Guiding Light (1960–1969)

The Guiding Light (GL) (known since 1975 as Guiding Light) was a long-running American television soap opera.

Agnes Nixon wanted to see social issues worked into the plot, and set the tone for much of the material used during the 1960s. One story, which involved Bert's battle with uterine cancer gave many female viewers the incentive to see their gynecologists.

In 1965, Nixon left the show to become the headwriter of NBC's Another World, at the behest of her mentor, Irna Phillips, who created both GL and AW.

On March 13, 1967, the show was first broadcast in color. On September 9, 1968, the show expanded from 15 to 30 minutes as did CBS' then other 15 minute daytime drama, Search for Tomorrow. Following the industry trend, the show also switched from broadcasting live to pre-taping in 1968.

The Bauers

The Fletchers and Benedicts and Scotts

The Norrises

Other characters

Later in the decade, in 1966-1967, The Guiding Light was also the first show to regularly feature African American characters, Dr. Jim Frazier and his wife nurse Martha Frazier (played first by Billy Dee Williams and Cicely Tyson and then by James Earl Jones and Ruby Dee).

The decade began with Meta Roberts marrying Bruce Banning, by the mid-1960s, the focus of the show slowly moved to Bill and Bert's children, Mike and Ed. Their lives and loves provided high drama for many years. Other popular characters of the time included Robin Lang Holden. By winter 1960, Mike and Robin were Seniors in high school and were growing more closely romantically. The only thing standing in their way to that continued romance was Robin's stepbrother, Karl Jannings, also a Senior in high school, who himself had romantic feelings for Robin. But Robin's romantic feelings were definitely aimed at her "cousin", Mike Bauer. In spring 1960, Mike proposed marriage to Robin and they got engaged. When Karl found out about this he went and told his mother Ruth and stepfather Mark Holdin, who quickly went to both Bill and Bert Bauer, as well as Meta and Bruce Banning who were all livid at the thought that Mike and Robin would marry well they were still in high school. Bert was the worse, and complained to Meta about how Robin was ending up like Kathy was at the same age, and Bert became like the Gestapo spying on Mike's every move. Mike and Robin having enough of Bert and the adults around them decided to elope in May 1960. Karl also found out about this and with the backing of Ruth got into fights with Mike, and Bert and Bill didn't know what to do, but had to take the young newlyweds into their home with Bert continuing her Gestapo-like policies on to the couple much to the chagrin of Papa Bauer. Tragedy soon struck with the fights between Mike and Karl escalating. On the July 4th holiday 1960, hosted by Meta and Bruce at their penthouse apartment, a drunk Karl picked a fight with Mike on Meta and Bruce's patio where in his defense he shoved Karl really hard with Karl landing head first onto one of Meta and Bruce's patio tables! For a couple of minutes Karl laid there not moving with the back of his head all bloody with no one sure what had happened, Bruce and Dr. Dick Grant checked Karl out and it turned out he was in a coma. Ruth Holden was beside herself, and when the police came, not sure of all the facts, yet, but Mike admitting he had shoved Karl, Mike was arrested for attempted murder. Robin and the Bauers stood by Mike as he went to trial for murdering Karl, after Karl died of his injuries at Cedars hospital. Ruth started to admit that Mike might not have been at fault as Dr. Dick Grant pointed out how much alcohol Karl had consumed that night. Fortunately before the end of the year 1960, Mike was charged and later acquitted of the death of Karl Jannings, when it was proved by his uncle Bruce and Dr. Dick Grant that Karl was way to drunk that night for Mike to have caused most of the damage that killed the young man. Once he was cleared of the death, Mike and Robin's marriage was annulled, by Bert. Mike still felt guilty for letting the tension between him and Karl escalate so much that Karl ended up dead even if he wasn't at fault. So, in January 1961, Mike decided to leave Bill and Bert and move to New York City and to his aunt Trudy and uncle Clyde and attend Columbia University as a pre-law student. Bill, Bert and Papa were happy for Mike, but just as with Robin sad to see him go. In the summer of 1961, Bill and Bert received a letter from Mike stating that he was taking a hiatus from his pre-law studies and moving to Venezuela to work on an oil rig which he would do so until January 1962 when he moved back to the Hollywood Hills home of his parents. Meanwhile, in November 1960, Robin met Alex Bowden an art dealer and art museum owner. After Mike left, Robin married Alex Bowden which surprised many people around her, as Alex had the personality of Svengali. Later after Robin learned how much Alex was as bad as everyone said, and after losing their child in miscarriage she divorced him.

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