Local 'Guiding Light' fans say goodbye

“Guiding Light,” daytime television’s longest-running soap opera, will come to an end this

month after an astonishing 72 years — much to the dismay of the show’s devoted fanbase.

The pioneering soap began as a radio show in January 1937, and transitioned to television in 1952. More than 15,700 episodes later, the series finale will air Sept. 18.

“I’m going to be teary-eyed on the 18th,” said Green Valley resident Rosemary Kendall, who has been hooked on the saga since 1956, and says she’s rarely missed an episode.

Back then, the show was 15 minutes and shot in black and white.

“You’ve known some of these people for years and years and years,” she said, listing off founding characters Papa and Bert Bauer. “They’re kind of like family.”

Even for those who have never watched soap operas, it’s easy to understand the appeal of the genre, says Joan Browning of Green Valley.

When she was growing up, Browning says her mother listened to “Guiding Light” on their Majestic radio, “as did virtually all the ladies in our tiny town in northern Indiana.”

Most of those women were homemakers, and the show was “a make-believe world that took them out

of their fairly dreary existence,” she said.

The show has gone through decades of evolution, leaving behind the Chicago suburb of Five Points, where it was first set, and its protagonist, the Rev. John Ruthledge, who placed a lamp in his window to welcome parishioners.

Now it takes place is the bucolic Midwestern town of Springfield, and revolves around the sprawling Spaulding, Lewis and Cooper Clans.

“It’s been reflecting American life back at America since before World War II,” said “Guiding Light” executive producer Ellen Wheeler, in an interview with the Associated Press.

Of the show’s finale, Wheeler said, “we wanted to leave (the characters) in a place where they weren’t finished. We want to let the fans know that, while they may not be able to tune in, the lives of these people in Springfield will continue.”

CHANGING TIMES

While “Guiding Light” is the latest casualty, all soaps have suffered in recent years from high production costs and declining ratings.

Times have changed and so has the target audience for soap operas — more women work and fewer

can make time in their afternoons to tune in. There’s also the growing competition from daytime talk shows.

In the 1991-92 season, top-ranked soap “The Young and the Restless” was drawing 10.3 million viewers, with “Guiding Light” seen by 6.5 million. By the 2006-07 season, “Y&R” was still No. 1 — but with roughly half as many viewers; “Guiding Light” had 2.75 million viewers.

A revival of the game show “Let’s Make a Deal,” with host Wayne Brady, will take over “Guiding Light’s” time slot in October.

Another reason for the decline? Reality TV. Today’s viewers seem to prefer their drama played out in real life. But before shows like “The Bachelor” and “Dancing with the Stars” took over the airwaves, soaps were as close to reality as you could get from a television program.

While most shows run weekly, soap operas are a daily part of people’s lives, and that makes it easier to become invested in characters and storylines.

And as Kendall points out, episodes are rarely repeated; if you miss a show, that’s it. Like real life, the saga moves on.

Kendall says the popularity of soaps may be dwindling because of a stigma attached to the genre.

“A lot of people think watching soaps is silly. If they do watch them, they don’t admit to it,” she said. “But I don’t see how they’re different or worse than any other TV show.”

INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE

David Dangle said “soaps really dominated daytime” when he was head costume designer for “Guiding Light” in the 1980s.

Dangle is the brother of Green Valley resident Kathy Killeen. His father also lives here.

Dangle has won three Emmy awards for his work on “Guiding Light,” and has also designed for “The Bold and the Beautiful.” He is now CEO of the Joan Rivers Jewelry Collection for QVC.

He said it was exciting to be around for the introduction of major characters such as Reva,

played by Kim Zimmer, who has been the star of “Guiding Light” for 26 years.

In that time, the character has been married nine times, several times to the same man.

Dangle was fortunate to design several of those wedding dresses, he said. He also enjoyed designing costumes for the character Nola, who had a fantasy life and placed herself in Agatha Christie novels or classic films such as “Gone with the Wind.”

As a young designer, working on a daily show was a valuable experience because “it trains you to think on your feet and work fast.”

“I have a great respect for the soap industry and the fans,” he said. “The fans were always phenomenal, really loyal and supportive. It was a great little world to be a part of.

Includes information from the Associated Press.

SOAP HISTORY

Soap operas got their name from soap companies, such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Lever Brothers, which sponsored the early radio serials.

“Guiding Light” filmed 250 episodes per year and had 25 full-time contract players.

Stars who have appeared on the show: James Earl Jones, Christopher Walken, Maureen O’Sullivan, Teresa Wright, Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart, Allison Janey, Melina Kanakaredes, Mira Sorvino.

STILL ON THE AIR

Daytime soaps in the U.S., and when they premiered.

All My Children, 1970

As the World Turns, 1956

The Bold and the Beautiful, 1987

Days of our Lives, 1965

General Hospital, 1963

One Life to Live, 1968

The Young and the Restless, 1973