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Happy 49th Anniversary today to General Hospital!

Of all the soaps on the air, it has been General Hospital who unfortunately had April Fool’s Day as their birthdate!  That’s right.  GH premiered on April 1, 1963, and after so many years of heartache, romance, intrigue, hospital staffers and loveable or evil mobsters, the show celebrates today it’s 49th anniversary!

Originally created by Frank and Doris Hursley, the show premiered as a half hour and aired in the 1PM EST time slot.   The original cast featured John Beradino, Emily McLaughlin, and  Roy Thinnes, to name just a few.  And after many pivotal executive producer changes, key among them: Gloria Monty, Wendy Riche, Jill Farren Phelps, and now Frank Valentini, the show has aired as of last week around 12, 531 episodes!

Through its glory days to its not-so-glorious days, General Hospital has been a scrappy fighter who several times was on the brink of cancellation, but fought back to become the number one sudser, or remain in the daytime line-up.  Now, as we all wait with bated breath to find out if GH can live to see it’s 50th, when ABC made its decisions in the coming weeks if GH or The Revolution will continue on past September 2012, today is a cause for celebration.   49 years is nothing to sneeze at!

Check out this cast photo and our blast from the past, and let us know if you can name all of the actors or their character names in our comment section!  Also, please share your thoughts on GH turning 49!

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Ah the memories..who can forget Jessie Brewer and her “7th floor nurses station” every time she answered the phone..lol..always been a watchable show even when not that good and I hope it continues for many years to come.We need daytime drama no matter what network execs think!

Amen! Please DON’T cancel General Hospital!! It’s so so good!!! Love it and love the new look and feel of it, the writing, addition of OL characters, twists and storylines. It’s definitely must see TV again!!!

LONG LIVE GENERAL HOSPIAL!!!

My sentiments exactly! Ditto on the new look and feel, writing, etc. It’s been a while since I’ve been so excited and can’t wait to see what the next episode brings. Long live GH!

Horray, GH has and always has been a great show!!! I hope that ABC does the right thing and makes it live to it’s 50th!! Happy Anniversary!

Congrats on 49 years GH! Curious as to why it premiered in April and not in September? Just seems like an odd month for a show to actually premiere. Anyway, I can name most by not all of the characters. I see Jessie Brewer, Tommy Baldwin (Hardy), Audrey Hardy, Jeff Webber, Steve Hardy, Peter Taylor, Rick Webber, Laura Webber, Louise March (?), Scott Baldwin, Heather Webber, Diana Taylor, Lee Baldwin, Gail Baldwin, Monica Quartermaine, Alan Quartermaine

I remember that “7th floor nurses station.” I don’t even know what floor their on now. I like it right now, not loving it, but am hoping. I hope it stays on for many years and that there are less mob involvement.

Most everything in the hospital nowadays takes place on the 10th floor. Hard to tell since that horrible reconstruction of the hospital a few years ago. During the 80’s they would alternate floors by changing the big circled floor number on the elevator doors including Lobby.

That is so true and observant!

Jessie brewer answers the phone saying 7th floor nurses station ,never got sick of those words.that was when general hospital was general hospital all the stories surrounded the 7th floor.those were the good old days and I hope that our characters of port charles continue for another 49 years.Happy anniversary.abc/disney you should be proud of this show like you should have been proud of all my children and One life to live classic programming you cant replace.

didn’t you just love it when they wanted to talk and went into the “medicine room” and shut the door…those were the days

Yes those were the days and I miss them ,they made general hospital what it is today, hey Keith dont forget all the trips to dr hardys office, where they talked about medicine and every ones problems .

U just had to take a jab at ABC, huh? Even though this is about General Hospital. I was reading your post, and I was like, ” Wait, what happened? Who is she now talking to? lol
I just finished eating the leftover lobster ect…. so I’m yarning, deliriously sleepy, going for nap now.

General Hospital has been on constant for me, like family! Most of my life from 3-4pm has been devoted to GH! thank you for the many wonderful compelling stories and the entire team for their hard work entertaining me since I began watching around 1980.

Happy Bday GH, I’m still loving you no matter what, I’ll be faithfull till the end.

Happy Birthday General Hospital may you have many more birthdays to come.
I also hope one day your families will return home
Quartermaines
Alan
Emily
Aj
Justus
Ned
Dillion
Tracy
Edward
Monica
Michael
Jason
Spencers
Lucky
Luke
Ethan
Laura
Carly
Bobbie
Morgan
Michael

Ummm, you forgot Lulu and Nicholas.

Steve/audrey tom hardy Jessie brewer Gail lee Scott Baldwin , Leslie Jeff Steven Laura weber , Alan Monica quartermain and I wanna say Lars and Rooney but not sure. Sad that previous writers wiped out do many core characters to pretty ruin the different families and legacy. Either way I’ve enjoyed my 30+ yrs watching and hope the longest running soap continues.

Happy Birthday GH. This show deserves to stay on for another 40 years, replacing it with other new and unpopular shows is so unfair to the fans. Exectives need to listen to Soap viewers and respect their opinions.
Thank you to all the actors who are the reason we watch and love General Hospital.

I have spent over 35 years enjoying the characters and storylines of General Hospital, and while it has had many wonderful highs and some deep lows, it is a strong soap, with many riviting storylines, and fascinating twists and turns, that I will continue to watch and enjoy. I am a strong supporter of the recent addition of Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivarti, and am enjoying the direction the show is going in. Here is to not only making it to it’s 50th Anniversary, but many more years of enchanting storylines after that!!! As for the photo, what a nice trip down memory lane. Jessie’s smile is and always was infectious (but who could forget how Phil Brewer broke her heart), and Steve Hardy, the patriarch of GH (who could forget his many years of playing Santa Claus at GH), and his always supportive and loving wife Audrey. I loved Rick and Jeff, the battling Webber brothers, especially Jeff, as played by Richard Dean Anderson. A young Monica and Alan Quartermaine, not to mention a very young Laura Webber/Vining, who was probably being courted by Scotty Baldwin during the time this photo was taken. Of course, Scotty’s Dad Lee Baldwin, and his wife, Gail. I cannot make out who the curly, red-haired fellow in the center is. At first I thought it was Ryan Phillipe, but definitely not. Can anyone tell me who that is? Happy 49th Anniversary GH, and I hope we can all enjoy many more years to come!

Thank you so much for your wonderful tribute to GH!! Happy 49th Anniversary to this beloved and iconic show!! Here’s to many,many more years of unforgettable memories!!

Come on everybody lets get them to the 50th and hopefully 50 more years!!! Congratulations GH!!!

I’m not concerned about whether ABC will choose The Revolution over General Hospital. Even the Deadline article that you posted last week on this website stated that the ABC execs were not willing to kill their 49 years old soap for a talk show such as The Revolution that will unlikely ever be successful.

The threat for General Hospital is not The Revolution, but rather those other shows that ABCD is having in development. If one of these programs is ready by the time ABC has to make its decision, then it’s bye bye General Hospital. In all cases, The Revolution is a goner in September. ABC has lost faith in that show and I don’t even see their promos anymore during the commercials on General Hospital.

I think I see Gary Lansing in there. Who are the two women to the right of Laura Webber? Who is the curly haired guy to the right of Rick Webber? And don’t know the top 3 on the left. Lamont Corbin? Gina something? Please help.

Let’s rebuild the Webbers. Laura, Lesley, Rick, Jeff, Amy Vining, Mikey. Lesley Webber was one of the best characters the show has ever had. DA is a great actress and made Lesley so multidimensional. Bringing her back as a Dr would be great and Monica would have some interaction with someone her own age and with shared history.

Thats right where is lesley?amy vining cant come back she had kidney failure,the actress did. I agree with what you said about lesley being a doctor It would be nice to see her and monica be friends again.And laura she should have never left port charles.

” Bringing her back as a Dr would be great and Monica would have some interaction with someone her own age and with shared history. ”

* That would be a Great idea, and you’re right, Monica needs more interaction with people of her age, particularly at the hospital. At home, she has Tracy, and Luke, of age and shared history. Of course Edward is older. Love Monica.

I love General Hospital. I love ABC soaps. ABC was always the BEST network for daytime and primetime, and boy…..did they screw themselves up!

We want General Hospital to make the stretch, and so we much continue to fight, BUT not just TALK as we do on this site. WORDS and ACTIONS…… equally results!

1loveabcsoaps for General Hospital. Happy Anniversary!

I’ve been watching gh since the 2nd grade I remember I would run home from school just to watch GH now am a senior and I have to say BEST DAYTIME SOAP ever!!! Happy 49th General Hospital, and I hope the show doent get cancelled because I have no idea what im going to watch in college, and I have to say I LOVE JASON AND SAM <—- BEST COUPLE EVER …

JaSam, the most BORING couple ever! Bring on John McBain and Sam, yay!!

John and sam do look good together ,I loved them in that vampire stuff.

Lot’s of luck Gh and I hope you be here and celebrating many more years, I’ve been watching for 49 years and hope to for many more. Congratulations to all the wonderful actors and all the people affiliated with the show.

Congrats GH! Good luck !

Happy 49th Anniversary,GH(old and new friends)
One more year to becomes 50th Anniversary!!!

What year is that old GH cast picture from, Michael?

From Doctors to Nurses
To Mobsters, Molls and police
From Love in the Afternoon
To the Cassadine’s and their penchant for causing grief

From the underground caves of Port Charles
To the Quartermaine’s castle keep
From Casey the space Alien
To Caleb Morley with those sharp Vampire teeth

From Love to loss through the triumphs and tears
General Hospital’s Port Charles has seen it all through the years

So we lift up our cup in thanks to our great show
Happy 49th General Hospital and here’s to 51 years more years to go.

Paula Kate Prince-Meserole

Happy 49th Anniversary General Hospital!! Thank you GH and ABC for all the wonderful memories and years of entertainment.

It has to make it to 50 years because my friends and I are already planning the 50th Annniversary Party. We are going to come as GH characters and I’ve decided I’m going to be Lucy Coe. Can’t wait!

Not only did GH premiere on April 1, 1963 on ABC, but on NBC, so did ‘The Doctors,’ (April 1, 1963-Dec. 31, 1982).

General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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General Hospital

GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Learns Britt Died and Tells Anna He Has Been Working For Cates Since November 2021

On the Tuesday, March 26th of General Hospital, Anna (Finola Hughes) and the viewers learn about where Jason (Steve Burton) has been for over two and half years. However, Jason gets some news of his own.

Anna is visiting Jason at the PCPD interrogation room. She asks him if he shot Dante (Dominic Zamprogna), which he flatly denies. Anna believes him, but she tells Jason it doesn’t matter, because video footage shows him on the roof at the time of the shooting

When talk turns to Jason not willing to speak without his lawyer present, Anna can’t grasp why Jason would instead spend an hour alone talking with John Cates (Adam J. Harrington).

Photo: ABC

It is then that Anna brings up that John went by “Jagger” and that the two of them knew each other in high school. Jason doesn’t recall much of his time in high school following his brain injury, but then he gets furious realizing John knew about “Jason’s” past. That is when Jason slams the table and tells Anna, “I’ve been working for John Cates since November 2021.”

Next, Jason explains further that he has been working as an informant for the FBI. Anna wants to know how this came about and he tells her that after the tunnel collapsed, and he couldn’t make it to Britt (Kelly Thiebaud)… all of a sudden he sees Anna’s face drop.  Anna is the first person to tell him that Britt died and was murdered. She tells Jason the killer is in custody, but he continues to be shocked, overwhelmed with tears welling up in his eyes. Realizing he has to pivot to save his life, Jason continues telling Anna how he wound up working with John.

Jason explains that after the tunnel collapse in Greece, FBI agents grabbed him and placed him under arrest and took him to Quantico where he met John. At Quantico, John played a recording of RICO violations and offered Jason a deal if he agreed to be an informant against Pikeman, the illegal arms dealer.

Anna hears from Jason that he thinks Pikeman is selling illegal arms to anyone flagged by the NSA but has ties to the WSB which they needed a civilian to infiltrate their organization as a military soldier, a mercenary.

Jason tells Anna he was a part of the team brought into eliminate Sonny (Maurice Benard). Every time an attempt was made on Sonny’s life over the last two years, a different team was sent to do the job. Anna gets furious when she learns that John told Jason his job was to kill Sonny and she was with John at the warehouse that night. Jason ensured the sniper missed Sonny and left the rifle behind. However, they were supposed to meet an extraction team. Before he was shot, Dante saw it was Jason on the roof and when he turned around with his hands over his head, Dante was shot by the other guy. Jason says if Dante dies, he’ll be charged with capital murder and then will be useless to the FBI.

Photo: ABC

Meanwhile, John visits Bobbie’s and runs into Carly (Laura Wright). She learns Jason is in custody and is going to head to the PCPD. Before she does, Carly has some words with Cates when she learns not only does John have a vendetta against Sonny, but Jason too.  Carly tells John he should recuse himself from the case.

So, what did you think about the moment when Jason learned Britt died? What do you think of Jason’s return storyline thus far and what we learned about Jagger/Jason and more? Comment below. But first, check out a moment from today’s GH with Jason and Anna.

 

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