Guiding Light
Encyclopedia
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records
as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009. It is also among the longest running broadcast programs in history of any kind, across radio media for 15 years, and then television media for 57 years, being first broadcast five days after President Franklin D. Roosevelt
's second inauguration. The show's title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when The Guiding Light debuted in 1937, that family and residents could see as a sign for them to find help when needed.
Guiding Light was created by Irna Phillips
, and began as an NBC Radio serial on January 25, 1937. In June 2, 1947, the show moved to CBS radio
, before starting on June 30, 1952, on CBS
television. It would continue to air concomitantly on radio until June 29, 1956. The series was expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour in 1968, and then to a full hour on November 7, 1977. Guiding Light aired its 15,000 televised episode on September 6, 2006.
On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it canceled Guiding Light because of low ratings. The show taped its final scenes on August 11, 2009, and its final episode aired on September 18, 2009. On October 5, 2009, CBS replaced Guiding Light with an hour-long revival of Let's Make a Deal
, hosted by Wayne Brady
.
, who based it on personal experiences. After giving birth to a still-born baby at age 19, she found spiritual comfort listening to the on-air sermons of Preston Bradley, a famous Chicago preacher and founder of the People's Church, a church which promoted the brotherhood of man. It was these sermons that formed the nucleus of the creation of The Guiding Light, which began as a radio show. The original radio show began airing 15 minute episodes on January 25, 1937, on NBC
Radio. The show moved to CBS Radio
in 1947.
television on June 30, 1952. 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.
After Irna Phillips moved to As the World Turns
in 1958, her protege Agnes Nixon
became Head Writer of The Guiding Light.
With the transition to television the main characters became the Bauers, a lower-middle class German immigrant family.
. On September 11, 1967, the show 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-60s, perhaps most notably Dr. Sara McIntyre, who would remain a central character through the early 1980s.
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.
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.
. 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 '80s, 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.)
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, portayed 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.
In January 1996, 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.
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. Kreizman and Wheeler also re-hired actress, Marcy Walker
, who re-introduced the character of Tangie Hill from August 2005 to February 2006, a role she previously played from 1993 to 1995. 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
).
During the final weeks on the air, numerous characters from the show's past passed through Springfield one last time, culminating with Ed and Holly, who impulsively embark on an unspecified journey together. Alan Spaulding suffers a fatal heart attack during the final week, but not before resolving conflicts with many former adversaries, including Jonathan. Alan's death brings nearly the entire town together, in a way that could not have happened while he was still alive. Alexandra takes Alan's death particularly hard, but is pleased when Fletcher Reade shows up at the Spaulding Mansion after Alan's service, and convinces her to accompany him to Europe. Beth and Phillip have grown closer and decide to remarry; Mindy Lewis returns to Springfield for good, and she and Rick also grow closer. Reva and Josh have a discussion, and agree that they each have their respective issues that they need to work through. Josh tells Reva that he is leaving Springfield for a job for the next year, but proposes that he will return one year from that date, and if by that time, she wants to reunite with him, she should meet him at the lighthouse, and if she is not there, he will assume she has moved on without him.
The final episode has an upbeat tone, featuring many of the characters gathering in the park for a large picnic. Toward the end of the episode, it jumps forward one year, by which time, Phillip and Beth have reunited, as have Rick and Mindy. Olivia and Natalia, happy with their new baby, pick Rafael up, as he returns from the Army. The episode concludes with Josh arriving at the lighthouse, as promised, and finding Reva there. They declaring their undying love. James, Ashlee, and Daisy leave Springfield and move to Santa Barbara, California
. Josh asks if Reva is packed, to go on an adventure. The two grab the luggage, and with Reva's young son, they climb into Josh's pick-up truck. Josh says to Reva, "You ready?" She replies "Always." As the truck drives away with the lighthouse in the background, "The End" appears on the screen before a final fadeout. The song heard playing in the background during the final scene is "Together" by Michelle Branch
.
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".
(where creator Irna Phillips resided), from 1937 until 1946; Hollywood, from 1947 until 1949; and New York City
since 1949. It was moved from Chicago to Hollywood (despite objections of both Phillips and Arthur Peterson
) to take advantage of the talent pool. Production was subsequently moved to New York City, where the majority of soap opera
s were produced during the 1950s, 1960s and much of the 1970s; it remained based in New York City until the show's conclusion. Its final taping location was the CBS studios in midtown Manhattan
. From the 1970s to the 1990s it was filmed at the Chelsea Studios
. From shortly before February 29, 2008, outdoor scenes were shot on location in Peapack, New Jersey. The location filming coincided with another significant production change, as the series became the first American weekday soap opera to be recorded digitally. The production team chose to shoot with Canon XH-G1 HDV
camcorders.
Unlike the old production model with pedestal-style cameras and traditional three-sided sets, handheld cameras allowed producers to choose as many locations as they wished.
. On February 29, 2008, a new opening replaced the 70th anniversary opening. The new look of Guiding Light included free-hand camera work and less action shown on traditional studio sets. Producer Ellen Wheeler introduced a "shaky-cam"
style, present in a number of films, featuring extreme-closeups and frequent cuts, including those that "broke the axis" (which proved disorienting to viewers accustomed to shows with the traditional "soap opera look"). Also new was the shooting of outdoor scenes that took place in actual outdoor settings. Even many indoor scenes had more of an "on location" feel, repurposing real locations, such as GL's production offices, to be motel rooms, nail salons, quick-mart
and other businesses or locations. Thereby, the show had numerous sets without the cost of numerous separate locations. CBS and the show's producers had hoped that the new look would help reinvent the show and raise ratings, making the longest-running program in daytime history a model for the future of daytime, but the plan was ultimately unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, the new production style was partly adopted by at least two other CBS soaps. Both The Bold and the Beautiful
(for example, Bikini Beach and areas around the Forrester Creations
building) and As the World Turns
(for example the Snyder farm, the lake, and numerous other scenes featuring the teenage characters) have notably increased their use of this style in their daily production, where before those types of shoots were limited to special trips taken by the characters. Hand camera has also been used on several occasions on the ABC soap opera All My Children
. But Guiding Light remains to date the only soap that has used the concept on a full-time basis.
The action has also been set in three different locales – it was based in the fictional towns of Five Points and Selby Flats before its final locale of Springfield
.
nor NBC
broadcast programs on their respective networks at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 Central, where CBS first placed GL. Six months into the run, however, the network moved the serial to a timeslot that gave it great popularity with its housewife audience, 12:45 p.m./11:45 a.m., where it ran for the next 15 years and eight months, sharing the half hour with its sister Procter & Gamble-packaged soap, Search for Tomorrow
. GL handled the competition breezily, even legendary shows such as Queen for a Day
on ABC (briefly in 1960) and NBC's Truth or Consequences
. Usually, GL ranked second in the Nielsen ratings
behind another P&G serial, As the World Turns
.
By 1968, however, changing viewership trends prompted CBS to expand its last two 15-minute daytime dramas, disrupting long-standing viewing habits. Search For Tomorrow took over the entire 12:30–1/11:30–Noon period, with GL returning to its first timeslot, 2:30/1:30, albeit in the now-standard half-hour format, on September 9. This also caused the dislocation of The Secret Storm
and the beloved Art Linkletter's House Party
, as well as the cancellation of the daytime To Tell the Truth
. It would not be the last time, though, as the next 12 years would bring several shifts around CBS' lineup.
The 1970s saw GL's popularity dip somewhat, largely from the competition posed by younger-leaning serials such as The Doctors on NBC, but it still garnered decent ratings. After four years, CBS bumped its timeslot up by a half-hour to accommodate P&G's demand that Edge of Night move to 2:30/1:30, a move that led to the end of that show on CBS three years later. In the meantime, GL stayed steadily on course against NBC's Days of our Lives
, another soap favored by younger women, and ABC's The Newlywed Game
. In late 1974, ABC replaced Newlywed with The $10,000 Pyramid
, which went on to garner strong ratings, but not greatly at GL's expense. Meanwhile, by fall 1975 (at this point, the show had officially dropped the word "The" from its title. although it was still referred to as The Guiding Light on air for several years after), the impending departure of Edge and CBS' planned expansion of ATWT affected GL by pushing it back to 2:30/1:30 in December, where NBC still ran The Doctors and ABC had a short-lived hit the next year with an updated Break the Bank
. To complicate the picture further, ABC opted to make its first show expansions, that of One Life to Live
and General Hospital
, in July 1976, each occupying one-half of a 90-minute block until November 4, 1977.
With this in mind, ABC and CBS acted to give a contending chance to both General Hospital and Guiding Light by expanding them to an hour in length on November 7, 1977, strategically keeping their start times different in order to dissuade viewers from turning to the other networks. This gained particular importance when ABC finally added 15 minutes to One Life to Live on January 16, 1978, so that GL straddled those two programs, as well as the first half of sister P&G show Another World
on NBC. Despite GH surprising all observers by skyrocketing from near-cancellation to the top place in the ratings with the "Luke and Laura" storyline, GL, holding its own while in direct competition with GH, still hit an upswing as the decade ended.
On February 4, 1980, CBS bumped GL down again, to 3pm/2c, in the midst of a major scheduling shuffle intended to give The Young and the Restless
(itself now expanding to an hour length) a shot at beating ABC's All My Children
. It remained in this timeslot for the rest of its run, facing GH (General Hospital
) and NBC entries such as Texas
, The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
and Santa Barbara
. none of which made significant impacts upon GL. Furthermore, GH eventually petered out by the mid-1980s as well.
Overall, the first half of the 1980s saw a revival in Guiding Light’s popularity, with a top-five placing achieved in most years, and, for a brief period, it even managed to dethrone then-powerhouse General Hospital from the #1 ratings spot for three consecutive weeks. As the decade progressed, however, the ratings slipped a bit, although it was still performing solidly. In 1995, beginning with CBS flagship station WCBS-TV
in New York
, GL began airing at 10 a.m. Eastern time in several markets. The show's solid performance began to crumble by the mid-1990s, when the show's ratings sunk as low as eighth place out of eleven. However, during the controversial clone storyline in 1998, the ratings experienced a brief resurgence. Nielsen reported GL had 5 million viewers in 1999, but that declined to 2.7 million in its final season. In March 2008, CBS renewed Guiding Light through September 18, 2009.
Up until its finale in 2009, stations in a number of markets aired GL in the morning either at 9 or 10 a.m. local time: Miami
, Chicago
, Baltimore
, Boston
, Detroit
, New York City
, Philadelphia
, Pittsburgh
, Orlando
, Fort Wayne, Ind.
, South Bend, Ind.
, Portland, Me., Albany, N.Y.
, and Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa.
. GL aired at 12 noon local time in Honolulu, Hawaii
. In Savannah, GA
, it aired at 4:00pm local time.
Before 2004, stations that aired GL in the morning were always one episode behind those that aired the program at its official timeslot of 3:00pm (ET). This changed in March 2004, during the first day of the NCAA March Madness
basketball tournament, in which stations that aired GL at 10:00am were able catch up with stations that aired GL at 3:00pm. Starting in 2006, stations that aired GL at 9:00am were also offered a same-day feed to catch up with the rest of the network. As a result of this, daily episodes for the remaining years of GL were the same on all stations regardless of timeslot.
Guiding Light maintained strong ratings in Pittsburgh, despite being moved to 10:00 AM in 2006. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Dr. Phil hasn't been able to pull in the same numbers that GL did in that time slot a year prior, while GL maintained its audience share.
Two CBS affiliates did not air GL. One was KOVR-TV in Sacramento, California
. KOVR had become a CBS affiliate in 1995. Despite its affiliate status, KOVR did not air Guiding Light. Before CBS affiliated with KOVR, it had been affiliated in Sacramento with KXTV
. KXTV had dropped Guiding Light from its schedule in 1992 and never aired it again. As such, Guiding Light has been preempted on the Sacramento area since 1992. WNEM-TV
in Flint
/Saginaw
/Bay City, Michigan
also did not air Guiding Light. They initially ran the soap before they dropped it in 1996 because of disappointing ratings. In the fall of 2006, WNEM began running Guiding Light on its digital channel My 5.
In Canada
, Guiding Light was available directly through CBS from the 1960s until the show's ending in 2009. However, GL also made it on several Canadian television stations over the time. The first Canadian station to broadcast GL was Atlantic Satellite Network
(ASN), as a supplementary service to its ATV system of CTV
affiliates exclusively for Atlantic Canada
, which aired the program simultaneously with the CBS feed from 1983 to 1984, then the broadcast was moved at 12 noon until 1985. Also in 1984, TVA
, a Quebec
privately owned French language television network, rebroadcast in translation episodes 12 months behind for a short period. In the early 1990s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC) briefly aired the P&G serial nationally at 3:00 p.m. in each specific local time zone, but dropped it in 1991. After an hiatus on Canadian stations for many years, the series came back on CHCH-TV
, exclusively for the province of Ontario
market. In September 2007, Global
picked up the show nationwide after CHCH-TV
dropped it, claiming Passions
’ former time slot. GL returned to CHCH for the rest of its run when Global decided to air The Doctors
.
Internationally, Guiding Light currently airs in Iceland
, Italy
, Hungary
and Serbia
. It also aired September 3, 2007 to August 26th 2011 in the UK on Zone Romantica /CBS Drama
, series was pulled at the point where the outside location filming was due to begin. Last screened scene in the UK was Cassie hiding out with troubled son Will - just as the rest of the family were discovering that he had actually killed his father Alonzo.
60 Minutes
featured a segment on the cast and crew of Guiding Light discussing the show and its eventual cancellation. The segment was re-broadcast on July 18, 2010.
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009. It is also among the longest running broadcast programs in history of any kind, across radio media for 15 years, and then television media for 57 years, being first broadcast five days after President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's second inauguration. The show's title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when The Guiding Light debuted in 1937, that family and residents could see as a sign for them to find help when needed.
Guiding Light was created by Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:...
, and began as an NBC Radio serial on January 25, 1937. In June 2, 1947, the show moved to CBS radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
, before starting on June 30, 1952, on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television. It would continue to air concomitantly on radio until June 29, 1956. The series was expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour in 1968, and then to a full hour on November 7, 1977. Guiding Light aired its 15,000 televised episode on September 6, 2006.
On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that it canceled Guiding Light because of low ratings. The show taped its final scenes on August 11, 2009, and its final episode aired on September 18, 2009. On October 5, 2009, CBS replaced Guiding Light with an hour-long revival of Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, hosted by Wayne Brady
Wayne Brady
Wayne Alphonso Brady is an actor, singer, comedian and television personality, known for his work as a regular on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, and as the host of the daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show...
.
Origins, plot development, and cast
Guiding Light has had a number of plot sequences over the show's long history, on both radio and television. These plot sequences include complex storylines, and different writers and casting.1930s and 1940s
The series was created by Irna PhillipsIrna Phillips
Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:...
, who based it on personal experiences. After giving birth to a still-born baby at age 19, she found spiritual comfort listening to the on-air sermons of Preston Bradley, a famous Chicago preacher and founder of the People's Church, a church which promoted the brotherhood of man. It was these sermons that formed the nucleus of the creation of The Guiding Light, which began as a radio show. The original radio show began airing 15 minute episodes on January 25, 1937, on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
Radio. The show moved to CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
in 1947.
1950s
The Guiding Light began airing on CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television on June 30, 1952. 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.
After Irna Phillips moved to As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
in 1958, her protege Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
became Head Writer of The Guiding Light.
With the transition to television the main characters became the Bauers, a lower-middle class German immigrant family.
1960s
Agnes Nixon relinquished her role as head writer in 1966 to go to Another WorldAnother World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
. On September 11, 1967, the show 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-60s, perhaps most notably Dr. Sara McIntyre, who would remain a central character through the early 1980s.
1970s
Much of the story during the first half of the '70s 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
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
hired head writers Bridget and Jerome Dobson
Bridget and Jerome Dobson
Bridget and Jerome Dobson were writers for American soap operas best known as creators of the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara .Bridget Dobson is the daughter of General Hospital creators Frank and Doris Hursley. Bridget and Jerome married in 1961...
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
Rita Stapleton
Rita Stapleton Bauer was a fictional character on the CBS soap Guiding Light. The character was played by Lenore Kasdorf, and was created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson, shortly after they became Guiding Light's head writers in 1975. Rita was written out in 1981, when Kasdorf announced she was...
, whose complex relationships with Roger and Ed would propel much of the story for the remainder of the decade, and Alan Spaulding
Alan Spaulding
Alan Spaulding is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. He was played by Chris Bernau from the time of the character's introduction on November 7, 1977 until June 1988, when Bernau left the role due to health problems ; Daniel Pilon stepped into the role from 1988 until Alan...
and Ross Marler, who would both remain central characters into the 2000s.
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.
1980s
In 1980, the Dobsons began writing As the World Turns, and were replaced by writer and former actor Douglas MarlandDouglas Marland
Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups...
. 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 '80s, 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
Lenore Kasdorf
Lenore Kasdorf is an American actress.-Biography:Kasdorf was born in New York City to an army colonel father. She is best known for her role as the alluring and promiscuous nurse Rita Stapleton Bauer, whom she played from 1975 to 1981 in the soap opera Guiding Light, and for her performance as Mrs...
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
Charita Bauer
Charita Bauer was an American soap opera radio and television actress.Born in Newark, New Jersey, she began her career at the age of eight as a model for clothing ads...
'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
Pam Long
Pamela K. Long is an American actress and writer, most known for her stints writing the CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light, from 1983 to 1986 and from 1987 to 1990....
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.)
1990s
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
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
and Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
.
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
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys are a coral archipelago in southeast United States. They begin at the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami, and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands, and on to the uninhabited Dry...
and later that July, Marcy Walker
Marcy Walker
Marcy Lynn Walker , also known as Marcy Smith, is an American actress known for her roles on daytime soap operas. Her most famous roles are those of Liza Colby on All My Children, which she played from 1981–1984 and again 1995–2005, and as Eden Capwell on Santa Barbara 1984–1991.- Personal life...
, 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, portayed by Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown
Harley Brown is an American actress, born in Kansas City, Missouri.She is best known as half of the supercouple Quint and Nola, playing alongside actor Michael Tylo, on Guiding Light. She played the role of Nola Reardon Chamberlain from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1995 to 1998...
. 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.
In January 1996, soap veteran Mary Stuart
Mary Stuart (actress)
Mary Stuart was an American actress and singer/songwriter.She was born as Mary Stuart Houchins in Miami, Florida and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she graduated from Tulsa Central High School and attended the University of Tulsa before embarking on her professional career...
joined the cast as Meta Bauer (though referred to many times over the years, the long-running character originally played by Ellen Demming
Ellen Demming
Ellen Demming was an American actress, best known for her role as Meta Bauer on the soap opera The Guiding Light, which she played from 1953 to 1974....
had not been seen onscreen since 1974); the character would remain on the show until Stuart's death in 2002.
2000s
The 2000s 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
Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World...
(Emmy Award winner as an actress for All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
and Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
) took over as executive producer of Guiding Light. She and writer David Kreizman
David Kreizman
David Kreizman is an American soap opera writer. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Kreizman was a part of the writing team for the long running CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light since the late 1990s. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of Head Writer by newly appointed...
made numerous changes to the sets, stories, and the cast. Several veteran actors were dropped, mainly because of budget cuts. Kreizman and Wheeler also re-hired actress, Marcy Walker
Marcy Walker
Marcy Lynn Walker , also known as Marcy Smith, is an American actress known for her roles on daytime soap operas. Her most famous roles are those of Liza Colby on All My Children, which she played from 1981–1984 and again 1995–2005, and as Eden Capwell on Santa Barbara 1984–1991.- Personal life...
, who re-introduced the character of Tangie Hill from August 2005 to February 2006, a role she previously played from 1993 to 1995. 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
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
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
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
).
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.During the final weeks on the air, numerous characters from the show's past passed through Springfield one last time, culminating with Ed and Holly, who impulsively embark on an unspecified journey together. Alan Spaulding suffers a fatal heart attack during the final week, but not before resolving conflicts with many former adversaries, including Jonathan. Alan's death brings nearly the entire town together, in a way that could not have happened while he was still alive. Alexandra takes Alan's death particularly hard, but is pleased when Fletcher Reade shows up at the Spaulding Mansion after Alan's service, and convinces her to accompany him to Europe. Beth and Phillip have grown closer and decide to remarry; Mindy Lewis returns to Springfield for good, and she and Rick also grow closer. Reva and Josh have a discussion, and agree that they each have their respective issues that they need to work through. Josh tells Reva that he is leaving Springfield for a job for the next year, but proposes that he will return one year from that date, and if by that time, she wants to reunite with him, she should meet him at the lighthouse, and if she is not there, he will assume she has moved on without him.
The final episode has an upbeat tone, featuring many of the characters gathering in the park for a large picnic. Toward the end of the episode, it jumps forward one year, by which time, Phillip and Beth have reunited, as have Rick and Mindy. Olivia and Natalia, happy with their new baby, pick Rafael up, as he returns from the Army. The episode concludes with Josh arriving at the lighthouse, as promised, and finding Reva there. They declaring their undying love. James, Ashlee, and Daisy leave Springfield and move to Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
. Josh asks if Reva is packed, to go on an adventure. The two grab the luggage, and with Reva's young son, they climb into Josh's pick-up truck. Josh says to Reva, "You ready?" She replies "Always." As the truck drives away with the lighthouse in the background, "The End" appears on the screen before a final fadeout. The song heard playing in the background during the final scene is "Together" by Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003...
.
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".
Production and locales
Guiding Light was broadcast from three locations: ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(where creator Irna Phillips resided), from 1937 until 1946; Hollywood, from 1947 until 1949; and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1949. It was moved from Chicago to Hollywood (despite objections of both Phillips and Arthur Peterson
Arthur Peterson, Jr.
Arthur Peterson, Jr. was an American actor. He played character and supporting roles on stage, television, and feature films...
) to take advantage of the talent pool. Production was subsequently moved to New York City, where the majority of soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s were produced during the 1950s, 1960s and much of the 1970s; it remained based in New York City until the show's conclusion. Its final taping location was the CBS studios in midtown Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. From the 1970s to the 1990s it was filmed at the Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios
Chelsea Studios is a television studio and sound stage at 221 West 26th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.-History:The building was originally an armory that was home to Ninth Mounted Calvary which moved to 14th Street in 1914....
. From shortly before February 29, 2008, outdoor scenes were shot on location in Peapack, New Jersey. The location filming coincided with another significant production change, as the series became the first American weekday soap opera to be recorded digitally. The production team chose to shoot with Canon XH-G1 HDV
HDV
HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV cassette tape. The format was originally developed by JVC and supported by Sony, Canon and Sharp...
camcorders.
Unlike the old production model with pedestal-style cameras and traditional three-sided sets, handheld cameras allowed producers to choose as many locations as they wished.
Final seasons
In the daytime drama's 71st overall season and 57th season on CBS, the show had changed its look to a more realistic experience in an attempt to compete with the growing popularity of reality televisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
. On February 29, 2008, a new opening replaced the 70th anniversary opening. The new look of Guiding Light included free-hand camera work and less action shown on traditional studio sets. Producer Ellen Wheeler introduced a "shaky-cam"
Shaky camera
Shaky camera, shaky cam, hand-held camera or free camera is a cinematographic technique where stable-image techniques are purposely dispensed with. The camera is held in the hand, or given the appearance of being hand-held, and in many cases shots are limited to what one photographer could have...
style, present in a number of films, featuring extreme-closeups and frequent cuts, including those that "broke the axis" (which proved disorienting to viewers accustomed to shows with the traditional "soap opera look"). Also new was the shooting of outdoor scenes that took place in actual outdoor settings. Even many indoor scenes had more of an "on location" feel, repurposing real locations, such as GL's production offices, to be motel rooms, nail salons, quick-mart
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
and other businesses or locations. Thereby, the show had numerous sets without the cost of numerous separate locations. CBS and the show's producers had hoped that the new look would help reinvent the show and raise ratings, making the longest-running program in daytime history a model for the future of daytime, but the plan was ultimately unsuccessful.
Nevertheless, the new production style was partly adopted by at least two other CBS soaps. Both The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
(for example, Bikini Beach and areas around the Forrester Creations
Forrester Creations
Forrester Creations is a fictional fashion house from the CBS daytime drama The Bold and the Beautiful. It is located on fictional S. Haragate Avenue in Los Angeles.-History:...
building) and As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
(for example the Snyder farm, the lake, and numerous other scenes featuring the teenage characters) have notably increased their use of this style in their daily production, where before those types of shoots were limited to special trips taken by the characters. Hand camera has also been used on several occasions on the ABC soap opera All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. But Guiding Light remains to date the only soap that has used the concept on a full-time basis.
Production summary
| Start date | End date | Time slot (Eastern) |
Run time (minutes) |
Network | Filming location |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 25, 1937 | December 26, 1941 | — | 15 | NBC Radio | Chicago | Canceled by Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods.... , resulting in 75,000 protest letters. |
| March 16, 1942 | November 29, 1946 | — | Canceled by General Mills General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green... . |
|||
| June 2, 1947 | June 27, 1952 | — | Hollywood | — | ||
| June 30, 1952 | June 29, 1956 | CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
New York City | Radio & TV concurrently | ||
| July 2, 1956 | September 6, 1968 | CBS Television CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... |
— | |||
| September 9, 1968 | November 28, 1975 | 2:30 pm | 30 | — | ||
| December 1, 1975 | November 4, 1977 | 2:00 pm | — | |||
| November 7, 1977 | February 1, 1980 | 2:30 pm | 60 | — | ||
| February 4, 1980 | September 18, 2009 | 3:00 pm | As early as 1993, some affiliates began airing the show at 9 AM, 10 AM, or noon local time. |
The action has also been set in three different locales – it was based in the fictional towns of Five Points and Selby Flats before its final locale of Springfield
Springfield (Guiding Light)
Springfield, Illinois is the setting of the television soap opera Guiding Light. It is generally portrayed as a small city or large town in the midwest, and circa 2008 is more specifically named as Springfield Township in the show's opening sequence. The township is also next to a lake large enough...
.
Broadcast history
Unlike most attempts made by popular radio serials to convert to a television version, Guiding Light did not have any difficulty holding onto its old listening audience and making new viewers simultaneously. This was made easy by the fact that neither ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
nor NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
broadcast programs on their respective networks at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/1:30 Central, where CBS first placed GL. Six months into the run, however, the network moved the serial to a timeslot that gave it great popularity with its housewife audience, 12:45 p.m./11:45 a.m., where it ran for the next 15 years and eight months, sharing the half hour with its sister Procter & Gamble-packaged soap, Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
. GL handled the competition breezily, even legendary shows such as Queen for a Day
Queen for a Day
Queen for a Day is an American radio and television game show that helped to usher in American listeners' and viewers' fascination with big-prize giveaway shows. Queen for a Day originated on the Mutual Radio Network on April 30, 1945 in New York City before moving to Los Angeles a few months...
on ABC (briefly in 1960) and NBC's Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is an American quiz show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards and later on television by Edwards , Jack Bailey , Bob Barker , Bob Hilton and Larry Anderson . The television show ran on CBS, NBC and also in syndication...
. Usually, GL ranked second in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
behind another P&G serial, As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
.
By 1968, however, changing viewership trends prompted CBS to expand its last two 15-minute daytime dramas, disrupting long-standing viewing habits. Search For Tomorrow took over the entire 12:30–1/11:30–Noon period, with GL returning to its first timeslot, 2:30/1:30, albeit in the now-standard half-hour format, on September 9. This also caused the dislocation of The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
and the beloved Art Linkletter's House Party
Art Linkletter's House Party
House Party is an American radio daytime variety/talk show that aired on CBS Radio and on ABC Radio from January 15, 1945 to October 13, 1967...
, as well as the cancellation of the daytime To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
. It would not be the last time, though, as the next 12 years would bring several shifts around CBS' lineup.
The 1970s saw GL's popularity dip somewhat, largely from the competition posed by younger-leaning serials such as The Doctors on NBC, but it still garnered decent ratings. After four years, CBS bumped its timeslot up by a half-hour to accommodate P&G's demand that Edge of Night move to 2:30/1:30, a move that led to the end of that show on CBS three years later. In the meantime, GL stayed steadily on course against NBC's Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, another soap favored by younger women, and ABC's The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game is an American television game show that pits newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know each other. The program, originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir The Newlywed Game is an American...
. In late 1974, ABC replaced Newlywed with The $10,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, which went on to garner strong ratings, but not greatly at GL's expense. Meanwhile, by fall 1975 (at this point, the show had officially dropped the word "The" from its title. although it was still referred to as The Guiding Light on air for several years after), the impending departure of Edge and CBS' planned expansion of ATWT affected GL by pushing it back to 2:30/1:30 in December, where NBC still ran The Doctors and ABC had a short-lived hit the next year with an updated Break the Bank
Break the Bank (1976)
Break the Bank is an American game show created by Jack Barry and Dan Enright and produced by their production company Barry & Enright Productions...
. To complicate the picture further, ABC opted to make its first show expansions, that of One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
, in July 1976, each occupying one-half of a 90-minute block until November 4, 1977.
With this in mind, ABC and CBS acted to give a contending chance to both General Hospital and Guiding Light by expanding them to an hour in length on November 7, 1977, strategically keeping their start times different in order to dissuade viewers from turning to the other networks. This gained particular importance when ABC finally added 15 minutes to One Life to Live on January 16, 1978, so that GL straddled those two programs, as well as the first half of sister P&G show Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
on NBC. Despite GH surprising all observers by skyrocketing from near-cancellation to the top place in the ratings with the "Luke and Laura" storyline, GL, holding its own while in direct competition with GH, still hit an upswing as the decade ended.
On February 4, 1980, CBS bumped GL down again, to 3pm/2c, in the midst of a major scheduling shuffle intended to give The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
(itself now expanding to an hour length) a shot at beating ABC's All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
. It remained in this timeslot for the rest of its run, facing GH (General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
) and NBC entries such as Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
, The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television game show that combined two long-running game shows of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format....
and Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
. none of which made significant impacts upon GL. Furthermore, GH eventually petered out by the mid-1980s as well.
Overall, the first half of the 1980s saw a revival in Guiding Light’s popularity, with a top-five placing achieved in most years, and, for a brief period, it even managed to dethrone then-powerhouse General Hospital from the #1 ratings spot for three consecutive weeks. As the decade progressed, however, the ratings slipped a bit, although it was still performing solidly. In 1995, beginning with CBS flagship station WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, GL began airing at 10 a.m. Eastern time in several markets. The show's solid performance began to crumble by the mid-1990s, when the show's ratings sunk as low as eighth place out of eleven. However, during the controversial clone storyline in 1998, the ratings experienced a brief resurgence. Nielsen reported GL had 5 million viewers in 1999, but that declined to 2.7 million in its final season. In March 2008, CBS renewed Guiding Light through September 18, 2009.
Up until its finale in 2009, stations in a number of markets aired GL in the morning either at 9 or 10 a.m. local time: Miami
WFOR-TV
WFOR-TV, virtual channel 4.1 , is the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida. WFOR shares its TV studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV in Doral, near Miami International Airport, and its transmitter is located in Miramar.WFOR-TV also previously had two translator stations in the...
, Chicago
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
, Baltimore
WJZ-TV
WJZ-TV, channel 13, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ-TV's studios and offices are located on Television Hill in the Woodberry section of Baltimore, adjacent to the transmission tower it shares with four other Baltimore...
, Boston
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
, Detroit
WWJ-TV
WWJ-TV, virtual channel 62 , is the CBS-owned and operated television station in Detroit, Michigan. It is co-owned with Detroit's CW station, WKBD-TV , and the two stations share a studio in Southfield, Michigan, a Detroit suburb....
, New York City
WCBS-TV
WCBS-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of the CBS television network, located in New York City. The station's studios are located within the CBS Broadcast Center and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building, both in Midtown Manhattan....
, Philadelphia
KYW-TV
KYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
, Pittsburgh
KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV, channel 2, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. KDKA-TV broadcasts from a transmitter located in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and its studios are located in downtown Pittsburgh at Gateway Center....
, Orlando
WKMG-TV
WKMG-TV channel 6 is the CBS network affiliate for Central Florida . WKMG is licensed to Orlando and is owned and operated by Post-Newsweek Stations, Inc., a subsidiary of the Washington Post Company. The station refers to itself as "Local6". WKMG's transmitter is located in Bithlo, Florida...
, Fort Wayne, Ind.
WANE-TV
WANE-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northern Indiana licensed to Fort Wayne. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 31 from a transmitter at studios on West State Boulevard in Northwest Fort Wayne/Tower Heights section of the city. The station can also be...
, South Bend, Ind.
WSBT-TV
WSBT-TV, channel 22 is a television station in South Bend, Indiana. WSBT is the flagship television station of Schurz Communications, and is an affiliate of the CBS television network. It's studios are located in Mishawaka. Its transmitter is located in South Bend.-Early broadcasting:WSBT-TV first...
, Portland, Me., Albany, N.Y.
WRGB
WRGB, channel 6, is a television station located in Schenectady, New York, USA. WRGB is owned by Freedom Communications, and is the CBS affiliate for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy television market...
, and Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa.
WYOU
WYOU is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northeastern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Scranton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter at the Penobscot Knob tower farm near Mountain Top...
. GL aired at 12 noon local time in Honolulu, Hawaii
KGMB
KGMB is the CBS-affiliated television station for the state of Hawaii that is licensed to Honolulu. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 23 from a transmitter in Palehua....
. In Savannah, GA
WTOC-TV
WTOC-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Southeastern Georgia's Coastal Empire and Southern South Carolina's Lowcountry. Licensed to Savannah, Georgia, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter along Fort Argyle Road/SR 204 in unincorporated...
, it aired at 4:00pm local time.
Before 2004, stations that aired GL in the morning were always one episode behind those that aired the program at its official timeslot of 3:00pm (ET). This changed in March 2004, during the first day of the NCAA March Madness
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
basketball tournament, in which stations that aired GL at 10:00am were able catch up with stations that aired GL at 3:00pm. Starting in 2006, stations that aired GL at 9:00am were also offered a same-day feed to catch up with the rest of the network. As a result of this, daily episodes for the remaining years of GL were the same on all stations regardless of timeslot.
Guiding Light maintained strong ratings in Pittsburgh, despite being moved to 10:00 AM in 2006. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Dr. Phil hasn't been able to pull in the same numbers that GL did in that time slot a year prior, while GL maintained its audience share.
Two CBS affiliates did not air GL. One was KOVR-TV in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
. KOVR had become a CBS affiliate in 1995. Despite its affiliate status, KOVR did not air Guiding Light. Before CBS affiliated with KOVR, it had been affiliated in Sacramento with KXTV
KXTV
KXTV, channel 10, is an ABC affiliate television station in Sacramento, California. It is owned and operated by the Gannett Company. Its transmitter tower is located in Walnut Grove, California, and studios are located on Broadway, just south of Business Loop 80 at the south edge of downtown...
. KXTV had dropped Guiding Light from its schedule in 1992 and never aired it again. As such, Guiding Light has been preempted on the Sacramento area since 1992. WNEM-TV
WNEM-TV
WNEM-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Flint/Tri-Cities market in Michigan. It is licensed to Bay City, and broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 22 . Owned by the Meredith Corporation, the station has studios on North Franklin Street in downtown Saginaw, as...
in Flint
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
/Saginaw
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
/Bay City, Michigan
Bay City, Michigan
Bay City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and is the principal city of the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Saginaw-Bay City-Saginaw Township North...
also did not air Guiding Light. They initially ran the soap before they dropped it in 1996 because of disappointing ratings. In the fall of 2006, WNEM began running Guiding Light on its digital channel My 5.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Guiding Light was available directly through CBS from the 1960s until the show's ending in 2009. However, GL also made it on several Canadian television stations over the time. The first Canadian station to broadcast GL was Atlantic Satellite Network
Atlantic Satellite Network
CTV Two Atlantic is a Canadian English language cable television channel serving Atlantic Canada owned by Bell Media, with its studios located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently part of Bell Media's secondary CTV Two television system....
(ASN), as a supplementary service to its ATV system of CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
affiliates exclusively for Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, which aired the program simultaneously with the CBS feed from 1983 to 1984, then the broadcast was moved at 12 noon until 1985. Also in 1984, TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
, a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
privately owned French language television network, rebroadcast in translation episodes 12 months behind for a short period. In the early 1990s, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
(CBC) briefly aired the P&G serial nationally at 3:00 p.m. in each specific local time zone, but dropped it in 1991. After an hiatus on Canadian stations for many years, the series came back on CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
, exclusively for the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
market. In September 2007, Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
picked up the show nationwide after CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
dropped it, claiming Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
’ former time slot. GL returned to CHCH for the rest of its run when Global decided to air The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
.
Internationally, Guiding Light currently airs in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. It also aired September 3, 2007 to August 26th 2011 in the UK on Zone Romantica /CBS Drama
CBS Drama
CBS Drama is a television channel in the United Kingdom and Ireland - home of 'modern US TV classics'.On 14 September 2009, it was revealed that the international arm of CBS, CBS Studios International, struck a joint venture deal with Chellomedia to launch six CBS-branded channels in the UK during...
, series was pulled at the point where the outside location filming was due to begin. Last screened scene in the UK was Cassie hiding out with troubled son Will - just as the rest of the family were discovering that he had actually killed his father Alonzo.
60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
featured a segment on the cast and crew of Guiding Light discussing the show and its eventual cancellation. The segment was re-broadcast on July 18, 2010.
Show
- 1980 Outstanding Daytime Drama SeriesDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama SeriesThe Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974. As there are separate awards for acting, writing and directing, the award is generally given to the soap opera that excelled in all three of those categories...
- 1981 Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series
- 1982 Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
- 1982 Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Drama Series
- 1982 Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts (Technical Direction/Electronic Camerawork)
- 1983 Outstanding Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts (Lighting Direction)
- 1984 Outstanding Achievement in Design Excellence for a Daytime Drama Series
- 1985 Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series
- 1985 Outstanding Achievement by a Drama Series Design Team – Ronald M. Kelson
- 1986 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
- 1986 Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series
- 1986 Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series
- 1987 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
- 1987 Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series
- 1990 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
- 1991 Outstanding Original Song: "Love Like This"
- 1991 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 1992 Outstanding Original Song: "I Knew That I'd Fall"
- 1992 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 1992 Outstanding Achievement in Graphics and Title Design
- 1993 Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team
- 1993 Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series
- 1994 Outstanding Drama Series Directing TeamDaytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Directing TeamThe Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team-1970s:1974* Days of our Lives* The Doctors1975* Another World* Days of our Lives* The Young and the Restless1976* The Doctors...
- 1994 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 1995 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
- 1995 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
- 1996 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 1996 Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series
- 1996 Outstanding Live and Direct-to-Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series
- 1996 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
- 1998 Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 1998 Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Drama Series
- 1998 Outstanding Original Song: "Hold Me"
- 2007 Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
- 2007 Outstanding Daytime Drama Series (tie, with The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
) - 2007 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition for a Drama Series
- 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing For A Drama Series
- 2008 Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing
Individuals
- 1983 Lifetime Achievement Award: Charita BauerCharita BauerCharita Bauer was an American soap opera radio and television actress.Born in Newark, New Jersey, she began her career at the age of eight as a model for clothing ads...
(Bert Bauer) - 1984 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Judi Evans LucianoJudi Evans LucianoJudi Evans is an American Emmy Award–winning actress,. She played Beth Raines on the CBS series Guiding Light from , but is best known for playing Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis a role she originated in 1986 on NBC's long running Days of our Lives...
(Beth Raines) - 1985 Distinguished Service to Daytime Television: Charita BauerCharita BauerCharita Bauer was an American soap opera radio and television actress.Born in Newark, New Jersey, she began her career at the age of eight as a model for clothing ads...
(Bert Bauer) [posthumous] - 1985 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim ZimmerKim ZimmerKim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...
(Reva ShayneReva ShayneReva Shayne O'Neill is a fictional character on the long-running CBS daytime soap opera Guiding Light played by emmy-award winner Kim Zimmer from November 28, 1983 to July 1990...
) - 1985 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Larry Gates (H.B. Lewis)
- 1987 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim ZimmerKim ZimmerKim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...
(Reva ShayneReva ShayneReva Shayne O'Neill is a fictional character on the long-running CBS daytime soap opera Guiding Light played by emmy-award winner Kim Zimmer from November 28, 1983 to July 1990...
) - 1990 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim ZimmerKim ZimmerKim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...
(Reva ShayneReva ShayneReva Shayne O'Neill is a fictional character on the long-running CBS daytime soap opera Guiding Light played by emmy-award winner Kim Zimmer from November 28, 1983 to July 1990...
) - 1991 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Rick HearstRick HearstRick Hearst is an American actor, best known for roles in US soap operas.-Personal life:Born in Queens, New York in 1965 and raised in Dallas, Texas....
(Alan-Michael Spaulding) - 1992 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Maeve KinkeadMaeve KinkeadMaeve Kinkead is an American soap opera actress.- Acting :After numerous roles on stage, Kinkead's first major role was as Angie Perrini on the soap Another World. She portrayed Angie from 1975 to 1980....
(Vanessa Chamberlain) - 1993 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Ellen ParkerEllen Parker (actress)Ellen Parker is an American actress.-Stage work:Parker is a well regarded New York stage actress; among her credits was the original production of the Wendy Wasserstein play The Heidi Chronicles, as well as Equus, David Hare's Plenty, and the play "Strangers". She also had a role in the film...
(Maureen Reardon) - 1993 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Monti Sharp (David Grant)
- 1994 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Michael ZaslowMichael ZaslowMichael Joel Zaslow was an American actor. He was best known for his role as villain Roger Thorpe on CBS's Guiding Light, a role he played from 1971 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1997.-Life and career:...
(Roger Thorpe) - 1994 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Justin DeasJustin DeasJustin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
(Buzz CooperBuzz CooperFrank Achilles "Buzz" Cooper Sr. is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera, Guiding Light.The character of Buzz was originated by Justin Deas in February 1993 and he has been with the show to its final airdate which was September 18, 2009...
) - 1994 Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series: Melissa HaydenMelissa Hayden (actress)Melissa Hayden is an American actress. Prior to her acting career, she was a longtime member of the California based song and dance troupe The Young Americans....
(Bridget Reardon) - 1995 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Justin DeasJustin DeasJustin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
(Buzz Cooper) - 1995 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jerry verDorn (Ross MarlerRoss MarlerRoss James Marler is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. He was created by Guiding Lights then head writers Bridget and Jerome Dobson , originally arriving in Springfield as the younger brother of established character Dr...
) - 1996 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jerry verDorn (Ross Marler)
- 1996 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Mambo (Marcus Williams)
- 1997 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Justin DeasJustin DeasJustin Deas is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Hughes #10 on As the World Turns and for his role as Buzz Cooper Sr. on Guiding Light...
(Buzz Cooper) - 1997 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Kevin Mambo (Marcus Williams)
- 1998 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Cynthia WatrosCynthia WatrosCynthia Michele Watros is an American television actress, who also starred in films and on stage. She is known for her roles as Libby on the ABC TV series Lost, Kellie in The Drew Carey Show, Erin in Titus, and Annie Dutton in Guiding Light...
(Annie DuttonAnnie DuttonAnnie Dutton is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light. Cynthia Watros is most identified in the role; she played Annie from November 29, 1994 until February 23, 1998. The role was later recast, after Watros left for other career ventures, with Signy Coleman, who portrayed...
) - 2002 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Crystal ChappellCrystal ChappellCrystal Chappell is an American actress. She played Carly Manning on Days of our Lives from 1990 to 1993, Maggie Carpenter on One Life to Live from 1995 to 1997 and Olivia Spencer on Guiding Light from 1999 to 2009. On October 2, 2009, she began reprising the role of Carly Manning...
(Olivia SpencerOlivia SpencerOlivia Spencer is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera, Guiding Light. The character was introduced to audiences in the summer of 1999 as the fiancée of the late Prince Richard Winslow. Crystal Chappell originated the role...
) - 2003 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Jordi VilasusoJordi VilasusoJordi Alejandro Vilasuso is a Cuban-American actor best known for originating the role of "Tony Santos" on the CBS soap opera, Guiding Light from August 2000 until August 2003....
(Tony Santos) - 2006 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kim ZimmerKim ZimmerKim Zimmer is an American actress. She is known for her role as Echo DiSavoy on One Life to Live and best known for her role as Reva Shayne on Guiding Light.-Career:...
(Reva ShayneReva ShayneReva Shayne O'Neill is a fictional character on the long-running CBS daytime soap opera Guiding Light played by emmy-award winner Kim Zimmer from November 28, 1983 to July 1990...
) - 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jordan Clarke (Billy Lewis)
- 2006 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gina TognoniGina TognoniGina Tognoni is an American actress.-Career:Tognoni has won Miss Rhode Island Teen USA in 1991 and Miss Rhode Island Teen All-American in 1993. In 1995, she was cast as Kelly Cramer on ABC's soap opera One Life to Live, a role she originated and portrayed to 2001...
(Dinah MarlerDinah MarlerDinah Marler is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera, Guiding Light.The character is the daughter of the late lawyer and mayor...
) - 2006 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Tom PelphreyTom Pelphrey-Early years:Born in Howell, New Jersey, Pelphrey graduated from Howell High School in 2000, and from Rutgers University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.-Guiding Light:...
(Jonathan Randall) - 2008 Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Gina Tognoni (Dinah Marler)
- 2008 Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series: Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan Randall)
- 2009 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jeff BransonJeff BransonJeffrey Dale "Jeff" Branson is an American actor.-Life and career:Branson was born in St.Louis and originated the role of Jonathan Lavery on the ABC soap opera All My Children on June 15, 2004. Although he was off the air from mid-April until August 2005 while his character was believed dead in an...
(Shayne Lewis)
Other awards
- 2005 Writers Guild of AmericaWriters Guild of AmericaThe Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
Award: GL 2005 WGA Writing Team: David KreizmanDavid KreizmanDavid Kreizman is an American soap opera writer. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Kreizman was a part of the writing team for the long running CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light since the late 1990s. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of Head Writer by newly appointed...
, Tita BellTita BellTita Bell is an American television soap opera writer. Besides working on soap operas, Tita also wrote a scenario for a Bednaya Nastya in 2003, and had a recurring role as Trudy on Happy Days from 1974 - 1977.-Positions held:...
, Joyce Brotman, Christopher Dunn, Lloyd GoldLloyd GoldLloyd 'Lucky' Gold is an American screen writer and playwright.Gold’s plays have been produced at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the McCarter Theater and others. He wrote numerous film scripts for Miramax and was script doctor on Marvin's Room and Shakespeare in Love...
, Kimberly HamiltonKimberly Hamilton-External links:**...
, Jill Lorie HurstJill Lorie HurstJill Lorie Hurst is an American television soap opera writer and producer.-Positions held:Guiding Light*Head Writer : August 22, 2008 - 2009* Story Producer: June 11, 2007 - August 21, 2008...
, Penelope Koechl, Eleanor LabineEleanor LabineEleanor Labine is an American TV writer, the daughter of Claire Labine and the sister of Matthew Labine.-Positions held:Another World*Associate Head Writer General Hospital*Associate Head Writer Guiding Light...
, Royal MillerRoyal MillerRoyal Miller is an American television soap opera script writer. He earned a B.A. in Literature & Society and Semiotics from Brown University, an M.F.A. in Film Direction and Screenwriting from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, and an M.F.A. from the Graduate Acting Program at NYU-TSOA...
, Cassandra Morgan, Danielle Paige, David Smilow, Gillian SpencerGillian SpencerGillian Spencer is an American soap opera actress and writer.She has had roles on soaps such as The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and on One Life to Live as the original Victoria Lord/Niki Smith 1968-1970.Spencer appeared in the 1968 feature comedy What's So...
, Brett Staneart, Donna SwajeskiDonna SwajeskiDonna Swajeski is an American television soap opera screenwriter with experience at all three major American networks. She has been a head writer, co-head writer and screenwriter on award winning daytime drama for NBC Daytime, ABC Daytime and CBS Daytime....
, Ellen WestonEllen WestonEllen Weston is an American actress, producer, and writer. Born Ellen Weinstein in New York City, Ellen Weston appeared on Broadway in Toys in the Attic, A Far Country, and Mary, Mary, among other productions.Her first notable television role was a stint as Robin Fletcher on soap opera Guiding... - 2005 Directors Guild of AmericaDirectors Guild of AmericaDirectors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
Award - 2010 GLAAD Media Award21st GLAAD Media AwardsThe 21st GLAAD Media Awards was the 2010 annual presentation of the media awards presented by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The awards seek to honor films, television shows, musicians and works of journalism that fairly and accurately represent the LGBT community and issues...
nomination for "Outstanding Daily Drama"
Head writers and executive producers
| Head writer(s) | Years | Executive producer Executive producer An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... s |
|---|---|---|
| Irna Phillips Irna Phillips Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:... |
David Lesan, Joe Ainley, Carl Waster | |
| David Lesan, Joe Ainley | ||
| Television | ||
| Irna Phillips Irna Phillips Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:... |
Lucy Ferri Rittenberg | |
| Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children... |
1958–1966 | |
| David Lesan, Julian Funt, Theordore Ferro, Mathilde Ferro, John Boruff, James Lipton James Lipton James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994... and Gabrielle Upton |
1966–1968 | |
| Irna Phillips Irna Phillips Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:... |
1968–1969 | |
| Robert Soderberg and Edith Sommer | 1969–1973 | |
| James Gentile, Robert Cenedella and James Lipton James Lipton James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994... |
1973–1975 | |
| Allen M. Potter Allen M. Potter Allen M. Potter was an American television soap opera producer. He was GL's Head Writer during the 1981 WGA strike.-Positions held:Another World*Executive Producer As the World Turns... |
||
| Bridget and Jerome Dobson Bridget and Jerome Dobson Bridget and Jerome Dobson were writers for American soap operas best known as creators of the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara .Bridget Dobson is the daughter of General Hospital creators Frank and Doris Hursley. Bridget and Jerome married in 1961... |
1975–1979 | |
| Douglas Marland Douglas Marland Douglas Marland was an American actor and writer of soap operas.-Career:He began his soap opera career as an actor, appearing on the Irna Phillips series The Brighter Day and As the World Turns. He also did odd jobs on the side as a director for small theatre groups... |
1979–1982 | |
| Pat Falken Smith Pat Falken Smith Patricia Falken Smith was a television writer, most famous for her stints as head writer of several soap operas, including General Hospital and Days of our Lives.-Biography:... |
1982–1983 | |
| Gail Kobe Gail Kobe Gail Kobe is an American actress and producer.-Career:During the 1950s and 1960s, Kobe made dozens of guest appearances on such television programs as Felony Squad, Ironside, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, Dr. Kildare, Gunsmoke, Daniel Boone, Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables and Mannix... |
||
| L. Virginia Browne, Gene Palumbo Gene Palumbo Gene Palumbo was an American television producer and writer.-Career:Palumbo served as the Head Writer of the CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light with L... |
1983 | |
| Pamela K. Long and Richard Culliton Richard Culliton Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University... |
1983–1984 | |
| Pamela K. Long and Jeff Ryder | 1984–1986 | |
| Jeff Ryder | Feb. 1986 – Sep. 1986 | |
| Mary Ryan Munisteri Mary Ryan Munisteri Mary Ryan Munisteri is an American television soap opera writer. She was head writer of Ryan's Hope , Guiding Light , and Loving... & Ellen Barrett Ellen Barrett Ellen Marie Barrett was the first openly lesbian priest to be properly ordained by the Episcopal Church, shortly after the General Convention approved the ordination of women in 1977. Barrett's candor about her homosexuality caused great controversy within the church... |
Sep. 1986 – Nov. 1986 | |
| Joe Willmore | ||
| Oct. 1986 – Dec. 1986 | Joseph D. Manetta | |
| Joseph D. Manetta and Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson is an American television writer and producer who is the author of the new fiction novel series, Salem's Secrets, Scandals and Lies, based on the television series Days of our Lives and being released in conjunction with their 45th Anniversary. She previously worked primarily on... |
Dec. 1986 – early 1987 | |
| Pamela K. Long | 1987–1990 | |
| Robert Calhoun | ||
| Stephen Demorest Stephen Demorest -Positions held:All My Children*Associate Head Writer: April 8, 2005 - January 14, 2008Another World*Associate Head Writer: March 1999 - June 25, 1999As the World Turns*Associate Head Writer... , James E. Reilly James E. Reilly James E. Reilly was an American soap opera writer. Known for his work as the head writer of NBC's Days of our Lives and creator/head writer of Passions, Reilly won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series Writing as co-head writer for Guiding Light in 1993.Reilly died suddenly in October... , and Nancy Curlee Nancy Curlee Nancy Curlee is an American soap opera writer. She was Head Writer of Guiding Light from 1990 to 1994. Her time at the helm of GL is often considered a golden period for the show.... |
1990–1991 | |
| Stephen Demorest, James E. Reilly, Nancy Curlee, and Lorraine Broderick Lorraine Broderick Lorraine Broderick is an American television soap opera writer who got her start on All My Children as a protégée of the show's creator, Agnes Nixon.-Bio:... |
1991–1993 | |
| Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start... |
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| Stephen Demorest Stephen Demorest -Positions held:All My Children*Associate Head Writer: April 8, 2005 - January 14, 2008Another World*Associate Head Writer: March 1999 - June 25, 1999As the World Turns*Associate Head Writer... , Patrick Mulcahey Patrick Mulcahey Patrick Mulcahey is an award-winning American television writer who graduated from Yale University.-Career:Among his accomplishments, Mulcahey wrote The Bold and the Beautifuls 5,000th episode. In a recent interview, he acknowledged his close friendships with CBS Daytime's Senior Vice President... , Nancy Williams Watt Nancy Williams Watt -Positions Held:All My Children*Secretary to Agnes Nixon, Wisner Washam, Jack Wood, Lorraine Broderick, Caroline Franz et al Days of our Lives*Script Writer: September 16, 2011 - presentSearch for Tomorrow... , Millee Taggert, and Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson is an American television writer and producer who is the author of the new fiction novel series, Salem's Secrets, Scandals and Lies, based on the television series Days of our Lives and being released in conjunction with their 45th Anniversary. She previously worked primarily on... |
1993–1995 | |
| Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson is an American television writer and producer who is the author of the new fiction novel series, Salem's Secrets, Scandals and Lies, based on the television series Days of our Lives and being released in conjunction with their 45th Anniversary. She previously worked primarily on... |
1995 | |
| Douglas Anderson | 1995 | |
| Michael Laibson Michael Laibson Michael D. Laibson is an American television producer and theatre director who is notable for producing soap operas such as As the World Turns , Another World , All My Children and Guiding Light .He earned a B.A... |
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| Megan McTavish Megan McTavish Megan McTavish is an American television actress and soap opera writer. McTavish is best known for several head writing stints on All My Children.-Early career:... |
1995–1996 | |
| Michael Conforti Michael Conforti Michael Conforti is an American television writer on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. He played Jeremy Rhodes on Edge of Night, and Wally Bacon on Guiding Light. Conforti later became a writer for the soap opera Guiding Light. He became a Co-Head Writer for All My Children and Guiding... and Victor Miller Victor Miller (writer) Victor Miller or Victor B. Miller is an American writer for film and television. Perhaps his best known and most acknowledged work is his script for the first Friday the 13th film, the popularity of which spawned a long series of sequels, none of which has his involvement, though he remains... |
1996 | |
| James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten James Harmon Brown and Barbara Esensten are American television writers, primarily working on soap operas. The duo have worked together for over 20 years starting on the prime-time soap Dynasty... |
1996–2000 | |
| Paul Rauch Paul Rauch - Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings.... |
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| Claire Labine Claire Labine -Early career:Although she originally aspired to be an actress, Labine eventually became a critically acclaimed writer. She attended the University of Kentucky where her major was journalism, but later she switched to playwriting major at Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts... |
2000–2001 | |
| Lloyd Gold Lloyd Gold Lloyd 'Lucky' Gold is an American screen writer and playwright.Gold’s plays have been produced at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the McCarter Theater and others. He wrote numerous film scripts for Miramax and was script doctor on Marvin's Room and Shakespeare in Love... |
2001–2002 | |
| Millee Taggert and Carolyn Culliton Carolyn Culliton Carolyn Culliton is an American daytime serial writer and an alumnus of Northwestern University. Her husband is acclaimed daytime serial writer Richard Culliton... |
2002–2003 | |
| John Conboy John Conboy -Career:Conboy is best known for bringing glamorous production values to a show soon after he is hired, such as adding elaborate sets, dimming the lighting, hiring beautiful young actors, and using unique camera angles... |
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| Ellen Weston Ellen Weston Ellen Weston is an American actress, producer, and writer. Born Ellen Weinstein in New York City, Ellen Weston appeared on Broadway in Toys in the Attic, A Far Country, and Mary, Mary, among other productions.Her first notable television role was a stint as Robin Fletcher on soap opera Guiding... |
2003–2004 | |
| Ellen Wheeler Ellen Wheeler Ellen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World... |
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| David Kreizman David Kreizman David Kreizman is an American soap opera writer. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Kreizman was a part of the writing team for the long running CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light since the late 1990s. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of Head Writer by newly appointed... |
2004–2008 | |
| David Kreizman David Kreizman David Kreizman is an American soap opera writer. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.Kreizman was a part of the writing team for the long running CBS Daytime soap opera Guiding Light since the late 1990s. In 2004, he was promoted to the position of Head Writer by newly appointed... , Christopher Dunn, Lloyd Gold Lloyd Gold Lloyd 'Lucky' Gold is an American screen writer and playwright.Gold’s plays have been produced at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, the Seattle Repertory Theatre, the McCarter Theater and others. He wrote numerous film scripts for Miramax and was script doctor on Marvin's Room and Shakespeare in Love... , and Jill Lorie Hurst Jill Lorie Hurst Jill Lorie Hurst is an American television soap opera writer and producer.-Positions held:Guiding Light*Head Writer : August 22, 2008 - 2009* Story Producer: June 11, 2007 - August 21, 2008... |
2008–2009 | |
External links
- Official website from CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
- Official website from Procter & GambleProcter & GambleProcter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....