The memories this brings back. I used to race home from school to watch it. My mom and grandma would drop everything and we'd all watch the show. The mid 1970's til ' the early 1990's was daytime television's greatest period. I miss it a lot and I cherish the memories. Please add more soaps such as Search for Tomorrow and Edge of Night. Santa Barbara and Capitol would be great too.
I loved this show; use to race home from highschool to watch it at 2:00 pm. I loved Beth, LuJack, Phillip & Mindy so much. I loved all the 80's soaps; wish I could get them ALL on dvd :)
I was very little during this time period, watching GL with my Grandma. I remember thinking back then that the images in the opening really made the show look like it had a lot of action and drama and the theme itself lent class, dignity and poise. It was an understated "grand". And, I've always loved Beverlee McKinsey's "Alexandra"! Does anyone else agree that she has such presence and elegance in this opening (at .58 second mark) ? And the announcer Alan Berns was great.
Loved Guiding Light. Some of the actors are on other shows. Was sad to learn of the passings of Michael Tylo (Quinton McCord Chamberlain) Sept 28, & Lisa Brown (Nola Reeves) on Nov 24, 2021. They were a great screen couple.
I was a kid too...and as I think of it...we would go to school and talk with other kids about what was happening on GL...lol I wonder how much of their audience back then was kids?
This theme song is so slow but the scenes are so intense- explosions, violence, tarantulas. I always thought the visuals didn’t match the music but were a better fit for the previous disco type theme song. Loved GL from 1983-1993
Michael Woods was awesome as Jim Reardon. He rocked the beard where very few men in daytime had (or, were allowed) to have one. I can’t recall if he left on his own accord or was written out?! GL was kicking a** at thus time. Good memories.
Loved the 80s theme miss guiding light so much it was the best Phillip was the hottest man on tv more 80s guiding light and more of Phillip 80s guiding light style
The women in my family have watched or listened to this program for SIX generations. my daughter, me, my mother, grand mother, gr grad mother and gr gr grad mother. My grgrd ma and grgr grad ma listened to this show on radio. This is atrue shame and a true end of a beloved story. To bad the writers and producers DID NOT listen to the fans.
I wish the Fisherman storyline would surface from 1983 With Eli Sims as well as the Barbados storyline from 1984 with Mrs Piper. You see glimpses of that story in the opening credits.
@SoapsGoldenAge: You know Douglas Marland created the Lewis family introducing Trish and then Josh. Pamela Long expanded the family and Reva was Pam's creation.
What happened to this show was simple: Bad storylines, cable tv, and too many talk shows and courtroom shows on in the mid-afternoons. Add to that the fact that more and more housewives have to work, and there ya go!! Kinda sad it's gone, but it is what it is.
The problem was Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler, she was a great actress but her decision to do everything outside the studio and the storylines were dreadful. Kim Zimmer(Reva) complain about. I still miss it though.
wow--this is when the show REALLY began to run out of steam. Some incredible bright spots (Philip & India, Alex, etc) but some really sucky stories (Lujack & Beth, Annabelle & Tony--NOT the actors, the inane stories.)
@DarthSnoopy96 I think you meant Ellen DOLAN playing Maureen Bauer, and yes, she was also Margo Hughes on As the World Turns from 1989 until the show ended.
I sat in enough meetings that I can picture the conversation: Pam: I've got this great idea to tie all the families together. CBS: great P&G: but they didn't know one another--it was a big story point that the Lewises arrived in 80's with Trish, then Josh, and they were newcomers. Pam: about 3 people will remember that. Trust me, the story will be so fantastic it'll blow them out of the water. Moral of the story: When you rewrite history, you lose longtime fans. We can't commit to the story.
I sooo remember that tarantula! It dated Vanessa for awhile before shacking up with Reva. I think it later was on Y&R as some boyfriend of Cricket. ;) :P
@Aquaria Yes, thank you for the correction. It's always so easy to mix up Ellen Dolan//Ellen Parker when talking about "Maureen Bauer". In this opening credits clip, Mrs. Dolan does look remarkably like Mrs. Parker does. Had I second-checked the year '85 in the title, I would have caught my own error. Dolan departed GL in 1986.
someone needs to REMOVE all those nasty comments from 2 years ago by "nextgenskyn" and "cabanaboi29" and whoever else. There was no need to use profanity and such. We can debate and disagree, but what ugly comments for one of the most beautiful show openings ever made....
GL wasn't #1 in the ratings, if that's what you mean. It was actually at #5 that season. Remember, it was about against GH, which was the real ratings powerhouse. Now #1 in quality, that I'd agree with!!
Roxy Shayne was committed, after Johnny Bauer (Jack & Lainey's son) was diagnosed with Cancer. Caring for, and worrying about him round the clock, took an emotional toll, and she began to unravel. She's been in a mental hospital, in Switzerland, ever since.
Sure! 0:11 - 0:14 was the love triangle between Roxie, Rick, and Mindy (In Blue). The "Island" scenes were the culmination of the Susan Piper story of 1984 where Susan took Annabelle (and Jim Reardon, I think) captive over a vat of quicksand in Barbados. It had to do with Annabelle uncovering a secret underneath her and Tony's cottage. At the same time, the Spaulding lineage was also unraveling on Barbados (Brandon Spaulding (presumed dead) and his wife Sharina were hanging out there.
It wasn't #1 for long time. I think maybe a week or two during the fall of 1985. I remember reading in an interview once that Jay Hammer (Fletcher) was excited that GL had finally displaced GH as #1 at least for a week or two.
@DarthSnoopy96 I agree! Beverlee's performance was fantastic. I think it's because she was the character that I grew up on. Marj dusay was very good. They were both pretty evil.
Guess I polarized people with my comment on this being a turning point in quality for the show. Stand by it. For all the great (Reva, The Lewises, Annabelle) Pam Long wrote some really crappy stories in this period that were pedestrian attempts at going into history yet not being faithful to any of it. The Lewises fishing with the Bauers & Reardons? Out of the blue! After the great quality of Marland's reign (and Dobsons to boot) Pam was very uneven. Some fanastic stuff, but too many silly ones
I was going to say the same thing...this was during the era of the crime/action stories. The Infinity Story...then the Beirut story with Ed/Maureen/Fletcher/Claire. At the end of the clip, was that part of the Barbados storyline with Jim Reardon/Tony/Annabell from 1984?
When did she die?? She will always be Alexandra (not to mention Iris!), to me! I had no idea she had died! Poor lady! What a GREAT VOICE she had!! Had she been ill/suffering long? I hate to know that she died!!
@Aquaria part 2 - Free speech is one thing, and I agree with you to a point. But this is one person's private page/posting, and CZcams users delete profanity all the time here. My request/wish is no different than you asking me not to swear in your own living room or in front of your children or grandparents in a restaurant. Thank you for your thoughts regardless, I'll keep this in mind for the future when I am considering how to respond to other people's rudenesses and unkindnesses.
Why was Roxie committed to a psychiatric hospital? I loved her, but when I return from Europe this year, I found out she (Kristi Ferrell) left the show. What led to the character's breakdown, if that is what it was?
@Aquaria Sorry I offended you. It's humorous to me that you are more upset with what I said than those other comments I was referencing. I do not need to control people at all. I was merely encouraging/pleading for better conduct here - I am sorry I failed on that effort.
I always thought that the fishing storyline was a nice attempt at mining history, and yet, the history that it mined was totally artificial...but much better than the early 00s storyline that involved Josh, Billy, Ed, Buzz, etc. in almost the same setup. The later storyline was unbearable to watch...insulting to the memory of the audience
Can someone please tell me the backstory/the characters involved in the "Casino" scenes: 0:11 - 0:14? I like it when the woman in blue punches the guy out. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Guiding Light at this point in time (I was only 2 years old). Also, what's the backstory with the "Island" 0:42-0:49?
@DarthSnoopy96 No, comments don't need to be removed just because they offend you. Your prissy whining offends me, but I'm not asking for your prudish and juvenile post to be removed. I choose instead to treat it like the childish and passive-aggressive sniveling that it is. Grow up. Free speech is more important than your passive-aggressive need to control people.
why would i be upset? oh my god, there are worse things in life to be upset about then this--sounds like you need to see a psychiatrist to learn how to control your emotions
The memories this brings back. I used to race home from school to watch it. My mom and grandma would drop everything and we'd all watch the show. The mid 1970's til ' the early 1990's was daytime television's greatest period. I miss it a lot and I cherish the memories. Please add more soaps such as Search for Tomorrow and Edge of Night. Santa Barbara and Capitol would be great too.
Totally loved Guiding Light in the 1980's. So sad that all the good soaps are gone!
I loved this show; use to race home from highschool to watch it at 2:00 pm. I loved Beth, LuJack, Phillip & Mindy so much. I loved all the 80's soaps; wish I could get them ALL on dvd :)
I was very little during this time period, watching GL with my Grandma. I remember thinking back then that the images in the opening really made the show look like it had a lot of action and drama and the theme itself lent class, dignity and poise. It was an understated "grand".
And, I've always loved Beverlee McKinsey's "Alexandra"! Does anyone else agree that she has such presence and elegance in this opening (at .58 second mark) ?
And the announcer Alan Berns was great.
oooh i do remember i was freshly out of high school and working part time but GL was my 3rd soap in 1988
Hard to believe it's been 30 years... I can remember watching this!
Loved the 80's and GL. What a great time in history.
Loved Guiding Light. Some of the actors are on other shows. Was sad to learn of the passings of Michael Tylo (Quinton McCord Chamberlain) Sept 28, & Lisa Brown (Nola Reeves) on Nov 24, 2021. They were a great screen couple.
It's eerie that they both died within months of each other.
I loved this era of GL although I was only a kid.
I was a kid too...and as I think of it...we would go to school and talk with other kids about what was happening on GL...lol I wonder how much of their audience back then was kids?
this is the time when I watched G L remember the storylines it was a great soap opera
This theme song is so slow but the scenes are so intense- explosions, violence, tarantulas. I always thought the visuals didn’t match the music but were a better fit for the previous disco type theme song.
Loved GL from 1983-1993
LOL. I just posted that two years later without seeing your post. 100% agree.
Michael Woods was awesome as Jim Reardon. He rocked the beard where very few men in daytime had (or, were allowed) to have one. I can’t recall if he left on his own accord or was written out?! GL was kicking a** at thus time. Good memories.
I love the 80's GL..But I did watch the last 4 year of .GL.I just love when Reva and Josh rode out into the sunset in the truck together
Loved the 80s theme miss guiding light so much it was the best Phillip was the hottest man on tv more 80s guiding light and more of Phillip 80s guiding light style
Luv the Spalding more of phillip
The women in my family have watched or listened to this program for SIX generations. my daughter, me, my mother, grand mother, gr grad mother and gr gr grad mother. My grgrd ma and grgr grad ma listened to this show on radio.
This is atrue shame and a true end of a beloved story. To bad the writers and producers DID NOT listen to the fans.
I miss this music
I wish they'd use this music for the last show...this is The Guiding Light I want to remember.
I wish the Fisherman storyline would surface from 1983 With Eli Sims as well as the Barbados storyline from 1984 with Mrs Piper. You see glimpses of that story in the opening credits.
A time long ago….soap operas were soo popular back then.
Not anymore.
No. Not anymore. 😔
Sometimes I can't believe I was a child in the 1980s... it's was so hilariously bizarre a decade.
damn,i still miss it. :(
India, that's my girl. she was so deliciously wicked, and funny as hell.
She was my favorite soap actress. I just wish they had had the good sense to keep her on the show as a main character.
That was from a scene when Annabelle (character shown) was tied to a rack above some quicksand by Susan Piper (long great story)
This version was during the Barbados/Beirut storyline when GL was actually #1 back in 1985. Oh how I miss Beverlee McKinsey.
@SoapsGoldenAge: You know Douglas Marland created the Lewis family introducing Trish and then Josh. Pamela Long expanded the family and Reva was Pam's creation.
Vanessa and " Daddy" ( Maeve Kincaid and the wonderful William Roerick) were my favorite GL couple
I miss the guiding Light
me to man
I really miss Guiding Light, especially in the years the slower theme song played, like in this video here.
Those Reva Shane baby blues💝😍
RIP 🌹 Nola Reardon Bea Reardon Richard Chamberlain Ross Marler GLight
What happened to this show was simple: Bad storylines, cable tv, and too many talk shows and courtroom shows on in the mid-afternoons. Add to that the fact that more and more housewives have to work, and there ya go!! Kinda sad it's gone, but it is what it is.
The problem was Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler, she was a great actress but her decision to do everything outside the studio and the storylines were dreadful. Kim Zimmer(Reva) complain about. I still miss it though.
wow--this is when the show REALLY began to run out of steam. Some incredible bright spots (Philip & India, Alex, etc) but some really sucky stories (Lujack & Beth, Annabelle & Tony--NOT the actors, the inane stories.)
The actress who played Vanessa Chamberlain has such style, and so did Beverlee McKinsey (Alexandra Spaulding).
Maeve Kinkead, who played Vanessa Chamberlain, is the sister-in-law of actress Meryl Streep. Maeve is married to Meryl's brother, Harry Streep .
@DarthSnoopy96 I think you meant Ellen DOLAN playing Maureen Bauer, and yes, she was also Margo Hughes on As the World Turns from 1989 until the show ended.
I sat in enough meetings that I can picture the conversation: Pam: I've got this great idea to tie all the families together. CBS: great P&G: but they didn't know one another--it was a big story point that the Lewises arrived in 80's with Trish, then Josh, and they were newcomers. Pam: about 3 people will remember that. Trust me, the story will be so fantastic it'll blow them out of the water. Moral of the story: When you rewrite history, you lose longtime fans. We can't commit to the story.
I sooo remember that tarantula! It dated Vanessa for awhile before shacking up with Reva. I think it later was on Y&R as some boyfriend of Cricket. ;) :P
@Aquaria
Yes, thank you for the correction. It's always so easy to mix up Ellen Dolan//Ellen Parker when talking about "Maureen Bauer". In this opening credits clip, Mrs. Dolan does look remarkably like Mrs. Parker does. Had I second-checked the year '85 in the title, I would have caught my own error. Dolan departed GL in 1986.
someone needs to REMOVE all those nasty comments from 2 years ago by "nextgenskyn" and "cabanaboi29" and whoever else. There was no need to use profanity and such. We can debate and disagree, but what ugly comments for one of the most beautiful show openings ever made....
that's too bad but you know if you think about it-guiding light has been on since the 1950s, time for it to rest in peace.
That was Richard Van Fleet, the recast of Ed Bauer while Peter Simon was off the show.
GL wasn't #1 in the ratings, if that's what you mean. It was actually at #5 that season. Remember, it was about against GH, which was the real ratings powerhouse. Now #1 in quality, that I'd agree with!!
Kim Zimmer at 0:34 was so gorgeous! Loved watching her during the 80s on GL.
I hated her. Imo she and the rest if the shayne ckan destroyed a once wonderful soap.
Roxy Shayne was committed, after Johnny Bauer (Jack & Lainey's son) was diagnosed with Cancer. Caring for, and worrying about him round the clock, took an emotional toll, and she began to unravel. She's been in a mental hospital, in Switzerland, ever since.
Whoever cut this together apparently wanted to make this show look as exciting as humanly possible!
Sure! 0:11 - 0:14 was the love triangle between Roxie, Rick, and Mindy (In Blue). The "Island" scenes were the culmination of the Susan Piper story of 1984 where Susan took Annabelle (and Jim Reardon, I think) captive over a vat of quicksand in Barbados. It had to do with Annabelle uncovering a secret underneath her and Tony's cottage. At the same time, the Spaulding lineage was also unraveling on Barbados (Brandon Spaulding (presumed dead) and his wife Sharina were hanging out there.
Billy and Vanessa look so young!
Well there is some kind of nostalgia drama lost in the recent years. Guiding Light was much better 10-15 years ago. But it's still sad
Her boyfriend Johnny Bauer suffered a serious battle with cancer - Johnny recovered, but Roxie lost her mind from mental exhaustion supporting him.
I so remember this theme song.
I really do think it's the best theme the show ever had. The stories at this time were really good and interwoven.
Vanessa in a tie. One of my favorite bad 80s fashion trends.
It wasn't #1 for long time. I think maybe a week or two during the fall of 1985. I remember reading in an interview once that Jay Hammer (Fletcher) was excited that GL had finally displaced GH as #1 at least for a week or two.
@DarthSnoopy96 I agree! Beverlee's performance was fantastic. I think it's because she was the character that I grew up on. Marj dusay was very good. They were both pretty evil.
Guess I polarized people with my comment on this being a turning point in quality for the show. Stand by it. For all the great (Reva, The Lewises, Annabelle) Pam Long wrote some really crappy stories in this period that were pedestrian attempts at going into history yet not being faithful to any of it. The Lewises fishing with the Bauers & Reardons? Out of the blue! After the great quality of Marland's reign (and Dobsons to boot) Pam was very uneven. Some fanastic stuff, but too many silly ones
@williambrown007
YES, Ellen Dolan portraying "Maureen". Margo being her character from ATWT. Sorry for my incorrect answer.
This was about the time when i started getting into this show. Kinda weird it's not on anymore, but it did started getting stale and stupid.
I was waiting for India to say "Me, Decent?" Very "Gilda"
The scenes with action sequences did not work with the music. The ones with just a close-up of the character were better.
I was going to say the same thing...this was during the era of the crime/action stories. The Infinity Story...then the Beirut story with Ed/Maureen/Fletcher/Claire. At the end of the clip, was that part of the Barbados storyline with Jim Reardon/Tony/Annabell from 1984?
WOOOO HOOOO!!! Roxie Shayne! Gawd, I loved her!
When did she die?? She will always be Alexandra (not to mention Iris!), to me! I had no idea she had died! Poor lady! What a GREAT VOICE she had!! Had she been ill/suffering long? I hate to know that she died!!
@Aquaria
part 2 - Free speech is one thing, and I agree with you to a point. But this is one person's private page/posting, and CZcams users delete profanity all the time here. My request/wish is no different than you asking me not to swear in your own living room or in front of your children or grandparents in a restaurant.
Thank you for your thoughts regardless, I'll keep this in mind for the future when I am considering how to respond to other people's rudenesses and unkindnesses.
I remember being scared of that tarantula! LOL
About 10 years ago I heard she ran a ranch in Texas, don't know if its true or not.
Why was Roxie committed to a psychiatric hospital? I loved her, but when I return from Europe this year, I found out she (Kristi Ferrell) left the show. What led to the character's breakdown, if that is what it was?
the 83 opening was better
Anyone happen to remember what Fletcher & Claire are doing from 0:21 - 0:24?
I think that was Roxie pushing Mindy.
It's great, but I don't like all the shots of people talking. We have no idea what they're saying.
OMG! It's Vincent Irizzary as Lujack! A far cry from David Hayward on AMC
Not for me. Couldnt stand lujack gl David amc or deimos dool. Liked nick McHenry gl n Scott santa barbara.
@Aquaria
Sorry I offended you. It's humorous to me that you are more upset with what I said than those other comments I was referencing. I do not need to control people at all. I was merely encouraging/pleading for better conduct here - I am sorry I failed on that effort.
I always thought that the fishing storyline was a nice attempt at mining history, and yet, the history that it mined was totally artificial...but much better than the early
00s storyline that involved Josh, Billy, Ed, Buzz, etc. in almost the same setup. The later storyline was unbearable to watch...insulting to the memory of the audience
Hairy Jim Reardon. Yup!
Can someone please tell me the backstory/the characters involved in the "Casino" scenes: 0:11 - 0:14? I like it when the woman in blue punches the guy out. Unfortunately, I know nothing about Guiding Light at this point in time (I was only 2 years old). Also, what's the backstory with the "Island" 0:42-0:49?
Roxie watches GL from her hospital bed. Her psychiatric condition has gone from bad to worse.
Just kidding
I can do without poor blind Beth calling out for Lujack (what a dumb name, BTW) in the opening.
@DarthSnoopy96 No, comments don't need to be removed just because they offend you. Your prissy whining offends me, but I'm not asking for your prudish and juvenile post to be removed. I choose instead to treat it like the childish and passive-aggressive sniveling that it is.
Grow up. Free speech is more important than your passive-aggressive need to control people.
I never understood the appeal of GH!!!
why would i be upset? oh my god, there are worse things in life to be upset about then this--sounds like you need to see a psychiatrist to learn how to control your emotions
oh god, you can do better then that
is no like man is gay and querre!!!!