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General Hospital

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General Hospital
File:General-hospital-siren.jpg
Created byFrank Hursley and Doris Hursley
Production
Executive producerJill Farren Phelps
Original release
NetworkABC, SOAPnet
ReleaseApril 1, 1963

General Hospital is the longest-running daytime American soap opera on the ABC television network, and is also the longest-running soap opera produced in Hollywood (having been taped at the Prospect Avenue ABC Television Center West and Sunset-Gower Studios).

Set in the fictional city of Port Charles, New York, the show debuted on April 1, 1963, the same day that rival network NBC launched its own medical soap opera, The Doctors. The show originally aired for a half-hour until the network expanded it to 45 minutes in 1976, and then to an hour in 1978. The serial was created by soap writers Frank and Doris Hursley, a husband-and-wife team.

The show is credited for starting several trends in the soap opera genre in the 1980s, most notably that of the supercouple and fast-paced action-adventure plotlines that were remarkably different from the more traditional domestic and social issues that had been the sole focus of most soap operas during the previous decades. In 2003, when the show celebrated its 40th anniversary, TV Guide named it "The Greatest Soap Opera of All Time."

Show History

The Early Years (1963-1969)

The first stories were mainly set at a hospital in Port Charles, a fictional New York town, and revolved around manly Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and his friend, Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Steve was Chief of Internal Medicine on the hospital's seventh floor and dedicated his life to healing and caring for the sick, ably assisted by Nurse Jessie. Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger Dr. Phil Brewer (most notably played by Roy Thinnes) was the center of many early storylines. Over the years, Phil became renowned for his philandering, with Jessie constantly forgiving her errant husband for his affairs. The seemingly never-ending cycle of separation and reconciliation between the two finally ended in 1974, when Dr. Phil Brewer was murdered.

Another nurse, Lucille March (Lucille Wall), brought her sister, flight attendant Audrey March (Rachel Ames) to town; slowly but surely, she romanced Dr. Hardy, eventually marrying him three times. While there was no overt tension, Jessie was disappointed as there had always been an air of sexual tension between her and Steve. It was never acted upon, as they remained close friends until Jessie (and actress Emily McLaughlin) died in 1991. Steve Hardy himself died five years later when his portrayer, John Beradino died in 1996.

Facing Cancellation (1970-1977)

The show was glacially paced and low-rated in the earlier years, except for one relatively high-rated and fast-paced plot in 1971. In this storyline, Audrey was accused of murdering her son's babysitter and General Hospital was briefly elevated to the number one position, beating longtime ratings giant As the World Turns. However, the success was short-lived. Due to relatively easygoing choices in storyline, the show almost always lost out to rival medical soap The Doctors, which was considered by many to be more daring. Although TIME magazine noted that the acting performances were decent, an article on the soap genre, in 1976, panned General Hospital's minimal budget for settings and props,"calling it "not unlike a high school production," and noted that the serial's only saving grace was in the form of Dr. Lesley Williams (Denise Alexander).

Faced with cancellation threats in 1978, ABC brass brought on Gloria Monty as Executive Producer. Monty had much experience in the genre from directing The Secret Storm for years. Under her tutelage, and the headwriting stints of Douglas Marland (who created longtime staples the Quartermaine family and Bobbie Spencer and Luke Spencer) and Pat Falken Smith, General Hospital bounced back from the brink and subsequently became the highest-rated American soap opera from 1979 to 1988. Monty stayed as Executive Producer until 1987, only to return briefly from 1991 to 1992, in a widely panned tenure during which she was accused of no longer being in touch with the daytime audience. Monty was replaced with the equally controversial Wendy Riche.

The Golden Age (1978-1989)

File:Lukeandlaura.jpg
Luke and Laura, in a still from General Hospital.

When Douglas Marland objected to a planned storyline that had called for the virtuous Lesley Webber to cheat on her husband with David Hamilton, Marland was challenged to come up with an even better idea. As a result, Lesley rejected David's advances and the enraged suitor began sleeping with her sixteen-year-old daughter Laura Webber (Genie Francis) instead. This torrid affair culminated in Laura killing her older lover after discovering that he was only using her to get back at her mother. This storyline was successful and as a result, Laura became a major focus of the show. Laura's subsequent storyline, a love triangle involving her, Scotty Baldwin, and Bobbie Spencer, was also a success, but soon the success of both stories would be overshadowed by a phenomenon that very few expected, when Laura crossed paths with Bobbie's brother Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary).

The supercouple pairing of Luke and Laura would eventually become the most popular storyline in GH's history, and possibly soap opera history as well. Their wedding on November 16, 1981 was watched by over 30 million people, making it the highest-rated episode of a soap opera in television history. They were so popular even movie star Elizabeth Taylor wanted in on the action, she guest-starred as Helena Cassadine and adorned People magazine with Anthony Geary. Luke and Laura's relationship was not without some controversy, as Luke had raped Laura in 1979. Laura was traumatized and went to counseling, but after her popularity with Luke flourished, she claimed the rape was "seduction." In 1998 the issue was revisited and Laura finally admitted to herself that Luke had raped her.

The show has also created other supercouple pairings in the form of Robert Scorpio and Holly Sutton (Tristan Rogers and Emma Samms) as well as Duke Lavery and Anna Devane (Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes), and Frisco Jones and Felicia Cummings (Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner). The show's focus began to drift away from the original hospital setting onto a series of action/adventure plots, most of which were highly successful with the show's audience.

During this period, General Hospital also became known to feature plots that have been widely considered preposterous. For example, the town of Port Charles was going to be placed under a deep freeze by maniacal Mikkos Cassadine; luckily, Luke and Laura saved the town just in time. Several years later Robin Scorpio (Robert Scorpio and Anna Devane's daughter) befriended Casey Rogers, an alien from the planet Lumina.

The series also launched the media career of fitness instuctor Richard Simmons, who frequently appeared as himself.

In the 1990s, the show entered a transitional phase as the action/adventure storylines of the 1980s became less popular. During this period, the show lost major stars such as Finola Hughes (Anna Devane) and Tristan Rogers (Robert Scorpio), and the much-heralded return of Anthony Geary as Luke Spencer's identical cousin Bill Eckert in 1991 was seen as a failure.

A Time Of Transition and The Second Golden Age (1990-1999)

Eventually, in 1993, Anthony Geary would reprise his famous role of Luke Spencer, along with Genie Francis who reprised her role as Luke's wife Laura Spencer. Along with the reprisal of Luke and Laura came the addition of their ten year old son, Lucky Spencer, played by newcomer Jonathan Jackson. This marked the beginning of a creative renaissance for the show. Through the efforts of executive producer Wendy Riche and headwriter Claire Labine, the show gained critical acclaim for its sensitive handling of social issues, most notable of which were the heart transplant storyline which involved the death of eight-year-old BJ Jones (daughter of Dr. Tony Jones and nurse Bobbie Spencer) in a bus crash and the subsequent donation of her heart to her dying cousin Maxie Jones, Dr. Monica Quartermaine's (Leslie Charleson) bout with breast cancer. The beautiful but tragic love story of teenagers Stone Cates (Michael Sutton) and Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), which was shortened by Stone's death from AIDS at the age of 19 and followed by storylines in which 17 year old Robin had to deal with being HIV-positive as a result of her and Stone's relationship. The storyline got Sutton an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor and won MccCullogh an Outstanding Younger Actress Emmy. The show kept most of the popularity it held for most of the 1980s, and a long-rumored spinoff (which was tentatively titled GH2) materialized in 1997 into the half-hour soap Port Charles.

Problems began to arise again around 1994 and 1995, when the show lost more than a million viewers. All the soaps lost ground at this time, but particular scrutiny was placed upon General Hospital for the succession of grim stories involving BJ, Monica, and Stone. As a result, they dropped plans to give Audrey Hardy Alzheimer's Disease.

From 1993 to 1997 the show produced what many consider the last major supercouple (in terms of popularity) on daytime television, in the form of mobster Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil). The hot couple's passion and heartbreak kept viewers glued to every episode like Luke and Laura did a decade before. Later, Brenda's relationship with corporate raider Jasper "Jax" Jacks (Ingo Rademacher) gave General Hospitalone of the hottest love triangle in the show's history. However, the departure of Vanessa Marcil in 1998 dealt the creative team at General Hospital a major blow. The relationship between Sonny and Brenda was the one constant in the regime of Claire Labine, who left in early 1996. Labine was also known for her tragic stories, the most famous of which was the death of young BJ Jones. Killing off a soap child is never an easy storyline, but when BJ's school bus crashed and her heart was given to her severely sick cousin Maxie Jones, there was no denying how it shattered characters and viewers alike. From Dr. Tony Jones (Brad Maule) laying his head on Maxie's chest to hear his little girl's heart beating in her chest, to Felicia Jones dropping to her knees in the hall as she realized whose death had facilitated her daughter's survival. The anguish has stood the test of time and never lost its pulse, those moments are truly classic.

The second major storyline of the 1990s occurred in 1998, with the revisit of Luke Spencer's (Anthony Geary) long ago rape of his now-wife Laura Spencer (Genie Francis). Headwriter Robert Guza Jr. decided that Luke and his son Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson) needed to have a major wedge driven between them, and out of this came the idea that Lucky would find out that his father had raped his mother. The storyline also featured what many consider the last great young love story on the show; in the form of Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst). Lucky found Elizabeth, a victim of rape, in the park, and their close friendship eventually blossomed into a pure, powerful romance. They were known on the net as L&L2, in a homage to Lucky's parents. Lucky wanted nothing to do with his parents when his half-brother, Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher), revealed the rape. The ensuing storyline won Daytime Emmys for Jackson, Geary, the writers, the directors, and the show. The nine-minute monologue Luke deliverers to Lucky telling him about the night of the rape, without commercial interruption, is considered one of the greatest moments in soap opera history.

Robert Guza Jr., a former GH script writer, returned and became headwriter in 1996, and zeroed in on the mob and the popularity of Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). Guza came and went several times during December 1997 through December 2000, then returned for good on June 13, 2002. Riche left in early 2001 and was replaced by Jill Farren Phelps.

The New Millennium (2000-2004)

At the beginning of the new millennium, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) would gain a new love interest in the form of Carly Benson (Sarah Brown) after previous efforts to pair him up after the departure of his longtime love interest Brenda Barrett (Vanessa Marcil) who "died" in 1998, failed. The popularity of the Sonny and Carly coupling remained even after Carly's original portrayer, Sarah Brown left the show in 2001 and was replaced by Tamara Braun. Eventually though, the enormous amount of airtime that the duo (along with those in their immediate circle) received only served to polarize the audience. In particular, criticism was leveled at the amount of airtime that was devoted to the various mob storylines that these characters were involved in.

GH aired its 10,000th episode on April 17, 2002, with an episode that revolved around the show's only longest running cast member, Audrey Hardy (Rachel Ames), celebrating her 10,000th shift as a nurse at the hospital. The episode was notable for showcasing much of GH's long history in a series of clips and montages, but shortly afterwards, the show would soon be accused of forgetting its history and veteran characters.

Trouble had been brewing for quite some time (due to the increasing amount of focus on Sonny and the mob), but it really became apparent after the abrupt departure of Genie Francis (Laura Spencer) in 2002 under somewhat controversial circumstances. However, ratings remained stable after Francis' departure and even climbed because Vanessa Marcil returned as Brenda Barrett in a five-month stint which lasted into the early months of 2003.

In 2002, after more than 35 years, Rachel Ames, who played Audrey Hardy, was taken off contract and removed from the opening credits, angering many longtime viewers. Around the same time, Brad Maule (Tony Jones) and Shell Kepler (Amy Vining) were also taken off contract. In 2004 Anna Lee was moved to recurring status after 25 years as Lila Quartermaine (Lee died soon after and some fans held the show responsible). At the same time, John Ingle, who had played Lila's husband, was fired from the show after landing the role of Mickey Horton on Days of Our Lives, and he was replaced by Jed Allan. Kin Shriner was also let go, despite the fact that he had been with the show on and off since 1977. Other characters, such as Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman) and Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner) became little more than extras, in spite of their years of popularity with fans.

Perhaps the most intense storyline of this period was the Port Charles Hotel fire in 2004. The only major character that died was Cameron Lewis, Zander Smith's father. We later find out that Zander started the fire to cover up a murder he committed in the hotel's basement.

A Controversial Year (2005)

2005 would get off to a controversial start after one of the show's young heroines, Emily Quartermaine (Natalia Livingston), was brutally raped by Connor Bishop (Tyler Christopher) in scenes that were quite graphic. Adding to the controversy of the storyline was the fact that Connor just happened to look exactly like Emily's husband, Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher). Connor was later shot and killed by Emily. Afterwards, Emily destroyed traces of Connor's violent attack by hiding her panties under a couch cushion when she found them laying on the floor, taking a shower, and changing her clothes - all of which are considered "don'ts" for rape victims.

In the spring of 2005, Emmy-nominated actress Tamara Braun left the role of Carly Corinthos, a role she had garnered praise for since she took over the role from Carly's original portrayer and three-time Emmy winner, Sarah Brown, in 2001. After Braun's exit, the show began a controversial storyline in which Carly's son, Michael Corinthos (Dylan Cash), supposedly killed his biological father, AJ Quartermaine (Billy Warlock). The image of a nine-year-old murderer may have contributed to a decline in ratings as well as Braun's exit from the series as the show fell behind CBS Daytime's As the World Turns and tying or barely beating the other less-hyped ABC soaps. The storyline then quieted down and ended, with the eventual reveal that it was Michael's therapist, Dr. Asher Thomas, who was the real murderer. This storyline raised conflict because fans felt that it rewrote history related to AJ's drunk-driving incident which led to Jason's brain damage. The show then ran a successful comedic storyline involving Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary) getting Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) drunk and than marrying her to get to her money.

In May 2005, Kristina Wagner opted to leave the role of Felicia Jones because of scheduling conflicts with producers. She was replaced with former Another World star Sandra Ferguson. Maxie Jones was also recast with former Days of our Lives star Kirsten Storms taking over for Robyn Richards. This raised conflict because of the revisit to a major storyline, "BJ's heart" with two new actresses trying to act like they were the old ones. The storyline ended in Maxie keeping BJ's heart and her sister Georgie Jones (Lindze Letherman) recovering from her brain hemorrhage.

After Tamara Braun left the series, the role of Carly was recast with former One Life to Live star, Jennifer Bransford. This move was not met well by fans. By the time fans began to warm up to Bransford, she was let go when Guiding Light actress Laura Wright became available. Longtime archrival of Carly, HIV-positive Dr. Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough), returned to town to help her former lover and Carly's best friend, Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) regain his memory.

One storyline that proved to be a definite hit with viewers during this rocky period was the October fairytale wedding of Lucky Spencer and Elizabeth Webber after an eight-year-long courtship and many ups and downs in their relationship. This was despite the fact that Lucky had had two recasts since Lucky and Elizabeth first became popular. Jonathan Jackson had originally played the role of Lucky, but exited the role in 1999. Jacob Young took over the part in 2000 and he was than succeeded by Lucky's current portrayer Greg Vaughan in 2003.

The fall of 2005 saw storylines that consisted of Carly's mental breakdown. She recieved help from a shrink, Dr. Lainey Winters (Kent King). It was apparent that a shrink wasn't enough, Carly needed to be in a mental hospital. After some persuasion from Sonny, Carly checked herself into Rose Lawn Sanitarium, where she stayed for a month.

There was also the mystery of who was drugging college girls such as Maxie Jones (Kirsten Storms) and Brook Lynn Ashton (Adrianne Leon) and taking nude pictures of them. The stalker turned out to be Diego Alcazar (Ignacio Serricchio), Lorenzo Alcazar's (Ted King) long-lost son. Diego's motive was apparently his need to avenge the death of his cousin Sage Alcazar (Katie Stuart). Diego was sent to prison, the only person that seemed to feel bad for him was Georgie Jones (Lindze Letherman).

Lucas Jones (Ben Hogestyn), son of veterans Bobbie Spencer and Dr. Tony Jones also made a comeback. This would prove to be a significant event in GH's history because Lucas soon revealed that he was gay, thus making him the first significant homosexual character on the program. While there had been gay characters on the show before, such as schoolteacher Mr. Murty and wedding coordinator Elton, they had been merely minor characters. Lucas was at first reluctant to come out, he told his cousin Georgie but no one else for months, but was eventually forced to come out to his mother after he was the victim of a hate crime.

Courtney Matthews (Alicia Leigh Willis) discovered that she was pregnant with her estranged husband Jasper "Jax" Jack's (Ingo Rademacher) child, despite being in love with Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher). Courtney would die in February 2006 of a rare strain of encephalitis after giving birth to her son, John Michael. Minute before she died Jax revealed that the child is in fact Nikolas's, she died before she could tell him. Jax decided to keep John's paternity a secret.

November 2005 saw a major disaster storyline involving a train collision and major real-life drama. This storyline involved much of the canvas and was GH's sole focus for several weeks during the important sweeps period. During this storyline, Alexis Davis and her estranged husband Ric Lansing gave birth to their baby girl in an antique train car via a c-section performed by Robin Scorpio and Emily Quartermaine. They named her Molly Lansing after "The Unsinkable Molly Brown", a Titanic survivor; they also agreed to work on their marriage. Lucky Spencer survived a near-fatal hit by a sharp metal impaling him. The new Carly (Laura Wright) was introduced and then fought villain Manny Ruiz and escaped the crash. Reese Marshall (Kari Wuhrer) was the only major character to die in this storyline. Wuhrer, a relative newcomer to the show, having only joined in February 2005, was let go due to lacking storyline between stars Maurice Benard and Rick Hearst. Wuhrer later decided to sue for discrimination, claiming that her pregnancy was the cause of her dismissal.

Rick Springfield, who had played Dr. Noah Drake during the 1980s, was tapped to reprise his role for four episodes in December 2005. His brief stint proved quite popular with fans of the show and was extended for a longer run. We found out that he had a son, Patrick Drake (Jason Thompson) who is also a doctor, and that his wife (Patrick's mother) had died on the operating table with him (Noah) as the surgeon. That caused him to quit being a doctor and go into a downward spiral into alcoholism and that father and son had been estranged for quiet some time. It appears that his successful return, combined with the successful return of Kimberly McCullough as Dr. Robin Scorpio, has inspired GH producers to revisit the past. Shortly afterwards, it was announced that Tristan Rogers would return as Robert Scorpio for a six week run.

The Present (2006)

2006 would begin with Emily Quartermaine's departure from Sonny Corinthos's residence, even though they both realize that they have feelings for each other. A pregnant Courtney Matthews leaves town after a breakdown because she thinks that her fiancee Nikolas Cassadine is still in love with his ex-wife Emily.

Luke Spencer left town for the Markaam Islands after being hunted by the cops for Tracy Quartermaine's "murder." After Tracy turned up alive, Luke returned to Port Charles--with a virus that would cause an epidemic in Port Charles!

January 27 marked the return of longtime soap veteran Tristan Rogers as Robert Scorpio, a stranger hunting Luke. Robert returned to Port Charles to help solve the mystery of a rare case of encephalitis, brought to the town by Luke. His daughter, Robin, was shocked when she came face to face with her "dead" father. Robert put the General Hospital under quarantine in order to contain the disease. Many of the shows prime characters would be stricken with the disease including: Dillon, Sam, Sonny, Skye, Alexis, Nikolas, Luke, Lucky, Ric, Lulu, Courtney, Carly, Robin, Jesse, and Tony. It was found out that the disease was man-made. Jason Morgan and Carly Corinthos, with a little help, ultimately found the cure, but too late to save beloved characters Dr. Tony Jones and Courtney Matthews, both of whom died. On February 10, Tony died with his son Lucas Jones, his ex-wife, Bobbie Spencer, and his ex-brother-in-law, Luke Spencer, by his side. BJ, his daughter that had died a decade before, came to get him. His last words were, "I'm dying happy." Dr. Patrick Drake came running in with a vial of antidote just seconds after Tony died. Lucas was glad that he had told his father he was gay before died and that he had accepted it. On February 21, Courtney died after giving birth to her first child, a son she named John Michael, with her ex-husband Jasper "Jax" Jacks watching and Nikolas by her side. Minutes before her death, she was informed by Jax that the child was not his but Nikolas's. She was mad at Jax but found it in herself to forgive him. She wanted to tell Nikolas about him being her baby's father, but she died before she could. Her last words were, "I love you, Nikolas."

Sam McCall's autistic brother, and only living relative, Danny, also perished in the crisis; Sam blamed Alexis Davis for not giving up the antidote in order for Danny to be saved, claiming she gave up her baby girl to save Alexis's daughter Kristina Davis. You must add a |reason= parameter to this Cleanup template – replace it with {{Cleanup|section|reason=<Fill reason here>}}, or remove the Cleanup template.

On February 20, longtime GH veteran Emma Samms returned temporarily, as the second and presumed-dead wife of Robert Scorpio, Holly Sutton. Holly had the antidote, she disguised her voice on the phone, called the hospital, and offered it for a million dollars a bottle. Holly was eventually found by her ex-husband Robert and ex-lover Luke and was taken to jail.

Danny's final words to Sam: "I am so happy that mom and dad picked you to be my sister," Sam didn't understand the cryptic remark, but Jason understood that Sam might have been adopted as an infant. Alexis revealed to Ric that she had given birth to a daughter when she was a 16-year-old boarding school student and gave her up for adoption on May 11, 1980--Sam's birthday! Later Sam and Jason were shocked to realize that Alexis was indeed Sam's biological mother. The only question is, who's Sam's biological father?

In May, Robert, Luke, and Holly went on an adventure in the Markaam Islands. They were soon followed by Robin, Patrick, Lulu, and Dillion, than much to everyone's surprise, none other than Anna Devane (Finola Hughes) came climbing down a ladder from a helicopter. Robin was surprised but happy to see her mother. Robert and Anna came face to face for the first time in years and Anna, being the super spy she is, karate chopped him to the ground and yelled at him for lying all these years. After watching them bicker Robin questioned if her parents ever loved each other. They said that they did and always will but they just can't be together. They also said that they've done a lot amazing things together but the most amazing was having Robin, and sort of peace settled among them.

As of late June 2006, Sonny and Emily are still together, though Sonny's mental health is deteriorating, he has bipolar disorder, worsened by Ric's manipulations. Jax and Carly are dealing with the fallout of "losing" Courtney's baby, John, and Jax went to Africa with his mother. Jason had pushed Sam away in order to protect her from danger. Nikolas and his son were finally reunited and Nikolas dediced to get a nanny. A young woman named Colleen McHenry seemed like the perfect nanny, but it was later revealed that she was working for Nikolas's grandmother, the evil Helena Cassadine.

In July, Lulu Spencer wanted Dillon Quartermaine for herself and thought of the best way to break him and Georgie Jones up, she told Dillon that she saw Georgie and Diego Alcazar having sex in the boathouse. Dillon believed Lulu and they slept together, afterwards he found out she was a virgin. Lucky Spencer still had back pains and was asking his friend Maxie Jones for more painkillers. Maxie began using the painkillers to make Lucky love her and they began sleeping together. Dillon finally learned about Lulu's scams and lies, and he and Georgie began rebuilding their relationship. Dr. Patrick Drake cut himself while operating on an AIDS patient and was exposed to the virus. He immediatly got an HIV test, which came up negative. He won't know for sure if he is HIV negative until January 2007 when he takes a second test. Robin Scorpio was very supportive and assured him she would help him through it.

In August, Nikolas changed baby John's name to Spencer Cassadine, in honor of the Spencer family. Lulu found out that she is pregnant with Dillion's child. Lulu told Sonny that she is pregnant and he offered to help her in anyway he could. Lucky and Maxie's affair was exposed by Carly who saw them together and than told Elizabeth. Elizabeth didn't believe her, but later found Maxie in bed with her husband. Sam and Alexis had a bitter argument and when she left Ric and Sam discussed the problems in their lives and ended up having sex. Alexis saw them together through the window and was in utter disbelief that her husband and daughter were having sex. After having a conversation with Carly regarding Sam, Jason began to change his mind about leaving her. Unfortunately Jason saw Sam and Ric having sex and was completely heartbroken. Jason sat distraught and drinking in his apartment, when an equally distraught Elizabeth showed up at his door. Elizabeth told Jason about Lucky's infidelity and Jason told Elizabeth about Sam sleeping with Ric. They drank tequilla, talked about their past, and ended up making love. It was revealed that the reason Lulu got pregnant was because of the condoms her and Dillon had used were dysfunctional and had ironically been manfactured by the Quartermaine's company, ELQ. Elizabeth discovered that she and Jason had used the same condoms that Lulu and Dillon had. She took a pregnancy test and the result came up positive. She went to General Hospital to get a confirmation and once it was confirmed by Dr. Kelly Lee (Minae Noji), she asked how soon she could get a paternity test.

On October 26, Laura Spencer (Genie Francis) was finally released from her catatonic state by an experimental drug, that was suggested by Robin Scorpio. Her family was overjoyed to have her back, but Robin warned them not tell her what happened four years ago or it might send her right back into her catatonic state.

Title Sequence

Since the series' debut in 1963, General Hospital has had only four opening title sequences.

In the early years in 1963, General Hospital used a scene of doctors and nurses in the hospital, then it freezes and turns into a negative image, then the title appears in the Craw Clarendon Condensed font (which remained the same until 1993). Around late 1963 to 1973 after the prologue, the background faded to black, with "GENERAL HOSPITAL" in the Craw Clarendon Condensed font, but when the show moved to color in August 1967, the background changed to blue, it was used the same for the closing sequence. It was used until circa 1973.

During 1963-1967, the ABC announcer says "GENERAL HOSPITAL...brought to you by [product name]", when the show moved to color in 1967 till circa early 1970s, the announcer would say "GENERAL HOSPITAL in color". During the end of each scene just seconds before commercial break, the announcer would say "We'll return to GENERAL HOSPITAL in just a moment", that announcement phased out in circa early 1970s. During 1973 to 1976, the announcer would simply say "General Hospital". From late 1963-circa 1970s, announcer Ed Chandler would say "This is Ed Chandler inviting you to tune in tomorrow (Monday) and every weekday for GENERAL HOSPITAL", but it was changed during circa 1973 when he says "This is Ed Chandler inviting you to tune in everyday, Monday through Friday for GENERAL HOSPITAL", it was used until July 1976.

The exterior shot of the hospital in the opening and ending credits is the General Hospital of the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, located just east of Downtown Los Angeles. This shot was used from circa 1973 to 1993, and remained relatively unchanged between those years. The sequence's theme song was led prominently by George Wright's piano theme from circa 1973 until July 23, 1976, with the ambulance entering the hospital, then the show's title zooms towards us. Then, on July 26, 1976, the theme music was changed to Autumn Breeze by Jack Urbont, with the horns throughout the opening sequence (the 1973 opening sequence remains the same, and the lettering of the show's title was smaller). This sequence was used until March 31, 1993.

File:Generalhospital1984.jpg
The General Hospital title card, seen between circa 1973/1974 and 1993.
File:Generalhospital1994.jpg
The General Hospital title card, seen between April 1993 and August 2004.

In the spring of 1993, the opening sequence changed for the first time in the show's history, with a new mellow jazz theme song led mainly by saxophone called "Faces Of The Heart" (played by Dave Koz). It featured video headshots of the show's cast in front of a red background. Tinted action clips from the show were also seen in this sequence, including a clip of Luke rushing, trying to rescue his then-wife Laura. A new logo was introduced at the end of the show's open, still written vertically, and it would fade into the foreground at the end of the sequence. At least 44 different versions of this open were used from 1993 to 2004. Beginning in the late 1990s, the names of the show's characters would accompany the headshots themselves.

The theme song was revamped on August 30, 2004, and accompanied a new set of visuals (all ABC soaps revamped their titles this year). The opening was styled after the commercial break bumpers that were used on all of ABC's soaps at the time. All My Children' and One Life to Live's openings were done in similar ways to the GH opening. It began with brief flashes of some of the cast members, then showing a brief shot of the Port Charles skyline transitioning to headshots of cast members. The new opening sequence was letterboxed at the beginning and end, and it was accompanied by an updated version of the 1993 theme song.

Ratings History

During the 1960s, General Hospital earned decent ratings, but there was a drastic decline as the 1970s came. ABC was ready to cancel the show, but decided to give it a second chance. In 1978, the network told producers that the show had six months to improve ratings. Gloria Monty was hired as executive producer and on her first day, she spent an extra $100,000 re-taping four episodes. A miracle occurred and thanks to Monty, the show became the most watched daytime drama. During the wedding of Luke and Laura Spencer on November 16, 1981, about 30 million people tuned in to watch the supercouple exchange vows and be cursed by Elizabeth Taylor's Helena Cassadine.

Monty received praise for saving the show from cancellation. She is also known for having a great working relationship with many of the actors. Monty was responsible for hiring a list of extremely popular actors, including Anthony Geary, Tristan Rogers, Kimberly McCullough, Emma Samms, Ian Buchanan, and Finola Hughes.

From 1979 to 1988, General Hospital remained number one in the ratings. Despite the departure of popular actors Anthony Geary and Genie Francis in the mid-1980s, the show continued to triumph. In 1989 The Young and the Restless took place as the highest rated soap opera, but General Hospital continued to have extremely good ratings.

The Return of Fan Favorites

GH has made a name for itself for bringing back fan favorites. During the years, such performers as Jane Elliot, David Lewis, Kin Shriner, Genie Francis, Anthony Geary, Jack Wagner, Maurice Benard, Kimberly McCullough, and Steve Burton have returned to the show.

In October 2005, Kimberly McCullough returned to the role of Dr. Robin Scorpio and her return was accepted by fans. Robin quickly got involved in the frontburner storyline, which involved Robin's former lover, mobster Jason Morgan, having severe seizures. To further this storyline, rock star Rick Springfield was asked to return for four episodes. He returned for the role of Dr. Noah Drake, a role he hadn't played since 1983, Springfield eventually agreed to extend his stay and he was put on recurring status. The return of Noah also introduced a new character, his son Dr. Patrick Drake. Patrick's portrayer Jason Thompson has earned incredible success since he joined the show in December 2005.

The biggest return occurred on January 27, 2006, when the presumed dead Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) returned to Port Charles. Ever since Rogers left the show in 1992, their were rumors of his return every year. Rogers agreed to stay for February sweeps and the fan reaction was so big that Rogers joined the cast in April 2006. Although he hasn't signed a contract, Rogers is part of the cast.

One of the most welcomed returns was John Ingle, who left Days of our Lives to return to his role of Quartermaine family patriarch Edward Quartermaine. In 2003, producers of the show announced that Ingle would be bumped to recurring and he was outraged. After several fans wrote in letters, they offered Ingle a new contract, but he declined. In 2004, Jed Allan replaced Ingle. Allan wasn't very successful in the role and in April 2006, Ingle made his return to the show.

Another big return was Emma Samms as Holly Sutton. She returned to the show on February 20 to finish off February sweeps. Samms enjoyed her return so much, she came back again for May sweeps. She has stated she loves to do the show and will agree to do these small stints every few months. During May sweeps, Finola Hughes also returned for a week and than returned again in June 2006.

One of the biggest announcements in recent years occurred in June 2006, when it was announced that Genie Francis would return to the role of Laura Spencer. Francis, who declined to return in 2004, will have a six-week stint for the 25th celebration of Luke and Laura's wedding. She started airing October 26th.

Cast

Current Cast Members

Recurring Cast Members

Comings and Goings

Deceased Cast Members

Before they were stars

Celebrity Appreances

Executive Producers and Head Writers

Executive Producers

Head Writers

  • March 13, 2006-The Present: Robert Guza Jr.
  • June 13, 2002-March 12, 2006: Robert Guza Jr. & Charles Pratt Jr.
  • April 2001-June 2002: Megan McTavish
  • January 2001-April 2001: Elizabeth Korte & Michele Val Jean
  • December 8, 1997 to December 2000: Robert Guza Jr.
  • May 1997 to December 5, 1997: Janet Iacobuzio & Christopher Whitesell
  • October 1996 to May 1997: Richard Culliton & Karen Harris
  • March 1996 to October 1996: Robert Guza Jr. & Karen Harris
  • 1993 to March 1996: Claire Labine
  • 1993: Bill Levinson
  • 1992-1993: Maralyn Thoma
  • 1991-1992: Norma Monty
  • 1989-1991: Gene Palumbo
  • 1988: Ann Marcus
  • 1986-1988: Pat Falken Smith & Norma Monty
  • 1983-1986: Anne Howard Bailey
  • 1983: Joyce & John William Corrington
  • 1982: Robert S. Shaw
  • 1979-1982: Pat Falken Smith & Margaret Depriest
  • 1977-79: Douglas Marland
  • 1977: Richard and Suzanne Holland
  • 1977: Irving and Tex Elman
  • 1976-1977: Eileen and Robert Mason Pollack
  • 1975: Richard and Suzanne Holland
  • 1973-1975: Jerome and Bridget Dobson
  • Late 1963-73: Frank and Doris Hursley
  • April 1, 1963-Late 1963: Theordore and Mathilde Ferro

Awards

Daytime Emmys

Show

  • 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 2006 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2006 "Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Drama Series"
  • 2006 "Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling for a Drama Series"
  • 2005 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 2005 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2004 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 2004 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
  • 2003 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 2003 "Outstanding Achievement in Multiple Camera Editing for a Drama Series"
  • 2002 "Outstanding Original Song"
  • 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 2000 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Drama Series"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
  • 1999 "Outstanding Original Song" TIED with As the World Turns
  • 1998 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
  • 1997 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1996 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1996 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
  • 1995 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1995 "Outstanding Drama Series Writing Team"
  • 1995 "Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Series"
  • 1984 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1982 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"
  • 1981 "Outstanding Drama Series"
  • 1981 "Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team"

General Hospital ties with As the World Turns and All My Children for the most Daytime Emmys won in a single year with a total of eight, which they won in 1999.

General Hospital holds the record for the most "Outstanding Drama Series" Emmy award wins with a total of nine.

Individuals

  • 2006 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Anthony Geary
  • 2005 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Natalia Livingston
  • 2004 "Lifetime Achievement Award" Anna Lee
  • 2004 "Lifetime Achievement Award" Rachel Ames
  • 2004 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Anthony Geary
  • 2004 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Rick Hearst
  • 2004 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Chad Brannon
  • 2003 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Maurice Benard
  • 2003 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Vanessa Marcil
  • 2002 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Jacob Young
  • 2000 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Anthony Geary
  • 2000 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Sarah Brown
  • 1999 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Anthony Geary
  • 1999 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Stuart Damon
  • 1999 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Jonathan Jackson
  • 1998 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Steve Burton
  • 1998 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Jonathan Jackson
  • 1998 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Sarah Brown
  • 1997 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Sarah Brown
  • 1996 "Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series" Kimberly McCullough
  • 1995 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Rena Sofer
  • 1995 "Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series" Jonathan Jackson
  • 1993 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Gerald Anthony
  • 1991 "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" Finola Hughes
  • 1989 "Outstanding Juvenile Female in a Drama Series" Kimberly McCullough
  • 1982 "Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series" Anthony Geary
  • 1982 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" David Lewis
  • 1981 "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" Jane Elliot
  • 1979 "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" Peter Hansen

General Hospital ties with All My Children for the most "Outstanding Lead Actor" Emmy award wins with a total of six

General Hospital holds the record for the most "Outstanding Supporting Actor" Emmy award wins with a total of six

General Hospital ties with Guiding Light for the most "Outstanding Supporting Actress" Emmy award wins with a total of five.

Directors Guild Of America

  • 2004 "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials"
  • 2002 "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials"
  • 1998 "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials"
  • 1996 "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Daytime Serials"

Writers Guild Of America

  • 1998 "Daytime Serials"
  • 1996 "Daytime Serials"
  • 1995 "Daytime Serials"

External Links

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