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• Guiding Light is an American daytime soap opera airing on CBS. The show has the distinction of airing longer than any other scripted show in history. On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that the series would end on September 18, 2009.The New York Times: CBS Turning Off Guiding Light (April 1, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Series broadcast on radio: January 25, 1937 - 1956 (radio)
  2. Broadcast on television: June 30, 1952 - present
  3. Credited by the Guinness World Records as the longest-running soap opera in the worldThe New York Times: CBS Turning Off Guiding Light (April 1, 2009)
  4. Created by soap opera writer Irna Phillips
  5. Distributor: Procter & Gamble Productions
  6. Network: CBS
  7. Awards: 23 Emmy Awards
  8. Tagline: "There is a destiny that makes us brothers, none goes his way alone. All that we send into the lives of others, comes back into our own."
  9. The guiding light is the lamp of one of the main characters, Reverend Dr. John Ruthledge
  10. On April 1, 2009, CBS announced that the series would end in September 2009The New York Times: CBS Turning Off Guiding Light (April 1, 2009)
  11. The ratings for the show declined rapidly in the years leading up to the announcementThe New York Times: CBS Turning Off Guiding Light (April 1, 2009)
  12. The production format of the show was changed to digital cameras to save moneyThe New York Times: CBS Turning Off Guiding Light (April 1, 2009)

• Giving Back

  To celebrate the show's 70th anniversary, the cast and crew of Guiding Light committed themselves to a year of community service across America. They asked viewers to join them as they "Find the Light."

• One Of The Originals

  Guiding Light first aired on the radio as a 15 minute soap opera. In 1968 it was expanded on television to 30 minutes, and finally in 1977 episodes were made an hour long.

• Former Cast

  • Tammy Blanchard as Drew Jacobs (1997-2000)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Kevin Bacon as Tim Werner (1980-81)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Ruby Dee as Martha Frazier (1967)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Sandy Dennis as Alice Holden (1956)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Taye Diggs as Sugar Hill (1997)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Frances Fisher as Suzette Saxon (1985)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Calista Flockhart as Elise (1989)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Victor Garber as Det. Frank Minnelli (1986)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Bethany Joy Galeotti as Michelle Bauer Santos (1998-2000)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Sharon Leal as Dahlia Crede (1996-99)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • James Lipton as Dr. Dick Grant (1952-62)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Hayden Panettiere as Elizabeth "Lizzie" Spaulding (1996-2000)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Arthur Peterson as Rev. John Ruthledge (1937-46, radio cast)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • John Wesley Shipp as Kelly Nelson (1980-84)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Brittany Snow as Susan LeMay (1998-2001)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Sherry Stringfield as Blake Lindsey (1989-92)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Cicely Tyson as Martha Frazier (1966)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)
  • Billy Dee Williams as Dr. Jim Frazier (1996)Variety: Guiding Light Alumni (January 24, 1997)

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Daytime Emmy Nominations 2008 | The Young and the Restless | As The World Turns | Bold and the Beautiful | All My Children | One Life to Live | General Hospital | Days of Our Lives | Passions | Tammy Blanchard

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