Guiding Light December 23, 1987

[@notgivinup]

This was my mother's absolute FAVORITE soap opera in the world. She watched it faithfully every day since it first came on TV. She would stop everything when it came on at 2:00 in the afternoon. She's passed away now but what caught my attention was the date this episode originally aired, December 23rd, her birthday. Watching this for you mom. Love and miss you. 💕❤

[@Laura-tp8wz]

Blessings

[@notgivinup]

@@Laura-tp8wz That was very nice of you, thank you! 🙏🏻 💕

[@baconbap]

Kathleen Cullen as Amanda was my all time favorite character on Guiding Light. I watched for 43 years.

[@1976mcil]

These scenes with the original Amanda (Kathleen Cullen) are priceless! The series lost a great dramatic actress when she left the show.

[@DLFfitness1]

I loved the writing and cast during this period.

[@leanajeanlouis2396]

Watching theses CLASSIC SOAP EPISODES is amazing Oh My Goodness how time have gone by look at the Clothing and the woman's hair styles during that Era it was stylish back then I can sit down and watch classic soaps all Day😍!

[@bleuskye8124]

Cassie De Paiva. ❤ Her. Grant Alexander what a hunk . So many fabulous actors.

[@alexandriadee7648]

I love that you decided to keep the commercials in, retromercials I call them!

[@rodneywaller8036]

Me too they bring BK so many memories

[@rodneywaller8036]

Cbs spirit oh yeah I remember it like it was yesterday

[@kathyloan8527]

I have a facebook xmas tradition with a friend of posting HB's Christmas story. We take turns every year. It always lead me down a rabbit hole of watching other Christmases and associated shows. It's how I spend my holiday weekend. I miss Springfield.

[@ElizabethMireles217]

I need to find that! ❤

[@rodneywaller8036]

Omg I'm loving the old. Commercials

[@ritagreenlaw8923]

Sarah was a kind and understanding Mom to her kids.

[@BLACKDAHLIA2609]

Ross alone at Christmas??? i'm coming!! OH ROSS YOU'RE ARE SO PERFECT!!!

[@ingridschier1771]

Best Serie forever

[@kaylalindblom628]

Rip Peter Scolari

[@househeadericmd]

Wow Michelle Forbes (Sonni) was still on GL and past all that crazy stuff. Such a great actress. So glad she shows up quite often on tv and cable series. Such a huge talent!!

[@anthonyaustin3370]

Michelle’s crazy stuff hasn’t even started. She’d only been on GL a few months.

[@albertlyons1042]

Such a great actress! Even if sci-fi isn't your thing, look up her stint as Helena Cain on the Battlestar Galactica reboot.

[@JohnBoy918]

Alan's statement about Alexandra gallavanting around Europe while Amanda was growing up is a good example of soap writers forgeting a show's history. Because Alan didn't even know Amanda was his daughter until Amanda was already a grown woman in her early twenties.

[@baconbap]

I thought the same thing.

[@lmdmn1645]

Then new writers made Amanda be Alan's half sister! And with the new actress they made Amanda much younger too!

[@MichaelJosephRojas]

Thanks for posting, I am more familiar with the show from the mid 90s onward, it is always fun to get a look at more of the show. I love that Ed and Maureen brought into continuity via their conversation the story of the original radio program The Guiding Light with Reverend Rutledge and the light in the window. How special!

[@Tigger97498]

This is great I had never seen these Amanda scenes!

[@nyc78]

Reva looks very 1980s! Lol at Alexandra baking a fruitcake!

[@ritagreenlaw8923]

Michelle Bauer was so cute.

[@JulianneRemley-l2q]

Loved this show I grew up watching this show

[@hanselbaker179]

I enjoyed the storyline concerning Lucille dominating Amanda and letting Amanda believe that Lucille was Amanda's mother.

[@HunterWrangler]

Phillip was adorable!!

[@greenbrown7776]

Tina Sloane was a stunningly attractive woman who I felt should be in roles as a social sophisticate. But on Another World and Guiding Light, her characters were medical types (doctor on AW, nurse on GL) and kind of dowdy.

[@iwillstom]

Gosh the Cedars set was huge back then.

[@sheriheffner2098]

I'm used to the actors who played Alan and Alexandra and Dinah after these people left.

[@liamhen]

When Dinah and Amanda were nice. lol

[@keeganthorpe]

liamhen the writers completely changed these characters when they brought them back in the late 90’s as total bitches. It’s like they needed some bad girls and just picked them. Completely forgetting their history.

[@frankcheers7529]

And Dinah was at least 15 years older than she should be.

[@joannakapsha4199]

I love and miss guiding light. It was the best in the 80s and 90s. I like this Dinah, but I liked Wendy Moniz portrayal. I felt bad they made Roxie permanently mentally insane. I like Chelsea but am in the only one that thinks she can't sing? To each their own I guess.

[@CaliforniaGuy888]

I did like Chelsea’s singing 😀

[@kristinazubic9669]

@@CaliforniaGuy888 she sang a lot as Blair Cramer Manning 😊

[@bluerose8508]

@pdilley You're welcome:) I liked Toby Poser, but making Amanda the The Malibu Madam made no sense at all.

[@nicoleackerman205]

She should have been Victoria Spaulding child.

[@sylvesterquast9906]

"Reva bend" sounded so suggestive 😱

[@keys1125]

I started watching the show in the 2000s so, wow all these couples I never knew about! Lillian and Reva's dad, Dinah and Alan Michael, Alex and HB mind blown!

[@sylvesterquast9906]

Johnny was sick for what seemed like 30 years 🤣

[@kimberlywiederhold627]

When Amanda was growing up her last name was Wexler and she had no idea Alan was her father.

[@rosiejase]

I wonder whether Josh loved Sonni as much as Reva loved Kyle. Reva loved her some Kyle

[@mimismom5464]

Big bangs and hair bows!

[@ritagreenlaw8923]

I love Roxy and Johnny together.

[@rick0e295]

I fondly recall watching GL with my Mother when it was 15 minutes each day (in the early 50s). Watched it whenever possible until the not so grand finale. Unfortunately it's demise was only another step toward TV flooded by so called reality, game, and insipid talk shows! Have to admit ALAN and ALEXANDRA were always my favorite disfunctional siblings!

[@bluerose8508]

@sneezyize I've posted everything I currently have from 1987/1988. Hopefully munecojim has some more to post b/c I'd love to see some more of Sonni/Solita too.

[@grendizer17]

Thanks for sharing! I wonder if and where I could find all GL eps concerning Roxie and Johnny together.

[@la73sh19]

"I already visited the cemetery..." I almost forgot, that Beth was presumed dead, then!! :o

[@sheriheffner2098]

I guess this is supposed to be when Beth was "dead".

[@gibranlewis7300]

This must be one of the only back-in-the-day scenes of Amanda and Alexandra together. I was never even certain the original actresses had been in any shared scenes. I do wish they had made Alexandra less antipathetic towards Amanda and Vicki Spaulding ; it was out of character for her to be mean without cause to any of her relatives, and I put the onus squarely on the writers.

[@hshawn00]

Wow, you described Alexandra perfectly and summed up the problem with the character later on. She was never mean without a cause. I love how she took to Beth, Harley, and others that had less than her. However, if you crossed her, as poor Mindy found out and Roger, it was definitely hell to pay. She was definitely a Spaulding through and through but only when you gave her a cause, especially family.

[@hshawn00]

I also think they made her unsymphathetic to Amanda when the character returned in the form of Tobey Poser, to help drive home the fact that Amanda was villainous. It's a heavy handed tactic writers use sometime when they think the audience is too dumb to figure out the character is the bag guy. It's a classic example of telling instead of showing. All the characters hate him/her so she's the bad one.

[@gibranlewis7300]

@@hshawn00 I actually would have been okay with it IF the writers had been less lazy and actually had Alexandra at least give Amanda both a chance and fair warning. Amanda came to do Alan's dirty work, and Alexandra saw that, but, considering everything Amanda had been through and knowing she only wanted Alan's approval, they could have had Alexandra express that understanding up front, and compassionately but firmly warn her that she was on a path both thankless and dangerous: I think back to the empathetic lessons on Roger Alexandra, as played by Marj, gave to Jenna Bradshaw back in the early 90s, all without ever losing her tough as adamant edge. The writers damaged the story and Alex herself by having her start off petty, instead of having her build to the dire but mostly-justifiable wrath that Alexandra was known for. One cool plus was hearing how much Beverlee and Marj really did sometimes sound very much alike, which parts of this scene display nicely.

[@hshawn00]

@@gibranlewis7300 I agree with everything you said. Yes, I always noticed the resemblance in Marj and Beverly's voices. That really helped me accept Marj as Alexandra a lot faster and the fact that I was a big fan of Marj from Capitol and as Blair's mom on the Facts of Life. At this point in the show, some of the writing was very lazy. I think this was during Megan Mctavish's tenure which for the most part, I enjoyed her stories even the extremely dark Brent/Marianne story. Also, many writers don't really understand characters that they didn't create or they don't do enough research. While Alexandra did become very villainous after Roger and Mindy's betrayal, it was justified and understandable add to that, Nick showed up and she had to deal with learning that she had been robbed of another son. Later on, she was just nasty to be nasty. I still think she was very unfair to Olivia and the writers start to write her as if her motivation was that she was threatened by any new woman in Alan's life.

[@gibranlewis7300]

@@hshawn00 Oh, the voice was essential. The voice was a HUGE part of me being able to embrace Marj's Alexandra, though certainly she had a number of other winning traits that proved vital to the role. Alexandra Spaulding without the epic, husky, lower octave voice would be like Darth Vader voiced by Woody Allen instead of by James Earl Jones!! I didn'tsee Alexandra as villainous with the Roger and Mindy thing; avenging, but not evil. I also felt she was, with a few exceptions in the stunts department, mostly still properly Alexandra with Olivia, who was a scheming harlot type who prided herself on business savy and really needed to be put in line by the shows OG Dragon lady: where things went off the track for me was the whole drug thing, both drugging Alan and the drug dealing, and shame on Paul Rauch for that and whomever else was responsible. They also didn't do as much with her corporate brilliance in those last years of the show as she really deserved, which still offends.

[@sylvesterquast5832]

guiding light died along with Micheal zaslow

[@cindycraig5701]

When it first came out, I should say

[@fousies]

Missed Rusty, Roxie and Trish

[@heatherturnbow5639]

Liz Taylor’s son the tall skinny dark haired man he played on there for quite some time I grew up watching these soaps my daughter was about 6 weeks old when this episode aired…. Oh so long ago but yet in someways not so long ago

[@Brandyebee]

Alan Michael is my type .

[@sheriheffner2098]

It's been years and I want to know which actress is playing Amanda

[@aphillyate1]

The Bauer family being in the C story of the day tells you the state of GL.😢

[@misipigirl_7781]

Uhm is it me or at 18:12 when Moe handed Johnny his much appreciated mulled cider did he really reach down and so casually scratch his one eyed snake and really think that NO ONE in the world would notice?! 😂😂😂 I had to watch it 3 times to make sure I wasn't seeing things!

[@jeanniesbeanies9900]

Misipi Girl_77 i saw that! 😨

[@greenbrown7776]

He went in for quick adjustment or scratch. For sure

[@Brad81980]

Didn’t catch that originally but, I did NOW😂

[@sheriheffner2098]

He sure did.

[@Robansuefarm]

It's always a better time when Rusty was there. He was my favorite Shayne by far. Sonni another one of Josh's wives before he drove her crazy. I hated when Will Jefferies was with Mindy. I think the Lewis Oil-Spaulidng Enterprises merger was a terrible idea. I didn't really care for A-M-Dinah as a couple, but this Dinah was OK. That Henry filler line "I remember your grandmother wearing it." Nice detail. This Amanda was always smart once she grew up, took her long enough.

[@hshawn00]

Josh drove all of his wives crazy except for Reva unless you count when she drove her car off the bridge!

[@sheriheffner2098]

​@@hshawn00" I'M COMIN' JOSHUA!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@hshawn00]

​@@sheriheffner2098Yes!😂

[@nicoleackerman205]

Abby from The 100 played Dinah.

[@Robansuefarm]

16:51 toddler Michelle That must be the heart attack he had over the Bauer BBQ earlier this year. "Family working for family." That campaign is worked into the Manny fanfic "Public Relations."

[@MsShadyShade]

I'd forgotten all about the Alan/Vanessa thing.

[@la73sh19]

Amen, to writers' selective memories, rapidly aging characters, and characters who've mysteriously returned, from the Fountain of Youth!! It only gets worse, after the turn of the new century, too. Alan-Michael & Marina?? Excuse me, but didn't Alan-Michael actually believe he'd FATHERED the baby, who would be named Marina, for at least Eleni's first two trimesters?! Suddenly, they're about 5 years apart, and he's got no qualms about sleeping with her...interesting.... Daisy/Susan and James...they were step-siblings, for awhile, and, had Jim Lemay not perished, in a house fire, they still WOULD be. Come senior year, they're hooking up. Nice one, guys, lol.

[@keeganthorpe]

Lara Shaw you’re exactly right. They brought back Amanda 10 years after this and she was about only 35 years old. They even had A.C. Mallet and Marina together towards the end! They had Dinah with Shayne! I grew up watching the show but around 2005 it just became ridiculous. I would only watch if I was home for a holiday. And they would turn good characters like Dinah and Amanda into bitches for the hell of it when they brought them back in the late 90’s. It’s almost as if all the writers had never heard of the show or didn’t get a brush up on the history.

[@nicoleackerman205]

Marina with her aunts ex husband's and her mom's ex husband was disgusting. Alan Michael could have been her daddy he was married to her aunt Harley, her aunt Lucy, and her mom. Then she married Mallet who was married to Harley. Don't get me started on Daisy she was a teenager twice and when most kids on soaps go to boarding school they come back older with a college degree. She came back younger. Yes and I remember when six year old Shane thought Dinah was gross because she smoked and she was like 24.

[@nicoleackerman205]

No Rick Hearst did not come back he was on General Hospital at the time it was another recast.

[@nicoleackerman205]

I don't know about Alan Michael but Dinah, Shanye, and Mallet were on contract when they were brought back in the 2000's.

[@iwillstom]

Lara Shaw They had some really skeevy parings near the end and Marina and Alan-Michael were about the limit. I’d forgotten about Marina and Mallet and I didn’t even know they put Susan and James together. Lizzie and Bill didn’t even make sense to me since they were different age groups.

[@shawfest]

Alan Micheal, Amanda, Alexandra, and Diana were all nicer back then.

[@brendalockhart6322]

I forgot all about Reva Family especially her mother

[@albertlyons1042]

Do people really wait until Christmas Eve to put up their Christmas tree?!

[@Robansuefarm]

1:00 Commercials end, Great Bauer family Christmas. Love happy Maureen & Ed. Glad Rick wants nothing to do with Johnny. I hated him. Glad A-M is back. One of the many times A-M and Phillip were at odds. Chelsea looks horrible. Looks like the Lewis family is having a great year too. Oh good Johnny is having trouble, did I mention I never liked him at all. Looks like 1987 wasn't a good fashion year for Reva either. Alright that's a good line. "You Shayne women take my breath away."

[@CarlD2]

@JohnBoy918 GL had so many writers (I think there were 5 in this timeframe), and no continuity. And of course later on we find out that Alex had known for many many years that Amanda was actually Alan's sister. Nonsense.

[@keeganthorpe]

K Pryde I hated that turn/storyline in the history of the show. You just can’t do that.

[@CaliforniaGuy888]

@bluerose8508 not only was she a 'madam' with Matt Reardon as one of her employees, but Amanda also lost about 10 years in age! That was laughable. There was a line where she said something about having a crush on Ross as a young/little girl. Now, I know soaps use SORAS to age children but it's rare for soaps to shave off a decade

[@sheriheffner2098]

They did that on B&B when they brought back a younger Taylor. I liked her but apparently nobody else liked it so the dumped the actress.

[@galveston]

Dear God I had forgotten Dinah was normal once upon a time…why did she turn you into a psycho?

[@Robansuefarm]

Dinah and Vanessa are both beautiful. Oh look at Little Billy toddling along. Isn't he cute. I actually liked Lillian and Hawk. Baby Marah is pretty cute too. Reva's awful fashion crime doesn't extend to her pants. They are good. Papa Bauer reference! Now Bert. ♥ 34:00 Bauer family scene including Guiding Light explanation. Alan wasn't around when Amanda was growing up either. If I ran a soap every faked photo like that would be offered to fans. Never liked Alan-Vanessa. Truly hated Rose.

[@sheriheffner2098]

I never liked Beverlee McKinsey. I don't know why. I liked the actress that played Blair Warners mother on The Facts Of Life Better

[@shawnhenderson3350]

@@sheriheffner2098 Something is seriously wrong with you

[@corduerorose9747]

Release when i was 7 days old

[@Robansuefarm]

Hot and romantic were exactly what Mindy and Rusty were, and they NEVER really got a shot. It was a waste.

[@allthingsreva]

Do you have any Guiding Light episodes from October or Nov 1987?

[@michaelmaloney3584]

HOW in the name of Irna Phillips did they let Kathleen Cullen walk out the door after these two episodes? They were losing Maeve in a week or two. Why not keep Amanda around, have her romance Ross, and be a power player in Phillip's takeover? Face palm emoji.

[@1976mcil]

is this kathleen cullen's last appearance on the show ?

[@tomtrout6593]

I think it was. When the Texas team took over they wrote off Everyone the audience loved and replaced them with all new characters. Totally sucked how they destroyed the show. It’s a shame they didn’t rehire Kathleen Cullen as Amanda. She had so much potential and they ruined it.

[@baconbap]

@@tomtrout6593 she was an excellent actress.

[@baconbap]

They made a huge mistake letting her go.

[@larrycarter3593]

That's not the first Dinah

[@dillengerleanardoloronzomarche]

WLAYSLOVE DHTEORGINALAXADRA IWSHHSEHADPUSNHES MINYOUTINTHEJAW IASHERSTEFIELD W SHTEBES TBLAKE MYMOETHSFAVETE HSWOINHTEWORLD ADTESEOCNDBESTWASSTHEOWLDTURES SHERYSTINGLFIENSHOULHAVESTYAONUITLLITCLOSEIWSHSERYSFIGNFIELDWOUGETLOTAOTFHAAMRKMIVESNALIFTEIMESMIVE SIWSHSEHADBEOCM ABIGHOLYOWODSTAROSENTSEMTHAT WYA HELEFTNYDAFERONESEAN ADNTENWENTONTHERESHWO

[@stylinsue535]

I hated Rose too.... I hated it more that they paired her up with Rusty,,, Mindy and Rusty were hot together... but they had to bring inrose.. cause mindy and rusty were becoming BIGGER than josh and reva.. and that couldnt happen...God forbid.

[@barihope]

I liked rusty and rose!

[@iwillstom]

I was 7 years old and I hated Rose! 😂 Mindy and Rusty was the first couple I ever shipped.

[@rosiejase]

Mindy and Rusty could never be as powerful as Josh and Reva. No couple in daytime could, except maybe Luke and Laura

[@hanselbaker179]

I loved Guiding Light very much. I enjoyed the storyline of Christine being involved with Johnny. Ariane Munker was great as Christine. Audrey Peters was great as Sarah Shayne. She was also great as Vanessa Sterling on Love Of Life. The late great Audrey Peters, you are forever missed. RIP Audrey Peters.

[@JAB6656]

​​@@hanselbaker179It was a great day when Audrey Peter's and Mary Stuart (Meta) showed up on GL. True soap royalty.