaulding, Mindy Lewis, and Beth Raines. She also introduced characters Alexandra Spaulding and Reva Shayne. Long would return for a second stint from 1987 to 1990.
Holly Norris and Roger Thorpe returned to the show in 1988 and 1989, respectively. (Both characters had been written out since 1980.)
With the new decade, the show's storytelling transitioned from Long's homespun, earthy style to a more realistic style with a new group of head writers. The Bauers, Spauldings, Lewises, and the Coopers had been established as core families, and most major plot developments circled around them.
The show suffered major character losses mid-decade, including the car accident death of Maureen Bauer and the exit of Alexandra Spaulding from the story. As the decade progressed, the show began a series of outlandish plot twists seemingly to compete with the serials Passions and Days of our Lives.
In an attempt to revive the show, the character Reva Shayne was brought back to Springfield in April 1995. She'd been presumed dead for the previous five years, after having driven her car off of a bridge and into the water off the Florida Keys and later that July, Marcy Walker, was axed after nearly two years with the show, playing the anti-hero, Tangie Hill in favor of the full-time return of fan favorite, Nola Chamberlain, portrayed by Lisa Brown. Brown return on-screen as Nola Chamberlain in late-July 1995, with Walker appearing on-screen as Tangie Hill a month later, in August 1995.
The Best of the best was Roger Vs. Springfield WATCH!
Also I was riveted with Murder/Rapist/Psycho, Brent Lawrence was Masquerading in drag, 'Marian Crane', get it?
In January 1997, soap veteran Mary Stuart joined the cast as Meta Bauer (though referred to many times over the years, the long-running character originally played by Ellen Demming had not been seen onscreen since 1974); the character would remain on the show until Stuart's death in 2002.
The 2000s (decade) began with the splitting of the show into two locales: Springfield and the island nation of San Cristobel. In Springfield, the Santos mob dynasty created much of the drama. Meanwhile, the royal Winslow family had their own series of intrigues to deal with. In 2002, however, San Cristobel was written off the show and the mob's influence in the story was subsequently diminished and, with the departure of character Danny Santos in 2005, eliminated altogether. Also, Guiding Light celebrated its 50th Anniversary as a TV show on June 30, 2002.
In 2004, former director and actress Ellen Wheeler (Emmy Award winner as an actress for All My Children and Another World) took over as executive producer of Guiding Light. She and writer David Kreizman made numerous changes to the sets, stories, and the cast. Several veteran actors were dropped, mainly because of budget cuts. Because of the lack of veteran influence, Wheeler refocused the show on the youth of Springfield, centering on the controversial pairing of cousins Jonathan and Tammy.
In 2006, an episode featured character Harley Cooper gaining heroic abilities. The episode was semi-continued in an 8 page story in select Marvel Comics productions.
The show marked its 70th broadcast anniversary in 2007. The anniversary was commemorated with the launch of website FindYourLight.net and a program of outreach, reflecting Irna Phillips' original message. There was also a special episode in January 2007, with current cast members portraying Phillips and some of the earlier cast members. The show also introduced special anniversary opening credits.
Despite low ratings, the show won 2007 Daytime Emmy Awards for Best Writing and Best Show (sharing Best Show with The Young and the Restless).
By 2008, it launched a Lesbian story featuring Olivia and Natalia.
The end?
On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it would not renew the show and the last broadcast date would be September 18, 2009. Procter & Gamble initially announced that they would attempt to find another outlet to distribute the show, but later admitted that they had been unsuccessful in doing so, and that on September 18, after 57 years on television (preceded by 15 years on radio for a total broadcast history of 72 years), Guiding Light would end its broadcast run on CBS.
The final episode also included the original tag line, with some revision, printed on the screen with the words "There is a destiny that makes us FAMILY" (replacing the word 'brothers'), as well as quick clips of each of the show's title cards and announcers over the six decades it was on television, leading to the show's former long-time opening announcement: "And now, The Guiding Light".
Via WIKI
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