Springfield story
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Springfield story |
| Original title | Guiding light |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 1937–1956 (radio) 1952–2009 (TV) |
| length | 1937–1952: radio soap 1952–1968: 15 minutes 1968–1977: 30 minutes 1977–2009: 60 minutes |
| Episodes | 18,262 |
| genre | Soap opera |
| idea | Irna Phillips |
| First broadcast | Jan 25, 1937 (radio) June 30, 1952 (TV) on CBS |
| German-language first broadcast |
May 26, 1986 on RTLplus |
| occupation | |
| |
Springfield Story (original title: (The) Guiding Light ) leads the list of the longest television series as the world's longest running soap opera with a running time of 72 years (initially 15 years of which exclusively as a radio soap) . The series ended on the September 18, 2009 episode on CBS. In Germany, the series was broadcast for a total of 13 years.
Guiding Light in the USA
The Guiding Light is one of the oldest soap operas and the longest running Procter & Gamble production worldwide. The endless series began as a radio broadcast on January 25, 1937 on NBC ; At the beginning, the series focused on a helpful pastor, who uses a lamp in the window to indicate that he is at home and that people can come to him with their worries and needs. This "groundbreaking light" gave the series its title, which was retained when other characters came to the fore.
On June 30, 1952, the series ran on the American network CBS for the first time on television. In the early years it was broadcast for 15 minutes. From 1968 the episodes were extended to 30 minutes and in November 1977 they were extended to 60 minutes.
The show is in the Guinness Book of Records as it is the longest-produced show in the world. The 15,000. Episode of the soap aired in the US on September 7, 2006. As of February 29, 2008, The Guiding Light was no longer recorded using the multi-camera method for cost reasons . Instead, a handheld digital video camera was used to film. The traditionally used film set was replaced by 4-wall sets and a large part of the scenes from the last year of the series was shot in New Jersey under the open sky.
Guiding Light was finally discontinued in 2009 due to a lack of quotas. The last episode (episode 15.762) aired on September 18, 2009.
Springfield Story in Germany
Under the title Springfield Story , the series was broadcast in Germany from May 26, 1986 by the private broadcaster RTLplus (later RTL ), initially in the afternoon program around 5 p.m. RTLplus began broadcasting episode 8258 of the original series from 1979, so that the consequences of the German broadcast were about eight years behind those of the US broadcast. Over the years, the time slot was pushed forward so that the series could be seen in the morning program at 9:15 a.m. in 1999.
On September 17, 1999, the broadcast of the Springfield Story was stopped after a total of 3278 episodes broadcast, despite sometimes violent audience protests. Up until July 2005, Springfield Story was the series with the most episodes broadcast in Germany; it was replaced by RTL's own production Gute Zeiten, Bad Zeiten .
Some of the episodes could also be seen from 1996 to 2000 on the tm3 channel . The broadcaster Tele 5 has acquired the rights to broadcast the new episodes of the Springfield Story, but has not yet exercised its right.
Some plot lines of the episodes broadcast in Germany
The main focus of the episodes broadcast in Germany were the stories about the rich and powerful Spaulding family clan, the Lewis family clan who own an oil company and the Chamberlains family clan. But the middle class, embodied for example by the Irish-born Reardon family or the German-born Bauer family, is of great importance in the series.
Some important figures from the episodes broadcast in Germany
- Alan Spaulding: Head of the family business Spaulding Enterprises. In choosing his means, he does not shy away from illegal business either. After one of his dark businesses threatens to be discovered, he goes into hiding while his family thinks he is dead. After three years he suddenly reappears.
- Alexandra Spaulding: sister of Alan. Has a big secret, namely an illegitimate son. One day she hires her lawyer Ross Marler to find her son, whom she had to leave behind with the child's father under pressure from her father Brandon. It's Lujack Luwanajack, the leader of a youth gang: the Galahads.
- Brando "Lujack" Luwanajack: First the leader of a youth gang, then he learns that his mother, whom he thought was dead, is Alexandra Spaulding. After initial difficulties, he is able to accept her, renounces his criminal past and builds a civic existence with his great love Beth Raines after he was innocent in prison for murder.
Web links
- Guiding in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official website at CBS ( Memento of April 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- Soapcentral.com: Site with background information and biographies of the characters