Guiding Light
From The TV IV
| Guiding Light | |
 | |
| Premiere | January 25, 1937 (Radio)
June 30, 1952 (TV) |
| Finale | June 29, 1956 (Radio)
September 18, 2009 (TV) |
| Creator | Irna Phillips |
| Network/Provider | NBC Radio (1937-1946)
CBS Radio (1947-1956) CBS (1952-2009) |
| Style | soap opera
15-minute (1937-1968) 30-minute (1968-1977) 60-minute (1977-2009) |
| Company | Procter & Gamble Productions (1952-2008)
TeleNext Media, Inc. (2008-2009) |
| Filming Location | Chicago, Illinois (1937-1947)
Los Angeles, California (1947-1949) New York City, New York (1949-2009) |
| Episodes | 18,262 |
| Origin | USA |
Guiding Light was a soap opera that aired on CBS. It remains the longest running soap on US television, having aired for 57 years.
The show began as The Guiding Light in 1937 on the NBC Red radio network and dealt with the trials and tribulations of a small town minister. It graduated to television in 1952, airing on CBS in 15-minute installments. It expanded to 30 minutes in 1968 and a full hour in 1977. In spite of winning over 60 Emmys (daytime edition), the show had been in the ratings cellar over the last twenty years, being bested by ABC's General Hospital. Guiding Light was replaced by a revival of the game show Let's Make a Deal.
Contents |
Cast
For a full listing of all cast members, see cast listing
Seasons
| Season | Premiere | Finale | # | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBC Radio (1937-1946) | ||||||
| Season One (radio) | January 25, 1937 | — | — | |||
| Season Two (radio) | 1938 | — | — | |||
| Season Three (radio) | 1939 | October 13, 1939 | — | |||
| Season Four (radio) | January 22, 1940 | — | — | |||
| Season Five (radio) | 1941 | — | — | |||
| Season Six (radio) | 1942 | — | — | |||
| Season Seven (radio) | 1943 | — | — | |||
| Season Eight (radio) | 1944 | — | — | |||
| Season Nine (radio) | 1945 | — | — | |||
| Season Ten (radio) | 1946 | November 29, 1946 | — | |||
| CBS Radio (1947-1956) | ||||||
| Season Eleven (radio) | June 2, 1947 | — | — | |||
| Season Twelve (radio) | 1948 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirteen (radio) | 1949 | — | — | |||
| Season Fourteen (radio) | 1950 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifteen (radio) | 1951 | — | — | |||
| Season Sixteen (radio) | 1952 | — | — | |||
| Season Seventeen (radio) | 1953 | — | — | |||
| Season Eighteen (radio) | 1954 | — | — | |||
| Season Nineteen (radio) | 1955 | — | — | |||
| Season Twenty (radio) | 1956 | June 29, 1956 | — | |||
| CBS (1952-2009) | ||||||
| Season One | June 30, 1952 | December 31, 1952 | 131 | |||
| Season Two | January 2, 1953 | — | — | |||
| Season Three | 1954 | December 31, 1954 | — | |||
| Season Four | 1955 | — | — | |||
| Season Five | 1956 | — | — | |||
| Season Six | 1957 | December 31, 1957 | — | |||
| Season Seven | January 2, 1958 | — | — | |||
| Season Eight | January 2, 1959 | December 31, 1959 | — | |||
| Season Nine | January 4, 1960 | December 31, 1960 | — | |||
| Season Ten | January 2, 1961 | December 29, 1961 | — | |||
| Season Eleven | January 2, 1962 | December 31, 1962 | — | |||
| Season Twelve | January 2, 1963 | December 31, 1963 | — | |||
| Season Thirteen | January 2, 1964 | December 31, 1965 | — | |||
| Season Fourteen | January 4, 1965 | December 31, 1965 | — | |||
| Season Fifteen | January 3, 1966 | December 30, 1966 | — | |||
| Season Sixteen | January 3, 1967 | December 29, 1967 | — | |||
| Season Seventeen | January 2, 1968 | December 31, 1968 | — | |||
| Season Eighteen | January 2, 1969 | December 31, 1969 | — | |||
| Season Nineteen | January 2, 1970 | December 31, 1970 | — | |||
| Season Twenty | January 2, 1971 | December 31, 1971 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-One | January 3, 1972 | December 31, 1972 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Two | January 2, 1973 | December 31, 1973 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Three | January 2, 1974 | December 31, 1974 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Four | January 2, 1975 | December 31, 1975 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Five | 1976 | December 31, 1976 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Six | January 3, 1977 | December 30, 1977 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Seven | January 3, 1978 | December 29, 1978 | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Eight | January 2, 1979 | — | — | |||
| Season Twenty-Nine | 1980 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty | 1981 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-One | January 4, 1982 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Two | 1983 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Three | 1984 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Four | 1985 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Five | January 2, 1986 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Six | 1987 | December 31, 1987 | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Seven | 1988 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Eight | 1989 | — | — | |||
| Season Thirty-Nine | January 2, 1990 | December 31, 1990 | — | |||
| Season Forty | 1991 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-One | 1992 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Two | January 4, 1993 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Three | 1994 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Four | 1995 | December 31, 1995 | — | |||
| Season Forty-Five | 1996 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Six | January 2, 1997 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Seven | January 2, 1998 | — | — | |||
| Season Forty-Eight | January 4, 1999 | December 30, 1999 | — | |||
| Season Forty-Nine | January 3, 2000 | December 28, 2000 | 250 | |||
| Season Fifty | January 2, 2001 | December 28, 2001 | 244 | |||
| Season Fifty-One | January 2, 2002 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Two | January 2, 2003 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Three | 2004 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Four | 2005 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Five | 2006 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Six | January 2, 2007 | — | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Seven | January 2, 2008 | December 30, 2008 | — | |||
| Season Fifty-Eight | January 2, 2009 | September 18, 2009 | 181 | |||
In-Depth
- At a Glance: Additional information about the series
- Characters: A listing of characters in the series
- Crew: A listing of the crew that works on the series
External Sites
- Marcy's World Marcy Walker - Tangie Hill on GL
Categories:
- Program
- CBS
- Drama
- Soap Opera
- Based on Radio Program
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- 1990s
- 2000s
- 1952
- 1953
- 1954
- 1955
- 1956
- 1957
- 1958
- 1959
- 1960
- 1961
- 1962
- 1963
- 1964
- 1965
- 1966
- 1967
- 1968
- 1969
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1981
- 1982
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- 2007
- 2008
- 2009
- 1952 Premieres
- 2009 Finales
- Guiding Light
