Reverend Ruthledge

You're very welcome, Paul. More to come if there's interest.

Thanks! The lamp was last seen with Reverend Paul Keeler who faded away and I assume he took the lamp with him.

The Guiding Light 1947 -6/2/47 thru 6/6/47. First week back after second cancellation. Ned Holden takes Reverend Ruthledge’s friendship lamp to the reverend’s old seminary friend, Rev. Thomas Andrews, in Selby Flats. They discuss Reverend Ruthledge’s death and his wish that Thomas have the lamp. Reverend Andrews gives a sermon at the state prison and an inmate, Roger Barton, takes bitter notice. Roger is released from prison and changes his name to Ray Brandon, setting out to get revenge on the man who set him up to go to prison. Ray stops by Rev. Andrews’ parsonage first. Ray angrily confronts the Reverend, calling him a fraud, and knocks the friendship lamp off the table. Reverend Andrews (who suddenly, inexplicably is now called Reverend Charles Matthews) tries to ease his live-in sister Winifred’s concerns after Ray’s visit. She feels Charles is in danger in the neighborhood they live in. A bitter Ray looks at the parsonage from the window of his new apartment, continuing to vow revenge on Martin McClain, the man who set him up. -6/9/47 thru 8/28/47. Ray tries to rebuild his post-prison life and has trouble looking for work. Ray’s ex-wife, Julie, stops by to see him. Frank, Julie’s current husband, thinks Julie could still be in love with Ray. Roger goes to meet with Rev. Matthews since they will both be speaking at Roger’s graduation ceremony and Charles realizes that Roger is Ray’s son. Charlotte Wilson, a woman who lives at the same boarding house as Ray, comes to him to bum a cigarette and they get to know each other. Ray goes to Roger’s graduation ceremony to see his son graduate, unknown to Roger who thinks Ray is dead. Charlotte’s ex, Larry Lawrence, shows back up at the boarding house which throws Charlotte into a fury. Larry goes to see Dr. McNeill for the cut in his head that Charlotte gave him during their fight and Jonathan realizes that Larry is Tim Lawrence’s brother. Knowing of Larry’s existence and noting the physical similarities of the brothers brings out long-held doubts in Jonathan about whether Clare really loves him or is still in love with Tim. Charlotte starts to leave the boarding house and Selby Flats permanently but is stopped by Ray who reaches her emotionally and who shares with her that he hates somebody and has plans to do something about it. Lost and confused, Charlotte enters the Church of the Good Samaritan where Reverend Matthews finds her and counsels her. Ray learns that Martin will be out of the country for another month but vows to wait till then to get his revenge. After a parole officer comes to the boarding house and asks Charlotte for Roger Barton, Ray confesses to Charlotte that his real name is Roger Barton and that he’s an ex-convict. Charlotte tells him it doesn’t matter to her. Reverend Matthews’ niece, Pamela, comes back to town and goes to work with Jonathan at the Selby Flats Clinic where she meets Larry Lawrence for the first time. Larry calls the McNeill home and leaves a message for Jonathan with Clare. Hearing the caller’s identical voice to Tim’s and hearing him call himself Mr. Lawrence, stuns Clare. Larry turns out to be an opportunist who, upon learning about the McNeills, sees dollar signs. Larry pulls a snow job on Rev. Matthews in order to get in his good graces and score points with Jonathan and Clare. Larry cons Clare by giving her a sob story and acting like he wants to get close to his nephew and the McNeills. Charles and Frank try to persuade Julie to tell Roger the truth about Ray but she refuses. Ray and Roger have a chance encounter and talk, Roger unaware that he’s talking to his father. Julie is horrified to learn that Ray and Roger met but Charles is hopeful that the meeting might stop Ray’s thirst for revenge against Martin. Larry starts to date Pam, which concerns her Uncle Charles. Winifred is even more concerned. Jonathan is jealous of Larry but Clare thinks his true jealousy lies with Tim’s memory. After Charlotte threatens to go to the police if Ray doesn’t drop his plans to kill Martin, Ray lies to her and says he’s changed his mind thanks to her. Ray tries to pull the wool over Charlotte’s and Rev. Matthews’ eyes by saying he’s given up his plans on revenge. Charlotte buys it, Charles doesn’t. Ned goes to the airport to meet Martin and Susan as they land back home after their tour of South America. Martin is warned that Ray’s out of prison, still bitter and claiming that Martin framed him. Martin blows it off. Ray reads the article and learns Martin is back, leaving the interview at a law office Rev. Matthews had set up for him. Ray packs up and moves out of the boarding house. Charles is worried and goes to warn Martin while defending Ray and insinuating that he believes Ray. Frank is left to go pick up Michael and Betty from summer camp as Julie tells him she wants to stay another week in San Francisco with Roger. Upon reading that Martin McClain is back in town, Julie quickly changes her mind and she and Roger catch the first plane back home. Julie is determined to stop Ray from killing Martin. Julie tells Charlotte that she’s decided she wants Ray back and plans to divorce Frank. Charlotte blasts Julie by saying she abandoned Ray and Charlotte is the one that really loves Ray, not Julie. Martin hires a bodyguard because his guilt doesn’t allow him to go to the police. -9/1/47 thru 9/30/47. Ray hangs outside Martin’s bedroom, waiting for the opportune time to kill him. Martin says goodnight to his bodyguard as he leaves and is shocked to find Ray in his bedroom upon his return. Martin pleads for his life while Rev. Matthews prays for Ray at his parsonage. Rev. Matthews tells Julie that if a missing Ray doesn’t appear in a few hours, he’s going to the police because Ray has a gun and has promised to kill Martin for revenge. Julie tells the reverend that she’s decided to leave her husband and children to be with Ray and will tell them as soon as they get back into town. Pam interrupts to tell Rev. Matthews that Ray has shown up at the church. Reverend Matthews counsels Ray Brandon as he has come back to God and stopped himself before he killed Martin McClain. Ray says he wants a new life and is going to give up pursuing a relationship with his ex-wife Julie so she can stay with her husband Frank Collins. Julie, ready to leave her husband and children for Ray, is devastated when Ray tells her he doesn’t want a relationship with her. Julie is even more devastated when Reverend Matthews interrupts with news that Frank and their children, Michael and Betty, have been in a serious car accident. Charles takes Julie to the hospital where Jonathan breaks the news to her that Michael and Betty have died. Charles and Jonathan try to calm Julie. Frank is asking for Julie but Julie can’t face him. Ray is laying down his plans of vengeance on Martin. Ray and Charlotte argue about his involvement with his ex-wife Julie and her current problems. Reverend Matthews talks a reluctant Roger, who blames his mother for the accident, into going to visit Julie at the hospital. Dr. Jonathan McNeill and nurse Pamela Hale try to keep the news from Frank as he lies in his hospital bed that his children were killed in the car accident that put him there. As Pamela tries to dodge Frank’s questions about Michael and Betty, his hysterical wife Julie bursts into Frank’s room yelling that it’s her fault the children were killed. Ray and Charlotte fight when Ray tells her he’s going over to the hospital to see his ex-wife, Julie, who is in the hospital for a nervous breakdown after finding out her children were killed. Roger visits with Frank. Ray and Roger run into each other at the hospital and Roger tells Ray that Frank will be an invalid for life if he survives. Ray decides not to go see Julie. Claire is reminded of Tim as she talks with his brother Larry. Larry figures out that Ray is Roger’s father and that there’s a lot more to Julie’s nervous breakdown. Roger tries to give Frank the will to live. Dr. Jonathan McNeill and Rev. Matthews discuss the car crash that left Frank Collins paralyzed and killed Betty and Michael Collins. Rev. Matthews visits Julie in her hospital room and reminds her that she had planned to leave Frank and the kids to remarry Ray Brandon. He then tells Julie that Frank will be an invalid for life. After Frank Collins’ car accident, Reverend Matthews gives a talk at the high school warning against reckless driving. Roger Collins, the brother of Michael and Betty and adopted son of Frank, is in the audience and stays behind, alone and distraught, after the talk is over. He is approached by Susan McClain and the two meet. A guilty Julie asks Frank for forgiveness and Franks says she should go back home so Roger can join her there. Roger tells Julie he doubts she really cares about Frank. Charlotte tells Ray she got a radio gig. Ray tells Julie that he’s no longer Roger Barton and doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore. Julie threatens to tell Roger that Ray is his father and isn’t dead. Charlotte thinks Ray is still hung up on Julie and Ray tries to prove to Charlotte his love for her. -10/1/47 thru 10/31/47. Julie tells Ray that she had decided before the accident to leave Frank for him and still wants that. Ray is disgusted and tells her she needs to stop being selfish and be there for Frank. Julie threatens to tell Roger that Ray is his father. Ray tells Julie that he’s seen Julie for how she really is, in a new light, and is no longer in love with her. Charlotte doesn’t believe that he’s no longer in love with his ex-wife. Charlotte gets counsel from the reverend and tells him that, even though she’s in love with Ray, she believes he’s still in love with Julie and she won’t be second-best. Frank invites Pamela to be his private nurse at his and Julie’s seaside home called Trail’s End. Roger is starting to resent Julie for her possessiveness over him. Julie slaps Roger, projecting her frustration at not being able to control Ray onto his son. Martin McClain is upset that his daughter Susan has started seeing Roger Collins, the son of Ray Brandon who had tried to kill him. Ray gets jealous of Charlotte’s new agent, Sid Harper. Jonathan gives Frank the news that he’ll be in a wheelchair the rest of his life. Charles tells Frank that Ray doesn’t want to be with Julie but Frank is still willing to step aside. Rev. Matthews tells Ray not to marry Charlotte if he doesn’t love her and Ray tells him to keep out of it. Julie lies to Frank, who is back at Trail’s End now, that she loves him and not Ray. Frank asks Ray to come to him to talk about Julie. Ray lies and says he doesn’t have feelings for Julie anymore. Clare tells Julie that Larry’s appearance has made her confused about her feelings for Larry, Jonathan and her deceased husband Tim. Julie tells Clare that she can’t forget about the man in her past either, says Ray and Charlotte mustn’t marry and insinuates that it might be better if Frank died. Charlotte has a radio audition. Sid thinks she’ll be a star. Ray and Charlotte go to Las Vegas to get married. -11/3/47 thru 11/28/47. The residents of the boarding house throw a reception for Ray and Charlotte when they return from Las Vegas. Charlotte is upset when Larry crashes the party which, in turn, makes Ray angry at Charlotte. Talking to Julie while he waits for Pam to get ready for their date, Larry drops the bomb to Julie that Ray and Charlotte got married. Charles warns Pam that Larry is a user but Pam is defiant and won’t hear it. Frank is depressed and spends all his time cliffside at Trail’s End, staring out over the ocean. Roger is suspicious of Larry’s intentions toward Julie. Roger and Frank both fight with Julie over her trying to make Roger stop seeing Susan. Frank tells Julie he knows she doesn’t want to be tied to a man in a wheelchair and wishes he was dead. Julie tries to use Roger as an excuse to get to Ray. Charlotte heads straight to Trail’s End and reads Julie for filth, letting her know she’s on to her and won’t allow her to try and steal Ray away from her. Charlotte reveals to Rev. Matthews that she has had a history of nervous breakdowns and ended up in a sanitarium twice. Ray gets mad at Charlotte when he learns she went out to the Collins home. Charlotte has a radio audition which allows viewers to write in and vote for her if they want her as a regular. Roger and Susan dream of getting away from her father and his mother and being together. Reverend Matthews gives a Thanksgiving Day sermon. Jonathan suggests Pam stop being Frank’s private nurse so that Frank can become more independent and hopefully snap out of his depression. Frank and Pam, who have become close, say goodbye to each other. -12/1/47 thru 12/31/47. Ray has lunch with Julie and is confused about his past versus his future. Charlotte gets her own radio show and is angry when Ray seems nonchalant about it. Larry Lawrence comes to Land’s End and comforts a distraught Julie. Roger witnesses their interaction, assuming that they’re having an affair. A depressed Frank tells a visiting Jonathan that he wants to be alone in a sanitarium and away from Land’s End. Roger blasts Julie for the way she’s treating Frank and accuses her of having an affair with Larry. Julie goes out to get Frank who is alone in his wheelchair, looking at the view of the ocean. Julie returns, hysterical, saying that Frank had gone off the cliff in his wheelchair. Roger finds Frank’s smashed wheelchair and then his dead body. Roger claims he saw it happen from his upstairs window and claims Julie pushed Frank. Reverend Matthews and Jonathan believe there is no way Julie pushed Frank. Larry stops by Trail’s End and, while the coroner is present, Roger angrily accuses Larry and Julie of plotting to kill Frank and tries to throw Larry out of the house. Charlotte insinuates Julie might have killed Frank to Ray and he slaps her. Pam feels like Larry has been leading her on and is really in love with Julie. She then starts to question a lot more. People are starting to question whether Julie and Larry were having an affair but Rev. Matthews tells Ray that Larry is just an opportunist and he knows that Julie is really in love with Ray. Roger takes off to get away from Julie. Martin calls Julie to look for a missing Susan. Julie tells him Roger is gone too. The police are suspicious that Frank’s death wasn’t an accident. Reverend Matthews gives a Christmas Day sermon. The inquest into Frank’s death is held. Roger and Susan have run off to Mexico and gotten married. Susan talks Roger into going back to Los Angeles. The votes come in in Charlotte’s favor and she has her first radio show on New Year’s Eve.

-6/2/47 thru 6/6/47. First week back after second cancellation. Ned Holden takes Reverend Ruthledge’s friendship lamp to the reverend’s old seminary friend, Rev. Thomas Andrews, in Selby Flats. They discuss Reverend Ruthledge’s death and his wish that Thomas have the lamp. Reverend Andrews gives a sermon at the state prison and an inmate, Roger Barton, takes bitter notice. Roger is released from prison and changes his name to Ray Brandon, setting out to get revenge on the man who set him up to go to prison. Ray stops by Rev. Andrews’ parsonage first. Ray angrily confronts the Reverend, calling him a fraud, and knocks the friendship lamp off the table. Reverend Andrews (who suddenly, inexplicably is now called Reverend Charles Matthews) tries to ease his live-in sister Winifred’s concerns after Ray’s visit. She feels Charles is in danger in the neighborhood they live in. A bitter Ray looks at the parsonage from the window of his new apartment, continuing to vow revenge on Martin McClain, the man who set him up. -6/9/47 thru 8/28/47. Ray tries to rebuild his post-prison life and has trouble looking for work. Ray’s ex-wife, Julie, stops by to see him. Frank, Julie’s current husband, thinks Julie could still be in love with Ray. Roger goes to meet with Rev. Matthews since they will both be speaking at Roger’s graduation ceremony and Charles realizes that Roger is Ray’s son. Charlotte Wilson, a woman who lives at the same boarding house as Ray, comes to him to bum a cigarette and they get to know each other. Ray goes to Roger’s graduation ceremony to see his son graduate, unknown to Roger who thinks Ray is dead. Charlotte’s ex, Larry Lawrence, shows back up at the boarding house which throws Charlotte into a fury. Larry goes to see Dr. McNeill for the cut in his head that Charlotte gave him during their fight and Jonathan realizes that Larry is Tim Lawrence’s brother. Knowing of Larry’s existence and noting the physical similarities of the brothers brings out long-held doubts in Jonathan about whether Clare really loves him or is still in love with Tim. Charlotte starts to leave the boarding house and Selby Flats permanently but is stopped by Ray who reaches her emotionally and who shares with her that he hates somebody and has plans to do something about it. Lost and confused, Charlotte enters the Church of the Good Samaritan where Reverend Matthews finds her and counsels her. Ray learns that Martin will be out of the country for another month but vows to wait till then to get his revenge. After a parole officer comes to the boarding house and asks Charlotte for Roger Barton, Ray confesses to Charlotte that his real name is Roger Barton and that he’s an ex-convict. Charlotte tells him it doesn’t matter to her. Reverend Matthews’ niece, Pamela, comes back to town and goes to work with Jonathan at the Selby Flats Clinic where she meets Larry Lawrence for the first time. Larry calls the McNeill home and leaves a message for Jonathan with Clare. Hearing the caller’s identical voice to Tim’s and hearing him call himself Mr. Lawrence, stuns Clare. Larry turns out to be an opportunist who, upon learning about the McNeills, sees dollar signs. Larry pulls a snow job on Rev. Matthews in order to get in his good graces and score points with Jonathan and Clare. Larry cons Clare by giving her a sob story and acting like he wants to get close to his nephew and the McNeills. Charles and Frank try to persuade Julie to tell Roger the truth about Ray but she refuses. Ray and Roger have a chance encounter and talk, Roger unaware that he’s talking to his father. Julie is horrified to learn that Ray and Roger met but Charles is hopeful that the meeting might stop Ray’s thirst for revenge against Martin. Larry starts to date Pam, which concerns her Uncle Charles. Winifred is even more concerned. Jonathan is jealous of Larry but Clare thinks his true jealousy lies with Tim’s memory. After Charlotte threatens to go to the police if Ray doesn’t drop his plans to kill Martin, Ray lies to her and says he’s changed his mind thanks to her. Ray tries to pull the wool over Charlotte’s and Rev. Matthews’ eyes by saying he’s given up his plans on revenge. Charlotte buys it, Charles doesn’t. Ned goes to the airport to meet Martin and Susan as they land back home after their tour of South America. Martin is warned that Ray’s out of prison, still bitter and claiming that Martin framed him. Martin blows it off. Ray reads the article and learns Martin is back, leaving the interview at a law office Rev. Matthews had set up for him. Ray packs up and moves out of the boarding house. Charles is worried and goes to warn Martin while defending Ray and insinuating that he believes Ray. Frank is left to go pick up Michael and Betty from summer camp as Julie tells him she wants to stay another week in San Francisco with Roger. Upon reading that Martin McClain is back in town, Julie quickly changes her mind and she and Roger catch the first plane back home. Julie is determined to stop Ray from killing Martin. Julie tells Charlotte that she’s decided she wants Ray back and plans to divorce Frank. Charlotte blasts Julie by saying she abandoned Ray and Charlotte is the one that really loves Ray, not Julie. Martin hires a bodyguard because his guilt doesn’t allow him to go to the police. -9/1/47 thru 9/30/47. Ray hangs outside Martin’s bedroom, waiting for the opportune time to kill him. Martin says goodnight to his bodyguard as he leaves and is shocked to find Ray in his bedroom upon his return. Martin pleads for his life while Rev. Matthews prays for Ray at his parsonage. Rev. Matthews tells Julie that if a missing Ray doesn’t appear in a few hours, he’s going to the police because Ray has a gun and has promised to kill Martin for revenge. Julie tells the reverend that she’s decided to leave her husband and children to be with Ray and will tell them as soon as they get back into town. Pam interrupts to tell Rev. Matthews that Ray has shown up at the church. Reverend Matthews counsels Ray Brandon as he has come back to God and stopped himself before he killed Martin McClain. Ray says he wants a new life and is going to give up pursuing a relationship with his ex-wife Julie so she can stay with her husband Frank Collins. Julie, ready to leave her husband and children for Ray, is devastated when Ray tells her he doesn’t want a relationship with her. Julie is even more devastated when Reverend Matthews interrupts with news that Frank and their children, Michael and Betty, have been in a serious car accident. Charles takes Julie to the hospital where Jonathan breaks the news to her that Michael and Betty have died. Charles and Jonathan try to calm Julie. Frank is asking for Julie but Julie can’t face him. Ray is laying down his plans of vengeance on Martin. Ray and Charlotte argue about his involvement with his ex-wife Julie and her current problems. Reverend Matthews talks a reluctant Roger, who blames his mother for the accident, into going to visit Julie at the hospital. Dr. Jonathan McNeill and nurse Pamela Hale try to keep the news from Frank as he lies in his hospital bed that his children were killed in the car accident that put him there. As Pamela tries to dodge Frank’s questions about Michael and Betty, his hysterical wife Julie bursts into Frank’s room yelling that it’s her fault the children were killed. Ray and Charlotte fight when Ray tells her he’s going over to the hospital to see his ex-wife, Julie, who is in the hospital for a nervous breakdown after finding out her children were killed. Roger visits with Frank. Ray and Roger run into each other at the hospital and Roger tells Ray that Frank will be an invalid for life if he survives. Ray decides not to go see Julie. Claire is reminded of Tim as she talks with his brother Larry. Larry figures out that Ray is Roger’s father and that there’s a lot more to Julie’s nervous breakdown. Roger tries to give Frank the will to live. Dr. Jonathan McNeill and Rev. Matthews discuss the car crash that left Frank Collins paralyzed and killed Betty and Michael Collins. Rev. Matthews visits Julie in her hospital room and reminds her that she had planned to leave Frank and the kids to remarry Ray Brandon. He then tells Julie that Frank will be an invalid for life. After Frank Collins’ car accident, Reverend Matthews gives a talk at the high school warning against reckless driving. Roger Collins, the brother of Michael and Betty and adopted son of Frank, is in the audience and stays behind, alone and distraught, after the talk is over. He is approached by Susan McClain and the two meet. A guilty Julie asks Frank for forgiveness and Franks says she should go back home so Roger can join her there. Roger tells Julie he doubts she really cares about Frank. Charlotte tells Ray she got a radio gig. Ray tells Julie that he’s no longer Roger Barton and doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore. Julie threatens to tell Roger that Ray is his father and isn’t dead. Charlotte thinks Ray is still hung up on Julie and Ray tries to prove to Charlotte his love for her. -10/1/47 thru 10/31/47. Julie tells Ray that she had decided before the accident to leave Frank for him and still wants that. Ray is disgusted and tells her she needs to stop being selfish and be there for Frank. Julie threatens to tell Roger that Ray is his father. Ray tells Julie that he’s seen Julie for how she really is, in a new light, and is no longer in love with her. Charlotte doesn’t believe that he’s no longer in love with his ex-wife. Charlotte gets counsel from the reverend and tells him that, even though she’s in love with Ray, she believes he’s still in love with Julie and she won’t be second-best. Frank invites Pamela to be his private nurse at his and Julie’s seaside home called Trail’s End. Roger is starting to resent Julie for her possessiveness over him. Julie slaps Roger, projecting her frustration at not being able to control Ray onto his son. Martin McClain is upset that his daughter Susan has started seeing Roger Collins, the son of Ray Brandon who had tried to kill him. Ray gets jealous of Charlotte’s new agent, Sid Harper. Jonathan gives Frank the news that he’ll be in a wheelchair the rest of his life. Charles tells Frank that Ray doesn’t want to be with Julie but Frank is still willing to step aside. Rev. Matthews tells Ray not to marry Charlotte if he doesn’t love her and Ray tells him to keep out of it. Julie lies to Frank, who is back at Trail’s End now, that she loves him and not Ray. Frank asks Ray to come to him to talk about Julie. Ray lies and says he doesn’t have feelings for Julie anymore. Clare tells Julie that Larry’s appearance has made her confused about her feelings for Larry, Jonathan and her deceased husband Tim. Julie tells Clare that she can’t forget about the man in her past either, says Ray and Charlotte mustn’t marry and insinuates that it might be better if Frank died. Charlotte has a radio audition. Sid thinks she’ll be a star. Ray and Charlotte go to Las Vegas to get married. -11/3/47 thru 11/28/47. The residents of the boarding house throw a reception for Ray and Charlotte when they return from Las Vegas. Charlotte is upset when Larry crashes the party which, in turn, makes Ray angry at Charlotte. Talking to Julie while he waits for Pam to get ready for their date, Larry drops the bomb to Julie that Ray and Charlotte got married. Charles warns Pam that Larry is a user but Pam is defiant and won’t hear it. Frank is depressed and spends all his time cliffside at Trail’s End, staring out over the ocean. Roger is suspicious of Larry’s intentions toward Julie. Roger and Frank both fight with Julie over her trying to make Roger stop seeing Susan. Frank tells Julie he knows she doesn’t want to be tied to a man in a wheelchair and wishes he was dead. Julie tries to use Roger as an excuse to get to Ray. Charlotte heads straight to Trail’s End and reads Julie for filth, letting her know she’s on to her and won’t allow her to try and steal Ray away from her. Charlotte reveals to Rev. Matthews that she has had a history of nervous breakdowns and ended up in a sanitarium twice. Ray gets mad at Charlotte when he learns she went out to the Collins home. Charlotte has a radio audition which allows viewers to write in and vote for her if they want her as a regular. Roger and Susan dream of getting away from her father and his mother and being together. Reverend Matthews gives a Thanksgiving Day sermon. Jonathan suggests Pam stop being Frank’s private nurse so that Frank can become more independent and hopefully snap out of his depression. Frank and Pam, who have become close, say goodbye to each other. -12/1/47 thru 12/31/47. Ray has lunch with Julie and is confused about his past versus his future. Charlotte gets her own radio show and is angry when Ray seems nonchalant about it. Larry Lawrence comes to Land’s End and comforts a distraught Julie. Roger witnesses their interaction, assuming that they’re having an affair. A depressed Frank tells a visiting Jonathan that he wants to be alone in a sanitarium and away from Land’s End. Roger blasts Julie for the way she’s treating Frank and accuses her of having an affair with Larry. Julie goes out to get Frank who is alone in his wheelchair, looking at the view of the ocean. Julie returns, hysterical, saying that Frank had gone off the cliff in his wheelchair. Roger finds Frank’s smashed wheelchair and then his dead body. Roger claims he saw it happen from his upstairs window and claims Julie pushed Frank. Reverend Matthews and Jonathan believe there is no way Julie pushed Frank. Larry stops by Trail’s End and, while the coroner is present, Roger angrily accuses Larry and Julie of plotting to kill Frank and tries to throw Larry out of the house. Charlotte insinuates Julie might have killed Frank to Ray and he slaps her. Pam feels like Larry has been leading her on and is really in love with Julie. She then starts to question a lot more. People are starting to question whether Julie and Larry were having an affair but Rev. Matthews tells Ray that Larry is just an opportunist and he knows that Julie is really in love with Ray. Roger takes off to get away from Julie. Martin calls Julie to look for a missing Susan. Julie tells him Roger is gone too. The police are suspicious that Frank’s death wasn’t an accident. Reverend Matthews gives a Christmas Day sermon. The inquest into Frank’s death is held. Roger and Susan have run off to Mexico and gotten married. Susan talks Roger into going back to Los Angeles. The votes come in in Charlotte’s favor and she has her first radio show on New Year’s Eve.

The only men I see on the right hand side are Stephen Jackson and Ross Marler. Plus, another man I can't make out completely but I think it's Justin Marler. None of them are Bill Bauer.

It's so weird to me when actors are so unfamiliar with the stories of their own show. They were all surprised to hear Teri Austin tell how her character died. And wasn't Val directly involved in that story?

You're welcome. They didn't generate much discussion so I didn't know if anybody was reading them. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

It was like an idea that collectively seemed genius to a bunch of drunk people but never should have been pursued the next morning when everyone sobered up.

Thanks. Throw That Beat Into the Garbage Can is such a weird choice for the producers to make. I saw an interview with Fred Schneider that he said the same thing. That that's what the producers wanted and The B-52s thought it was a weird choice. It's a very obscure song and, frankly, not that good. I think the producers were probably unfamiliar with the songs and just picked that one because they liked the title. They should have played Mesopotamia if they were promoting the new EP. Private Idaho was a much more appropriate choice. I'm glad they played that. It was one of those rare, surreal moments of synchronicity where my favorite song, my favorite music group and my favorite soap opera collided.

I tell you what, vetsoapfan, Hope's wedding is an episode I would probably like to get. Not because I like weddings. I actually hate them. But I want to see anything with the focus on the Bauers. I will get that episode eventually, even if it's post-1976 and the mystery will be solved for you. It just might take a while.

I'm putting my money on him not being there. Only because he wasn't sitting next to Bert. Which would have been the logical place for him to be even at that stage of the game. But that's just the ceremony. He could have made an appearance around then. Although I kind of doubt it knowing the shabby treatment the character got towards the end. They almost turned him into a villain. Starting in the 70s. Bill Bauer never would have faked his death and let his family think he was dead. From that to him being pushed through a hotel window to his death at the hands of a bad storyline, the character was disrespected and retconned to the max. As much as I loved the character, he should have stayed dead in 1969 in that plane crash. Anyway, vetsoapfan, that might have been a case of your imagination being better than the actual writing (which is usually the case) and you just stuck with the rewrite in your mind. We won't know for sure until the scripts of that week show up. I might get them although my collection will probably stop in 1976 or 1977. I could get the odd script here or there, however.

You are correct. The years of 1966-1971, Meta would just make guest appearances. Much like Trudy did from 1952-1959. I was including the years where she would make those appearances. She didn't disappear into oblivion until 1974.

I don't know this for sure, but I think Irna killed off Joe Roberts to open up storyline possibilities for Meta. Meta was very much a central figure in the 50s, when Joe died, but she was kind of without story (as most happily married soap characters) are. And she was still young enough to be in a strong romantic storyline. After she married Joe, she was always present but just spent most of her time fretting over Kathy. When Joe died, Meta quickly went into a new romance with Mark Holden which led to a Meta/Mark/Kathy triangle and lots of juicy storyline. There were several different actors who played Bruce as the character was in and out of the story for 24 years. William Roerick (Henry Chamberlain) and a famous actor (Barnard Hughes) both played the part if you can use your imagine picturing them with Ellen Demming to ascertain if they would have had chemistry together. Although, with Bruce, chemistry was less of an issue with Meta. He was always waiting in the wings for Meta while she went off with other men. By the time she decided to marry Bruce, it was mainly because she was lonely after so many failed romances. It sounds disrespectful but Bruce understood this and was ok with it. She basically married him like she was putting on a comfortable pair of slippers to enter old age with. It was actually a good lesson on passion vs. companionship and which is more important. It was pretty clear in the story that companionship was the most important. She had that with Joe but, of course, he died. Every other relationship Meta had was based on passion or emotion with usually disastrous consequences. By the time Meta married Bruce she was moving out of that lead heroine role it made sense for her to settle down with Bruce. Although it was really the beginning of the end for the character. She would remain on the show for another 14 years but she was never front and center again. Anyway, Bruce was really the best thing that ever happened to Meta. Even better than Joe. Joe was good for Meta but he brought the baggage of hurricane Kathy with him. I couldn't stand Dick. Nor could I stand Kathy. So I thought they were made for each other. You are correct that Paul was a much more interesting character. Dick was selfish, self-righteous and such a wimp. A lot of people found it hard to like Paul at first. In fact, Bert Bauer couldn't stand him. When anybody ever mentioned Paul, she'd always say, "Oh, that sour apple!". But Paul had his reasons for being cynical and stand-offish. Dick was a tool just because he was a tool. For some reason, most people liked Dick. Although I found Paul much more likable.

I think it was a way to answer the viewers' complaints that there weren't enough Bauers on the show. This was their way of saying, "Look! We have more Bauers on the show!". Uh, yeah. That's not what we meant.

It was a close race to see who could be more annoying: James Lipton or Dick Grant.

Marie was sweet and long-suffering. What she saw in Dick, I'll never understand. I can't stand him. That studio was the Bowden Art Studio. She should have dumped Dick and ran off with Joe Turino (a fellow artist at said studio). The ONLY time I liked Dick was when he stood up to Laura. But that didn't happen often.

vetsoapfan knows where I stand on the Ed issue. Mart Hulswit was the most likable Ed but I just can't look at the character as a likable character. So I have sort of a mental disconnect when I see Hulswit in the role. To me, Robert Gentry best personified the role. I had no problem with him when he reprised the role because he was acting like the Ed I'm most familiar with. Basically, douchey. Peter Simon's Ed was douchey too but in more of a wimpy way. Robert Gentry's was just a cranky jerk. That's Ed to me. Hulswit was, by far, the most likable Ed but, in my opinion, Gentry was the best Ed. The less said about RVV, the better. That was just a collective bad dream we all had.

Actually, it was the other way around. At least, at first. Helene was the more tolerant one but Henry hated Paul and tried to break Paul and Anne up. Helene tried to rein him in. Part of his hatred for Paul was because of snobbery because Anne was due to marry a guy from another prominent family when she broke it off to be with Paul and Paul came from a very modest background. But it was also mistrust because he thought Paul was a conman when he learned what Paul was saying about his identity didn't add up. He actively tried to investigate Paul and expose him. Paul was just hiding the fact that he was illegitimate which was shameful for him in 1959. A story that couldn't be written today. Anne was furious with her father and wouldn't talk to him for a while.

Dick was next married to Marie. Laura wasn't crazy about her either but the relationship wasn't as antagonistic as the Laura/Kathy relationship. But Marie wasn't as scandalous as Kathy was. She was just a farm girl from Iowa and Laura was such a snob so there was disapproval there. Yes, the show was set in Los Angeles throughout the 50s. Dick and Marie left town together in 1962. The show was still set in Los Angeles at that time.

Thank you, DRW50. Are you interested in the 50s? I could share my 50s synopsis with you if you'd like. I'm just finishing 1959 right now. I thought about posting it on here but most people seem to be interested just in the last years of the show. Let me know if you're interested.

Thank you for posting this. It's interesting. I just wish the sound and lighting were better. But, given that it was 1988, we're just lucky that it exists.

You're very welcome. I'm just happy that there are others who are interested in the golden years of the show.

I think someone said they enjoyed my 1937-1939 synopses for The Guiding Light and wanted more so here is my 1940 synopsis for those that are interested: -1/1/40-1/31/40. Through Fredrika, Torchy learns that Spike was using her to get information on Ned’s birth identity. Spike goes to Cleveland to get proof that Ned is Fredrika and Paul’s son. Ned prepares to return to San Francisco for work, unaware that Spike is on the train from Cleveland with the proof he was looking for. The story that Ned Holden is the son of a murderess hits the City Times. A distraught Ned wanders the streets for two days in a blizzard and winds up collapsing at the door of the parsonage. Ned has contracted pneumonia and Torch rushes to the parsonage to declare her innocence to a believing John and a dubious Mary and demands that Ned be taken to the hospital. Ellis talks Torchy into letting Mary know that a delirious Ned has been calling out her name. As John, Mary and Torchy hold vigil outside of Ned’s hospital room, they are relieved when the doctor announces he will survive and recover. He also delivers the news that Ned is asking for Mary. When Mary asks Torchy if it’s ok for her to go in, Torchy asks, “What difference does that make? He asked to see you?”. -2/1/40-2/29/40. An ill Helene, who thinks she could die, has a wish to see Charles, Rose and Johnny together after she’s gone. Torchy, confused about her feelings about Ned and what she wants to do now that he has passed his crisis, is urged by Fredrika to give him his freedom. Torchy goes to visit Ned in the hospital and realizes she can’t be hurt by him anymore so, therefore, she must not be in love with him anymore. She also realizes when she sees Ellis and Iris together, who share so much in common, that she will never be good enough for him. Ellis, however, has silently come to realize he’s in love with Torchy. Ned feels certain that Torchy will give him a divorce but Rose is dubious and just hopes Torchy falls in love with Ellis so she’ll move on and want to give Ned his freedom. Reverend Ruthledge visits with Mrs. Kransky in Garden Heights and Mrs. Kransky catches him up on what has been going on there. Mrs. Kransky is managing an apartment building with the Burke family as tenants. Mrs. Kransky hopes something will develop with Terry Burke and Rose but fears that Rose will never love any man other than Charles. Torchy wants her relationship with Ellis to be more clearly defined but Ellis remains aloof and elusive. Torchy sees the finished portrait Ellis has painted of her and is shocked to see the way she looks. Outraged that Ellis painted her as Torchy from the waterfront who she was when he met her and not the sophisticated Myrna she felt he made her into, Torchy slashes the painting and runs out. Torchy heads on a train back to San Francisco, determined to leave Myrna behind and go back to being Torchy from the waterfront. Mary is glad Torchy has left Five Points and demands that Ned get a divorce based on abandonment and end the whole mess. -3/1/40-3/29/40. Upon arriving back on her old stomping grounds, Torchy reluctantly gives in to her past and lets go of the woman she hoped to become. Iris’ past comes back to haunt her as a pursuant admirer, Cliff Foster, comes to visit and her ex-husband, Roy Fencher, also comes to try to convince her to come back to him. Iris is revealed to have divorced her husband on the basis of neglect and they have an 8-year-old son, Billie, who is living with her parents. Ned goes back to work for The City Times as a reporter even though they are the ones who outed him. Roy unsuccessfully tries to get Iris to go back to Oklahoma and to him and their son. Helene lets her wish be known to Rose that after she’s gone that Charles, Rose and Johnny can be a family. Rose wants to leave the past in the past. Reverend Ruthledge gives his Good Friday sermon and juxtaposes Jesus’ sacrifice with the stories of bigotry and cruelty that have come from overseas. Iris questions whether she should go back to Oklahoma for the sake of her son Billie while Ellis opines that she shouldn’t give up her right to happiness for the sake of a son who is going to be going off to live his own life before too long anyway. John, Mary and Ned’s debate on the subject of chance vs. determinism is interrupted by the sound of fire engines. As they look out the window and see that the tenement building is on fire, Ned’s concern for his mother comes out as he rushes out to see if she’s alright. -4/1/40-4/30/40. Ellis saves Fredrika from the fire but is blinded by the fire in the process. Iris, influenced by Ellis’ words to her, tells Roy that he can take Billie back to Oklahoma without her. Charles is stunned when Helene asks him to marry Rose after she dies so that Rose and Johnny can bear Charles’ name. Mrs. Kransky and Ellis both think Rose is a fool for considering getting involved with Charles Cunningham again and Rev. Ruthledge warns Helene against trying to direct other people’s lives. Mother and son are reunited as Ned goes to Fredrika, puts his head in her lap, and asks her to forgive him. Not sure how long Doris Cameron is going to have her on leave, Rose takes a temporary job as a secretary in a law firm. Helene Cunningham dies. In San Francisco, Torchy takes a job singing on a radio station and starts dating Martin Kane. Martin wants to make things more serious but Torchy is hesitant. Martin thinks Torchy is still hung up on her husband, Ned, but Torchy is thinking about Ellis. -5/1/40-5/31/40. Ellis gets bad news that his blindness is long-lasting, if not permanent. Charles tells John that he couldn’t honor Helene’s wish as he is heart-broken and doesn’t think he will ever love another woman. Iris tells Ellis that she’s seen pictures of Torchy in the magazines with a male companion. Jack Felz, one of the lawyers in the firm that Rose has been temping in, offers Rose a permanent job as his personal secretary. Martin persuades Torchy to go back to Five Points to deal with her past and figure out if she wants a future with him. Fredrika tries to persuade Ned to make amends with Ellis to no success. Torchy arrives back in Five Points and gives Ned his divorce but the real reason she’s there is to see Ellis, though she is scared to. -6/3/40-6/28/40. Ned and Torchy’s divorce is finalized, making Ned and Mary ecstatic and leaving Torchy to wonder, “How could anything be over when it never existed?” Ellis finally swallows his pride and tries to call Torchy at her hotel, unaware that Torchy is on a train on her way back to San Francisco, wishing that Ellis had called. Back on the west coast, Torchy lets Martin know about Ellis. Martin says he’s willing to wait around until Torchy knows who she wants. Ned and Mary get married in a wedding officiated by Reverend Ruthledge. Jack opens Rose’s eyes to the need to forgive other people for their mistakes and it causes her to reconsider her decision not to let Charles visit Johnny. Mrs. Kransky, worried about her daughter getting hurt again, doesn’t think Rose should relent. Ellis finally reaches out to Torchy and calls her in San Francisco and starts to catch on that Iris likes him. Visiting with Johnny, Charles lets his loneliness be known to Rose. -6/11/40. Reverend Ruthledge officiates the wedding of Ned Holden and Mary Ruthledge. -7/1/40-7/31/40. Ellis has found new hope in his condition and thinks he will see again. He’s also filled with new hope when Iris reads him a letter from Torchy hinting that there could be a future for them together after time alone to work on their own problems. Iris, in love with Ellis, has her hopes dashed after reading Ellis the letter and seeing his reaction. Rose tells her mother that she wants more financial security for her future. Mrs. Kransky, knowing that Rose is mentioning this because she is thinking about marrying Charles, points out that what people think of as “security” can be gone in a second. Mrs. Kransky asks Rose to remember the Depression they’ve lived through as an example. At the same time Charles talks to Reverend Ruthledge about his desire to make Rose his wife, Jack is letting Rose know about his desire for the same. Jack breaks the news to his mother and two spinster sisters, Lillian and Ada, who he’s been taking care of, that he wants to get married and have his own family. The news comes as a disappointment to his family but the real shock is that he wants to marry the scandalous Rose Kransky. Lillian and Ada plan to break up Jack’s relationship with Rose while Jack’s enmeshment with his family leaves him feeling bound to them. -8/1/40-8/30/40. Jacob wants to drop out of his senior year of high school and go to work as a machinist. Mrs. Kransky is dead set against that and wants him to go to college and become a lawyer as Abe wanted. Mary is pregnant. Martin persuades Torchy to go back to Five Points and make a final decision on whether she wants to be with Ellis or not. Torchy’s reappearance in Five Points makes both Mary and Iris nervous. Iris tells Mary that if she can’t be with Ellis, the man she loves, she’ll go back to her ex-husband. With Mary out of the house and busy with her domestic duties, Reverend Ruthledge places an ad for an assistant and organist. The ad is answered by a mysterious woman, Laura Martin, who seems to be running from something. Lillian tells Jack he’s making a mistake by wanting to marry such a scandalous woman as Rose Kransky but Jack thinks his family would disapprove of anybody he wanted to marry because they don’t want him to leave them. Not wanting to bring Rose into such a situation, Jack contemplates whether his individuality is more important than familial obligations. Rose meets Lillian and sees how controlling and passive-aggressive Jack’s family is. Mary intuitively doesn’t like Laura. -9/2/40-9/30/40. Jack stops by the Kranksys when Charles is over helping get Johnny ready to go for a hospital stay to try to straighten out his leg and feels like an outsider. He later accuses Rose of still being in love with Charles and a defensive Rose lets Jack know about his family’s interference in their relationship. Torchy lets bitterness and disappointment take over as she begins to regret coming back to Five Points. She starts to think Ellis is in love with Iris and she starts to question whether Fredrika’s friendship was genuine or she was using her to get close to Ned. Mary is jealous of Ned’s past with Torchy and Torchy’s presence in Five Points is getting to Mary. Ellen and Laura’s territorial claws come out with each other. Jack’s family freaks out even further when he tells them Rose has a baby. Jack finally tells Rose that he loves her, prompting Rose to finally make a decision. She decides to marry Jack instead of Charles. -10/1/40-10/31/40. Mrs. Kransky and Mrs. Felzer have opposite reactions to the news that Rose and Jack are engaged. Things are missing in the parsonage. Rose tells Charles about her engagement. Charles points out that Rose doesn’t love Jack but Rose says, after what she went through with Charles, she never wants to love a man again. Rose meets all of Jack’s family and their coldness causes Rose to reconsider her decision to marry Jack. Ellen finds the missing items in Laura’s drawer and tells the Reverend. Laura pleads ignorance and says Ellen must have put them there, which John doesn’t buy for a second. Jack gets Rose to tell Charles that he should no longer have anything to do with Johnny now that Jack is going to be his stepfather and make him Johnny Felzer. Ellis undergoes surgery to restore his sight. Fredrika goes over to talk to Rev. Ruthledge as she waits for the result of Ellis’ surgery. They discuss unrequited love. Frederika doesn’t think Torchy was really in love with Ned but is really in love with Ellis and is frustrated at Ellis’ unreturned love towards Torchy. Reverend Ruthledge thinks Torchy needs to accept things and move on. Ellen tells Rev. Ruthledge that she wants to get away from the parsonage for a while. She is upset that Laura Martin, Rev. Ruthledge’s new secretary has been stealing things and that Rev. Ruthledge wants to keep her on because he feels bad for her as he feels she’s suffering from kleptomania. Without accusations, Rev. Ruthledge encourages Laura to discuss her problems on her own terms. Martin comes to visit Torchy to see if she’s over Ellis and is disappointed to see that she isn’t. Iris lays her cards out on the table with Torchy in regards to Ellis and the two women become openly antagonistic with each other. Jack presents Rose a ring and Rose honestly admits that, though she thinks they would have a good marriage, she’s not in love with him. Jack is okay with that but Rose can’t stop thinking about Charles and how she was in love with him at one time, unsure whether she can live without romantic love. Roy files a custody suit against Iris for Billie. -11/1/40-11/29/40. Ellis encourages Iris to seek out Jack for legal help in the custody suit. Jack’s judgmental distaste for what he deems Iris’ abandonment and now change of mind towards Billie causes alarm for Rose since she did the same thing with Johnny. On the day the bandages are to be taken off of Ellis’ eyes, Reverend Ruthledge prays for Ellis to have spiritual sight as well as have his physical sight restored. Ellis is overjoyed to be able to see after his bandages come off. Reverend Ruthledge gives an Armistice Day sermon and urges listeners to not forget the lessons of World War 1 as new wars rage overseas. Taps and silence follow the sermon. Ellis doesn’t think his life in Five Points has been real life for him and he thinks it’s time to move on. Fredrika encourages Torchy to give up on Ellis but she stubbornly refuses to do so. Martin stops by the Silver Pheasant before Torchy’s performance to say goodbye to her as he goes back to San Francisco and resigns himself to the fact that they’ll never be a couple. Johnny calls Charles “Daddy”. Iris goes back to Oklahoma to fight for custody of Billie. Once there, she realizes the door she thought she left open to the past is now closed as Roy tells her he’s with a new woman and that no court will give Iris custody of Billie. Roy makes Billie decide between him or Iris and Billie chooses Roy. Iris takes the train back to Five Points feeling sad, empty but hopeful. The hope is dashed when Ellis tells her that he’s leaving Five Points. He wants to go back to his past to see if there’s still a door opened to him whereas Iris is despondent to see that all past and future doors seem to have been closed on her. A psychic who works the Silver Pheasant tells a disturbed Torchy that, “The road you travel will not lead up, but down, and you will travel that road alone.” -12/2/40-12/31/40. Rev. Ruthledge gently calls Iris out on her selfishness. Out of frustration, Jack shakes Johnny which causes an argument between Jack and Rose. Someone witnesses Laura taking a bracelet from a store and tells John. He gently confronts Laura and she admits to having a problem and serving time in prison. John has pity on her as a kleptomaniac and doesn’t judge her for being a thief. Iris tells Ellis that Roy has been awarded full custody of Billie. She wants to leave Five Points and try to find what’s left of her past where she grew up. Ellis says the same though he doesn’t know what’s left now that his grandfather is dead and his mother has married a younger man and moved off to Mexico City. He lets Iris know that he’s really Gordon Ellis of the Ellis Family. Christmas is making Charles want to be with Johnny even more. Charles lavishes Johnny with Christmas presents and suggests Rose go off to Florida with Johnny for a little while so Johnny can recuperate in the warmth. Reverend Ruthledge, Ned, Mary, Fredrika and Iris spend Christmas Eve together. Jack, Jacob and Mrs. Kransky see Rose and Johnny off at the train station as they leave for Florida and Jack can’t help wondering if Rose is just going to get away from him. Iris tells Rev. Ruthledge that she’s going to start the new year with a new life away from Five Points. He tells her she has to find her answers within and not try to escape her problems in a new place. On New Year’s Eve, Torchy sings at the Silver Pheasant and John and Laura welcome 1941 alone at the parsonage.

Lipton thought he was a better writer, actor and interviewer than he ever was.