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General Hospital



         


For the ITV soap opera which ran from 1972 to 1979, see General Hospital (British television).

General Hospital is the longest-running daytime soap opera on the American ABC television network, and has been airing since April 1, 1963. 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 first stories were mainly set at a general hospital in Port Charles, a fictional New York town, and revolved around manly doctor Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and his nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Another nurse, Lucille March (Lucille Wall), brought her sister, flight attendant Audrey (Rachel Ames) to town; slowly but surely, she romanced Dr. Hardy. While there was no overt tension, Jessie was disappointed as there had always been an air of sexual tension between the two. It was never acted upon, as they remained close friends until Jessie (and actress Emily McLaughlin) died in 1991.

The show was glacially paced and low-rated in the earlier years, save for one relatively high-rated and fast-paced plot in 1972 in which Jessie was accused of murder. Although the acting performances were decent, a TIME article in 1976 panned the minimal budget for settings and props, calling it not unlike a high school production.

Faced with cancellation threats that same year, 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, 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 in 1991 and 1992.

U.S. soap operas
Currently on the air:
All My Children
As the World Turns
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Guiding Light
One Life to Live
Passions
The Young and the Restless
Important cancelled soaps:
Port Charles (cancelled 2003)
Another World (1999)
The City (1997)
Loving (1995)
Santa Barbara (1993)
Ryan's Hope (1989)
Capitol (1987)
Search for Tomorrow (1986)
The Edge of Night (1984)
Love of Life (1980)
The Secret Storm (1974)
Love is a Many Splendored Thing (1973)
Dark Shadows (1971)

Thanks to Monty, the show is perhaps most famous for the supercouple pairing of Luke Spencer and Laura Webber (Anthony Geary and Genie Francis). The show has also created other popular pairings in Holly Sutton and Robert Scorpio (Emma Samms and Tristan Rogers) as well as Duke Lavery and Anna Devane (Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes).

While General Hospital has always had somewhat preposterous plots (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), arguably, the most tired plot among fans today is the constant emphasis on the mafia and character Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard). He, his wife Carly (Tamara Braun), his confidante Jason (Steve Burton), and Sonny's sister Courtney (Alicia Leigh Willis) have received the lion's share of airtime for years now. Fans have been deeply divided by this turn of events, as many like the four characters while others resent their constant use. Noticing the unrest among fans, head writers Robert Guza, Jr. and Charles Pratt, Jr. have shied away from using solely these characters in their traditional roles (when they have been shown, their love lives have been ripped apart, instead focusing on entanglements with other romantic interests).

ABC aired its 10,000th episode on April 17, 2002.

Other notable entertainers that have appeared on General Hospital include: Demi Moore, Jack Wagner, Elizabeth Taylor, Ricky Martin, and Rick Springfield.


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Awards

The show, as well as many of its actors and crew, have been nominated for many dozens of awards, winning on many occasions. Some of the more noted major awards (Daytime Emmy Awards, Soap Opera Digest Awards, and Young Artist Awards) won are listed below.

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Daytime Emmy Awards

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Show

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Individuals

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Soap Opera Digest Awards

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Show

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Individuals

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Young Artist Awards

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See also






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