Guiding Light: 2002 opening featuring Joan Collins

[TimsDale4ever]

I wasn't watching the show at this time but I do remember this opening -- then I tuned in a few months later and it was gone. I remember thinking at the time that had to be the shortest run of a daytime opening in the history of television. It was so very sad to me to watch this once mighty show die that slow death. I remember around Christmas eve 2008 I watched it to see what was happening and it honesly was the worst (by a long shot) hour of TV ever. Wheeler f'd up this show but good!

[voyage2k]

God, this was the BEST opening of the modern GL era.... :)

[themirrorsofmymind]

Somebody called this the 'lozenges' opening!

[Brandon1921219]

2002 was the last good year 4 Guiding Light. It But in my opinion, Paul Rauch started 2 destroy the show in his later years as EP

[poosandabbey]

I agree. This was the last great time for GL. I LOVED Caren!! It is sad, but in reality, it was the writers who did these shows in. First GL and now ATWT. So sad ...

[Igenerally]

@poosandabbey SO true unlike ATWT the writing on GL definetly killed the show more than anything else. This was GL's last well produced opening theme. GL's and ATWT's could easily return in a new venue of media perhaps it's time for daytime serials to go strictly to either cable outlets or the internet itself? Obviously the support for these shows has been sabotaged by uncaring network execs.

[86am]

I agree this was the last good year of Guiding Light. I gave it up in 2005. I didn't even watch the final episode.

[TDKD1990]

I love this opening it seemed like they were on amusment park ride

[KINGDOMoftheORION]

lol @ flying hard candies

[stringoflies]

garbage... nothing compares to the mid 90's.

[mjguz]

she may not have been as popular but nicole forester could act CIRCLES around laura wright. i miss this show!

[laminage]

Although it's past the fact, I would have loved to have seen an Opening Sequence with Rafe Daisy & Ashlee, and Olivia Natalia with Emma. Christina with Remy and Mel & Cyrus.

[musicaldramaqueen]

What the? Are those flying hard candies or are they...oh wait, light house lenses?

[fanmail59]

Amazing openings were always trademarks of P&G soaps until recently. They made the same mistake changing the Another World and ATWT themes from glitzy and iconic to dull and desperate.

[OceanKingNY]

This was an excellent opening sequence, and it's hard to understand why it lasted less than a year. It was a nice successor to "Hold On To Love" (which, although perfect, was a bit played-out after 11 years). And this version is certainly superior to any of the openings that they have used since.

[bored155]

good opening, but why did cassie get her own bubble? memo to daytime: LW is a joke.

[GLDaily]

Don't see why people go crazy for her, I thought Nicole Forrester blew her portrayal away and the emmy nomination backs that up IMO.

[gct89]

maybe people go crazy for her because she is a very talented actress. Nicole Forrester just didnt have the on screen chemistry that Laura Wright had with the other characters no wonder the shows ratings slid after she left

[DegrassiInstantStar]

@gct89 i feel like, IMO, Nicole was more Cassie than Laura. I love LW as Cassie, but I seemed to like NF as the character, until she got needy for Josh.

[SoapsGoldenAge]

@DegrassiInstantStar I agree--she was a better Cassie. Laura's a fine actress, but Nicole had more emotion, seemed younger and grittier like Reva's sister. PS: I think GL began a slow decline when Demorest-Curlee-Sheffer stopped workign together. Even though it was "reva-less" it was a great show and intertwined stories wonderfully. After that writing trio left, it had moments of greatness, but never sustained.

[anthonymolchan]

The first version had Cassie with Richard. After Richard was killed, Cassie had no love interest for awhile (they flirted with Cassie/Danny while he was "dead"), so Laura Wright was solo in her bubble.

[Wiltenor1]

Cassie was originally in a bubble with Richard. They had to change it when the character of Richard was killed off, I believe.

[GLDaily]

I miss this opening, nice theme, nice visuals. Why they replaced it with that god-awful movie maker one I'll never know.

[Zenutheduck]

This was an incredible opening and nice to see a "full one," after they had used a very shortened version of their previous one for years!

[anielloefrancesca]

It is a lovely opening!!!! I knew only the italian one!!

[wedge8874]

I thought this was a great opening, but I don't know what they were thinking cost-wise. Putting people together is silly, because couples break up and people leave or get recast. I think this didn't last because it probably cost too much to keep changing the opening. They should've done 2 openings and had people be alone. Too bad, because this one was good.

[Oakdalian]

I agree, though they could have saved the opening they had by keeping couples together longer than a month. ATWT made the same mistake with their 2007 update. This one has a good theme, too.

[HawkgirlAndHerMase]

I love Millee Taggart's storytelling. I hated when sshe felt she had to go.

[mikeyb2049]

Millee Taggart was an awesome head writer. I believe she was let go from the show. I still can't figure out why because the show was good then, no cloning or time travel storylines and surely none of the mess that's going on with the show today. I wish they'd bring back Millee and Nancy Curlee as co-head writers and ANYBODY else other than Ellen Wheeler as the Executive Producer. She has ruined this once great program!

[mikeyb2049]

This is actually the last decent opening of the show and the last time the show was decent. When Millee Taggart (then-head writer) was fired from the show and I believe Ellen Weston was hired as head writer (somebody correct me if I'm wrong) it was the beginning of the end of the show especially with the current regime of EP Ellen Wheeler and HW David Kriezman!

[LoyalPadme]

I think I remember this opening, I was really into the show around this time. I also remember Carmen and Edmund, but I haven't heard about either of those characters in a good long while. Does anyone know what happened to them? I heard Carmen is in a coma somewhere. I agree with you about your comment by the way, and is it just me or is the "new" way the show is shot wierd? I don't care much for the on location style, but I'm still willing to try and tune in just to see what happens, lol. Peace!

[mikeyb2049]

I can't stand the location style filming on the show. What's even worse is the writing. I could get used to the outdoor and the jumpy-cam shots, if the stories were better. Since 2002, the writing has gotten worse and worse until now it's unwatchable. It's so nice to see some old clips and remember how great this soap used to be.

[LoyalPadme]

My thoughts exactly! Besides the Blair Witch/Cloverfield photography we have some wierd stories going on. Characters are acting, well, out of character, lol. In my opinion at least...hey, may be the writers from Passions are trying to write for Guiding Light XD Oh dear god I hope not!

[mikeyb2049]

I totally agree with what you said about the characters acting out of character. The writing on the show is the worst I've ever seen on it. I could stand the new filming version if there were some decent storylines on the show. I feel for the actors and crew on the show. It can't be fun to work there anymore especially the ratings are at an all time low. CBS needs to step in and do something like fire David Kriezman, head writer and especially the hacker producer Ellen Wheeler.

[LoyalPadme]

Agreed! I'm into it right now only in the hopes of seeing couples that were pretty much happily together restored. Josh and Riva: That's a long and awsome relationship, but really who the hell decided he should play swap the sister and go off with Cassie (who cheated on him anyway)? The Bill/Remmy thing: don't even get me started...it's enough to make me groan in frustration. Other than things like that, I think I could tolerate it.

[Dreamz19]

I thought that the Fall/Winter of 05 opening was great. Sadly they took it away for the 70th anniversary opening.

[dapatrick111]

Hey do u know where i can find the song to this movie it sounds really great

[kosmonopolis]

This was a very good opening, the latest one is awful!

[Bluebirdsims]

Well I saw the new one that premiered with the new style of GL today with the debut of the new look, and it was alright, but doesn't feel like a soap. This opening in this video was the final good opening GL had.

[Erndeintro]

Does the ending of this opening remind anybody else of the ending of the 80's versions due to the similar font type?

[Erndeintro]

This was the opening after the classic "scroll of the 90's" opening, right?

[mysky]

Correct.

[sny625]

Visually one of the best and second best musical theme over the shows long history

[adelgado75]

This was a great opening. I don't understand why they got rid of it.  Perhaps the 'focus' groups hated it.

[charlotteguy7]

They need to pick a theme and stick to it. This one is fine.

[RolandTaylorJr]

This was a great theme, and I think it was a shame that these credits only lasted 8 months.

[Bluebirdsims]

To me, this was the last and final good year of the show. The real soap opera years is what counts not all that teen, primetime, predictable junk they feature today.

[aspbitten]

I agree. Millie Taggart wrote for the show at that time, and the show was really good. After she left, the show went downhill quickly. Alexandra as Reva's stalker? I don't think so. The last straw for me was Ben as the Garden of Eden murderer. It made no sense at all. That's when I quit watching.

[CaliforniaGuy888]

SO true SO true....After 2002 the show quickly tumbled. In October 2005, veterans got the pink slip and the show really hasn't recovered.

[sneezyize]

@aspbitten Although I agree that Taggart was the best writer GL had in it's last decade, I do believe she did two things she shouldn't have that might have got her kicked to the can, and another thing that she didn't do that she should have done. The first of those was not having it cleared up for everyone whether Tony had really date raped Marah or not -- I really think there was much lost potential in that lost storyline. The second was keeping the Santos clan around longer than she should

[sneezyize]

@sneezyize have. The other thing I and many others wish she had done but didn't do, was to have it be more hinted at that Gus' mother was none other than Rita Stapleton Bauer (or perhaps going by another married last name by that time, perhaps Rita married attorney Derek Colby or businessman Kyle Sampson off-camera during the time since she had last been on the canvas, 1981, but it's perhaps possible that a deal with Lenore Kasdorf to come back as Rita fell through? But I think a return of

[sneezyize]

@sneezyize Rita to the show at that time, might have been a huge positive jolt to the show -- and think of the history connections and huge storyline possibility that would have provided? I think if Rita had come back at that time, GL might have still been with us to today, but only if Taggart had been allowed to continue to write for the show, despite the two other issues I and others had with her.

[Jaksky3]

how can you say that!!!!? Jonathan, tammy, and lizzie were what made the show . . . well, guiding light!

[healthypanda]

Yeah, it's really bad now but I keep on watching :\