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General Hospital Celebrates Its 52nd Anniversary Today!

By Michael Fairman

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Courtesy/ABC

Courtesy/ABC

ABC’s General Hospital is celebrating its 52nd anniversary! The show which debuted on April 1, 1963 just received 28 Daytime Emmy nominations yesterday leading the pack of any other series on daytime television.

The doctors, nurses, mobsters, and characters that have inhabited Port Charles over the decades have kept many long time fans coming back for more drama each day, while garnering new fans along the way.

To mark the anniversary today, the long running series has a very special episode on tap where we turn back the clock to 1963 and watch the original GH character of Dr. Steve Hardy, Nurse Jessie Brewer, and Intern Phil Brewer as played by today’s current cast members of Daytime Emmy nominee Jason Thompson (Patrick), Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) and Ryan Carnes (Lucas).  Their scenes will be seen in black and white.   And today is the day fans have been promised the reveal of what caused Luke’s (Anthony Geary) mind to splinter so badly, and the harrowing secret that somewhere resides in the Spencer’s old home.

Share your congrats to GH today  in the comments section below for their 52-year run continuing to make it the longest running soap on television in the comment section below!

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I would have preferred to see clips of the original cast members (if available) rather than current actors.

I agree Carol. I’ve been watching since the late 60s and remember Jessie and Steve and Audrey so well being the heart and soul of General Hospital.

With that said – bravo for the bow to these great characters.

GHs best episode in a long time, and su i didnt even turn off my tv set and read a book…lol…guess the bomb just blew up the basement—rest of the house looks ok—Tims skeleton shouldve craweled up the basement stairs and terrorized them all and then shouts at the audience ‘April Fool’…young Luke and young Patricia were a lot better acting then the regular cast members—young Patricia shouldve played Kiki…lol…Luke accidentally killed mommy like someone predicted—i did say Tims body was buried in the basement but i thought Aunt Ruby was goin to be the one to do—maybe theyll keep the house and open up a bed and breakfast inn—kidding—it is April Fools Day which is celebrated everyday on GH…lol

I liked the flashbacks…wish they could have stayed in the past being it was GHs best written episode in a long time—RH looked a lot like Jessie Brewers—i miss nurses in white—many looked hot in those uniforms—today i couldnt tell a nurse from an avon lady—lol—all the actors were at their best—this is the episode they should summit for an emmy next year!!!

jimh, you’re absolutely correct. I am often critical of GH for a variety of reasons. But I read about this special anniversary episode and was blown away! You and so many other posters here have echoed these same sentiments. This, indeed, was a great day in GH history.

Well written James. So much of GH has become HO-hum. Not there two episodes! A gift to us fans!

Thanks, Patricio! You’re so right. Take care.

Just finish watching the show– thought the way they chose to reveal everything, the tie in with the first show and the use of black and white, was all well done. One of the better anniversary shows I’ve seen on soaps. Now all they have to do tie up all the loose ends on the Fluke story and I’ll be happy.

The writing and acting was superb. They deserve Emmy’s for their work. Heck, an Oscar wouldn’t hurt either.

Happy 52nd GH, my all time favorite Soap Opera 🙂 again, Congrats to all Cast and Crew.

Congrats to GH on 52 years, and hopefully many more to come! It’s truly an amazing run. And to think that a few years ago, many people (rightfully so) had doubts that it would survive. It’s fun to take a look back at what else aired on TV in 1963, both in daytime and primetime, in the days long before cable. Times sure have changed, but GH has always been a constant in being there to keep up with the times.

The episode was excellent!!! Paid tribute to the past and the founding cast. Hopefully it will wrap up the Luke sl finally.

Not sure who the girl was playing young Patricia, but they should have her come back and play Kiki. She is way better than the girl playing her now.

Amen. I agree 100%!

I agree, for these flashback scenes they really found some talented actors.

Today’s GH was AWESOME! Congratulations Gh for 52 wonderful years. Congratulations to Frank and Ron for telling us Spencer story in such a intense, moving way. Congratulations to the entire ensemble for making us feel we are part of the story lines. The only negative remark goes to ABC7NY for interrupting the last minute today for non-breaking news. That showed nothing but disrespect for GH, it’s 52nd anniversary and the devoted fans.

Congratulations on being on for generations, to enjoy a show that means so much to so many for decades. SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE EPISODE. I am curious that Laura Wright played her own character’s grandmother. Are they saying Carlyle looked like Lena, if that is the case why haven’t it been mentioned before. I know ifSommer a relative who is a dead ringer(no pun intended) I would mention it to that relative. In my family , my maternal grandmother and her younger sister looked so much a like, even as a kid I use to do double takes, when they were in the same room.

THAT was amazing. I was so over the Luke story, but it had me transfixed. Loved the way they paid homage to original GH in an organic way that made sense. And I was so moved by it all–by the amazing performances–especially of the young actors who played Patricia and Luke–by Laura Wright inhabiting a role that is the polar opposite of Carly–I cried at the end.

Well done all around.

Right on Lucy! This show has so much potential!

For me, on a whole…I wasn’t all that impressed with this special episode.

And, it would be cool if GH borrowed Guy Wilson (from DAYS) to portray young-Luke once again.

Phenomenal show today. I know this this was centered around Luke and Geary did a awesome job, but my god, Laura Wright’s portrayal of Lena Spencer was outstanding. There was no traces of Carly anywhere. She was the best thing about this episode to me. Now, the actors who played young Luke and Patricia, I want them on contract right now. Summer is coming up. I say we soras all the babies, (Joss, Cameron, Spencer, Emma)
As for the big reveal, I knew where the writers were going. It was predictable, but I didn’t care. What a fabulous episode. Adding Bill into the mix was perfect. If only GH was like this every week. I’d take stuff like this over the usual crap any day.

I’m with you guy! I too was hoping Laura would not be overlooked. These family storylines go so deep . I can’t take these gangster stories. They are ALL. Dead ends.

Complete unravelment as Luke faces his past sins with his sisters by his side.
Did not see that ONE coming!!! And then to have him take on the personality of Bill
the man who long ago protected him,only to reveal the truth to him as he lay dying.
Telling him to forgive himself for what happened to his mother, NO wonder Luke lost
it.

This is why I watch GH. This reminds me of the good old days. Frank and Ron have done a fabulous job since taking over from Jill years ago. The campy stuff is fine from time to time, but it’s wonderful to see actual dramatic storylines from time to time. I can’t say enough of how well Jane, Jackie, Dee, Emme, Dominic, the younger versions of Luke, Bobbie and Pat, Laura and especially Tony have done. An A++++ episode!

Very well done episode today ! Kudos !

Just watched it on my dvr and it was a really great episode. Very well done. Great tribute to the past. The acting was very good by all. And the young Spencer actors did a great job. Really enjoyed it! And I actually cared about Luke again!

Bravo! A wonderful episode.

Wow. Today was powerful. Brought back some not so great personal memories / feelings. Emmys for TG, LW and whoever played young Luke.

If they got 28 nominations this year they should get 128 for next year for this RETRO GH! EVERYONE involved should be applauded. My God, where to start? The casting of the Spencer kids were phenomenal! They mixed history, black and white and the current story masterfully. Tony Geary as Tim Spencer was off the charts. To see Luke watching [Remembering] what had happened as this talented cast plays out the Spencer history is unlike anything I have EVER seen on TV, day or night. Watching Tony as Tim really makes you wonder why the hell hasnt this guy done any other acting besides GH in such a long time. I won’t spoil the ending for Wednesdays show but watching Luke at the end as the puzzle pieces finally fit, well, its a Daytime Lifetime Achievement Award Performance. Thank you Mr. Geay!

This was a very good episode! It was well acted, well written, and FINALLY revealed the truth about what caused Luke’s split. We finally got the answer, and it’s a lot more grim than I initially thought. My theory was that Tim was sexually abusing Patricia and Bobbie and Luke killed him to protect his sisters. But I feel like the way things actually happened has a much larger affect on Luke, having killed both his parents in one night. I’m happy we finally got some closure with this story. One thing though, for anyone who watched GH back when Bill Eckert was on, did he actually say those words to Luke when he died about forgiving himself for what he did to his mother? That’s the one area I was a bit unsure about.

Also kudos to the two actors who played young Patricia and Luke, they were great, especially the actress. And that showdown between Tony Geary as Tim and young Luke was SO good! I also really enjoyed seeing Patrick, Elizabeth and Lucas playing Steve, Jessie and Phil. Great nod to history and a great episode for the show’s 52nd!

Happy 52nd GH! Nice acting by Jason, Rebecca and Ryan in playing the roles of some of the original GH cornerstones. Good reenactment of what happened with Luke and family when he was a child. But, with as long as this was drawn out, I was expecting a more complex situation behind it all. Not to understate the impact killing both of one’s parents can have on someone, but somehow the multiple personality we’ve been seeing with Fluke as one who is so violent, just doesn’t seem to fit well with what really happened.

It was a good show except the writers screwed up so bad. Did anyone remember that the house was blown up a few weeks ago with Dante and Det. West barely making it out. Apparently the writers didn’t because there was the whole clan there and the furniture was even unaffected by the explosion Hmm real dumb. Should have been standing by the charred remains of the house.

In a word – it was simply A M A Z I N G !!!

Loving GH, happy anniversary! Looking forward to many more years.

1st thing I noticed was Elizabeth Korte wrote the episode solo! Squeal! She’s usually the breakdown writer, but I so loved her scripts from 90’s & 2000’s! She’s done it all. I was instantly felt my 90’s GH feels-noticed the depth immediately! I was dropping tears at 10 mins in. To see this episode was going to exceed my greatest expectations was overwhelming paired w/GH’s 28 Emmy noms. This is when I realized how much the GH hate & bashing it receives does wear me out.

I’m no poet like the other posters. Just loved how they tied the mom’s trip to GH to the premiere date! Young Bobbie Spencer screaming April Fool’s. Luke’s expressions as the story unfolded. Young Luke and especially Young Pat-sign them on as new young characters immediately-tie them in w/vets. Lila Rae? Mary Tyler Moore comment. Loved that Spencer girl Carly being weaved in as Luke’s mom-stellar job! The last minute twist-Luke accidentally hit his mom w/bat: wow! Patricia was so much more than I expected. She’s warm & soft, not harsh & campy like I feared. She bounced beautifully off of all the Spencer clan, esp Luke. More Dee Wallace please.
Jason Thompson nailing Dr. Steve Hardy’s rigid, absolute, compassionate spirit. This man studies his craft. Becky & Ryan C’s were both perfection. Loved the black & white. The old GH opening: ambulance & shot of GH! Miss that.
Congrats to the cast and crew for the hard work, love & care they handled this show with. I can’t recall in any of my 45 yrs ever seeing the stunning & staggering compliments all over social media. This is bigger, stronger than Hallowedding Sweeps, any GH sweeps thus far-it’s not even sweeps. GH/ABC advertised this in primetime many times. What’s going on here? GH is no longer the red-headed stepchild. Even the diehard, hardcore social media whiners are conceding the show rocks. Only a straggler here & there whining they didn’t like. If 1 can’t grasp what this was today, soaps are NOT for you! This was dark but soapy as HELL.
All that was missing was Lucky and Laura-I refuse to give up-we still have tomorrow.
Let’s use this as a template writers and reach for this each day! Now that I know you can Cartini, I expect you to!

EXCELLENT…
Congratulations to everyone on and off screen.
You all did an excellent job.
I sincerely enjoyed it.

It was a fantastic and powerful show. I really enjoyed the black and white stuff. Great job by all involved.

I watched GH’s debut on April 1, 1963 and was a regular viewer until 2005. I decided to watch this episode because of the salute to the past. Jason Thompson nailed Dr. Hardy. And, Elizabeth Herbst nailed the beloved Jessie Brewer. Both performances brought tears to my eye. How I loved those wonderful characters. Hats off to Laura Wright. She gave a very moving performance as the abused wife. As always, superb work by Anthony Geary.

That show was fantastic – except that my Comcast had a blank screen for the first 28 minutes. So I missed alot – please show it again – as a flashback, or something so we can experience the whole show.

Loved this episode and how they used a statement from 20 years that Bill made to Luke and brought it back almost like it was a set up for this, way back then. I wish when the writers touch on something from past they would run with it, think out of the box, like last year and Aztec Treasure I think they blew what could have been an exciting story line by having pieces of the treasure resurface, I loved those can’t wait to get home to see what happens stories. Happy 52nd GH!

I was blown away!!!
I have never seen anything as GH’s 52nd show on any other soap..
GH is indeed phenomenal..
The writers, actors crew do bring us their best..
I LOVED IT !!!

……….. watched it twice !! .. it deserved a second viewing..

Hand over next years EMMYs now.
What a joy to see drama and strohrytelling in a way ONLY long term soaps can do.

GH would return to its heyday ibis they could drop the mob and focus on family. They added years to OLTL VALENT-tini and their team can do it!

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Hudson West Wins Big as Contestant on ‘The Price is Right’

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Hudson West

You just never know when one of your favorites from a soap opera will pop on TV on another show! Such was the case on the Tuesday, October 6 episode of the number one daytime game show in America, The Price is Right on CBS!

Hudson West, who has played Jake Webber on General Hospital from 2016-2019, and then has been recurring since 2021 and used very sporadically in story, was in attendance in the audience for a taping of The Price is Right. He wound up selected as one of the players and eventually won a car.

Here;’s what happened: West bid $3,000 on a five-night stay at the Bandon Marina Inn in Oregon. His opponent, Charles, bid $4,550, which was too high, so West got the chance to play the game “Any Number” for a prize.

Hudson West, General Hospital

Photo: ABC

The drama became intense as West picked the numbers needed to win a new car with host Drew Carey presiding over the game play. After he won, Hudson fell to the floor in shock before getting up and running in excitement towards his new car!

Later in the show, Hudson got the opportunity to spin the wheel to try to advance to the “Showcase” round, but his opponent named Jenny spun a higher number to qualify, ending West’s run in the game. But, he came away with the new car.

General Hospital viewers know that Hudson’s Jake Webber is the biological son of Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and became the legal son of Lucky Spencer (Jonathan Jackson).

Apart from his role on GH, TV fans have seen West on NCIS: Los Angeles, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors and Grace and Frankie to name but a few.

You can check out what happened when Hudson won a car on The Price is Right on the video below.

Now let us know, what did you think of Hudson’s big win? Do you hope that GH finally has Jake back in story since he is the son of Elizabeth and Jason? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Did the ABC Soap Opera Just Tee Up a Jason and Serena Pairing?

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Jason and Serena

The Tuesday, October 6 episode of General Hospital kicked-off with Serena Baldwin (Kelly Kruger) literally turned upside down and stuck on the Quartermaine roof in front of Jason (Steve Burton), who came to her rescue.

This marked the first time that Kelly Kruger and Steve Burton shared any substantial screen time together since Kruger debuted on the ABC soap opera back in July.

In story, Serena was trying to save the peregrine falcons’ nest that Tracy (Jane Elliot) wanted exterminated. Jason agreed to help Serena relocate the nest to the nature preserve. Said relocation would be put in the preserve adjacent to the property, think where Ava (Maura West) and Drew (Cameron Mathison) buried Brennan (Chris McKenna)!

Later, when they returned to the Quartermaine mansion, the two have more banter where Serena told Jason they should both check themselves for ticks. Serena has done a full body check in the bathroom, but then asks Jason to go through her hair and look for any signs of ticks. Clearly, one or both may have ticks prompting suspicion if they wind up at GH with Dr. Isaiah Gannon (Sawandi Wilson) as their doctor who previously treated Ava for the tick stuck in her hair!

Serena and Jason

Courtesy/ABC

ROMANCE SWITCH-UPS

While initially General Hospital fans suspected that the character of Serena was being brought back to the canvas in the form of Kruger as a love interest for Michael Corinthos (Rory Gibson), in recent weeks and in admission by Tanisha Harper, it appears that GH is teasing a Michael and Jordan romance. The two have been spending more time together at Aurora, and Michael helped her get accepted into the burn clinic in Germany to treat her facial scars from the car accident.

Meanwhile, after Steve Burton returned to GH after his extended hiatus this June, it was clear that the writers were heading in the direction of a Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) and Jason break-up.

Eventually, a few weeks ago, the duo called it quits after Anna (Finola Hughes) tried to kill Britt, and Jason would not help Britt press charges against his friend, who was suffering from delusions after being mentally gaslighted by Cullum (Andrew Hawkes) and Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and company.

So, what did you think of the scenes between Jason and Serena on today’s GH? Do you think Kelly and Steve have on-screen chemistry that you would be open to be seeing how it plays out? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

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Van Hansis Marks Two Years as ‘General Hospital’s’ Dr. Lucas Jones

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Van Hansis

It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since Van Hansis made his debut as the recast Lucas Jones on General Hospital. It was back on October 4, 2024 that GH fans got their first look at the former As the World Turns (ex-Luke Snyder) favorite in his new soap role.

Hansis became the fifth actor to play the role of the adoptive son of the late Bobbie Spencer and Tony Jones, and the biological son of the late Julian Jerome and Cheryl Stansbury. Prior to Van, C.J. Thomason (2002–2003), Ben Hogestyn (2005–2006) Ryan Carnes (2004–2005, 2014–2020, 2024) and Matt Trudeau (2020–2021) had played the part.

When Van left daytime after As the World Turns sadly went off the air in 2010, it would be 14 years until he stepped back into the updated frenetic pace and grind of acting on a daily soap opera.

Van Hansis

Photo: ABC

LUCAS CAME HOME TO PORT CHARLES

Since Lucas has been back in Port Charles, he fell in love with the late Marco Rios (Adrian Anchondo) who was murdered, moved into a new apartment with his current roommate (soon to be love interest?) Joe Fitzpatrick as played by Jonathan Bennett, has become best buds with the “Britch” Dr. Britt Westbourne (Kelly Thiebaud), and has found himself involved in multiple other storylines. However, now that Van is firmly implanted on GH, might Lucas get a leading storyline of his own? Stay tuned.

In the meantime, to acknowledge his two-year anniversary at General Hospital, Hansis shared via his Instagram a photo montage and some heartfelt “thank you’s’ and words. “Two years ago yesterday, Lucas Jones came home to Port Charles looking a little different. Looking exactly like me.” began Hansis.

“When I took on the role, I was told it would be a heavy recurring for a few months and then we’d see where it goes – being based in NYC at the time, I thought it would be a fun little gig that would bring me back to my old stomping grounds of daytime for a bit.”

Van Hansis

Photo: ABC

GENERAL HOSPITAL HAS BEEN LIFE-CHANGING FOR VAN HANSIS

Next, the longtime New York-based actor confirmed he has now moved to Los Angeles as this new chapter of his life has unfolded, and how grateful he is that the show’s writers and producers have continually given more for Lucas to do.

Van explained, “But then they kept writing for me more and I fell in love with Lucas, and everyone around him (in front of and behind the camera). I wanted to stay a while and am so grateful I have. Being a part of GH these last two years has been life changing. Literally. My family and I are Angelenos now, I’ve made incredible new friendships and have been able to revisit old ones.”

The five-time Daytime Emmy-nominated actor concluded with, “Thank you Frank (Valentini, executive producer, GH), thank you Mark (Teschner, casting director, GH), for inviting me to the party. You throw a great one. ”

So, happy to know Van is sticking around General Hospital for some time to come? What has been your favorite Lucas Jones moment over the first two years of Van’s run? Let us know via the comment section below.

 

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A post shared by Van Hansis (@van.hansis)

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Jonathan Bennett joins the cast of GH as Joe Fitzpatrick. Catch the latest promo! Leave a comment.Leave A Comment

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