Ghosts of GH Past Viewing Party: '80s, '90s, And All Eras Of Non-Suckitude!

[dubbel zout]

Thank you for that, @ulkis. It seemed like SR really enjoyed his time on GH from the BTS stuff that came out at the time. Nice to hear it confirmed by the man himself.

There are legit reasons not to work on a soap, just like at any other job, but to look down on it just because it's—gasp!—daytime isn't one of them.

[Hiyo]

Quote

There are legit reasons not to work on a soap, just like at any other job, but to look down on it just because it's—gasp!—daytime isn't one of them.

Yeah, but sadly, that isn't the reality. People are looked down on for being on a soap, and have been for a while.

Here is an interview with Genie Francis and Tony Geary (which I posted previously) from the mid-90s which was rather telling:

Quote

GF: I think the kind of people you're talking about -- the ones who sort of hit a plateau -- are stars. I consider myself a real blue-collar actor.  There's no big fuss over soap-opera people. We're really pretty much snickered at. We're like the country-music stars. It's true. We're snickered at! You have to truly love what you do and be totally self-motivated. I do this for me -- and for the woman who comes up on the street and hugs  me and cries and says, "You know, I'll never forget that moment when  Laura put the star on the Christmas tree. I can't even put it into words!"   I do it for those reasons. It's a personal love -- because that they can never take away from me.

Which is a shame, because there have been lots of talented people who have worked on soaps, and some still do.

[Ambrosefolly]

This is touching on things I have been thinking about recently. I recently watched a Youtube clip about Harry Potter scenes that were cut that the maker of the video felt shouldn't have been cut, mentioning that often in movies that if a film is getting too long, the character setting scenes will often will get cut in favor of the scenes that moves the plot along, which is understandably when dealing with movies. It also reminded me what a different beast soaps should be treated as but no longer are, because soaps one strength over movies and even primetime shows (especially now that shows are cutting down their seasons), is that soaps have hundreds of episodes a year, so it can and should be focused on the character arcs over the plot of the story. As some on the old TWoP boards mentioned, soaps at its heart are morality plays. It isn't about the crazy storylines that characters are in, but what the characters would do in dealing with whatever outlandish scenario they found themselves in. Since the the aughts, we have been getting show runners and writers that actively hate the genre or we get people that think soaps should be all about the crazy(criminal,evil, murderous) and neither care about developing any character or relationship. When Guza and Pratt were interviewed when they wrote GH, they bragged they wrote the episodes as if they were individual movies, which was patently stupid, especially in light of the fact everyone of his "movies" seemed to be about Carly, Sonny, Jason and whatever woman Jason was tied to. It would be like the Marvel Movie Universe being all about Iron Man. Guza also often insulted Labine's tenure on the show, basically calling her a one trick pony, but Labine got how to make the audience to care about the characters and the different relationships without relaying on shortcuts, like making someone so established characters long lost relative (unless that was the plan all a long, like with Justice Ward) I have read a few articles about writers and other creatives (mostly women) who are trying to do superhero/comic movies, but are floundering because they admittedly don't like the superhero genre, but the things they do like are the core of soaps, and I couldn't help think a lot of them would be happier working on soaps, if they got over their prejudices with the genre. I think that is what everyone forgets about the 80s, is that the writing team didn't completely hand wave (a little a bit when they turned Luke raping Laura into seduction) the terrible things that Luke and Alan did, especially to the women they loved the most, they really did try to build the relationships to make you care about them. 

[dubbel zout]

I would argue that the Marvel movies are soap operas. Just ones with huge budgets and lots of whiz-bang. I mean, look at the daddy issues Thor and Iron Man have. 

[ouinason]

And Guardian's has a great story about what makes family/who is your family.  From Peter and Ego vs. Yondu to Gamora's stupid screwed up relationship with Thanos and Nebula, that GotG set of stories is FULL AMC in space!

[statsgirl]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I would argue that the Marvel movies are soap operas. Just ones with huge budgets and lots of whiz-bang. I mean, look at the daddy issues Thor and Iron Man have. 

Andrew Kreisburg, who created Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl for TV, has openly stated in interviews that comic books are soap operas for boys.

[Ambrosefolly]

3 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I would argue that the Marvel movies are soap operas. Just ones with huge budgets and lots of whiz-bang. I mean, look at the daddy issues Thor and Iron Man have. 

I slightly disagree. Comic books might be soap opera for boys and they might borrow from soap operas like any other genre, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is basically a primetime television series for the big screen. The universe might have multiple storylines that come together, but movies, especially individual character movies have to have a beginning, middle and end to the main plot. 

Plus after 10 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is pretty much dead. Phase 4 and beyond isn't going to have the same impact as Phases 1-3. 

I can also argue, the true aftermath of the rape didn't truly end when Luke and Laura decided to be a real couple in the 80s, but ended nearly two decades during Liz's rape, Lucky leaving the Spencer house, and then Lucky getting caught in the fire and taken hostage by Helena, there by triggering Luke and Laura to finally get divorce. Can't put a real pause on comic book storylines like that.

Edited February 15, 2020 by Ambrosefolly

[Hiyo]

One good thing about soaps is that their format allows for rich, long term story telling, something many people no longer seem to have the attention span for. My top 3 soaps in the 90s were GH, B&B, and AMC, all of which had rich long term stories that involved and affected multiple characters, and which in turn fed into other stories.

[UYI]

Quote

GF: I think the kind of people you're talking about -- the ones who sort of hit a plateau -- are stars. I consider myself a real blue-collar actor.  There's no big fuss over soap-opera people. We're really pretty much snickered at. We're like the country-music stars. It's true. We're snickered at!

YES! I LOVE country music (go to the Music forum here for proof of that--hee!), but the stigma surrounding it is VERY similar to soap operas (and yes, in both cases, some of it is deserved, but certainly not ALL of it). Taylor Swift is a good example of that--her first three technically country albums were outselling pretty much every single one of the biggest pop stars at the time, but it was only after it was clear that she was officially a pop star with 1989 (or in the case of Red, pretty damn close) that she was truly counted among them. Because God forbid that a country artist be considered a "real" music star. Whatever. (It's also probably why Carrie Underwood gets less attention overall too, despite her start with American Idol and her own massive fan base--she made it clear pretty early on that truly crossing over--even with her success with "Before He Cheats"--wasn't a priority for her; being a country artist was.)

It's funny, in the case of Tony and Genie, they were in a rare position where they considered just as big or bigger than many primetime stars of their day when L&L married, and yet in some ways that probably made trying to pursue roles outside of daytime THAT much harder--too big for their smaller pond, yet somehow not big enough for anything else (although I know Genie obviously leaned into it later with other soapy roles). 

Edited February 20, 2020 by UYI

[Jan Spears]

I've rewatched the Ice Princess story line in its entirety (late-December 1980 to late-September 1981) for the first time since I watched it in real time as a 13-14 year old in 1981. Despite the passage of 39 years (!) and the fading of the Luke-and-Laura phenomenon that was so much a part of that era, the Ice Princess saga still holds up remarkably well.

The Ice Princess saga occurs in three stages:

• In Port Charles, where numerous characters are trying to get their hands on the mysterious Ice Princess sculpture,
• On the high seas, where Luke, Laura and Robert have stowed away on the Cassadine boat and are headed to points unknown, and
• On the Cassadine island, where Luke, Laura and Robert have to rough it above ground while they try to find a way to enter the Cassadines' underground headquarters.

In retrospect, I would say that the boat and island sections of the story drag somewhat in comparison to the high-gear action in Port Charles where everyone and their brother is trying to get their hands on the Ice Princess and betrayal is only a moment away. Oddly, the draggiest parts of the boat and island scenes are the same things that made General Hospital such a sensation in 1981: the Luke and Laura scenes.

The sheer number of gratuitous Luke and Laura scenes where nothing much happens really brings the story line to a dead halt at times. Some of it may have been the result of the writers' strike that occurred in 1981 which must have put a premium on treading water story-wise. But even without the writers' strike, ABC would have no doubt ordered Gloria Monty to keep Genie Francis and Anthony Geary front-and-center that summer given how General Hospital's popularity had swept over and beyond the confines of daytime television to become a pop culture phenomenon.

For all that, the Ice Princess saga is a high gear action-adventure story that compares favorably to any of the time travel story lines on Dark Shadows. Apart from the adventure element, the viewer also gets the introductions of Robert Scorpio and Tiffany Hill as General Hospital regulars. Tristan Rogers and Sharon Wyatt both hit the ground running with their characters and they add a lot to the overall story. In particular, Rogers develops an immediate chemistry with Anthony Geary and their scenes together are as good as (and sometimes better than) Geary's scenes with Francis.

Special mention must go to John Colicos as Mikkos Cassadine, who makes for a fantastic villain. Mikkos doesn't appear in the story line until its last 5-6 weeks and, at first, his presence is a little disorienting, as if Baltar had beamed in from Battlerstar Galactica. But once he gets going, he makes a formidable adversary for all concerned (and not just for Luke, Laura and Robert.) He also brings out the very best in Anthony Geary and Geary does some of his best acting of the year opposite Colicos.

Final thought: Heading into my rewatch of the Ice Princess saga, I had two very strong memories:

• The murder of Robert's sidekick, O' Reilly, in Port Charles, and
• Luke and Laura discovering the frozen bodies of Alexandria, Tony, Max and Noel in Mikkos' secret chamber.

Both scenes still pack a wallop lo these many years later!

Edited March 24, 2020 by Jan Spears

[statsgirl]

4 hours ago, Jan Spears said:

his presence is a little disorienting, as if Baltar had beamed in from Battlerstar Galactica.

Or Kor. He was the original Star Trek Klingon.

He seemed to have such fun as Mikkos.

[Francie]

On 3/22/2020 at 4:54 PM, Jan Spears said:

I've rewatched the Ice Princess story line in its entirety (late-December 1980 to late-September 1981) for the first time since I watched it in real time as a 13-14 year old in 1981. Despite the passage of 39 years (!) and the fading of the Luke-and-Laura phenomenon that was so much a part of that era, the Ice Princess saga still holds up remarkably well.

The Ice Princess saga occurs in three stages:

• In Port Charles, where numerous characters are trying to get their hands on the mysterious Ice Princess sculpture,
• On the high seas, where Luke, Laura and Robert have stowed away on the Cassadine boat and are headed to points unknown, and
• On the Cassadine island, where Luke, Laura and Robert have to rough it above ground while they try to find a way to enter the Cassadines' underground headquarters.

In retrospect, I would say that the boat and island sections of the story drag somewhat in comparison to the high-gear action in Port Charles where everyone and their brother is trying to get their hands on the Ice Princess and betrayal is only a moment away. Oddly, the draggiest parts of the boat and island scenes are the same things that made General Hospital such a sensation in 1981: the Luke and Laura scenes.

The sheer number of gratuitous Luke and Laura scenes where nothing much happens really brings the story line to a dead halt at times. Some of it may have been the result of the writers' strike that occurred in 1981 which must have put a premium on treading water story-wise. But even without the writers' strike, ABC would have no doubt ordered Gloria Monty to keep Genie Francis and Anthony Geary front-and-center that summer given how General Hospital's popularity had swept over and beyond the confines of daytime television to become a pop culture phenomenon.

For all that, the Ice Princess saga is a high gear action-adventure story that compares favorably to any of the time travel story lines on Dark Shadows. Apart from the adventure element, the viewer also gets the introductions of Robert Scorpio and Tiffany Hill as General Hospital regulars. Tristan Rogers and Sharon Wyatt both hit the ground running with their characters and they add a lot to the overall story. In particular, Rogers develops an immediate chemistry with Anthony Geary and their scenes together are as good as (and sometimes better than) Geary's scenes with Francis.

Special mention must go to John Colicos as Mikkos Cassadine, who makes for a fantastic villain. Mikkos doesn't appear in the story line until its last 5-6 weeks and, at first, his presence is a little disorienting, as if Baltar had beamed in from Battlerstar Galactica. But once he gets going, he makes a formidable adversary for all concerned (and not just for Luke, Laura and Robert.) He also brings out the very best in Anthony Geary and Geary does some of his best acting of the year opposite Colicos.

Final thought: Heading into my rewatch of the Ice Princess saga, I had two very strong memories:

• The murder of Robert's sidekick, O' Reilly, in Port Charles, and
• Luke and Laura discovering the frozen bodies of Alexandria, Tony, Max and Noel in Mikkos' secret chamber.

Both scenes still pack a wallop lo these many years later!

10-year-old me was shook -- absolutely shook -- when I learned that Alex and Tony had walked into the freezer and were instantly killed. I never saw that coming.  Not that I cared about either character, but it nevertheless was one of those moments that was seered into my consciousness. 

Now, I realize that the story was rapidly coming to a close and the writers were getting rid of the characters who wouldn't make it beyond the storyline. But at the time, I just didn't see it coming and it seemed like such a horrific end to characters who weren't outright villains, but victims of circumstance. 

[dubbel zout]

One reason the Ice Princess story holds up so well is that the internal logic was rock (heh) solid. The writers had really thought it through and you saw that, so you could find the whole thing completely bananas yet realistic within itself.

[Ambrosefolly]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

One reason the Ice Princess story holds up so well is that the internal logic was rock (heh) solid. The writers had really thought it through and you saw that, so you could find the whole thing completely bananas yet realistic within itself.

As someone on TWoP mentioned many moons ago, the characters stayed in character and weren't bent to further long plot points. Any fantastical story needs that to ground it and make it compelling to the audience. Well, any story needs it, but especially the fantastical. 

[Jan Spears]

On 4/11/2020 at 4:22 PM, Francie said:

10-year-old me was shook -- absolutely shook -- when I learned that Alex and Tony had walked into the freezer and were instantly killed. I never saw that coming.  Not that I cared about either character, but it nevertheless was one of those moments that was seered into my consciousness. 

Now, I realize that the story was rapidly coming to a close and the writers were getting rid of the characters who wouldn't make it beyond the storyline. But at the time, I just didn't see it coming and it seemed like such a horrific end to characters who weren't outright villains, but victims of circumstance. 

Yes, it was shocking at the time, especially since Alexandria had been such a prominent character throughout 1981. As I look back at it now, though, the handwriting was on the wall for the character. She had been involved (to varying degrees) with the deaths of O'Reilly, Clay and James Duvall and, perhaps worse, she was complicit in trying to pin Duvall's death on Laura. From a storyline standpoint, she had to go.

On 4/11/2020 at 5:34 PM, dubbel zout said:

One reason the Ice Princess story holds up so well is that the internal logic was rock (heh) solid. The writers had really thought it through and you saw that, so you could find the whole thing completely bananas yet realistic within itself.

 

On 4/11/2020 at 6:56 PM, Ambrosefolly said:

As someone on TWoP mentioned many moons ago, the characters stayed in character and weren't bent to further long plot points. Any fantastical story needs that to ground it and make it compelling to the audience. Well, any story needs it, but especially the fantastical. 

I agree with both of these posts. Not only was the Ice Princess saga harmonious with the established characters of all the principal players but it also maintained preexisting plot points in parallel to the main storyline. For instance, the show never lost sight of the missing Scotty Baldwin. In the middle of all the Ice Princess drama, the show still featured adversarial scenes between Laura and Lee Baldwin (which weren't always flattering to the character of Laura, either.)

Another master stroke of the Ice Princess saga was to merge the island adventure with the goings-on back in Port Charles. How? We'll have Mikkos try to blackmail the world into submission by freezing Port Charles! It was an audacious move at the time (to put it mildly) but it worked brilliantly because the viewer got to see the entire hospital staff swing into action. Other storylines even got folded into that. So, when Kelly's Diner became a shelter for the derelicts populating the Port Charles docks, the show could bring the Anne Logan-Heather Webber drama into the mix, as both were sheltering uneasily together at Kelly's.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2020 by Jan Spears

[cleo]

I've been watching this as well, for the first time- I am spoiled though.

Agree with a lot of the points esp L and L dragging the whole thing down. I generally skip those scenes other than trying to figure out what Laura saw in him bc I thought he was the type to give her flowers then treat her like shit or condescend to her. Or vice versa. I pretty much hate their relationship.

Also Robert was RIGHT THERE. No competition in my book.

But I enjoyed the scenes on the boat and island more than the running around in PC. I think the stuff in PC dragged and dragged. I also think I like the island and boat stuff was more interesting bc of Victor and Tiffany.

One  nitpick- so the gang is trying to hide on this island and they built a shelter? Dumb. Primarily so L and L could have sex I guess? Dumber.

Another story that has dragged is the Diana Taylor murder/Heather/Joe thing. I have enjoyed it but man they take their time.

Edited April 19, 2020 by cleo

[ByaNose]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2020 at 6:42 PM, Jan Spears said:

Yes, it was shocking at the time, especially since Alexandria had been such a prominent character throughout 1981. As I look back at it now, though, the handwriting was on the wall for the character. She had been involved (to varying degrees) with the deaths of O'Reilly, Clay and James Duvall and, perhaps worse, she was complicit in trying to pin Duvall's death on Laura. From a storyline standpoint, she had to go.

 

I agree with both of these posts. Not only was the Ice Princess saga harmonious with the established characters of all the principal players but it also maintained preexisting plot points in parallel to the main storyline. For instance, the show never lost sight of the missing Scotty Baldwin. In the middle of all the Ice Princess drama, the show still featured adversarial scenes between Laura and Lee Baldwin (which weren't always flattering to the character of Laura, either.)

Another master stroke of the Ice Princess saga was to merge the island adventure with the goings-on back in Port Charles. How? We'll have Mikkos try to blackmail the world into submission by freezing Port Charles! It was an audacious move at the time (to put it mildly) but it worked brilliantly because the viewer got to see the entire hospital staff swing into action. Other storylines even got folded into that. So, when Kelly's Diner became a shelter for the derelicts populating the Port Charles docks, the show could bring the Anne Logan-Heather Webber drama into the mix, as both were sheltering uneasily together at Kelly's.

 

 

It's funny to read this now since I watched it originally. This was a time when you stayed in all day during the summer and watched the ABC lineup. Good times, indeed.

[Jan Spears]

22 hours ago, cleo said:

I generally skip those scenes other than trying to figure out what Laura saw in him bc I thought he was the type to give her flowers then treat her like shit or condescend to her. Or vice versa. I pretty much hate their relationship.

The Luke and Laura relationship (pre-ocean voyage/island adventure) gets misremembered a bit due to what came later. But in the winter and spring of 1981, they really did have a complicated relationship. Luke was controlling and domineering of Laura, and Laura was immature and self-centered. (Laura's rather callous treatment of Lee Baldwin makes for an interesting contrast to Luke's treatment of him. Luke, for all his faults, made a point of being deferential to Lee whenever their paths crossed because Luke had a better understanding of the complexities involved than Laura did.)

As the spring of 1981 turned into summer and the Ice Princess story became a phenomenon, many of those unresolved tensions in Luke and Laura's relationship got dropped and for good reason: the show was riding the crest of a wave and everyone wanted a happy ending for Luke and Laura. But it's possible to look back from this late date and envision a different storyline altogether which dealt with the stresses that various characters (like Rick and Bobbie) saw in the relationship. The road not taken . . . or at least not taken until the 90s.

22 hours ago, cleo said:

I also think I like the island and boat stuff was more interesting bc of Victor and Tiffany.

The addition of Tiffany was an important part of the overall success of the Ice Princess saga. Her scenes with Alexandria and Victor on the Cassadine boat, and then her scenes with Robert, Alexandria, Victor and Mikkos on the island injected a lot of life into those episodes.

22 hours ago, cleo said:

Another story that has dragged is the Diana Taylor murder/Heather/Joe thing. I have enjoyed it but man they take their time.

It does go on seemingly forever! I'm watching the post-Ice Princess episodes now and that storyline is still going on. But for all that, I find I miss that era when soaps would let a storyline breathe over a long period of time. (If I'm being honest, the sheer length of this storyline may have had more to do with Richard Dean Anderson leaving as Jeff Webber and consequently the show not knowing how to resolve matters with one of the central figures in abstentia.)

Edited April 20, 2020 by Jan Spears

[SlovakPrincess]

Ice Princess was just a damn good, slow burning mystery, and lots of fun as well.  

One of the lovely things was that it had some GREAT villains - Alexandra Q and Mikkos were really quite enjoyable - who had the decency to die at the story's conclusion, and not stick around for years and years forcing us to pretend we should suddenly care about them getting what they want and eating the show ..... 

As much as the old stories are already "spoiled" for us at this point (i.e., we know Luke and Laura survive their adventures, and what eventually became of everyone), there are some fun surprises.  I genuinely did not see one of the plot twist's coming in the Left Handed Boy story (Luke and Laura's first summer on the run), as well as a major plot twist in the Prometheus Disk story.  

[Jan Spears]

On 4/22/2020 at 9:35 PM, SlovakPrincess said:

Ice Princess was just a damn good, slow burning mystery, and lots of fun as well.

Not only was the Ice Princess saga all of those things but it also evolved over time. It started out as an Edge of Night-style mystery before morphing into a Luke and Laura action/adventure story on the high seas (w/ Robert along for the fun) and then morphing again into a James Bond-like science fiction story. (Arguably, it morphed a 3rd time into a revenge tale with the arrival of Helena in Port Charles, the issuance of her Curse and Laura's disappearance into the fog.)

Edited April 24, 2020 by Jan Spears

[Hiyo]

Once you put aside the ridiculousness of the what the Ice Princess actually does, it's a rather fun story.

[Jan Spears]

I'm up to the point in 1981 where Elizabeth Taylor as Helena has blown into town on an ill wind. As one of Helena's minions delivers invitations to Laura, Robert and Tiffany for the reception she's throwing, he utters this great line:

"Mrs. Cassadine has asked me to convey her warm and personal greetings to each of you."

[Jan Spears]

I'm still working my way through the Luke and Laura wedding (and aftermath) episodes. Once I finish with those, I'll gather my thoughts as to how those episodes hold up after nearly four decades.

But until then, I'll write about the interim period that occurred between the end of the Ice Princess saga and the actual Luke and Laura wedding day episodes. To watch that eight week period now is to watch a show in complete stasis. With the exception of Heather Webber's ongoing travails and Lee Baldwin's alcoholic lapse in the run up to (and because of) the wedding, there's very little story momentum. Too many endless scenes take place in the Webber living room or Kelly's diner where nothing much happens except for various characters discussing the wedding.

I understand why all these scenes happened as ABC no doubt wanted to ratchet up the excitement for the highly anticipated wedding to an almost ridiculous degree. But, in retrospect, this doesn't make for very exciting television viewing. If it wasn't for the Heather Webber/Lee Baldwin drama, the show wouldn't have had much going for it outside of Luke and Laura.

One of the show's most promising pairings - Bobbie and Noah - comes and goes sporadically, which is particularly baffling given that Rick Springfield had had a #1 single in August 1981 with "Jesse's Girl". (In fairness to General Hospital and ABC, the show may have been constrained by Springfield's no doubt busy schedule promoting his album.) The Monica/Alan/Susan drama, while entertaining, only rears its head at irregular intervals. Leslie and Rick finding their way back together is worthwhile viewing but it's not the kind of storyline you can build a show around.

Luckily, in the week before the wedding episodes, Elizabeth Taylor as Helena arrives and Port Charles starts to get interesting again.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Jan Spears

[Dr.OO7]

I just realized that today is the 25th anniversary of "The Lullaby Shootout".

That was back when soaps knew how to script spectacular cliffhangers that had you on edge all weekend.

[Hiyo]

Good times...

[dubbel zout]

Oh, how Lulu has fallen.

[Dr.OO7]

AddieCate on YouTube has been posting--and has already posted--a LOT of episodes from the 80's and 90's.

[Hiyo]

While not the exact date, here is an episode of GH from about 25 years ago (May 1st), so you have a rough idea of what was going on in Port Charles back then...

 

[Jan Spears]

I've made my way through the three week period in November 1981 which encompassed the run-up to the Luke and Laura wedding, the event itself and the immediate aftermath.

Rewatching it all again from a now distant remove, I would say that enjoyment of the entire event depends on two factors: (1) how much you can still buy into Luke and Laura as a "fairytale come true", and (2) how much screwball comedy and how many wacky characters you can stomach. Regarding the former, I find that Luke and Laura were more interesting in the pre-island, pre-wedding period when they were navigating some very real problems in their relationship and trying to reconcile their individual hopes and dreams for the future. (i.e. There was a scene set in Port Charles before Luke, Laura and Robert stowed away on the Cassadine boat where Laura tells Luke that she doesn't care if they don't have money. And Luke replies, "But I do.") Interestingly, these differences of opinion start to seep back into the storyline by the end of November as the collective dream state surrounding the wedding begins to fade.

As for the screwball comedy and wacky characters, it all becomes too much for me at a certain point. A soap giving so much prominence to "colorful" supporting and recurring "characters" such as the Whittakers, Slick, Charlie & Emma Lutz and Delfina is just not my kind of soap. That being said, there are some of the quiet character moments that I prefer intermingled with all the low brow comedy: Bobbie being a good friend to Joe as he worries about Heather, Rick finding a slightly disconsolate Leslie standing by herself after the wedding and them sharing a moment together, and Luke and Laura having their own moments with Robert and Tiffany respectively after the wedding.

ABC certainly spared no expense for the wedding itself and it set the stage for the lavishness of the 80s when location shoots and big budget events became the norm on soaps. The show also turned out most of the cast for the big day with only Heather (in jail), Susan ("has a cold"), Noah (on duty) and Bert (also on duty) missing. (Was Jessie there? I didn't spot her.)

Elizabeth Taylor as Helena adds a suitable element of danger and intrigue to the proceedings both before (her conversation with Robert), during (her issuing 'The Curse') and after (her conversation with Luke) the wedding. One thing I picked up on second viewing (which I had no memory of at all) was Helena clutching one of Laura's earrings and Luke's tie pin when she utters her curse. It's heavily suggested that Helena's minions broke into the penthouse and the Webber house at night to steal these objects for Helena. That Helena's stooges stole Laura's earring from her bedroom while she was sleeping gives me the creeps.

I have saved the best part of the wedding until last; namely, Scotty Baldwin returning just in time to catch the bouquet. This was one of the all time great soap twists made more so because we were unspoiled in those days and didn't see it coming. My only quibble is that the episode should have ended with Scotty catching the bouquet and then picked up with the aftermath in the next episode.

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Jan Spears

[Jan Spears]

As 1981 came to a close, one of General Hospital's best stories involved Heather Webber and her psychiatrist, Dr. Katz. The December 28th episode has Heather and Dr. Katz engaging in a role reversal exercise where each plays the other. Actor Jordan Charney does a great impression of Robin Mattson as Heather!

[Pete Martell]

On 7/4/2020 at 8:55 PM, Jan Spears said:

As 1981 came to a close, one of General Hospital's best stories involved Heather Webber and her psychiatrist, Dr. Katz. The December 28th episode has Heather and Dr. Katz engaging in a role reversal exercise where each plays the other. Actor Jordan Charney does a great impression of Robin Mattson as Heather!

Charney was a very popular leading man on Another World and Somerset. It's a shame most of his work is lost to time and network junking. 

Why am I not surprised the Eckert family all rushed out and bought Pintos?

pannoni4 on the Internet Archives has uploaded 3 June 1989 and 3 July 1992 episodes.

[Jan Spears]

I've now made my way from the Luke and Laura wedding episodes in November 1981 to the 1982 New Year's Day episode.

It's clear that General Hospital was a show in transition by the end of 1981 not least because two of their most popular leading ladies -- Genie Francis and Jacklyn Zeman -- were about to leave the show. (Zeman departed in the December 28th episode and Francis followed three weeks later.) This left the show's roster of younger female leads in a depleted state and meant that there were very few viable romantic couples in the under 30 age group. For a show that had resurrected itself through the younger set (Laura, Bobbie, Scotty), it now found itself without much of a roster in the teen and twentysomething age groups.

What pairings the show did have at this point varied wildly in quality. With the after glow of the wedding fading, Luke and Laura were forced to confront the issues they had been trying to resolve before the Ice Princess drama kicked into high gear; namely, Luke's need to control Laura and Laura's need for independence. Laura's final weeks are spent in endless arguments with Luke, which are not especially flattering to the character. His constant lecturing of Laura is hard to take -- made worse by Anthony Geary's tendency to shout his lines. Robert and Tiffany's relationship is even worse as Robert is constantly belittling and insulting Tiffany. The only really great couple during this transitional period consists of Leslie and Rick, who have found their way back together and are remarried.

The show introduced David Gray during this time and he is a creepy presence in the run-up to Genie Francis' departure. There's an especially creepy moment during the Christmas Day episode (!) when Laura takes a break from the holiday event at the hospital and encounters Gray near the deserted nurses' station. It reminded me of the movie Halloween II (from that same year) when Jamie Lee Curtis' character, Laurie Strode, encounters Michael Myers in the deserted hospital!

Mercifully, the show finally put the 'Who Killed Diana Taylor?' storyline out of its misery so that Heather could be free to wreak new havoc in Port Charles. Heather's romance with Joe is uninteresting but her relationship with her psychiatrist, Dr. Katz, is fantastic. Their cat-and-mouse games during their sessions together make for lively viewing.

So, by the end of the January 1st, 1982 episode (a Friday), it was obvious that the show needed an infusion of younger female leads.  Not to fear: 'Enter Demi Moore as Jackie Templeton . . . Stage Left' on Monday, January 4th!

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2020 by Jan Spears

[Melgaypet]

I've seen bits and pieces of the Asian Quarter story, but never all the way through. So I've decided to do that. It's early - I'm on part 24 of something like 200 - but it's really watchable. George Takei is up to no good.

Some thoughts: Anna's hair is amazing. Tiny Robin is adorable and amazingly chill given all the weird stuff that's already happened. It's irritating that everyone expects Felicia to immediately take care of Robin because wimmins. The lack of a railing on Robert's stairs make me nervous. Frisco is, I'm sorry, annoying and self-absorbed and he was kind of a jerk to his Brandon Walsh-looking friend who got murdered because of his fugly jacket and the mullet is not helping. Young Tony is kind of cute. Kristina Wagner is really pretty. Robert is sexy and I love how he a) figured out Robin was his because he's smart, and b) did not immediately start berating Anna. I know nothing about these O'Connor guys, but they both seem like tools, though the dark-haired one is kind of handsome. Terry Brock seems like a lot.

[Melgaypet]

More Random Thoughts on my Asian Quarter Watch: I don't like Frisco. I kind of don't get what Felicia sees in him. The sex seems good, but is it worth all this trouble? No. I continue to love how Robert isn't angry with Anna for not telling him about Robin. He would have some right, but he understands her point of view! Imagine that - adults acting like adults! And he's just so gobsmacked and delighted about this little girl, he can't be mad. Sean is awesome. This is how you do a redemption arc. Yank is handsome, but can't act. Tia Carrere is so pretty. Kim is also handsome and kind of fun as the pyschopath who is clearly going to fuck everything up. Surfer Speak Grandma is hilarious. That freaking doll gets around! I love how Robin can hide in a linen closet for days and not be discovered. Does no one in the hospital ever need, you know, linens? It occurs to me that I will probably live my entire life without hearing Robert Scorpio/Tristan Rogers call me 'darling' and that makes me sad.

[UYI]

From 1994: The last onscreen appearance by the late, great Beverlee McKinsey (Iris Carrington on Another World/Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light), as directed by her son Scott, who spent many years as a director at GH (he's now a director at DAYS).

 

[UYI]

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. And it was on this day, 25 years ago, that Stone Cates lost his battle with AIDS.

 

[cleo]

Watching the last month before Laura is gone in 1982. 

I can understand David Grey is working for the Cassavetes, even if that was a retcon bc there is so little to his appearances 

But Jackie Templeton is throwing me. Was she part of the thing with Grey or is it just coincidence she is a blonde named Laura?

Also if she is just a Laura replacement as Wikipedia says- I can't believe the writers were so stupid they thought they could stick in another blonde named Laura and the audience would be fine with it. They really didn't  think too much of Genie Francis.

 

[Hiyo]

Quote

From 1994: The last onscreen appearance by the late, great Beverlee McKinsey (Iris Carrington on Another World/Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light)

I really wish they could have persuaded to stick around longer than she did, I loved her Alexandra on Guiding Light.

Quote

Today, December 1st, is World AIDS Day. And it was on this day, 25 years ago, that Stone Cates lost his battle with AIDS.

Loved this scene, and this storyline overall. Even in my younger days, I knew enough TV tropes to know that he was a goner once he got his sight back. Still, it was a lovely, touching scene. GH was on fire during this era.

Any idea where we can get a downloadable version of the music playing right before and while Sloane dies? It's such a lovely piece, and for many of us, it's pretty much Robin & Sloane's theme.

[UYI]

In honor of John Reilly's passing, here he is in 2008 on Night Shift--the final time he and Sharon Wyatt would ever act together as Sean & Tiffany (although he would briefly return to GH alone as Sean in 2013). 

NOTE: Apparently Holly was supposed to be here, too, but Emma Samms wasn't available. There's a YouTuber who posts reactions to classic GH scenes, and I was watching his reaction to this JUST THIS MORNING. Spooky. He had just posted this last week in honor of TR's 40th anniversary on GH, which was in December. 

I wanted to post some stuff from this truly GREAT YouTube channel that had basically S&T's entire relationship, but sadly it appears to be gone now. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by UYI

[UYI]

From 1992: Robert & Anna are presumed dead. I'm sharing part 5 of this playlist, because it includes Sean's reaction to their "deaths"...the most heartbreaking of them all, IMO.

 

[UYI]

On a lighter note:

 

[dubbel zout]

Ah yes, back when the humor was intentional.

[UYI]

17 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Ah yes, back when the humor was intentional.

The best part? Apparently John and Sharon were about the only two cast members who knew EXACTLY what was going to happen; the rest of the cast found out as they were taping. Also, Sharon really stepped on John's foot; it was bleeding in his shoe the rest of the scene.

(Plus, amusingly, Robin disappears about halfway through the wedding despite being their flower girl; KMc would have had to leave early due to child labor laws, as soap weddings back then, of course, could run late into the night.) 

Edited January 11, 2021 by UYI

[UYI]

There's a YouTuber who has been posting full episodes of GH from 1992-1994 recently (they've posted episodes from other years too--there are random episodes from both 1989 and 1998 as well--but the most are between 1992-1994 specifically), and this one is the episode where a heavily pregnant Tiffany learns about Sean sleeping with Jessica Holmes and confronts him, only to go into labor and lose their baby soon after. Not the happiest Sean & Tiffany memory, but one of their best moments in terms of emotional story. Sharon Wyatt was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her work here.

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by UYI

[UYI]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but there is a YouTube channel that has up a bunch of clips of Daytime Emmy winners over the years, including both their acceptance speeches, and the reels that got them their Emmys. Here are some of the women that won for GH between 1991-2003 (and I kind of want to post Natalia Livingston's from 2005 just to be evil, lol):

 

Okay, here's Genie's from 2007, too:

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 1/27/2021 at 12:50 PM, UYI said:

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but there is a YouTube channel that has up a bunch of clips of Daytime Emmy winners over the years, including both their acceptance speeches, and the reels that got them their Emmys. Here are some of the women that won for GH between 1991-2003 (and I kind of want to post Natalia Livingston's from 2005 just to be evil, lol):

 

 

 

*SNIFF* This show was just SO DAMNED GOOD back then. And that reel! Made me ugly cry, it did.

And how sweet, that Kimberly was sitting between her...agent? and Burton. And most of her costars gave her a standing ovation. The petty and petulant infant in me was so glad she didn't thank Maurice, but Finola, Tristan, Jack Wagner, and Jon, and others.

[UYI]

37 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

*SNIFF* This show was just SO DAMNED GOOD back then. And that reel! Made me ugly cry, it did.

And how sweet, that Kimberly was sitting between her...agent? and Burton. And most of her costars gave her a standing ovation. The petty and petulant infant in me was so glad she didn't thank Maurice, but Finola, Tristan, Jack Wagner, and Jon, and others.

I think that was John Homa, one of the show's primary acting coaches for many years. She thanked him during the speech; I have a feeling she gave him a LOT of credit for getting her to the place she felt she needed to be in in order to the do the HIV/AIDS story justice. 

Vanessa Marcil thanked him when she won her Emmy, too; she has said before that she often forgot her lines enough in the early days that she was afraid that she might get fired at one point, so I wouldn't be surprised if she worked him a lot due to that/her overall being  very green in the beginning. And she didn't thank Maurice "You're cute, but you suck" Benard during HER acceptance speech, either! HA! XD

Edited February 2, 2021 by UYI

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, UYI said:

I think that was John Homa, one of the show's primary acting coaches for many years. She thanked him during the speech; I have a feeling she gave him a LOT of credit for getting her to the place she felt she needed to be in in order to the do the HIV/AIDS story justice. 

Vanessa Marcil thanked him when she won her Emmy, too; she has said before that she often forgot her lines enough in the early days that she was afraid that she might get fired at one point, so I wouldn't be surprised if she worked him a lot due to that/her overall being  very green in the beginning. And she didn't thank Maurice "You're cute, but you suck" Benard during HER acceptance speech, either! HA! XD

That’s right! She said John Homa! Thanks for the background.

[UYI]

Zander's death.

Like I said in the News thread...dude died in Emily's arms, onscreen. This is one death that would take some leaps to retcon.

(Also, I actually think NL isn't that bad in these scenes, surprisingly enough? Weird.)

But at least Chad Brannon got an Emmy out of all this (not that his Emmy speech is on YouTube anymore, bleh).

Meanwhile, here's "Aaron" and Rebecca:

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by UYI

[WendyCR72]

Loved the Aaron/Rebecca thing as it seemed sort of Zander/Emily fans (raises hand high!) getting the last laugh...sorta, kinda.