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As an aspiring writer, I blog about whatever happens to move me at the moment -- though some posts contain serious content, my big-picture goal is to bring a little humor into an often humorless world! Welcome, y'all, and make yourself at home! Please make sure you update your bookmarks!


When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger...Epictetus





Thursday, April 2, 2009

The Light Dims


I've just heard that the long-running soap, GUIDING LIGHT, will come to an end in September. I've watched this show, on and off, my whole life (which means nearly 50 out of the 72 it's been on the air!). For some reason, though, over the last couple of years, I let it slide -- finally taking it off the "Season Pass" on TiVo. With my writing and a renewed interest in reading, something had to give and a five-day-per-week soap was what went.

Soaps have so much time to fill each week that you can literally not watch for awhile and then jump right back in without too much confusion. But, after hearing the news -- and having not watched in so long -- I had to check out what was going on -- and, wow, things have sure changed in Springfield!! Most of the old familiar characters still seem to be there -- but in different configurations and dalliances. I think, when it gets closer to the end, I may have to set my TiVo again, for the long goodbye.

Actors such as Robert Newman, Bradley Cole, Nancy St. Alban and Kim Zimmer have given me visuals as I created my own stories, their faces becoming my characters, giving me a starting point until my creations grew into their own faces. There's no better place than a soap, with their huge casts, to find the perfect form for a character to take.

Many actors started out on GUIDING LIGHT, then went on to other things -- Melina Kanakaredes (who was in one of my favorite GL storylines of all time), Cynthia Watros, Brittany Snow and many other recognizable names. I've always believed that soaps are probably the best training ground for actors -- where else do you have to learn that many lines and be on your toes nearly every day? And suffer the slings and arrows of being "just a soap actor"?

I once saw Justin Deas (Buzz Cooper) at DisneyWorld but didn't say anything to him, though I could have walked right up to him. He was fussing at his kids at the time -- actors are people, too -- and I figured it was probably best not to intrude. Michael O'Leary was here in town once to open a new furniture store. I took my GL book and had him sign it -- my eldest was with me at the time and she said I spoke to him like I knew him. I guess when someone has come into your home, so to speak, five days a week, for years and years, it was almost like I did know him. He was very nice, by the way, and didn't seem, in that brief moment, too unlike his character of Rick Bauer. And he told me he loved the south because his wife was southern.

Even though I haven't been watching for awhile, I always knew the fine folks of Springfield were there, going through their problems and falling in love, just like they always had. It seems funny to think that this program, come September, will no longer exist.

Seventy-two years on the air! No matter your feelings on soaps, it's quite an accomplishment.

Thanks, GUIDING LIGHT, for letting me be a part of that world. You will be missed.

6 comments:

  1. I used to watch All My Children - started watching it when it first started. And then One Life to Live and General Hospital. Who can forget Luke and Laura and their wedding? I was in nursing school then and was on clinical the days of the wedding. Our instructor let us go into patients' rooms to watch with them.

    My daughter got me watching Guiding Light for a while, but I never got too much into it. I think she still Tivo's it.

    It's been a long time since I watched any soaps. Life got in the way, I guess, and I just never went back.

    Soon they'll all be gone.

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  2. Yes, that's what happened to me -- life got in the way and I had to pick and choose what was more important. Occasionally, I've turned GL on, just to see familiar faces -- but then had no idea what they were talking about! I'll still miss it being there -- it's like the end of an era.

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  3. I watched Guiding Light for years when I was younger and through my college days. After that, I've watched in off and on, but the last time I saw it was about a year and a half ago (I would have the CBS soaps on in the background when I was working from home - no cable in the basement!). Even though i haven't watched it since then, I am saddened to hear that it's ending.

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  4. I know GL's demise has been discussed for years but, after awhile, you just think it'll go on forever. I'm sure they'll have all kinds of retrospectives in the weeks leading up to the end.

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  5. I have not watched GL in years but it brings back a lot of fond childhood memories. My great-aunt (who passed a few years ago) babysat me every day when I was a small child and summers after I started school, and she was an avid GL fan. We watched it together every day. Every time I catch a glimpse of GL or hear a mention of it, it brings me wonderful memories of my Aunt Dodie.

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  6. I have a similar memory -- an aunt babysat me and she watched GL (as well as AS THE WORLD TURNS -- which I also watched for years)-- so that's when I was first hooked -- back then, the storylines weren't as "hot" as they are today, even though they still dealt with affairs, etc. We also watched DARK SHADOWS together!

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