Guiding Light (1952–2009)
"The Guiding Light" (original title)

Guiding Light takes place in the fictional Midwestern town of Springfield. In its early years the stories centered on the middle class Bauer family, but later the wealthy Spauldings, ... See full summary »

Creator:

Irna Phillips

Stars:

Kim Zimmer, Robert Newman, Lia Yang

99 wins & 418 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Kim Zimmer	...	Reva Shayne (590 episodes, 1983-2009)
Robert Newman	...	Joshua Lewis (552 episodes, 1981-2009)
Lia Yang	...	Susan (508 episodes, 1993-2007)
Ron Raines	...	Alan Spaulding (445 episodes, 1994-2009)
Beth Chamberlin	...	Lorelei Hills (440 episodes, 1989-2009)
Bradley Cole	...	Jeffrey O'Neill (396 episodes, 1999-2009)
Emme Rylan	...	Lizzie Spaulding (393 episodes, 2006-2009)
Justin Deas	...	Buzz Cooper (392 episodes, 1992-2009)
Frank Dicopoulos	...	Frank Cooper (390 episodes, 1987-2009)
Crystal Chappell	...	Olivia Spencer (378 episodes, 1999-2009)
Beth Ehlers	...	Harley Davidson Cooper Spaulding Mallet Spaulding Aitoro (376 episodes, 1987-2008)
Mandy Bruno	...	Marina Cooper (369 episodes, 2004-2009)
Gina Tognoni	...	Dinah Marler (368 episodes, 2004-2009)
Robert Bogue	...	A.C. Mallet (339 episodes, 2005-2009)
Nicole Forester	...	Cassie Winslow (299 episodes, 2005-2008)
Bonnie Dennison	...	Daisy Lemay (286 episodes, 2007-2009)
Michael O'Leary	...	Rick Bauer (278 episodes, 1983-2009)
Daniel Cosgrove	...	Bill Lewis (267 episodes, 2002-2009)
Jordan Clarke	...	Billy Lewis (260 episodes, 1983-2009)
Murray Bartlett	...	Cyrus Foley (257 episodes, 2007-2009)
Grant Aleksander	...	Phillip Granville Spaulding (254 episodes, 1983-2009)
Jessica Leccia	...	Natalia Rivera (247 episodes, 2007-2009)

Storyline

Guiding Light takes place in the fictional Midwestern town of Springfield. In its early years the stories centered on the middle class Bauer family, but later the wealthy Spauldings, Chamberlains, and Lewises, along with the working class Reardons and others, took their own places of prominence, though the Bauers remained the heart of the show.

---

Plot Keywords:

1990s | 1980s | 1960s | 1970s | based on radio show | 

---

Taglines:

Life happens here.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

CBS [us] Official GL Message Board [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guiding Light

Filming Locations:

CBS Broadcast Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP), RDF Television, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 15 min (1952-1968) 30 min (1968-1977) 60 min (1977-2009)

Sound Mix:

Mono (1952-1987) Stereo (1987-)

Color:

Color (1967-2009) Black and White (1952-1967)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the mid-1980s, Springfield dance club Wired For Sound played host to several real-life bands doing guest appearances on the show. One of the most famous of these guest bands, the B-52s, performed two songs and did offstage cameos with cast members throughout the entire hour-long episode.

---

Quotes

Dinah: Do you know how sick and twisted I am? I'd just like to explain it to you. I have played Princess Cassie for so long that I actually started to believe I was her. That everything she had should be mine. And at the same time, I hated her for taking everything, everything that should be mine in my dream. So being her and hating her is what my life has become. That's who I am. And I didn't see that until last night. And I am nothing without Cassie.
Bill: Stop it. Listen to me. Listen to me. That's the ...
[...]

---

Connections

Featured in The 25th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (1998)

---

Soundtracks

"Die Springfield Story"
Written by Ralph Thiekötter & Maik Weppner
Courtesy of Heinz & Klaus Funk, Hamburg
(German version)

User Reviews

Guiding Light

I have watched Guiding Light for 45 years. My mother started watching when it first started. The story lines have been great. Between Reva and Joshua's ups and downs. I hope they find their way back to each other. It would be great if you could bring back Danny and Michelle. Michelle is a great asset to the show. Also, Ed Bauer added a great touch to the show. Jonathan and Tammy belong to each other. I was glad you finally put them together. Sandy needs to move on. As far as Alan Michael coming back, I find it very strange that he is making moves on Marina, when he was married to her mother years ago. Not a good move. Please writers, keep the show going. I don't want another talk show in the on daytime TV.