Frederick Bauer was affectionately known to those who knew him as Papa Bauer. The Bauer clan was led by Frederick Bauer (played by Theo Goetz from 1948 until his passing in 1973). On June 30, 1952, GL was the first radio soap to successfully switch to television (from 1952 to 1956, GL ran on both radio and TV).
In 1948, the focus of the show shifted to the Bauers, a German-American family. Created by Irna Phillips, GL originally told the story of Reverend Ruthledge and his flock of parishioners when it began on radio on January 25, 1937. GL has the distinction of being the longest running entertainment program in American broadcast history. * Guiding Light was cancelled on Apand the last episode aired on September 18, 2009.For nearly 7 decades, THE GUIDING LIGHT has become one of most beloved daytime dramas. However, by the time that the show was slated to move to television, the religious undertones of the show were virtually gone and the focus was moved yet again to the family Bauer.
Ruthledge as the center of hope and inspiration. Reverend Matthews took over for the late Rev. His "friendship lamp" went too with the production move to the town of Selby Flats, California. However, when the production of the show moved to the west coast, Peterson refused to join them, so Irna Phillips had the minister die when his plane was shot down overseas. In the 1940's the Reverend Ruthledge enrolled as a chaplain to do his part of the war effort. The Reverend's message could be summed up by his favorite mantra from Edwin Markum "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." On the desk near his window, the minister placed an old lantern, a "guiding light" to those parishioners passing in the cold, hopeless night. The Reverend's sermons of hope and forgiveness made such an impression that a bestselling book was published of his most popular homilies. Giving them the hope and inspiration they needed was a kindly minister named Reverend John Ruthledge (voiced by Arthur Peterson of "Soap" fame).
Originally, the show focused on the Chicagoan suburb of Five Points, a bustling enclave of German-Jewish immigrants hoping to find their own piece of the American dream. Created by the legendary, if not iron-fisted Irna Phillips, "The Guiding Light" began its life on January 25, 1937. Although berated and belittled, the soap opera has an illustrious lineage, with no less than the books of Charles Dickins as an inspiration.
Soap opera is a truly dynamic genre that reflects life as it is lived, the quintessential American art form. It brought social awareness to a nation that began to think about the big picture beyond their picket fences and suburban streets. Summary: The late soap journalist Christopher Schemering once wrote that soap operas are not just dramas "they're little pockets of American history." So it's only fitting to consider that at one time, "The Guiding Light,"-the longest running program in broadcast history, spanning 71 years- brought fifteen-minute bits of escapism to war-weary The late soap journalist Christopher Schemering once wrote that soap operas are not just dramas "they're little pockets of American history." So it's only fitting to consider that at one time, "The Guiding Light,"-the longest running program in broadcast history, spanning 71 years- brought fifteen-minute bits of escapism to war-weary housewives, as their men trudged off to fight the indignities of WWII.