GUIDING LIGHT
The Final Countdown
— By Danielle McClure
Next week, GL will air its final episode and come to a bittersweet end after 72 years. In conjunction with a special farewell tribute, which appears in the new issue of Digest, we spoke to soap writer/author and self-proclaimed GL fanatic, Julie Poll who penned GUIDING LIGHT: The Complete Family Album in 1997. Poll shares her thoughts about saying good-bye to a daytime institution.
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GUIDING LIGHT Cast
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Soap Opera Digest: You have a long, special relationship with GL, especially as a one-time member of former scribe Doug Marland's writing staff. What's going through your head as the last week of show nears?
Julie Poll: I really loved this show. It's very special. I'm sorry to see it go. It's really, unfortunately, the trend in television. The industry is changing. It's a hard genre to keep alive story-wise but I think GL has done a good job of that. In my mind, it's all about the budget. I mean they're replacing it with LET'S MAKE A DEAL?!
Digest: What do you think about how the last few months have played out?
Poll: I think they're doing a great job. Bringing back iconic characters up to the finale really, really helps give the fans closure. It's been fun to watch. Having Reva put the lantern in the window [for Jeffrey], it's kind of like bookending the 72 years that started with the Friendship lamp in Reverend Ruthledge's window [when the show began on the radio in 1937]. I love that. It's coming full circle with the show.
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Julie Poll
— Susan Anson
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Digest: What do you think makes GL so special?
Poll: Has there ever been a soap opera heroine like Reva? She's just fabulous. I came across her first scene, which was on a massage table [in 1983] and it was great! We follow her journey, whatever she does, from "Always Bud!" with Josh to "What the hell!" with Jeffrey, you gotta love her! She's larger than life. All soap operas have their romantic heroines, but I don't think there's ever been one like her.
Digest: When you think of GL through the years, what storylines are you most fond of?
Poll: I did a couple of things for the GUIDING LIGHT Web site [www.guidinglighttv.com], chronicling the milestones through the decades. I got to go through the old clips and you see the whole thing from the beginning, starting with Bert Bauer yelling at Josh, "Life is a gift and don't you forget it!" And of course, Reva in the fountain. GUIDING LIGHT is really a show of firsts. Besides being the longest running show, it was the only one to be both on radio and television at the same time. [Creator] Irna Phillips really had to fight for it to go on TV. And they did so many groundbreaking stories. While it was still on the radio, they had Meta's interactive trial and Irna had the listeners vote to decide the verdict. Then you have Bert's pap smear, Holly and Roger with the marital rape, which was very brave. That was riveting. It was like you don't want to watch but you can't stop watching. Whatever they did medically was authentic. They followed the alcoholism storyline through a couple of generations with Bill and Ed Bauer and then Hope.Of course, the post partem depression with Reva. Who can forget her going off the bridge [and saying] "I'm coming, Bud!" [laughs]. In that way, it really led the way.
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Springfield's Finest: Poll credits GL's brassy, sassy heroine, Reva Shayne [Kim Zimmer with Robert Newman, Josh], who stunned viewers when she danced in the fountain and proclaimed herself the Slut of Springfield, for GL's lasting, memorable impact on daytime.
— CBS
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Digest: What's your take on the Otalia story?
Poll: This is what's so good about GL because they're very brave storytellers. They took two characters, who weren't necessarily gay, but who fell in love with each other and I think they've played it beautifully. I was sympathizing with Olivia today! Crystal Chappell is so good.
Digest: Speaking of, Chappell is working on her new Web series, Venice. Do you think that's paving the way for daytime's future?
Poll: I think we're going to see more of that. I don't think it can replace watching it on television but my daughters might feel differently because they're used to doing everything on the computer!
Digest: What would you like to see in the very last scene of the final episode?
Poll: I'd really like to see Phillip reunite the Spauldings. Maybe [it could be] at Company and then have the Spauldings and the Coopers and everyone together there because then you would see a reuniting of the families.
Digest: Well, we'll all be watching with a box of Kleenex, either way!
Poll: I sure will! I wouldn't miss it for the world and I'm going to keep it on my DVR.
Digest: I think the hardest part is going to be sitting down in front of the television every day and realizing GL's not there anymore.
Poll: It's going to be upsetting. There is nothing like a soap opera fan. It fills a certain need for a lot of people. It's escapism.
RELATED RESOURCES
I'm sorry to hear the GL is going off the air. I have been watching it off and on over the years. It was one of my mom's soaps that I watched when I was a kid; so I remember Bert Bauer and the Four Musketeers. Also, I remember when Reve baptized herself the Slut of Springfield. I just want to know if the final episode will be shown in primetime or on SoapNet for those of us who work during GL's original showing time. I hope that CBS will consider it. This is a major piece of soap TV history and I think everyone should have an opportunity to see it.
I really feel like I am in mourning at the loss of this wonderful show! I am 55 & have watched the Spauldings, Lewis's, & Coopers, not to mention, the Bauer's since I first knew what TV was! It was my Mom's favorite soap! If there is ANYthing I can do to stop this catasrophe, PLEASE let me know! I feel like I am losing family & friends! Other soap fans understand this feeling. I DO like the way they are bringing the families & storylines together! Seeing Alan put his arms around Phillip today was great! I can't wait to see Lizzy's face when she sees Sarah the first time! BTW, GL, why on earth didn't you just write in Lizzy's pregnancy? She most definitely can't hide behind that big purse anymore! I guess we are just not supposed to notice? LOL Goodbye my GL family!
I am in total shock and denial over the horriable news of Guiding Light going off the air. I feel as if we should have a huge funeral for this terrible death of the best soap ever!!! I can't tell you how many people, since the 1960's when I started watching, that I got hooked on this superb soap, no other can hold a candle to this one. The charactors are real the story line is real and sometimes for a lot of people out here in TV land it is so real and the only friends and family that they have. They have grown a custom to it all. Guiding Lights writers are the best in the business. My hope and the hope of all your fans is that some how you are not leaving CBS. For a lot of us you have been in our live for more than 40 years. Please don't go. It will be a very very sad day for all of your fans.
How can I say goodbye to all my family on Guiding Light. Thats what I feel for ALL of the actors. They are the best. I will never never forget you all. I wish I could hug every one of you and tell you that I want you to stay. You are the best and I cry everyday as I watch the program wondering how I am going to survive without you. Reva, Josh, Buzz, Alan,Philip,(& all the rest of you)are very dear to me.. I wish a miracle would happen and someone would surprise us all and keep the show on the air. Guiding Light is REAL...your fans can relate with and to you. The storyline is REAL.It isn't based on a glmourous life in the city with the rich and famous....its down to earth and its WONDERFUL..Why do you have to take away a show that so many fans LOVE...Please CBS listen to our plea and find a way to keep it on the air. Your fans love you and we are mourning your departure. If there is anything we can do to help the people in charge of decisions keep you on...PLEASE PLEASE let us know. We love you ALL.
I just learned GL is being replaced by "Lets Make A Deal"! Ok, lets make a deal and bring GL back. Day time TV is getting worse by the day and by cancelling a show that my grandmother, mother, daughter and even my husband has watched for years and years is a true testimony that it is really going down the tube. You can see Lets Make a Deal on the Game Show Net. I've turned off CBS News and now I'll be turning off "Lets Make A Deal". What an injustice you have done to the many loyal fans of GL. This is the only soap I have ever watched and ever will since you can't trust the program managers/directors, why invest in a show that will proably be pulled so we can have another game show or worse yet another talk show! Thank you for letting me vent my hostility, I'm suppose to say it has made me feel better, but it has not.
Have watched GL most of my life. Remember Papaw Bauer. Don't remember how old I was but was greatly effected by Ed coming home to find Leslie & Freddie (Rick) gone because of his drinking. Dad, Bill, comes by to talk to him and he's sitting in the floor. Also, Holly/Roger, 4 Musketeers, Reva & Josh. Will they do DVDs of important scenes thru the years? And maybe one of all Bauer 4th of July BBQs.
I have been crying everyday when I watch GL for the past few weeks. I just cannot believe it is ending - just when it is getting so good again. I believe CBS is making a huge mistake by cancelling it - especially to replace it with Let's Make A Deal. What a crock!! I have watched GL for as long as I can remember - at least 48 years and I love all the characters so much. I am glad that they are going to reunite Lizzy with Sarah - I believe that is HUGE! As well as having Jonathan back - I love Tom Pelphrey! Thank you GL for at least giving us some wonderful, special episodes. I would have liked it if GL could have gone to another network, but now so many of our favorites are already gone on to other projects it just wouldn't be the same. GL will be missed very much by this fan!
I am 81 and have enjoyed the Guiding Light for MANY years. Thank you to the actors who have brought me much admiration for their talent. Thank you also to the writers for bringing closer to the stories. Because of them I will be watching the final show with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. Again - - THANK THE ENTIRE CREW AND CAST.
I too feel as though I have been in mourning already. I have watched this show as far back as I can remember with my mom. At least 45 years now. Bad habit she started me on but alas I love my soaps! Even with the drastic changes that have taken place (which weren't good but understood)I still watched because the story is what it was all about. The actors/actresses always gave it their all and did what they could with what was presented to them in which to do it with. I still hope that another network will see the Light and pick it up. It will be a very sad day indeed!
I have watched GL for 47 years that I can remember. I always watched it with my grandmother and continued throughout my life. I am going to miss watching this show and laughing and crying with the characters. Thanks to all the cast and crew- past and present and deceased who made this show what it was.
I can't believe it. I will miss the show. I have cried every day this week, and next week will be terrible......
I can't believe that GL won't be around after next week -- Every episode has made me teary eyed over the past few weeks. I feel like an old friend has died. And, replaced with Lets Make a Deal??? Someone should pick it up -- either SoapNet or another major network. What can the fans do to make their voices heard? Any recommendations?
I wish that someone would listen to the fans pleas. My mother has been with the show from the very first. She told me she would rush home from school to listen to the show on the radio. This has been the only soap she enjoyed watching. My mother is handicapped,this has been like her other family. When it airs for the last time will be a sad moment for us all. CBS will be lossing a daytime watcher. Thank you the actors and actress for giving my mother so much enjoyment in her life for all these years.God Bless You All.
I am 79 years old and Ihave watched Guiding Light from the time it came on the air I listened to it on the Radio also . I am heart broken that it is being taking off .I am certinally not going to watch lets make a deal are any other CBS soap for that matter I keep hoping some other network will pick them up1j53am
I think they are making a grave error in canceling Guiding Light. I have watched this show for 30 years when i was having my first Baby. My mother in law watched till the day she died She got me into it . is there no other way ? Revamping , Restructuring? Please rethink this I think of these people as family . LETS MAKE A DEAL SUCKS
I am just sick over the fact that GL is going off the air. I have been watching the show pretty much all of my life. I remember my mom sending me weekly newspaper updates to summer camp. God forbid I miss what was going on. I jsut can't believe that no other network was interested in putting this great show on the air! What a horrible void we are all going to feel. Both my mother and her mother watched the show, and listened listened to it on the radio when it first started. This is truly a bad bad move!!
I have watched GL since I was in a high chair. I cannot believe that after next week it will no longer be there. Every day I watch with tears in my eyes, wondering why CBS would cancel this iconic, groundbreaking show for a... game show. Really? That's the better choice, CBS? Next Friday will be a sad, sad day & the end of an era.
I have really loved the Otalia story line and would like to see what could happen with it. It seems so natural since Natalia was married to Gus and had loved him for years and now Olivia has Gus's heart. I wish we could see how Frank, Natalia and Olivia raise "their" daughter together. It is a shame we won't be able to. I will miss all of the people and I am not looking forward to next friday.
It is a shame they are pulling a great soap off of the air. I have watched Guiding Light since the early 80's. I started watching it with my Grandma and Granny during school breaks. As I became older I would record every episode while I was at work. I'm still recording til this day. I guess my evenings will be free because who wants to watch another game show! Guiding Light will be soarly missed in Texas. Great Job to the Guiding Light cast and Crew!!!
It is so sad that this great show is ending! I really don't know what show can replace it! I still hope someone will save it as it's just the BEST!! I met Kim Zimmer at Disney World in the 80's. She was so gracious to take time from her family vacation and be in a picture with me and we talked several times that day as we met each other in the park. I'm so glad they're making happy endings for many of the stories. Bringing Jonathan back is super! Wish Harley could make the finale, too! I will miss you all!!! Best of luck to the greatest cast in daytime tv!
It is so sad that this great show is ending! I really don't know what show can replace it! I still hope someone will save it as it's just the BEST!! I met Kim Zimmer at Disney World in the 80's. She was so gracious to take time from her family vacation and be in a picture with me and we talked several times that day as we met each other in the park. I'm so glad they're making happy endings for many of the stories. Bringing Jonathan back is super! Wish Harley could make the finale, too! I will miss you all!!! Best of luck to the greatest cast in daytime tv!
Next week our beloved light will dim forever or so I'm told. I'm still hoping for an eleventh hour save. In the event that doesn't happen I wanted to thank all the actors, the writers, and every member of the GL cast and crew for the 25+ years of viewing entertainment. I really feel as though I am connected to the families of Springfield. I will miss them all dearly. If only the writers had continued to write for GL thoughout the way they have these last few months. I'm sure the ratings would not have dropped so low. Having said that "thank you" for listening to your fans and giving us a send off that brings so many smiles to our faces. I watch every day with tears, and joy in my heart knowing the extended members of my daytime family are where they are suppose to be. To CBS: if you think your ratings are low now wait until the week after next. You have taken away a part of history that can never be replaced and certainly not with some silly game show!!
I think CBS is not good to us fans.Guilding Light has been part of mine lives for for 50 some years.My Mom & I is going to miss Guilding Light & We will cry for long times & miss the show & all the characters so very much. it is part Soap History & you are taking history from us & don't care what the fan's think, the games show is not good replacement.
Canceling Guiding Light is a huge mistake for CBS. I have watched and listened to it ever since it came on radio and the characters are, indeed, like family. I hate game shows so,needless to say, my TV will be turned off at 2:00PM CST.I may turn it off earlier, since ATWT has become so silly. Don't like B&B either. As the World Turns is the best!
Add my name to the list of GL viewers who will be broken-hearted on 9/18/09. I, too watched GL with my grandmother, starting in 1963, then my mother, now my own daughters. It is so much a part of my daily life - often the very best part. Do not the powers that be at P&G and CBS realize that, while GL viewers may be fewer in number than some of the other soaps, we are more often than not, older, wiser, and have more spending power than the younger viewers who watch AMC or B&B??? I will watch Y&R on Soapnet and cease to buy P&G products after 9/18! The viewers do have power!
I am so sad to see GL going off the air. I have been a fan since I was a child and listened to it on the radio. There were 4 soaps on between 12 and 1, GL, Search for Tomorrow, As the World Turns, sorry cant remember the other one. Each had 15 min. on the radio. Mom and I were glued to that radio,lol. I have seen alot of soaps come and go over the years, but this one is the only one that I will miss. Good luck to all the actors and thanks for the entertainment. I just wish they would put it on another network. Thank You
i am very upset that Guiding Light is going off the air next week.i have watched it since i was old enough to watch tv,i used to come home from school when i got older and watch it with my grandma and mom,and with my daughter when she was born.i am still watching it today and will watch it till the last show next week. i think CBS is making a big mistake because i am not watching LETS MAKE A DEAL ,it was no good before when it was on and it won't be any better now. thanks to the cast and crew at Guiding Light for a wonderful show you all will be sadly missed
i am very upset that guiding lightis going off the air cbs is a making a very very big mistake.by taking my favorite show off the air nextweek.to cbs if you think your ratings are low now wait until week after next. i still wish thatanother network wouldpick them up.please save guidinglight.youhavetaking partofhistoryaway.fromus.ifeelthatiamconnectedtothefamilesofspingfield...to the castandcrewforawonderfulshow.itwillbegreatlymissed.
I have watched GL since elementary school and am extremely saddened that we won't be able to see it anymore. Though I haven't been recording or watching due to my work schedule, I am very upset that it is going off the air. It's ridiculous to think a game show will be replacing all those rich stories and fine acting.
Not only do we all need to turn off CBS in protest, we need to boycott Proctor & Gamble whose products have been so visible on the Mini-Mart shelves. Good-Bye Tide, Pringles and More! As I explained to my husband, GL was my other family--only better because it was always there, did not talk back and never fought with me! AND it helped me deal with my own family. I get teary even thinking about what is coming up.
Let's Make a Deal? Please, nothing can replace Guilding Light. I watched this show with my Mom when it was only 15 mins.long.What a shame. It will be a very sad day for more than just the cast. Good Bye Guilding Light.
I don't believe that P&G tried to save GL. I don't believe they're trying to save ATWT. I encourage everyone out there to watch the other CBS soaps (or ABC or NBC). Keep our beloved soaps alive. However, if ATWT gets canceled I encourage all P&G Soapsters to boycott their products. I also encourage everyone to boycott all game shows on all channels. Those are the pariah's that will destroy our genre. I personally can't stand any of them...they're geared towards the lowest denominator of humankind. Let's destroy "Let's make a deal" BEFORE it even airs. I VOW I will NEVER watch anything on CBS daytime that is not a soap opera and I encourage others to do the same thing!
I can't believe that Guiding Light will not be on any more. I have watched it all my life. I taped it every day that I was at work. I have been putting it on DVD for the past 2 weeks and I will do the same for the next week. I will watch that instead of that stupid game show. I don't like game shows. I have also quit watching B&B. I got enough of that show. I wish the best to all of Guiding Light crew. I will miss the show.
I've been watching GL for almost 50 years and I can't believe the show I love so much isn't going to be on next week - and to be replaced by a game show, of all things. Regardless of what the ratings say, GL has always been my favorite soap. I love the characters, especially Phillip, Reva, Josh and Olivia, and I will miss them dearly. Special thanks for bringing back so many former cast members, especially Peter Simon as Ed -- that's been a real treat. With thanks and tears, my sincere best wishes to the entire cast, the writers, directors, producers and crew. For all the joy you've given to your fans over these many years, you deserve all success and happiness.
Does the producer realize that when GL is taken off the tv, many homebound persons and persons who have been involved with GI all their lives will lose "family". This will be more than grievious to viewers. Its not just a tv soap ending, it is people's lives that will be devastated and I mean that literally. I work in homecare and GI and the staff are these people's lives and what gets them up in the morning. Sad but true. I wish there was a way to keep the family alive. The only thing that i think from their remarks that they did not like was the fact thea GI and other soaps had begun to have the gays on the shows....AS myself, I quit watching GI when the program moved towards lesbianism....Just speaking out for the concerns of the viewers such as the homebound.
I am so dismayed at the cancellation of Guiding Light. I have watched it for 60 some odd years and I love the characters on the show like family! I WILL NOT watch To Make a Deal or any other game show you come up with. This cancellation is against all things good. Shame on you!!! I was praying that some other sensible station would grab them up, but I guess it's not in the cards! It's a very sad day!!! As others have stated, I will boycott any products that you have asked us to buy over the years. I'm totally unhappy with CBS!!!!!!!
I am verey sad to see Guilding light go off the air. I am one of the ones who listened to this on radio with my mother, the we watched it when it come on tv. This is my family also, I grew up with them. As long as it has to go off I am hoping for a happy ending for everyone. I do not like the Otavia story they are great actors but I don't think we need to watch that . I will not watch the show replaacing it. Thank You
Thank you to all the Actors of Guiding Light for the many hours of enjoyment you have given me the past sixty years. I am so sad to loose you. It is like a death. I wish you all the best in your future. Now to CBS you always wander why you are always #3 at very best a low 2. You got your reason. You make very poor deals for your morning and day programing. Don't think Young and Restless and As The World Turns can make up for twelve to fourteen hours of programming. Let's Make A Deal is a sad choice to replace Guiding Light. CBS EXECS. you are sad people.
Guiding Light is a great show older than CBS television itself. It seems almost like the death of a family member. I hope everyone involved with GL will have much success in their current and future lives. GL actors You are all much loved by all Your faithful generations of fans. When I was a small child I thought they were real families. I rember Papa Bauer and Bert Bauer and Ed and Mike Bauer when they were very young. GL was on radio before My Mother was even born. My Grandma listened to You then she would be almost 114 if she were still living. Soap Net where are You when we need You?? Please consider Guiding Light and get rid of the Sunday Night movies that are not Soaps at all. Be true to the genre and truly be Soap Net for the Soaps!!
i think it is so sad that they are canceling guiding light. the show has been a comfort to families. they show that we can persevere through anything. with the world in the mess it is the show showed there is hope at the end of the day. thank you to all the cast we will miss you
Let's put it this way after september 18th. I will no longer be a cbs fanatic. Since they are taking away something that has been so special to me. Why not return the favor by not watching cbs that way they won't be called america's most watched network. But however will be watching Abc, and Nbc soaps. Take that Cbs!
I am so sad that GL is cancelled. I don't know what CBS can be thinking! Reva, Josh and all the characters have gotten me through some desperate times. I was gravely ill and nearly died four years ago. I was bedridden for many months. I watched Guiding Light every day and it brought me hope. Please Soap Net or another network, step up and bring this show back. So many of us love it. I cry every day now as I watch. By the way, I hate game shows.
CBS You are making the biggest mistake that your station has made. I have watched GL for over 40 years. I think the Bauer family was and still is the best. There isn't enough words to write to tell you how much Reva and Josh has met to me. Their love and some times hate relationship has been so powerful and right now with the world in such a sad state they are just a joy to watch. Come on Soap Net get on the ball and pick up GL.
CBS I'm very sad that GL is being cancelled and being replaced with a game show. I've watched the show for many years. I want to thank the writers, crew, actors and actresses for all the great work they have done. I'm very thankful for the characters that have been brought back. I love the friendship and fun and love between Phillip and Rick, how Alan is finally becoming a loving father, the drama Reva always has with her family, all the trials and troubles the coppers have and the way they deal with it. I will be watching to see how everything ends. I hope I get to see a lot or all of these actors and actresses in primetime or at the movies, because they are all very very talanted. Thanks to CBS for keeping this Show on for as long as you did and to all that had anything to do with the show. I will miss this show very much. The only good thing for me is that it will be much easier to turn the TV off and do somthing else for that hour, because I thought I just couldn't miss a minute o
It's hard to believe that some other network re- fused to pick up this wonderful down to earth soap. I am so unhappy with CBS for taking this worthwhile true to life story away from us. It had to be good to last this long. And the actors are all superb. It will never be the same for me on daytime TV. Please try to do something rather than put another game show on. Thanks to all the actors for many years of enjoyment.
I will miss "Guiding Light" very much.
I enjoyed reading all the comments from fellow GL fans. I am 86 yrs. and have been watching GL since the beginning on T.V. I also feel like I am losing some very good friends and thank all the actors for years of enjoyment.
I am 74 years old and played while my mother ironed and listened to Guiding Light. Once I was grown and started watching television, I found it again. I started watching in 1955, the year my oldest son was born. During the ensuing years, I watched when ever possible, even during my working outside the home yeas. Now I am retired and have watched every day that was possible. I am sorely tempted to stop watching CBS completely. Everyone who watches TV are not young people and they certainly do not do the majority of the purchasing in this country, so maybe if we quit using the sponsor's products, that may make them aware that the American people do have some cont4ol in this country. After watching this progam for 55 years, I am totally upset. I wish everyone would join me in boycotting the sponsors. All they care about is the bottom line, Well, we need to give them one to worry about. If everyone who watches Guiding Light would stop using these products, it will get their attention.
I am so sad that Guiding Light is being taken off the air.I too have watched since I was a child. My mother watches now and we are both so sad.I didn't know til I started reading the posts that they are replacing it with "Let's make a deal". I am totally disgusted about that. I WILL NOT WATCH IT!!!! I love the characters on the show and worry about what will happen to some of the great older actors,since television is so geared to the young now. I hope it will be reprieved at the last minute but I can't count on it.Best of luck to all the actors and crew, We loved you!!!
Soap operas have long been the step-children of the major networks, being easily disrupted for "nothing" news that could easily be relayed through a beep, beep and a crawl at the bottom. Guiding Light's time slot was changed, they were interrupted for everything under the sun and then CBS says that people stopped watching - duh! When you watch a story line develop for months and then the payoff comes and the show has been pre-empted......! CBS blamed the trial of Simpson for the demise of soaps when they could have easily run a daily synopsis if they cared at all. Ellen did a good job implementing a new format - it's now working well. I will not watch another game show - afternoon is soap time - it's time to watch the progression of our favorite "family" members - we've known them for years - to complain when writers write storylines that are not in line with the characters but the actors act them beautifully anyway. GL is gone - take ATWT off and basically...
I watched GL for 36 years as my mom ironed, at my grandma's and in college and grad school I taped it and watched so I wouldn't get homesick, I have even watched it from other countries. The cast and crew will be missed but most of all our escape to another silly place where we know everyone really has a heart and love really does exist! Thanks to all GL ! All the actors we love you!
What can I say, the best soap on CBS is being taken off the air! Sad, sad, sad. I have watched "Guiding Light" for over 50 years. When I was in high school my Mother would let me stay home from school once in a while to see the soap, since it was my favorite one. This was one of the very few things that my Mother and I did together and I will always cherish those times. I understand that their ratings are down - so what - some of the other soaps are not realistic. I don't know anyone that works in the fashion industry, but I do know doctors and nurses. My second choice for a soap would be "As The World Turns". But when Guiding Light goes off on 9-18-2009 I will turn off the TV at Guiding Light time, because I WILL NOT watch another game show. Game shows are good in early evening, but afternoon is - SOAP PPERA TIME!
GL going off the air is a huge loss for so many of us that have watched this show since our childhoods. Of all the CBS soaps, GL has always been my favorite (followed by ATWT). There are some good actors on B&B and Y&R, but it is GL and ATWT that have always been "can't miss" and have the family and friendships that we love the most. GL has had the tougher time slot and the pre-emptions have been too frequent. I could write for an hour about my favorite actors and/or story lines but instead I will just say that I wish everyone successful futures and hope that you show up in venues where I can follow your work if not your "character". GL will be missed and remembered. Thank you to cast and crew. I just hope some of you write books of memories and that in some way part of the Light can continue. Maybe you should start making Guiding Light movies!
I didn't believe GL was being cancelled when I first heard, then I heard that Gl was saved. I tape the show everyday while at work and watch everyone on Friday night.When I seen the previews for next week and it said farewell I busted out in tears and became incredibly angry, and even more so now because I didn't know it was being replaced with a GAME SHOW! Talk about a stupid move! GL has been the only soap I would watch for the past 38yrs. I will no longer be watching CBS daytime, I can't comprehend why another network will not pick up this show. Why not put all episodes from the beginning to end on DVD so at least us fans don't loose "Our Family" all together? Funny how the "fans" are suppose to be the reason for shows to go on Yet none of the GL fans seem to have a voice no matter how loud we all scream. Thank you to the Gl writers,actors, and actresses you all have done a wonderful job throughout the years, you are loved and will be missed.
Next Friday will be a very sad afternoon. I have watched (and lived through) some wonderful, sad, and sometimes disappointing drama & writting over the past 50 years, but always remained faithful to GL. To say it will be missed and CBS has made a terrible mistake is an understatement. All the Emmys won by that show, including Best Show, just last year. The PTB must be terribly young and only thinking of the bottom line, $$$$. Turn off CBS (night time shows stink any way)don't buy P&G products! FANS RULE, we will be losing such great actors, so many people out of work because of this! Shame. These past several weeks have been great, always looking forward to the next day. Networks made a big mistake in not showing the Emmys, and then they wonder why daytime is losing audience, they don't promote daytime. I'll end by saying I think Buzz Cooper is the greatest!! Goodbye all and best of luck, thank you so much.
I already have been in tears with my favorite soap leaving the air. I have watched this show for almost 40 years and everyday when I come home from work it was something that I could look forward to watching to forget about what type of day I had. I was in my on zone me and the guiding Light. I will miss the show extremely. Goodbye to all!! I hope to see the actors in other soaps or TV shows. Who whats to watch Lets make a Deal not me.
CBS has always been my favorite station, until it canceled GL. I have watched GL from the time I could sit up. My grandmother worked in a cotton mill, and everyday after work ATWT, and GL would come on and we would watch together. She will be 80 this Dec, and GL has always beepidn a part of her life. When I was working I always recorded my CBS soaps and watched them at night. I really hate that I no longer will see my fav characters. I wonder what would have happened if GL had been in that time slot that Y&R is in. In our mkt, that is lunch time. Maybe GL would have been #1 in different slot. I hate that CBS powers that be are so stupid, that they would cancel a part of so many peoples lives. I agree with everyone that says boycott CBS other shows. After all of the protests you would think they would have gotten the idea, to find a way to save GL. No more game shows,please. Most of us hate them. Please one last time reconsider and turn the light back on.
Well, CBS you have done it again. When I try your new evening shows and become invested in them, you pull them. Now you are pulling my favorite Daytime show that I grew up watching with my grandmother and mother. I DVR the show now and watch when I get home from work. I guess this means I will have time to read in the evenings because I no longer trust network TV to keep shows on air. I hate game shows, reality TV and talk shows. Gives us good strong characters like Reva. Goodbye GL. Thanks for all the joy,tears and laughter. You will be missed.
I am so very upset that Guiding Light is going to be no more, I also listened and watched with my grandma, my mom, aunt then when I was on my own, I am so connected to the show's characters, as many of you have said they are like family to me. I feel like I have been with them thru thick n thin! What a great show & how it will be missed! Good luck to all of my family and keep me posted on your future endevors. Reva, Josh, love you..and all other family members.
I absolutely agree with everyone who has said what a crying shame it is that a show with the history and fans that Guiding Light has, has been canceled and replaced by, of all things, another stupid game show. CBS along with all the other networks, has copped out once again. They all program as if the only people watching are brainless morons who want to watch ignorant reality shows about who is sleeping with whose parent, brother, sister, cousin, etc. or which one of 19 men may be the daddy of the rabbits' baby. I too will be tuning out yet another hour of programming on CBS. I've recorded the soaps since the VCR became availible, and you are only running viewers away, rather than gathering more in. "Let's make a Deal"instead of Guiding Light? Thanks a lot, CBS. Once again you've shown how ignorant and selfish the powers that be are. I hope you all end up in bankruptcy court along with the other greedy hands who are ruining television programming.Reality T.V. and talk shows are ma
I am just so, so sad. I remember when GL was on radio, and have followed it through all these years. My heart aches, as these stars were so much a part of our lives. Josh, Reva, Billy, Vanessa, Rick, Alan, Phillip, Alexandra and countless others are like family to us. I so remember Bert and Bill and Papa Bauer, Ed and Mike and Hope. Just remembering makes tears come to my eyes. God Bless all who have been associated with GL and best wishes to each and every one. Thanks for a remarkable 72 years.
I sure hate for G.L. to go off air. I enjoyed them to much. They will be missed so much. J. A. Lane@centurytel.net
Friday, September 18 is going to be a sad day for all longtime GL viewers. I have watched for decades, and would have watched for decades more. Sadly, we viewers will no longer have the chance to belong to this very special family that we have enjoyed for so long. For some unknown reason, the infamous Bottom Line, I suppose, someone in power thinks that the thing to do to save the day is to replace GL with a really lame game show. Really?? Is that the best you can do? Then you should have rethought it. GL deserved to remain on the air--especially now that we have been lately privileged to some of the finest acting and writing in the show's history. Thank you to all of the cast and crew for your hard work and dedication for so many years. You will be sorely missed by so many, and I will be watching for you in other venues. It was good to see the return of some of our favorites at the end. There will be a candle in my window to welcome you should you decide to come back to us...
I am really going to miss Guiding Light, all it's actors, & actress. Thanks to the directors, Production staff for doing such an excellent show. I think we should all bow our heads & ask God to find a way for CBS to keep this show on the air. I have watched all the CBS Soaps for as long as I can remember. Since I work, I tape them so I can watch them at night. I'm 67 and I remember my mom listening to GL on the radio before we got TV which wasn't till in the 50's. Good Luck GL & God if your listening which I know you are could you Please,Please find a way to keep GL on CBS. Thank you.
I have watched guiding light my whole life i can not believe they are taking the show away from all their dedicated viewers.why are they doing this i would like more details about this i am heartbroke.they have totally ruined my afternoons i have looked forward to the show for 37 years. heart broken i will truly miss everyone maybe they at least have a reunion show occasionly so will know about the lives of our favorite people.thank you cbs for many happy days in front of my tv,but i would like it back.
I am heartbroken that guiding light is ending. i have watched my entire life and feel like i am mourning the loss of my family. i will miss all the actors both present and past.I hope to see them again somewhere sometime although it will never be the same. I am writting this with deep sadness in my heart....
I am very sad to see GL end. I have been watching it since I was 13 years old, I came to this country from Italy, and could not speak english, but everyday after school I ran home to watch GL. I learned english by watching this show, and now 43 years later I am still running home to watch it. I will miss it very very much, I can't sleep at night thinking about it. Friday 09/18 it will be a very sad day. I will miss you Reva, Josh, Buzz, Jeffrey all of you.......I will never forget you! I wish you could go on forever. You very loyal fan!
I have and I am mourning the loss of Guding Light. It helped me in my life and I will miss it. It showed the good the bad and the ugly of life, and America still needs this Light. We still need this type of show, so why couldn't it be sold to Lifetime, or Hallmark.
Today has been the saddest day for me of all my days with the TV. I am 76 years old, when I was in grade school I ran all the way home every day to listen to Guiding Light with my Mother on the radio. On my 1st Anniversary my husband gave me a 12 inch Black and White TV, and my Guiding Light days began. That was in 1952. I have watched every year and now my light had been turned off. The Stars on GL was and is the BEST. Thanks to all of you, past and present. I wish you all the best. I will never understand why so many could not see the talent and the stories, they were the best. I am like so many others, why couldn't they be put on another station?
I am so sad! I have been watching GJ for so many years, i can't count them, but i know all the story lines! I would tape the Show and watch it the next morning on the tread mill. I have spent the last couple weeks crying and walking (almost triping at times) I feel as if I am part of the GL family, right there at Company w/Buzz & crew. I miss it already. I live close to Pittsburgh so I may go, but will probably make a foll of myself crying the entire time. Love you Reva, Josh, Buzz, Frank, Marina, Daisy girl and even Allan! Miss you- Gus & Harley God Bless you all, you ahve brought much joy , laughter and tears to a stress filled world-you will be missed!
I like a great deal of fans have watch for years my mom got me started around 11 and I will soon be 50. I now tape it and watch it later due to work. I will miss the show and had hoped it wound be saved some how. I just want to take this chance to say thank you to all who put there talents into makeing the show all of these years, and to wish each of them the best.
Please bring Guiding Light back ! Have you considered condensing the show in a onr hour one day a week format? I am saddened by our loss. The viewers, while fewer in number, deserve the same recompense that we have provided you in purchasing your products. Thank You for the years of entertainment and hope your decision will be reversed.
This Is just another case of we don't care what you want. We will decide what you need to see. One of the only shows I even watched on the TV. I decided the sixty dollars a month I pay for satellite is better in my own pocket. I had the Satellite turned off. I watch PBS at no cost. It is twice as interesting as pay TV. I refuse to pay for TV when there's nothing worth watching.
I along with everyone else that has ever watched this show loved it. This last May my Granny passed away and she was one of your biggest fans. I was introduced to GL when visiting and made me lay down for a nap so she could watch "her stories", which being a kid trying to get out of a nap asked her if I could watch with her. Well I guess knowing that I would probably end up hindering her watching time let me. I sat there, asked questions and she answered with such insight and excitement that I wanted to watch more. In the last several years of her life she had been suffering from Alzheimer's and was struggling to remember things. Well if you can imagine mysuprised when she asked me about what about what Reva and Josh were up to, it blew me away and brought back some wonderful memories. When I found out that this was coming to an end it broke my heart. With my Granny passing it alomost feels like someone else in my life has passed away. I will miss this epic story and all its characters. Thank
I am really ticked off that they have taken the only show away and put on that lousy one on in it's place. This is the longest running show of all you would put it in a diffrent ttme spot before they shut it down at least give it a shot. I know I'm not watching that channnel any more I hope no one does.
Dear Soap Digest: I will miss the Guiding Light very much. I cried the last day of this show as I have been watching this over 40 years. From Bert Bauer to Ed Bauer and Mike Bauer. I had the chance to meet Rick Bauer in Bangor, Maine. My favorite character wsa Billy Lewis. I also liked Maureen and HB and Mr. Chamberlain, Vanessa's dad. I also like Jeffrey. I only hope that Guiding Light will be pick up by another network before too long. These memorys of this show that I have will always be with me. I do not know what to do because Guiding Light came on in Skowhegan, Maine at 3:00 p.m. and in the morning at 9:00 a.m. So I would watch it twice a day, now there is notthing worth watching. I am going to look for epsiodes on Soap.Net. Hoefully they will put reruns of Guiding Light episodes on channels like TV Land. I will forever miss Guiding Light.
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