Connect with us

General Hospital

13

‘General Hospital’s’ Controversial Luke and Laura Rape Episode: Writer Sheri Anderson Reveals Behind the Scenes Decisions and Admits ‘I Was Wrong’ to Defend It (Exclusive)

By Michael Fairman

Published

4 months ago

on

Photo: ABC

It’s one of the most controversial storylines in soap opera history, when Luke (the late Anthony Geary) raped Laura (Genie Francis) back in an episode that aired in 1979. In the story, one fateful night while believing his latest assignment for the mob would get him killed, Luke drank heavily, and confessed his love to Laura. She had been working at the disco at the time and tried to comfort him.

Luke said, “I’m not going to die without holding you in my arms just one time. Dance with me.” As Herb Alpert’s “Rise,” played in the background, Laura tried to leave as she was getting fearful of Luke. The camera panned away as Luke forced himself on her and Laura screamed, “No!” The aftermath also became a huge problem for the series years later. GH tried to pass it off as a seduction, while viewer outcry, and as the world evolved over the decades called it then and now what it was, “rape.”

The script writer for that episode was prolific soap opera writer and three-time Emmy winner, Sheri Anderson. The popular scribe is best-known for her work on Days of Our Lives and also her tenure as its co-head writer, but she also spent a few years at General Hospital smack dab in the late 70s and early 80s, under then legendary executive producer, Gloria Monty.

Photo: JPI

During her visit last week to the Michael Fairman Channel, where Anderson opened up about a specific moments throughout her storied writing career, as well as the state of the soaps now in our culture, she recalled the events that transpired before and after that led to her scripting the infamous rape episode on GH.

ABC NETWORK EXEC DECIDES LUKE SHOULD RAPE LAURA

Sheri began, “What happened was Pat Falken Smith (then head writer, GH) came in from a meeting and she was stoned-faced, and we said, ‘What’s going on?’ She said Jackie Smith, who was head of the network, wants Luke to rape Laura and we were like, ‘What? We can’t do that!” She said that’s what we were going to so, because we were exploring ‘date rape’ at the time.”

“So, on General Hospital, or any show that I’ve been involved with, we would get as much research as we could on the subject, especially when I was writing,” explained Anderson. “I would always send the script to a therapist and say, ‘is this accurate? Is this emotionally correct?'”

Anderson shared from the writers viewpoint what the story was about at that time: “Luke was from the wrong side of the tracks. He was trying to prove himself to the mob and they said to prove it, you have to go kill a senator Mitch Williams. Luke couldn’t go through with it, which meant he was a dead man. He went back to the Campus Disco which he owned and Laura was there. She was waiting for her husband (Scotty Baldwin). So, when Laura was trying to comfort Luke, things started to get out of control.”

THE COINED “SEDUCTION”

“The script which I wrote was 110 pages, which was typical at the time. Gloria Monty, who was a brilliant executive producer and director who changed daytime, was the director of that episode,” explained Anderson on the writing for the soap back in the late 70s. “They probably cut 30 pages of material, because she was so intent on the rape and making it as brutal as she could. So, we were just going forward and thinking, ‘Oh, my God! That was really awful.'”

Over decades, the moment was called as aforementioned, “a seduction,” a “date rape,” and then as GH viewers recalled, it was in 1998 that Luke admitted to his son Lucky (Jonathan Jackson) that he actually raped his mother, Laura.

Photo: ABC

ANDERSON COULD NO LONGER DEFEND THE STORY POINT

It is not lost on Anderson, how GH at the time, tried to pass off the on-screen incident, “In retrospect, and I believe Michelle Val Jean (creator, head-writer, executive producer of Beyond the Gates) once said that it upset her, that we would say it was really a ‘seduction’ and all of those things, because it was not. It was rape, and (back then) I would try to, in a sense, defend it, and frankly, I was wrong,” revealed Sheri.

“I wrote the rape episode and I actually wrote the episode after it and we had Emily McLaughlin who played nurse Jessie Brewer who came to me later and said, ‘thank you.’ Because she said, ‘I wrote the aftermath of it so poignantly for her and Genie,’ recalled Sheri. “Then, we had Irene Kassorla, the real-life therapist come in, and on the show do group therapy sessions. So, it was really fascinating for me  I thought that we were doing it extremely well, and I still think we did it extremely well. But, yes, it was rape, and it was wrong.”

Photo: ABC

GLORIA MONTY SWORE SHE WOULD NEVER MARRY LUKE AND LAURA

In an ironic twist, when Pat Falken Smith and Sheri left General Hospital to return to Days of Our Lives, suddenly Luke and Laura were getting married, after Gloria Monty swore she would never let them tie the knot. As soap fans know, the wedding remains the most-watched episode in soap opera in history with over 30 million people tuning-in on November 16 and 17 of 1981.

“People talk about that story thinking Luke raped Laura, and then they got married. No! Luke raped Laura, but it destroyed their lives with the secrets that they carried. Laura would not tell anybody that Luke was the one who raped her, and their lives were altered in so many ways. It took a long time to bring them back as a couple because they had such chemistry personally, so it was just the obvious way to go,” explained Anderson of the writers mindset at the time. “Gloria Monty said to us, ‘We’ll never marry them.’ Then, when as a writing team we left and went to Days of Our Lives, she married them two months later.”

You can catch our full informative chat with Sheri Anderson below.

So, what did you think about what really went on behind the scenes at General Hospital when the decision came down to have Luke rape Laura in the controversial scenes? Did you appreciate the insight provided by Sheri? Is it still one of the more troubling plot points in the storied history of Luke and Laura to you? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

 

Related Topics:
13 Comments

13 Comments
oldest
newest

Laura and Luke should have never been a love story, ever. Rape is not love. And I’m glad Sheri is no longer apologising for it, either. Good on her and good on Genie Francis, as well.

Reply

If Genue Francis was under age 18 at the time, her father should have spoken up and not allowed that storyline to happen, but I don’t know how contracts worked back then. Why would ABC even do that with an underage actress?They would never allow that storyline today , and I personally think it was a bad decision and I agree with gloria monty , they should have never married them.

Reply

Genie has spoken up in recent years about how it all came to be. Actually, Gloria Monty took Genie’s dad, veteran character actor Ivor Francis, out to dinner to discuss her plans for Genie and Tony. She had to. Genie was only 17 (Tony was in his early 30s.). Gloria had been charged with saving GH (Which had been flailing in the ratings) and ABC gave her 13 weeks to do it. I was never a fan of this pairing and the love story made me sick. Offstage Tony tried to be as protective of Genie as he could be in light of the situation, but it was hard on her. She had to boast the party line…how it was a seduction; and they passed that off for years! Tony received 8 emmys for his work, but Genie bore the brunt of the audience reaction, and didn’t receive her sole emmy for her work as Laura til almost 20 years afterward. In recent years she’s spoken up. All the people who demanded this story are long gone. She doesn’t have to toe the line anymore.

Reply

Do not blame TG he was very upset over this storyline it bothered him for a long time and he loved Genie but he hated the story ! TG struggled to keep his personal life secret and I for one supported him 100 percent now why don’t we get past this and move on. I was a teenager when he and YR came and did a fan club people yelling rape me Luke ! He was very upset I was in the audience he hated it

Reply

General Hospital shamefully allowed and did not protect either Genie or Tony from the effects of this horrid storyline. They had already allowed Genie to be placed in a relationship with David Hamilton, one adult male that ended with his murder, so why not continue to put her in other sexualized situations. Genie stated in her Lifetime interview, that GH “strongly encouraged ” her to drop out of high school so that she would not be bound be the hour restrictions for acting minors. She stated by the time she was 16, she was working full time, supporting her family, dropped out of high school and by 17 in her own apartment and in an off camera dating relationship with Kin Shriner. When Tony and Genie were put together she was 17 and he was 27. The writers and producers misused Tony and Genie to carry the blame, audience/public perception, shame without any consideration of how this one scene would effect their careers as actors, themselves as actors and as humans forever. They allowed Tony to be tortured so badly that he chose to relocate to Amsterdam decades ago for peace of mine and mental security. Genie chose to relocate with her husband and children as far way from LA as you could go and in an interview angrily commented that she refused to answer any more questions about that storyline in the future. GH should be ashamed of how they treated Genie and Tony.

Reply

I remember the poignant scenes between Emily McLaughlin who played Nurse Jessie Brewer and Genie Francis’ Laura. Laura was in a GH hospital room after she was raped, crying and telling the Nurse she would never be clean again. Nurse Brewer told Laura that was nonsense, because she’d never been dirty. Nurse Brewer gently cleaned her up and was very calming to Laura. These scenes are what I remember from that period, not the stuff in the disco.

Reply

You are correct. The whole storyline is on YouTube, in chronological order. It starts out as a responsibly-written date rape story. It was actually before it was called date rape. The phrase they kept using in those counselling sessions was acquaintance rape. Then they spend well over a year unfolding it as a redemption story for Luke. The “let’s lie to ourselves and say it was a seduction” starts to happen when they are coming back to each other after their break-up after the left handed boy story. There’s literally a scene where they’re at the Floating Rib and Luke says something about the night at the disco “where we made love.”. And Laura says “You mean the night you raped me.”. And Luke brushes her off with “Oh Laura.”. It was ridiculous. The big problem was Laura was already in love with and fascinated with Luke before he ever raped her. Due to her young age and her David Hamilton trauma, it really wasn’t love. But when your LnL audience is mostly impressionable teenagers and they’re saving your show from cancellation, the show runners ran with it. It put Genie, Tony and GH on the map. But sadly, it was a double edged sword for Genie and Tony.

Reply

There were 2 scenes where they called it “making love.” Luke said it on the sailboat and Laura responded, just as you describe above. A year later (1981) after Luke and Laura had broken up but were starting to talk again, they were in the restaurant and Laura was the one who said it was “making love,” and Luke looks kind of horrified by the statement.

I’ve read too that Tony said the scene was more violent originally and he suggested that when he told her to dance with him he just put out his hand. He also took Genie aside ahead of time to make sure she wouldn’t be traumatized by the experience.

Reply

I missed those scenes. Would love to find them. Will never forget how much I enjoyed watching Emily and John Beradino. I started watching in the late 70s, but immediately respected the legacy that they represented.

Reply

I am so glad that soaps are no longer displaying rape as seduction or having the two people fall in love. DAYS did this with EJ and Sami. She believed him to be her friend, and then revealed his true self by demanding sex or he wouldn’t help her save Lucas, who was injured. There was no misunderstanding what that was and later they had them fall madly in love, become soul mates and eventually marry. Totally sending the wrong message.

Reply

Oh please. Every one in the aftermath of me too wants to rewrite the past. At the time this storyline was written rape like the casting couch was not taken as seriously as it is today. Girls grew up reading bodice rippers as teenagers in books where rape fantasies commonly played out. Soaps mirrored the trend. Days had a story where rape victim Susan Martin fell in love with and married her rapist. Bill Horton raped his sister in law, impregnated her and later married her. Rapist Roger Thorpe was an anti hero. Even my gold standard soap of the 1970’s Ryan Hope had a scene where married Frank Ryan raped wife Delia in their bed because she was nagging him and he was fed up. There were dozens of other instances on soaps that played out that I can’t remember. General Hospital is egregious because it had used a sexualized minor teen Laura in the David Hamilton story that caused the soap to rise in the ratings. That forgotten storyline is equally egregious as it involved a child rape and is usually only viewed as a murder mystery instead of the rape of a minor child. The show was near the top of the ratings before Luke and Laura’s rape. They used the Luke and Laura rape scenario to cement the ratings lead. They played that Luke and Laura rape scene with the music theme Rise hundreds of time and knew exactly what they were doing. That music was so popular it became known as the theme from Laura’s rape. The people who objected like John Bernardino were blackballed. 40 years later it all looks different now. I’d have a lot more respect for everyone if they would tell the truth, acknowledge the culture of the time, admit that they having been educated view the world much differently now and express remorse about promoting a storyline that taught millions of young girls there is such a thing as good rape.

Reply

Preach! Yes, they most certainly flashbacked to the rape scene daily. Herb Alpert’s Rise feels like the soundtrack of my youth it was played so much. Along with the fog horns and the ship bells during every docks scene. But I digress.

Reply

All I know is that 47 years ago, I adored Luke & Laura and was glued to my TV at 3 pm Monday-Friday from approximately 1978-1982. (My college years)
I refuse to apologize or feel guilty about it.

Reply

General Hospital

Kin Shriner Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’ TV Daughter Kelly Kruger

Published

24 hours ago

on

October 20, 2026

By

Kin and kelly

It’s been over two-years since his last appearance on General Hospital, now fan favorite Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) has taken to social media to share his thoughts on the casting of his grown-up TV daughter, Serena Baldwin now played by Kelly Kruger.

Kelly took over the role of Serena on-screen starting with the July 30, 2026 episode and has been ensconced in the storyline with her mother, Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), in trying to win back full creative control of Deception for her.

In fact on the Monday, October 19 episode of the ABC soap opera, Serena tried to dupe Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) into signing over Michael’s (Rory Gibson) shares of the company. Jason caught on and wondered why she was doing this. She claimed she just wanted to help her mom gain creative control from Tracy (Jane Elliot) rather than full ownership, and begged Jason to keep quiet about it, which he agreed to for now.

Serena and Jason

Courtesy/ABC

WHERE IS SCOTT?

On Monday, Shriner also took to X and said, “I think Kelly Kruger is doing a great job on General Hospital, and she and Lynn Herring work well together.” That was followed by comments in his thread about the show needing to bring back Scott too.

In fact, back on August 25, Shriner also took to X with a reminder that Scott is still around and ready to come back to Port Charles, sharing, “Scotty Baldwin always fits in he just needs the right sport coat !!!!”

The last time Serena mentioned her father Scott was when Kruger made her debut and informed Lucy that her father was, “living his best life in Key West.”  Meanwhile, Shriner posts on his X account continually and shared back on August 2, that it has been 49 years since he made his on-screen debut as then teenaged, Scotty Baldwin and thanked the fans for al the love and support.

So, now let us know, are you enjoying Kelly Kruger as Serena Baldwin? Do you want to see GH bring back Scott Baldwin into the story, so Serena has both her parents in Port Charles? Do you like the potential of Jason and Serena pairing? Weigh-in via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Jason Seeks Answers For Sonny, Drew Gloats, and Chase is in for a Battle

Published

2 days ago

on

October 19, 2026

By

Chase, Jason and Drew

This week on all-new episodes of General Hospital, getting to the bottom of truth is paramount for several characters, but who will continue to lie and who might break?

In the latest video spoilers for the week of October 19-23, Sonny (Maurice Benard) needs to prove that he is innocent in orchestrating the prison beatdown of Jenz Sidwell (Carlo Rota) and Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner). His girlfriend, ADA Justine Turner (Nazneen Contractor), wants to seemingly turn him to as she is seen saying, “I won’t give up until Sonny is behind bars,” to none other than Drew (Cameron Mathison)!

Meanwhile, it looks like Sonny has pulled Jason back in to to help him clear his name telling him to, “Find out whatever you can.” Later, we see Jason (Steve Burton) posing the question to someone, “Did you frame Sonny for it?” Did he go to Pentonville to confront Sully?

Britt and Jude

Photo: ABC

Elsewhere, Chase (Josh Swickard) and Monet (Blythe Howard) get set to dissolve Chase’s marriage to Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) who now has lawyered up with Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst). Monet tells Chase, “We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario.” Chase fires back ,“I don’t want a battle!” Is the battle over baby Phoebe, or a down and dirty fight just to get a divorce?

Then, Britt (Kelly Thiebaud) is reeling with happiness in the best possible way, after apparently sharing four kisses with mysterious stranger Jude (Wil Traval) at the Brown Dog Bar. Britt tells Lucas (Van Hansis) all about her evening. But, who is Jude and did he target Britt, or is he truly enamored with her? Stay tuned.

SPOILERS

Now below, take a look at the official GH spoilers for the week of October 19-23.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19
Britt makes an intriguing deal. Trina is unsettled. Anna checks in on Sonny. Carly gets the third degree from Lucas. Jason calls out Serena.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20
Carly puts her heart on the line. Alexis delivers shocking news to Valentin. Sonny has a warning for Jason. Justine makes Drew an offer. Portia is wary of Monet.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Anna seeks out Valentin. Britt’s attitude raises eyebrows. Molly seeks Alexis’s advice. Jason makes an offer to Lucy. Tracy and Cody catch up.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Britt has juicy gossip for Lucas. Chase is thrown for a loop. Emma puts on her detective hat. Michael and Jordan await medical news. Ava is put on the spot.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23
Ava pitches a dangerous plan to Drew. Jason calls out Josslyn. Ric and Monet go toe to toe. Lulu is discouraged. Sonny dangles a tantalizing deal.

Take a look at the latest GH promo, “Worst Case Scenario” below.

Now weigh-in: Will Jason figure out that Drew and Ava were behind framing Sonny? Do you want Chase to get parental rights to baby Phoebe? Do you like the attraction between Britt and Jude, or is something more nefarious going on with the guy? Let us know in the comment section below.

 

Continue Reading

General Hospital

‘General Hospital’s’ Jonathan Bennett Talks On Where Joe Fitzpatrick is Headed and Soap Opera Shirtless Scenes

Published

4 days ago

on

October 17, 2026

By

Jonathan Bennett

It had become abundantly clear that roomies Dr. Lucas Jones (Van Hansis) and PCPD detective Joe Fitzpatrick (Jonathan Bennett) seem destined towards a romance on General Hospital.

In fact, to get Lucas all hot and bothered (although he does fully let on), during the Friday, October 16 episode, the good doctor helps Joe pick out something less stuffy to wear to a bar to meet people.

However, the moment is met with Joe taking off his shirt in front of Lucas and doing a quick change from sport coat and button down shirt to a more relaxed casual button down shirt. In fact, the ABC soap opera even called out the moment as their clip of the day (see below).

Lucas and Joe

Courtesy/ABC

MAJOR STORY TEASE FOR JOE

Bennett spoke with OUT in a new feature about what may be on the horizon for the by-the-book Joe and the moral Lucas, and how he learned that once the producers and writers on a soap script in a shirtless scene, if it goes over well, said actor, can expect many more in the months to come!

“I’m so excited for the audience to see where my character goes on General Hospital. It’s going to be monumental and I think people are going to love it,” teased Bennett. “I was shirtless in an episode and so petrified to shoot it,” he added. “I wanted to look my best and feel good. I really worked hard to get my body to a good place and I did it.”

STAYING CAMERA READY

However as Jonathan points out, now he is finding himself half-naked in upcoming scenes as officer Joe! “I think I shot myself in the foot! Now that I did it once and it turned out well, every few weeks I read a script and I’m coming out of the shower, changing my shirt, or in the bathtub,” revealed Jonathan.

So, how does he keep camera ready? “I’m in the gym more, I have a better diet,” pointed out Bennett. “You have to stay healthy if you’re going to be shirtless every few weeks! I’m gay, an only child, and an actor. Of course I love the attention!”

While Bennett’s Port Charles story is going to reveal itself in the coming months, you can also see Jonathan back as the host of The Food Network’s Halloween Wars 16th season which concludes on Sunday, October 25.

Now below. check out the scene in question from Friday’s GH entitled, “Lose the Shirt.”

Weigh-in: What do you think will be “monumental” that Jonathan has teased that viewers will find out about Joe in the coming weeks? Are you feeling the on-screen chemistry between Joe and Lucas? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

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

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Heather

Heather Tom

The Bold and the Beautiful

Airdate: 7-24-2026

Popular

13
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x