Guiding Light's anguish and drama coming to an end?

April 2, 3:39 PMActing ExaminerDeborah Smith Ford

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CBS's epic soap opera Guiding Light

Guiding Light is currently in its final season on CBS, as the network announced that, due to low ratings, the series was being canceled. The final episode is scheduled to air on September 18, 2009.

This serial has run for eight decades. Cast lists are available under individual articles including photos with actors’ and characters’ names.

The fictional action has been set in three different locales based in fictional towns, those of - Five Points, Selby Flats and currently Springfield.

Series producer Procter & Gamble Productions has said that they are not going to give up on the series and are exploring other options such as cable networks.

Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light prior to 1975, or simply GL) is an American television program credited by the Guinness Book of World records as being the longest running soap opera in production and the longest running drama in television and radio history (72 years).

Irna Phillips created Guiding Light. The show began as an NBC radio serial on January 25, 1937 before moving to CBS on June 30, 1952, as a televised serial.

The show’s title refers to a lamp in the study of Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge, a major character when Guiding Light debuted in 1937. Family and residents, when seeing this lit lamp, saw it as a sign for them to find help when needed.

All past and current actors can be seen at a variety of Guiding Light links. One of the many past actors of Guiding Light featured here is Kevin Bacon (1980-81) as Tim Werner. Bacon’s decision to become an actor did not come without pressures. He set very high goals for himself because, as he said “Nothing less than stardom would be enough.” He did a couple of stints on soap operas in New York while waiting for larger roles to come along.

By 1991 Bacon gave up the idea of playing leading men in big-budget films and decided to remake himself as a character actor. As a result, his wave of success left him little time to rest between projects.

James Earl Jones was another past actor in Guiding Light. He portrayed Dr. Jim Frazier. His career rocketed with many film credits to his name, including his famous voice as Star Wars’ Darth Vader. One can follow his career in subsequent links.

Other past or current actor credits include Melina Kanakaredes as Eleni Andros Cooper, Beth Ehlers as Harley Cooper, Mark Derwin as Adrian Hunter, Frank Dicopoulos as Frank Cooper and Barnard Hughes as Dr. Bruce Banning. These are but a very few of all the current and past cast members.

When Guiding Light was on the radio, its original storyline centered on a minister named Rev. John Ruthledge, and all the people of a fictional Chicago suburb called Five Points. Currently the show takes place in the fictional town of Springfield, and revolves around the Spaulding, Lewis and Cooper families.

CBS has not decided what will replace Guiding Light, the network is the most watched in daytime, averaging 3.68 million viewers. According to Brian T. Cahill, senior vice president of TeleNext Media, “We are working hard to find the show a new home.”

 Kevin Bacon

 For more info:

Soap Opera Examiner

Fancast's Guiding Light

Wikipedia's Guiding Light

Wipedia's James Earl Jones

Guiding Light Update by Andy Fixmer