My Memories of Iconic Soap Opera as It Celebrates 60 Years with Prime Time Special
GENERAL HOSPITAL - Luke and Laura's wedding - 1981
Laura (Genie Francis) and Luke (Anthony Geary) put their turbulent past behind them and are married.
I don’t watch daytime soap operas. I’d like to say I’ve never watched one, but that would be a lie. If you’re old enough to remember the eighties, you watched General Hospital.
As a teenager, we all watched, or at least recall the popularity of the show. I can only name a few of the main characters. John Stamos as “Blackie” and Rick Springfield’s “Dr. Noah Drake” are the first that come to mind. It was set in Port Charles, and I had to check to find out the town was in upstate New York.
Iconic TV Moment
My main recollection after that, is “Luke and Laura” and their TV wedding which was watched by everyone I knew and everyone else in the world. It was the biggest TV wedding ever, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana had just been married a couple of months earlier.
Every Teenager’s Dream Birthday Party
Luke Spencer was played by Anthony Geary, and Laura Webber was played by Genie Francis. Everyone who was anyone loved them. I remember watching it with a group of friends because it was on my 14th birthday. All the girls were so into it, and the boys were too but pretended not to be. To be clear, it just happened to be my birthday, it wasn’t a General Hospital-themed party.
The only other thing I remember about it is that Scotty Baldwin, Laura’s ex, interrupted the wedding at the hospital.
Then there’s also the song, “General Hospi-Tale” by the Afternoon Delights. “Paging Dr. Noah Drake to ICU to treat a case of heartbreak.”
The 60th Anniversary Special
SoapCentral.com says that next month, General Hospital will be celebrating its 60 years with a primetime special. They’ll look back on its six decades with General Hospital: 60 Years of Stars and Storytelling.
All the fan-favorite cast members through the years are returning to share their stories. They include Maurice Benard, Rick Springfield, Jane Elliot, Genie Francis, Finola Hughes, Kelly Monaco and Laura Wright.
Surprises
They’re planning to air some bloopers and have a special fan tribute.
Some other celebrities will be appearing including Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Samms, Stephen A. Smith, and Amber Tamblyn.
General Hospital ruled the airwaves in the eighties. Sixty years later, for one night, they’ll try to do it again.
The special will air on January 4th on ABC and stream on Hulu the next day.
John Stamos Doesn't Age: Photos of Him Through The Years
John Stamos is widely recognized for being on the sitcom Full House as Uncle Jesse or Jesse Katsopolis. He was born on August 19, 1963. He has familial roots in Greece; his original family surname is Stamatopoulos. His parents were supportive of his aspiration to be an actor, and instead of enrolling in college in 1981, he skipped his first semester to focus on launching his professional acting career. After just three weeks, he landed his first role on General Hospital as Blackie Parrish. By 1984, Stamos was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for the role.
Stamos’ Television Career
That same year, he landed a lead role, but in a short-lived CBS sitcom titled Dreams, in which he played an aspiring musician in a band. In 1986, Stamos starred in his first film, the spy action Never Too Young to Die, alongside Gene Simmons. The film was intended to be a “young James Bond” film, even starring former Bond actor George Lazenby as the father of Stamos’ character. However, it was a critical and commercial flop.
Despite that, Stamos landed the role that solidified his acting career in Full House in 1987. He asked that the character’s last name be Katsopolis to highlight his Greek heritage. After eight seasons, the series came to an end, but he has since maintained close relationships with co-stars Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Andrea Barber, and Candace Cameron Bure. Following the end of Full House, the actor appeared in numerous made-for-television films, stage productions, television series, and commercials. And he returned to his most famous role in Fuller House in 2016. He also landed a lead role in the sitcom Grandfathered, also starring Josh Peck and Christina Milian.
Take a look below at how John Stamos hasn’t aged over the years:
Joel Katz is the Morning Show Personality, Assistant Program Director, Podcast Host, Voiceover artist, audio producer, and Digital Content Writer for Magic 98.3. Joel has been working in New Jersey radio since college and started at Magic in 2002 as the Morning Show Host, “I can’t think of another place where I’d fit more perfectly; it’s just a great company with awesome people.” Joel is married to Kathleen, his elementary school sweetheart (they were each other’s first dates at age 9), shares a birthday with his oldest son, Ty, and has twins, Kiera and Liam. Joel runs at least 3.1 miles every day and enjoys playing basketball, doing laundry, saving his turn signal for when he really needs it, kissing dogs through a fence, using coasters, making that cool noise by rubbing his fingers on balloons, and chasing after ping pong balls on a windy cruise ship.
