My maternal grandmother is the sole reason why I am a soap opera fan. When I was a child, my grandmother was my primary caretaker while my parents worked. I feel pretty confident that as a baby, my grandmother cradled me in her arms and had me watching “her stories” right along with her. As I grew up a bit and entered my pre-school years, I remember my grandmother bringing me home early. After fixing me something to eat, she would place my little mini rocking chair next to her own rocking chair. We would then watch the CBS soap operas together. Like many children who grew up with a soap opera watcher, I didn’t like to watch soaps. I would rather watch PBS programming (i.e. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, etc.) than the soaps. Granted, my grandmother would turn on the educational TV programs for me to watch, but she had to see her stories. As a result, I watched them right along with her. I have many vivid and fond memories of soap operas as a child. Many of those came from the Guiding Light.

My earliest memories of the Guiding Light came from the 1980s. At that time, I was old enough to understand the characters and stories being told. I started identifying who the families of Springfield were such as the Spauldings, the Bauers, the Raineses, the Lewises, and the Reardons. Naturally, I gravitated towards the characters I liked, and during the 1980s, I specifically loved watching the Four Musketeers – Phillip Spaulding, Rick Bauer, Mindy Lewis, and Beth Raines. The Four Musketeers were some of my favorites of the younger cast members, but I also liked Brandon “Lujack” Spaulding and later on, Alan-Michael Spaulding. Nevertheless, I primarily loved the older characters on the Guiding Light.

Several iconic Guiding Light characters made a huge impression on me as a child, and they include Alexandra Spaulding, Reva Shayne, Josh Lewis, and Vanessa Chamberlain.

Alexandra Spaulding

My favorite portrayal of Alexandra Spaulding is the one played by Beverlee McKinsey. She was the epitome of a cool as ice blonde in her portrayal of Alexandra. Everything about her gave me the impression that Alexandra was class, elegance, sophistication, and of course, a snob. As a child, I was aware that I should root for the good guy and boo the bad guy. However, I found myself rooting for Alexandra for the most part. She did some things that I didn’t like at times; yet, I couldn’t help but like Alexandra. I waited with anticipation for her to grace my TV screen. I loved watching Alexandra fight with Blake Thorpe and deliver cutting insults in a cool as a cucumber manner. Even though I was surprised to discover Lujack was Alexandra’s son, I enjoyed watching her win him over with the patience of Job. Later, I would be baffled to discover that Lujack had a twin – Nick McHenry – that Alexandra didn’t seem to remember bringing into this world (due to being drugged). I watched her snake her way into Nick’s life, and while she did some unforgivable things to Nick, I still had some sympathy for Alexandra. I grew alarmed for Alexandra when she was romantically involved with the evil Roger Thorpe, and I was relieved when she disentangled herself from his life. Unfortunately, she would still collaborate with the villainous Roger Thorpe at times to my utter dismay.

Beverlee McKinsey’s portrayal of the character was the sole reason why I loved Alexandra Spaulding. I consider Alexandra as the template of another iconic character on another soap opera – Stephanie Forrester on The Bold & the Beautiful. Whenever I watch Stephanie, I see shades of McKinsey’s Alexandra Spaulding in her epic battles with Brooke Logan Forrester. Believe me, McKinsey’s Alexandra is not a bad template to be modeled after by any means.

Reva Shayne

I associate two iconic things with Reva Shayne – her Tina Turner impression and the “slut of Springfield” declaration. As a child, one of the things that made me like Reva was her Tina Turner imitation and of course, the hair. I was a huge Tina Turner fan, and I immediately noticed the similar styling of Reva’s hair to Tina’s 1980s hair. Hey, I was pretty easy to satisfy as a child. Having Tina Turner’s hair and having her do a Tina imitation made Reva cool to me.

Nevertheless, the infamous “slut of Springfield” scene is the one thing that made me adore her. Of all of the Reva Shayne scenes I’ve seen over the years, nothing is more iconic than the “slut of Springfield” scene. I was a child, and I didn’t quite know what a slut was; however, I knew it sounded pretty bad. I just remember feeling pretty amazed that she stripped out of clothes, stepped into a fountain, and baptized herself the slut of Springfield. When I rewatch that memorable scene today, it was just as amazing as I remembered it.

Throughout the years, I followed Reva Shayne’s many exploits. I got angry when she had affairs with and/or married everyone except “her Joshua.” I felt happiness when she finally pulled it together and reconnected with Josh Lewis. Her zesty attitude made me smile and cheer her. At times, she even baffled me (i.e. when she was an Amish woman). Nevertheless, I always had love in my heart for Springfield’s number one vixen.

Josh Lewis

For me, there is no Reva Shayne without Josh Lewis. The two go hand in hand, and they are the epitome of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts cut off – heaven.

Just like Reva, my most memorable moments of Josh involved the “slut of Springfield” scene. Josh’s reactions to her teasing and taunts are just as powerful in that scene as Reva’s. He was a bitter and paralyzed man who was furious yet so deeply in love because he’d lost Reva – to his father. While I liked Josh well enough, it wasn’t until Reva showed up that his character really connected with me. Josh grew into a dashing hero and was someone I just rooted for.

Similar to Reva, I followed Josh through his many romantic relationships. I did like some romantic pairings outside of Reva, and as a kid, I felt a little guilty – like I was betraying my love of Josh and Reva. However, I always knew that Reva was “the one” for him. I never stopped liking Josh. I might not have liked some of the things he did, but he is one character that continued to bring me joy when watching.

Vanessa Chamberlain

If Reva Shayne was the “slut of Springfield,” then Vanessa Chamberlain was the lady to Reva’s tramp. Oh, Vanessa wasn’t a pure and perfect woman by any means. She did her share of man chasing but in a way that was different from the more flashy and flamboyant Reva Shayne. Vanessa managed to exhibit elegance and grace in the way she carried herself. I always felt like I was watching royalty whenever she was on my screen. Perhaps the fur coats, high heels, and fabulous jewelry had something to do with it as well.

While Vanessa was on my radar, I can’t say I was truly a big fan of hers until she got involved with Harlan “Billy” Lewis. Billy’s “rough and uncouth” cowboy ways tamed the shrew, which was something I enjoyed watching every second of. Billy might have been different from her world of sophistication and class, yet I think that’s what made him so appealing to Vanessa in the end. Watching Vanessa battle and ultimately succumb to her attraction is what endeared her to me. I felt like her love for Billy changed her and made me see her in a different light.

Although Vanessa would eventually separate from Billy, I kept watching my favorite sophisticated lady. Like Josh and Reva, I always wanted Vanessa back with Billy…until Matt Reardon. Honestly, I never felt like Billy Lewis had true competition for Vanessa’s heart until Matt entered the picture.

During this time, my interest in Guiding Light was waning a bit, and I wasn’t keeping up as much with the show. It was the promo for Matt and Vanessa that intrigued me and made me a more faithful watcher. Before cougar story lines became popular, Vanessa was one of the first female characters to fall for and marry a younger man. Unlike many current cougar story lines, Vanessa’s relationship with Matt was told in a way that made you feel like these two were truly, deeply in love. I know some Vanessa and Billy fans might stone me, but I would have preferred Vanessa and Matt sailing off into the sunset as a couple when Guiding Light ended. Vanessa and Matt’s story line remains as one of my favorites on the Guiding Light. Nevertheless, I understand why the show paired Vanessa and Billy back together. It makes sense to reunite Vanessa with the man who tamed her for any other man afterwards.

The Dimming of the Light

After the Matt and Vanessa romance, I tuned out of Guiding Light. At the time, I was watching a number of soap operas outside of the CBS network. Shows like Days of Our Lives and One Life to Live had captured my interest. Because of the number of soap operas I was watching in the 1990s, I had to cut out the underperformers. As a result, Guiding Light became a casualty. I wasn’t completely out of the loop on what occurred on the show, however. Around the time I tuned out, both of my younger brothers were still tuning in. They would fill me in on some of the characters I grew up watching, so I wasn’t living in a complete void when it came to Guiding Light. Although both brothers encouraged me to watch one particular story line – Phillip Spaulding and Harley Cooper – I never did. By the late 1990s, I felt confident that I would not watch Guiding Light again.

A Surprising Return & the Extinguishing of the Light

If you’ve been a follower of my blog for several months, then you’re aware that one story line (Otalia) brought me back to Guiding Light in January 2009. Before I started watching again, I knew that the Guiding Light I left behind in the early 1990s was not the same show. I had heard many things about Guiding Light’s much maligned “reality TV” production model. I was mentally prepared for the change, and I knew it was going to be different. However, I still couldn’t help but be a bit shocked at the show’s look when I started watching again. The hand cameras and lack of sets of Guiding Light’s production model bothered me for many months. I admittedly struggled with the production model (until portions of it clicked with me in late summer 2009). I just tried to ignore the look and feel of the show, and I wanted to focus on the stories.

I enjoyed getting caught up on what happened to the characters/families I remembered – the Coopers, the Lewises, the Spauldings, etc. I also discovered new characters that I was unaware of like Bill Lewis, Lizzie Spaulding, Dinah Marler, and James Spaulding. Alas, just as I was settling into Guiding Light again, CBS announced that it was cancelled on April 1, 2009.

The cancellation announcement wasn’t a shocker to me. I was aware that Guiding Light had been struggling shortly after I stopped watching in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the actual cancellation notice was sad when I heard about it. Aside from the fact that the show played a large part of my childhood, there are some ironic coincidences with Guiding Light’s cancellation and death on the airwaves.

I talked about how my maternal grandmother is the reason why I watched soap operas. Oddly enough, some key things really strike a personal note with me regarding Guiding Light and my grandmother.

Ironic Coincidence #1

I stopped watching the Guiding Light full time in (late) 1993. In 1993, my maternal grandmother died of a massive heart attack.

Ironic Coincidence #2

Guiding Light’s cancellation was announced in April 2009. My maternal grandmother died in the month of April – the 16^th to be exact.

Ironic Coincidence #3

At 72 years old, Guiding Light was extinguished from the airwaves and it died. My maternal grandmother died when she was 72 years old.

These ironic coincidences are another saddening factor in Guiding Light’s demise for me. While I had disagreements with the show since July 2009 and I was dissatisfied with many aspects of story lines, it is still sad to see it die. When I saw the words “The End” on the last episode, it really hit me that I will never see a new episode of Guiding Light again. It was a sobering moment to realize that an American institution is dead.

I mourn the loss of a show that played an important part of my childhood. I will especially miss old Guiding Light characters that I grew up watching. I will miss new characters that I enjoyed once I returned to the show. I will miss getting angry when the show did something to annoy me. I will miss feeling happy when the show did something I loved.

To everyone who was involved with Guiding Light over the decades, I want to simply say thank you. Good luck, God speed, and goodbye.

Tags: entertainment, guiding light, review, tv

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 20th, 2009 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Commentary, In the News, Life, Play, Reviews. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.