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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

Life happens here.

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Genres:

Drama

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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

Beverlee McKinsey asked the producers to consider her friend and former TEXAS costar Daniel Davis (THE NANNY) for the role of Alan Spaulding after Christopher Bernau died in 1988.

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Quotes

Alan: Alexandra, you look like you've been frightened badly.
Buzz: You look radiant.
Alex: Thank you. I was out taking a ride on Buzz's sow.
Buzz: Hog.
Alex: Whatever.

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Connections

Referenced in I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

The longest running series in broadcast history

For nearly 7 decades, THE GUIDING LIGHT has become one of most beloved daytime dramas. GL has the distinction of being the longest running entertainment program in American broadcast history. Created by Irna Phillips, GL originally told the story of Reverend Ruthledge and his flock of parishioners when it began on radio on January 25, 1937. In 1948, the focus of the show shifted to the Bauers, a German-American family. On June 30, 1952, GL was the first radio soap to successfully switch to television (from 1952 to 1956, GL ran on both radio and TV). The Bauer clan was led by Frederick Bauer (played by Theo Goetz from 1948 until his passing in 1973). Frederick Bauer was affectionately known to those who knew him as Papa Bauer. He had three children: Trudy (briefly played in 1952 by Helen Wagner, who eventually went on play matriarch Nancy Hughes on another Irna Phillips creation called AS THE WORLD TURNS in 1956), Meta (played by longest by Ellen Demming: 1953-1975), whom many of early story lines revolved around, and son Bill (who later became an alcoholic) and his family. Bill's family included wife Bertha, also known as Bert, who would become one of the most beloved matriarchs in daytime television (she was played by Charita Bauer from 1950 until her death in February, 1985) and their two sons Michael and Edward. In the 1960s and 1970s, Michael and Edward became the focus of the show with their various professional and personal problems, including Ed's alcoholism. Beginning in the late 1970s, other families became part of the show's fabric (the Marlers, Spauldings, Coopers, Lewises, Chamberlains, Norrises, Reardons and Thorpes). Like many soaps, GL has had some memorable characters. One of which was Roger Thorpe, the most infamous villain in soap history (played to perfection by the late, great Micheal Zaslow on-and-off from 1971 to 1997). During the years 1995-2004, the show lost its focus. Those years were filled by incompetent producers and writers who created some of the worst story lines in the show's history. Some of these clunkers included the cloning of Reva, the Santos family, the San Cristobal story (the only good thing about that one is the emergence of Our Prince of Darkness---Edmund Winslow), and the Mary Anne Carruthers mystery. In early 2004, GL seems to be getting back on track with competent producers and writers at the helm, who have created story lines that make good use of the show's long history (the only down side is that Grant Aleksander, who played Philip Spaulding since 1982 was sacrificed).