Guiding Light:

The Longest Running Soap Opera - From Radio to TV

By: Laura Onofrio

Guiding Light, created by Irna Phillips, is the only soap opera that was first broadcast on radio and then was transferred to TV. This soap opera has evolved with the genre and has undergone significant changes since its early days on radio. Analyzing the Guiding Light will demonstrate how the soap opera genre evolves throughout history as the soap's content develops and modifies itself in accordance to the outside, 'real' world while remaining true to the foundation of the genre by sustaining its main elements of love and romance, good vs. bad, birth, marriage and death.

Guiding Light was one of Irna Phillips' most successful soap opera and greatest achievements. The first episode was broadcast on the radio in 1937 (Cantor: 1983:97). The show was briefly dropped from the airwaves in 1941 but audiences protested and forced networks to reinstate it (Cantor: 1983:97). In 1952 the soap was transferred to television and could be followed on both television and radio until 1956 (Cantor: 1983:97). The Gilding Light continues to be seen today and is the only soap opera that was successfully transferred between mediums and has remained one of the fan's favorite soap operas.

Throughout it's 67 years on air storylines of life and death, love, marriage and betrayal, romance and heartbreak, scandal and suffering have filled the lives of its characters. Originally this soap was about the life of Dr. Ruthledge, a minister, and his family (Cantor: 1983:97). "Dr Ruthledge represented the spiritual strength of suburbia. His mission was to demonstrate how to live a good life through understanding and patience (Cox: 1999:64)". During the 1940s the program opened with a prayer or homily delivered by the pastor. "The show was initially very religious in nature using the shows name to signify the evangelistic sermons delivered by the minister each day". Later the show shifted its focus to a more general family orientation featuring the Bauer's trials and tribulations (Matelski: 1988:114). The Bauer's became the central family in the soap opera in the late 1940s. Their trials and tribulations attracted audiences and maintained their interest in the show as it transferred onto TV. When the show shifted its focus to the Bauers it also shifted its location from Fire Point to Selby Flats and today it has shifted again to Springfield (Cantor: 1983:92). Its original form, 15 minutes on radio, did not allow for many storylines or for a large cast. This explains why twice as many characters appeared on the show in 1982 as in 1948. Not only did the program running time expand first to half an hour and later to today's hour long format but the percentage of men and women became more equal the longer the show was broadcasted as in 1982 50% of the cast were males in comparison to 60% in 1948 (Cantor: 1983:98).

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