ALAN QUARTERMAINE IS DEAD TO ME

When we had the last run of soap actor deaths including the guy from Ryan's Hope, I wondered about Stuart. He'd been in ill health for some time.

Rest in peace. I was never a big GH fan but he played Alan so well. And so many of a certain age will remember him as Prince Charming.

As the charming prince:

Such a hottie in his younger days

It's been so long since I watched soaps that I thought it was that guy with white hair from All My Children. Forget his name. I think it was "Adam" on AMC

In The Campions with Alexandra Bastedo - favourite viewing of my childhood.

R4, you're describing David Canary, who died in 2015. Another AMC star did die just the other day, on June 10: Ray MacDonnell, who played Dr. Joe Martin (Tara's dad, Ruth's husband).

Oh, damn! I loved Alan and Lucy Cole.

And in case you were thinking about blaming Guza for Stuart's exit, Michele Val Jean is NOT here for your bullshit.

Yes, r6. thank you. I had forgotten his name.

OP is worse than Gloria Monty!

So young.

I always thought he was Latino or Italian and the name Stuart Damon didn't suit his looks. I found this on Wiki:

Damon was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Marvin Leonard Zonis, who was a manufacturer.[1] Damon's parents were Russian Jewish immigrants who made their home in America after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution.

Ok, but he still looks Latino. Is he family?

Susan Dey -- we're waiting.

Have Pat Carroll and Lesley Ann Warren been reached for comment?

I think he said that Africa won’t let him die. So you never know 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for posting the Michelle Val Jean comment. Interesting that Guza did not want to kill Alan. He was so willing to kill of AJ and Emily and tried to kill off Edward.

I think the network wanted Damon killed off, because he was not looking so great. Nice man and not my opinion but I guess for TV it wasn't up to their standards.

He was NO Steve Bond.

Steve Bond's demise would most definitely warrant the "He had a hot ass but couldn't live forever" comment.

Stuart's son in real life

Intersting where they got the name Alan Quatermaine from.

Allan Quatermain was a character created by author H. Rider Haggard. The character first appeared in the adventure thriller King Solomon's Mines in 1885. This Allan Quatermain was an adventurer, very similar to the character of Indiana Jones.

I remember him from... The Champions

He did a number of episodes of the 100,000 Pyramid, which I loved. RIP.

He was so handsome in Cinderella. So dreamy!

First time I saw Cinderella, all I could do was stare at him and drool. Couldn't look at anything else in the scenes but him. Of course, I was much too young to understand what that meant.

[quote]Have Pat Carroll and Lesley Ann Warren been reached for comment?

How about Ginger Rogers? It's time for the OP of the Lois Nettleton thread to get out the Ouija board again!

Wow! The actors who played Dr. Seneca Beaulac on Ryan's Hope and Dr. Joe Martin on All My Children both recently died. Now Stuart Damon, who played Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital, has passed away. It's interesting that all three of their characters were doctors.

Has Maurice Benard sent his condolences?

He's gonna be all right...

How old dawes than make me?

I loved Alan and Monica on GH, and have missed him. RIP Mr Damon.

So weird. I just had a completely random flash back memory of when Monica found the mole on the new baby's torso under the arm - she remembered that Alan had the same mole in the same spot. Therefore, it was then that she knew the baby was Alan's and not the spawn from her affair with Rick! WTF?!! Was that like 1981??

[quote]Wow! The actors who played Dr. Seneca Beaulac on Ryan's Hope and Dr. Joe Martin on All My Children both recently died. Now Stuart Damon, who played Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital, has passed away. It's interesting that all three of their characters were doctors.

And all played doctors on ABC soaps.

I didn't realize Stuart Damon was in his eighties. I was a huge GH fan in the 90s when soaps were at the height of their popularity, particularly ABC soaps which I thought were younger and cooler than the soaps on CBS and NBC. Just the mere mention of the name Quartermaine instantly takes me back to the mid-nineties with Jagger, Karen, Stone, Robin, Lucy, Jason, AJ, Brenda, Sonny and on and on. Such fun memories watching that show. The actors who played doctors on GH, including Stuart Damon, were so believable as doctors especially during the Stone Cates AIDS storyline which was excellent. RIP Stuart Damon. You will certainly be remembered.

Damon always looked years younger than his actual age when he was on the show, and it wasn’t due to plastic surgery.

Very sad news. My favorite storyline was the Robin/Stone storyline, and when Allan told Robin she had HIV, he was perfect. He was subtle and just so gentle. He should have won the Emmy for that scene. That was height of GH in terms of acting, writing.

I also remember when old man Quarter Maine had a heart attack, and Tracey was with him but refused to give him his pills! I remember the old lady was always shown sitting on the couch with a cane. Lila? I remember Demi Moore as Jackie Templeton, and John Stamps as Blackie? And I remember Liz Taylor as Mrs. Castledine? Someone confirm my memories are correct!

YES R37! I was totally thinking of that scene when writing my post. And also the scene when the two doctors (I think it was Dr. Quartermaine and Dr. Baldwin) tell Stone that the AIDS is causing lymphoma and he only had a few weeks left. Gawd, that was so heartbreaking and well-done. I agree, the acting and writing was so wonderful back then.

I know—R35. They had both scenes on YouTube but the Robin/Allan scene was taken down. I’ve watched it a number of times last year in quarantine.

Rachel Ames is 92. I hope she gets a nice memorial when she passes on like Lee and Gail did. Stuart was beloved. Thet was a picture of him visiting with the other vets about two years ago. Leslie Charleson obviously adored him and so did Jane Elliot. Monica mentioned to Laura at Sean's funeral how much she missed Alan.

He loved her because she was beautiful.

And I remember Ryan's Hope. Black couple Angie and Jessie! A character named Annie who had a short "summer cut (hair)." What's the one with Ads Buchan on? Tina with huge bags under her eyes. There was a black couple on that one too - Ed? Didn't Vicki go through some sort of split personality psychosis? I remember the mid 1970s Jill from Young/Restless. I called her "the sex bomb."

This is the event R41 is referring to. Billy Warlock even calls in! There’s video of that on the page.

I don’t think GH won any awards for the HIV/AIDS storyline, which it was groundbreaking, amazingly well done, perfect acting—and nothing (I think), nominations, I know. But I’m not sure if awards. I don’t think Damon was even nominated.

Aww, that's lovely R43. I'm glad they all got to spend time with Damon before he passed.

Here's a tweet from Amber Tamblyn who played Allan and Monica's adopted daughter:

I used to see him at Easton's Gym in LA back in the late '90s. He was a tad zaftig then and clearly trying to lose a few pounds, but I remember he was always smiling and very sociable.

RIP.

The HIV/AIDS storyline got Emmy nominations for best supporting actor for Michael Sutton who played Stone and outstanding younger leading actress for Kimberly McCullough who played Robin. Robin ended up winning that night but Michael Sutton lost which was total bullshit. I don't even remember whom the heck he lost to. I don't think I've ever seen a more honest and realistic portrayal of someone wasting away from AIDS. He committed to the weight loss and everything. It was so groundbreaking for Daytime. I can't even remember if GH took the Emmy for best soap that year either.

Links?

Here you go R48.

I remember in the ‘80s this guy had a really nice, hairy chest.

And here's the best supporting actor category. MICHAEL SUTTON WAS ROBBED.

I didn't know he was that old.

When it came to HIV/AIDS storylines on daytime soaps, GH's were the best ones imo. Daytime Confidential had a good write up years about storylines on different soaps.

He attended Brandeis University with DL fave Louise Lasser.

Jerry ver Dorn of GL won Best Supporting Actor in 1996.

The other nominees that year were:

Frank Beaty (Brent Lawrence, Guiding Light)

Ian Buchanan (James Warwick, The Bold and the Beautiful)

Stuart Damon (Alan Quartermaine, General Hospital)

David Forsyth (John Hudson, Another World)

Michael Sutton (Stone Cates, General Hospital)

So young!

Stuart was in the supporting cast of the Broadway musical "Do I Hear a Waltz" starring Elizabeth Allen and had a lyric that Richard Rodgers disapproved of in the song "We're Going to Be All Right". I forget what the lyric was changed to, but in subsequent Productions (two of which I have seen), the lyric was changed to "Sometimes he's homosexual". The fantastic 2001 Pasadena production has a terrific cast recording and utilizes this line. I saw the production which features his GH cast member Carol Lawrence, as well as the recent Encores production. Stuart can be heard on the original Broadway cast of Irma La Douce and the Off-Broadway production of The Boys from Syracuse. I believe he did a few musicals in London for a while.

*sobs*

Very sad.

This thread made me want to look up Chris Robinson who played Alan’s rival Rick Webber in the 70s/80s. I always thought he was hot. A pic of him from 2013 is included in this link and he looked like he was at death’s door back then! 😯

Chris Robinson invested a ton of money in Beanie Babies. A documentary was made about him. Didn’t he also get indicted for tax evasion in the 80s? Money management isn’t his strong suit.

Chris Robinson - papa was a rolling stone

R46, did you see his barefeets ?

Stuart did earn a Supporting Actor Emmy in 1999.

Bad week for ABC soap men. Who will be next...Beau Buchanan?

[r11], Ironically enough, Jon Cypher played Prince Charming in the original Julie Andrews version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella."

Whether Stuart was on GH, The Champions or The Saint,Space 1999 or The Adventurer he really punched up the material beyond its weight. Even still he will always be Prince Charming to me.

[quote]R11, Ironically enough, Jon Cypher played Prince Charming in the original Julie Andrews version of "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella."

I'm pretty sure R11 knew that already when he posted that, R65.

Jon Cypher appeared on GH as one of the Cassadine Island guests in 1981. It's like Julie and Lesley Ann together in "Victor/Victoria".

[quote]It's like Julie and Lesley Ann together in "Victor/Victoria".

It's also like Alice Pearce and Sandra Gould both appearing in the movie "Dear Heart" (1964).

Or Phyllis Coates and Noel Neill both appearing in "Invasion, U.S.A." (1952).

This one hurts. I haven’t watched GH in a long time, but his passing made the nightly news. I did the “Diana scream” and rewound the news a few seconds to see if I heard correctly.

R70 I'm glad he got respect in death.

In honour of Stuart.

This is pretty awesome. (I couldn’t find it on YouTube).

R72 That clip shows why his costars loved him. I'm guessing he was just a fun person to be around.

Has Julie Pinson commented? Damon played her iconic uncle Ralph on As THE World Turns

No comment from Lesley Ann Warren?

Denise Alexander has been silent so far. Why?

[quote] Allan told Robin she had HIV,

That is what Kimberly McCullough submitted on her Emmy Reel to win the Emmy

Watch below

How a ‘General Hospital’ Star and Three Other Hollywood Veterans Began Swapping Stories (and Busting Balls) Every Morning

"This is the table of hooligans," says Stuart Damon of his weekday get-togethers with Mickey Callan, Bridget Hanley Swackhamer and David Kramer at the Motion Picture & Television Fund commissary.

more at link

Did Mickey (FKA Michael) Callan ever come out?

I was hooked on Ryans Hope, AMG, OLTL and GH in the late 70s early 80s. OMG I feel so old now...this thread depresses me.

Chris Robinson looks like death warmed over..Jackie Z...no words for her hideous surgeries

R78 I wish they had recorded themselves for YouTube I bet that would have been a hoot.

For R81 - Start around the 5 minute mark:

I stopped watching GH regularly long ago but after I quit I’d still catch an episode if I heard eg, that Laura was coming back. The last time I saw it (still years ago) Stuart Damon was a ghost, outraged that nobody could hear him. Something like that. I was mad that they’d killed him off.

Seneca’s dead too. The name sounded familiar although I only watched Ryan’s Hope for a week or so. But he played Nurse Jessie’s boy toy lover before that, “Teddy”.

Can’t believe Audrey is still alive. Read her back story once, she was a stewardess and met Dr Hardy and gave up her flighty ways to become a nurse.

Yes, Damon’s death bums me out too.

Thank you for that, R78.

I get the sense that his wife was not with him at the retirement home. I could be wrong. If she isn’t, I wonder why? He had all of his faculties.

Maybe his wife couldn’t take care of him. He had many health issues, according to Vee, who’s in the biz.

Always liked Alan. He was a favorite character. And I loved his Prince Charming in Cinderella.

About 16-7 years ago when I first moved to LA, I saw Stuart Damon in the grocery store -- Ralphs on 3rd and La Brea -- which was not too far from his home in Hancock Park.

I was stunned to see Stuart in person shopping at the same grocery store in which I was shopping! A star shops at the same grocery store where the rest of us shop! Imagine that!

I was also SHOCKED to see the size of Stuart's gut. He apparently had been wearing a girdle on GH because his stomach was sticking out a good 12 inches or more. He was wearing a XXX-Large grey t-shirt but even that barely covered the entire stomach.

As Stuart pushed the shopping cart out of the store, my head was spinning taking all this in -- a longtime fave shops at the same grocery store I do, but that fave is also tipping the scales at 265 pounds.

If you watch THR video posted at r82, he lost all that weight and then some; he was probably ill by that point but he didn’t act it.

I had one of those books of lists that were so popular back in the 70's/80's, and Stuart was listed in the "best bodies in Hollywood" list.

I think he was diabetic. At least that was the reason given for why he was in the Hollywood home. The pictures of him there - he looked good. But that article was a good while ago.

Couldn’t someone have given him a kidney?

"Alan Quartermaine"

You misspelled it!

Based on certain statements that Stuart, Leslie, Jackie and other veterans have said, they are/were emotionally connected to their work and the others around them, as if it was a part of their soul. How many people indicate that kind of love for what they do? Leslie was very passionate about how she spoke up when Anna Lee was fired, and her memories of various stories and costars (particularly Stuart, Anna and David Lewis) show how connected she was to her work. She easily could have refused recurring, but she was unselfish in the sense that she wanted to continue. Marj Dusay did pretty much the same when taken off contract on Guiding Light, but at some point, both Leslie and Marj were put back in the opening credits. They really showed how important Monica still was by making her chairman of the hospital board, and to go from selfish bad girl in the 70's to respected matriarch now is wonderful. I hope that Monica has a dream where Alan comes to her through flashbacks and tells her how proud he is of her. I'm sure that Alan once said that to the young Jason or Emily so it would be easy to dub that in. I hope at next year's daytime Emmys, Leslie gets to honor him.

This sincerely bummed me out. One of my nurses had an article about it up on her computer, and I gasped "Not Alan Quartermaine!" before I could stop myself. And then she and I bonded about ABC soaps. I love this nurse, and I love her even more now.

He really did fantastic work in the 90s. He killed it as a supporting part of the HIV story, Monica's breast cancer, and Alan's own addiction to pills.

But this, from the 1997 Nurses Ball is probably my absolute favorite.

The one nice thing I will say about the current incarnation of GH is that, despite Alan being long dead, they will find a fitting and respectful way to honor Stuart.

I met Stuart Damon at a party because I was friends with one other cast member on General Hospital. He was very nice and handsome and I made him laugh.

Jill Farren Phelps. was my neighbor. She used to have these parties with soap stars at her house. But in my neighborhood there were a lot of soap stars.

Jess Walton lived nearby. Peter Bergman’s kids went to the same school with my friends children.

I was sure that he was gay because he had a very swishy walk.

This is a really nice video. Some surprises in there. Stuart is included. I wish all retirement homes were like this one! Hollywood does take care of its own.

That’s neat that all the women’s gowns are arranged chromatically at the end of the song.

In the '70s, was he ever called "Disco Stu?"

R94 How was JFP as a neighbor? She was so influential. Frons is the one who wanted Alan Q out. Everyone loved Stu.

Frons is a bastard. I try not to hate people but after what he did to my beloved soaps, I will dance a jig when he dies just like I did for Castro.

God, Jackie Zeman looks atrocious.

R98 JFP kept to herself. But she had a lot of party’s.

R101 Thanks. JFP is not the bitch people wanted her to be.

Does JFP drink a lot?

[quote]That’s neat that all the women’s gowns are arranged chromatically at the end of the song.

I was always really impressed with how well put-together the Nurses Ball always was. They could find ways to get their money's worth. A lot of time, those were the actresses own gowns. Shell Kepler is wearing her own wedding dress, dyed blue.

Apparently, we will be having a Nurse's Ball this year in the Fall, it was mentioned on screen this week.

And they mentioned it so nonchalantly, like "Oh, yeah, you know, like how it always is."

They totally underestimate the longtime fan's eye for details.

R106 Exactly

At least they're having the Nurses' Ball again. Remember, under the JFP-Bob Guza reign of terror, they didn't do the Nurses Ball. It was only when Frank became EP that the Nurses Ball came back.

I didn’t see this posted, but I might have missed it. She put this up very quickly.

Oops! That was from Lesley Anne Warren.

R72 that was funny! And didn't John Davidson look good as the host?

[quote]But she had a lot of party’s.

Oh, dear.

Who attends JFP’s parties?

I want to go to JFP’s party. I will drive!

No it’s my turn to drive!

I will show you girls how it’s done.

You have to be a FOJ. Anna Lee and her wheelchair were NOT invited.

Anna Lee, bless her heart, was dying of old age. She held up production for hours because she could not remember cues or her lines. FACT. What would you have done?

JFP never could have gotten rid of me.

Fat Mel used her ‘Do you know I’m married to’ to Fat Angelica McDaniel, another fatty.

Fat Angie had JFP fired from Y&R.

I’m not feeling Lezzie Charleson. She and Stuie fought ALL the time! Now he’s a saint????

'96 was the first year they had to shift to the Disney fiscal year, so they had to cut back on the Ball significantly.

Still produced this gem. Literally.

Damn, Lynn had some moves.

He always gave me a gay vibe. Like one of those elder gays who walks around his house in a velvet robe and ascot, ordering up twinkie hookers and having them swim naked in his pool while he jacks himself off.

The thing I never understood about the Nurse's Ball is why doesn't ABC use it as an actual AIDS fundraiser, they could have raised millions and received much goodwill over the years.

R124 I know what you mean. Most actors are at least bi, but he seems full on gay. I couldn't imagine him kissing a woman unless cameras were rolling.

Scotty Baldwin’s tribute.

I had the biggest crush on Kin Shriner even though he seems like a weirdo, but I did love bad boy Scotty Baldwin.

I'm surprised he's still close to John Stamos but Stamos has remained close to many of his costars over the years from Full House, GH and Jack Klugman until his death.

R127 and R128 I always loved Scotty Baldwin too. So cute and all-American. I always thought Laura was a fool to choose Sleazy Luke Spencer. She was unworthy of MY Scotty!

[quote]The thing I never understood about the Nurse's Ball is why doesn't ABC use it as an actual AIDS fundraiser, they could have raised millions and received much goodwill over the years.

They have, after a fashion. At least one year, they sold t-shirts with proceeds going to charity.

But on the other hand, they did WAY, WAY more with AIDS awareness than any other soap ever did.

Is Kin a gay? He never married…….

Well he never sucked MY dick.

It's a good thing Kin has to look a certain way for soaps. His twin Wil (with Andrew Stevens) can just let himself go.

Stuart had a small part in Bob Fosse's Star 80 and was quite good.

Oh no! Has Sharon Stone commented?

Wow! I haven’t seen Andrew Stevens in years.

Don't wanna derail this thread too much but speaking of Scotty Baldwin, do you guys remember when he was married to Dominique and she died of brain cancer? And then for her funeral they had Regina Belle make a guest appearance to sing "If I Could" - one of the most poignantly beautiful songs I've ever heard in my life.

I swear that funeral scene was so amazingly moving. Unless someone beats me to it, I'll try to find the clip and post it later. Til this day, whenever I hear Regina Belle's rendition of "If I Could", I think of Scotty holding back tears at Dominique's funeral. Mary!

Uh…Kin let himself go a long time ago.

Not compared to Wil.

[quote]Don't wanna derail this thread too much but speaking of Scotty Baldwin, do you guys remember when he was married to Dominique and she died of brain cancer

That's taking me back. I forgot that storyline completely.

The whole story with Scott and Dominique was really beautifully done. I remember sobbing during her death scene, especially when there was a cut to Amy and...who was the Black nurse who was her friend making up Dominique's hospital room for the next patient.

Being able to use it to write in Lynn Herring's pregnancy was also magnificent luck.

[quote]Wow! I haven’t seen Andrew Stevens in years.

Neither have I.

That's right. Lynn Herring 's character, Lucy Coe, served as a surrogate for Scott and Dominique's baby. Is that child, now adult, still featured on the show or did they write the kid off? I haven't watched GH in years.

No, Serena’s not on the show. She was on the spin-off Port Charles, IIRC. I think the actress came back to GH for a tribute episode.

R142 She isn't on regularly, but is still spoken about. When they did the tribute episode to Peter Hansen (Lee Baldwin), the original actress came back, all grown up, to appear.

Has Brooke Bundy issued a statement yet?

Stella Stevens is only 82? She looked mid/late 50s forty years ago on Flamingo Road. Ouch, that was a hard looking early 40-something.

I think Kin sucked Tony’s dick.

I think Tony Geary is straight. I'm old enough to remember the tabloids having a field day about a romance with Elizabeth Taylor after she appeared on the show. And I could swear he and Dee Hall used to date, maybe Loanne Bishop too.

[quote]Stella Stevens is only 82?

Funny you should say that. I'm the one who posted that after looking up her age. My first thought was "that can't possibly be right."

[quote]I think Tony Geary is straight.

Bless your heart.

JFP loves to decorate her sets with cheap props from TJ Maxx and score her shows with elevator music. Have you seen the house she put up for sale a few years ago? That should tell you something about her lack of taste.

She does deserve pity for dealing with LAZY Beverlee McKinsey and her complaints about being overworked (100 days a year, boo hoo).

r148=Cheryl

I remember Monica telling Alan that she wanted an "immediate, uncontested" divorce from him so she could marry Rick. She held all the cards for some reason, I can't remember why. Rick is under the impression that the baby Monica had was his. But then Monica sees the mole on her baby and remembers Alan has one too, and realizes it really is Alan's son. But she doesn't tell Rick. Alan somehow finds out the truth and he reveals it publicly at some major social function that everybody is attending, including Rick and Monica. It was one of the "big reveal" soap opera moments. Boy, he got his revenge! Rick is appalled and he ends his relationship with Monica, telling her "what kind of woman are you?" before he stomps off, leaving her whimpering "Rick, I love you, I love you!" Sometimes soaps are really fun to watch and scenes like this were a major reason why.

What did Jackie Zeman do to her face?

R154 What didn't she do to her face is the question.

Nik Shriner, son of Will and nephew of Kin, has an annoying Instagram account in which he attempts to play different characters with funny accents.

R154 I read somewhere her ex husband is a plastic surgeon, so at least hopefully she got a discount.

I think 1938 is probably the right age for Stella Stevens, although she did start looking older than her age by the 1980s. I found her high school yearbook on ancestry.com and she was a sophomore in 1954, so 1938 sounds about right. It showed her with her original nose, too.

R153. this is the scene you were talking about.

The interesting part is that this story with Lesley/Rick/Monica/Alan all started with Doug Marland. He left in the fall or late fall of 1979.

Pat Falken Smith took over as head writer and instead of dumping the story she brought it to where I imagine Marland would have -- Alan Jr. being Alan's and not Rick's.

Here's a clip where it all hits the fans. Viewers used to wait for a year plus for a moment like the one where Lesley lets Monica have it.

THIS is the genre most of us (who were watching back then) fell in love with. Except for today's GH, there isn't much worth watching.

Even when Monica was reinstated as Chairman of the Board at GH recently (I think that's the title) Lesley wasn't there but her name was mentioned as an Emeritus or something; the two women had a brief scene earlier this year. I thought that was really cool.

hits the 'fan' -- tho the fans loved it.

R159 Stuart Damon was clearly the most handsome guy in that room. He really was hot back then!

Nowadays we take hot guys on Soap Operas for granted, but they were rare back in the day.

They needed real actors who could memorize the lines for an industry which started with live performances. Looks were secondary (Exhibit A = Steve Hardy).

But nowadays they film well in advance so they can hire any himbo to read the cue cards. Talent is secondary.

And Poor dispassionate big-bootied Lesley lost her husband to Monica.

Here's Regina Belle singing "If I could" at Dominique's funeral. Make sure you have some tissues handy.

R162 Thanks for posting. My quick search only brought up Scotty reading the lyrics in a letter. This was much more powerful and Regina Belle is always amazing! I hadn't heard her sing that in years.

I stopped watching after they dropped the "The". TGH! Is Phil still cheating on Jessie? Is Steve Hardy going to marry Peggy Mercer? I think he has much more chemistry with Audrey March, Lucille's younger sister. Is Lucille still in charge of the nurse's station? TIA.

R164 did you stop watching after the first episode? Because I don't know any of those people except Steve and Audrey who were married.

Valerie Starrett IS Diana Taylor. I don't even acknowledge Brooke Bundy in the role. TGH!

R166 I loved Brooke Bundy as Diana... she looked like a slut which fit that character perfectly.

I also loved crazy ass Heather Webber! Robin Mattson worked the hell outta that role. She was as beautiful as she was crazy. I was upset the days she wasn't on air.

Thanks to my GH history book, I know about Audrey's sister Lucille. She was played by Lucille Wall, a soap star whose career went back to radio where she was the star of Portia Faces Life among others.

I love TGH, TGL, and TYATR! All of the fat soap names! And Fat Ed Bauer!

When was General Hospital ever known as The General Hospital? I checked wiki and there's no mention of it ever having "The" but that site is not 100% reliable.

It wasn’t r170

Tony Geary straight?

Sweetie, there's a reason we've called La Geary "Lady Geary" or "Empress Geary" here for years.

He dated Ron Glass for eons. So many on this site wish that Max Gail was the man loving star from Barney Miller but alas, it was Glass.

So Tony didn't fuck Liz Taylor? The tabloids at the time made it seem like they had a torrid romance.

I am fucking sick of seeing this thread on my feed. Find something better to talk about, girls.

Let’s talk about Vee. He’s in the biz, you know.

Dumb Dylan has not posted at SON in weeks! God what an idiot!

Lady Geary and his husband.

R177 Damn, Luke's lookin' ancient!

R167, Robin Mattson was even more beautiful in person! I met her on the set of GH in early 1981, when I tagged along with a friend whose mother worked on the show. (we were 14-15 at the time)

I was a little disappointed to learn that Luke & Laura weren't filming that day, but I was stoked about the people I did meet. It was a lot of the old-guard. Steve, Audrey, Lee & Gail were having dinner at the Floating Rib, jibbering about something. (hospital biz? Heather? I don't remember) Jesse & Dan were on, at the hospital. It must have been a Wednesday episode.

Anyway....Tristan Rogers & Robin Mattson were also both filming that day. They were both dreamy in person, and very friendly. But my friend & I were both totally blown away by how much prettier Robin was in person, than on-screen. (which was certainly pretty). I don't know what it was. She was just being Robin/not Heather? Everything about her features seemed a little softer? The smiles when she said "hello!" and talked us, were genuine smiles....not those weird, pained (and sometimes psycho) Heather-smiles.

I still have a "I'm a General Hospital Baby!" pin that was on my school book-bag.

The real Allan Quatermain.

R179 OMG, I envy you so much to have met those people. I'm about 16-17 years younger than you but I wish I had, had the opportunity to meet Steve, Audrey, Jesse, Lee & Gail, plus Robert and Heather. I would've been on cloud nine for years. I'm sure the mall Santa thought I was crazy, but one year I actually asked that he would send Dr. Steve Hardy to read the Christmas story to me. Which of course Alan took over after Steve's death.

Hello my dears! What a lovely day it has been for me, Scoche Marin, to tape scenes as Katherine Chancellor in the beautiful Chancellor Park set on television’s number one daytime drama, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

That's not Geary's husband. That's his traveling companion to Amsterdam, so there's no proof that he's gay. Reminds me of when straight SB actors Lane Davies and Todd McKee used to travel together.

Fuck Mattson! As far as I'm concerned there was only one Heather Grant Webber.

Is it still called "The Floating Rib" or was it shortened to "Floating Rib"? If the latter, I refuse on principle to watch.

[quote]That's not Geary's husband. That's his traveling companion to Amsterdam, so there's no proof that he's gay. Reminds me of when straight SB actors Lane Davies and Todd McKee used to travel together.

I went by what he captioned in that picture.

claudiogama_71 #happyanniversary #tonygeary #MMaxi21 it’s our second year married and 30 years of love and happiness greetings to all #staysafe #wearamask #loveeachother

R61 its funny all this kid does is make documentaries about what a stupid piece of shit his dad is.

HA! Here it is at 01:54 mark. I was nine years old.

-R38

Vee, who’s in the biz, kicked dumb Dylan odd the SON. Perv Soapsuds should be next for perving to soap actors young enough to be his grand children. It’s sick. SON is a god damn mess! Filled with losers.

Christ, the shit we watched back then. What a cheesy soap.

ALAN QUATERMAIN, YOU SAY????

In 1991, my friend Wendy was doing the LA Emerson program. I'd graduated in December, so I took a train to Los Angeles to visit her.

She brought me on set of General Hospital one day. David Lewis was still playing Edward Quartermaine, and was wandering around the set. He was out of it, sorry to say. I saw Anna Lee, who was beautiful. Tony Geary was on set, playing Bill Eckhart at that time. He looked annoyed. Emma Samms had returned to play Holly. She smiled at me, and even though I'm a gay, my knees almost buckled. She was stunningly beautiful in person.

The actors playing AJ and Jason were in a green room playing video games, and both were hot as fuckin' shit, yo.

My friend had a baseball cap that said "Women in Film" on it. Stuart Damon saw it, pointed at it, and said "Good thing, too!" It was sweet.

It was so surreal being on that set. I stood in the middle of the Quartermaine living room!

By the way, my friend had a great story. One day, they were shooting a scene with Finola Hughes as Anna. When they were finished with the scene, Gloria Monty walked on set. She hugged Finola, and whispered something to her, and walked away.

Finola stood there, looking shocked, and laughing. Everyone was wondering what the hell just happened. After a bit, still laughing, Finola said "I believe I've been fired!"

Later, my friend found out what Gloria Monty had said. She whispered "I hope you enjoyed that scene, sweetie, 'cause it was your last." Hahaha.

Girls, girls. I remember the first Heather, do you?

Heather was before my time watching the show. When I started watching, Luke had just left with Laura, and Grant Putnam and Celia Quartermaine seemed to be the main storyline. I was tickled when I was watching The Americans on FX, and the daughter had GH on with Grant and Celia on screen. The Grant and Celia story was not very different from The Americans story, in some respects.

OK, who woke up the Scoche Marin troll?

I'm sure I wasn't the only gayling in whom Steve Bond triggered certain stirrings. The man drove me wild with lust.

Oh and r192, good story. Why was Anna fired? She was a great character.

R133, Andrew Stevens looks gayer than Tony Curtis in that pic.

R192 Finola's told that story eleventy times in magazines.

Remember when Rhoda's furry-chested husband used to beat poor Bobbie?

R199, has Fin ever gone on the record with that?

the way I heard it Gloria came out to set, click, click went the high heels; 'Dear, did you like that at scene you just did?"

"Why, yes, Gloria...I actually did like it."

"Good. it was your last one. You're done."

R173 We all know the tabloids never lie!

R173 Tabloids never lie!

[quote]So Tony didn't fuck Liz Taylor? The tabloids at the time made it seem like they had a torrid romance.

You mean it was -- GASP! -- just a PR stunt? Well I never in all my life!

[quote]So Tony didn't fuck Liz Taylor? The tabloids at the time made it seem like they had a torrid romance.

They absolutely had a torrid romance! And some years later, Liz Taylor had a torrid romance with Michael Jackson!

Finola Hughes got contracted for an ABC Prime Time Show, (which I think lasted one season). She expected to gradually be written off of GH, but Monty was pissed because she felt Finola went behind her back, so she said 'OUT'. Hughes didn't really care because she had someplace else to go.

R179 Thanks for that story. It is always good to know that a star is actually nice in person!

At least Gloria had the balls to tell Finola to her face, and not dispatch some lackey to the ABC parking garage to tell her as she was about to get into her tercel.

Liz Taylor also "dated" Malcolm Forbes, who was gayer than Richard Simmons' dildo, so her time with Lady Geary was more companionship.

R209 might she have slept with them? Who knows. Not sure about Forbes, but while I have no problem whatsoever accepting Geary is gay, I’m pretty sure he isn’t a gold star gay. Also, she was a movie star and he was a soap star. Yes he was at the moment the biggest star on soaps but I could see him getting it up for her at least once if he thought it might help his career.

Imagine ANY actor wearing tights onscreen today, R129! I miss those days when men weren't so uptight about shit like that.

You are all, especially r195, welcome at my beautiful house and grounds, the Chancellor Estate, at any time. Esther will get the door. Ta-ta for now, my dears. I, Scoche Marin, have to be on set to play Katherine Chancellor on television’s number one daytime drama, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

(212)

r213 I think you meant to write r212......which is no doubt the certifiably insane loon that needs to be 5150'd quicker than Heather Webber in an LSD factory.

in a movie, Luke would have died during the first 'love on the run' summer with Frank Smith, Sally, and Hutch

Laura would have kept in her heart -- or not -- the fact that she willing went along with Luke and was raped by him.

I never understood the whole Luke and Laura thing. He was the fuggiest fug that ever fugged. The rape was gross.

They were more believable and interesting when they returned in 1993 but apparently that's an era he hates. He seems to me like Kim Zimmer's twin - Kim being another actor who complains constantly. They complain when they're in story, when they're not in story, if the story is too ridiculous, if it's too serious, no matter what, something is wrong.

I wouldn't put Kim in the same league as Geary in the complaining department; in fact, I've never heard her complain; she thought the Josh falling for Cassie story wasn't the best idea.

Geary's NEVER happy. They re-write Fluke so he wasn't BIll Eckert; they gave him all the time off in the world; they let him be the father of Nathan, which meant he cheated on Laura when she was alive; they gave him everything;

and he still complained about it all.

I think Geary was hoping to parlay his daytime success into serious film work, but it just never clicked for him, and probably felt it was because he was too identified with Luke. Also, when he returned to the in the early 90s, I think he began to resent like hell that fans only wanted to see him with Laura, and began to view Genie and the Luke/Laura legacy as an albatross. I think he was happiest playing against Jane Elliot. All this is just conjecture, but he rarely seemed happy. Didn't he punch HW Richard Culliton?

r217

they all seemed so surprised when people figured out that Fluke was really Bill E as if no one would have figured it out so they had to change it

R217 Believe me, she complained every time she scratched her ass

[quote] I think Geary was hoping to parlay his daytime success into serious film work

I’ll bet she had a hissy fit when Demi Moore became a huge movie star.

Lady Geary walking out in the opening credits like a bitch.

Even Janine Turner had better prime time success than Geary.

The tabloids DID create an imaginary affair between Anthony Geary and Elizabeth Taylor. I remember one rag that rather grossly said "she chewed him up and spit him out", which I interpreted as meaning she used him and then tossed him aside. Hah! Geary publicly stated there were no affair between him and Liz. Of course there wasn't. He's gay a a goose! I remember the tabloids also reporting that Liz was having a hot affair with Malcolm Forbes. He too liked cock.

Tony liked the dark meat. He took Ron Glass’ meat up the ass for years.

r225

are you sure it wasn't the other way around?

The thing about Stuart and Leslie was they always seemed to be having a ton of fun with their material. Stuart gets to camp it up in this episode, looking like Darlene Conley as Sally Spectra.

Stuart as Celia looks almost like Frank Beaty on GL playing Marion (aka playing JFP)

And Jimmy Lee Holt's hot piece of ass is in here!

I remember Anthony Geary and Genie Francis were on the Oprah Winfrey show. Oprah asked them if they had ever "dated" in real life. They both said no. "Never?!", she asked incredulously. And Geary said by way of explanation "I'm a lot older than Genie." Or maybe he said "Genie is a lot younger than me." Anyway, he implied that they never dated because of the age difference. Yeah, right!

He was Prince Charming to Lesley-Ann Warren’s Cinderella. That’s how I know HIM.

I loved when Richard Simmons was on. He used to flirt with Jackie Zeman. I wonder if they ever fooled around.

[quote]I loved when Richard Simmons was on. He used to flirt with Jackie Zeman. I wonder if they ever fooled around.

Of course they did. That Richard was such a pussyhound.

Did Richard Simmons and Tony Geary play hide the pickle?

I was never a big GH fan—AMC was the only ABC soap I watched regularly—but I watched it in high school and college if I was home. Alan and Monica were always fun to watch. He was very handsome.

R227 Thanks for the clip. That takes me back...

The big carefully styled hair, mullets and all the hairspray on EVERYONE is hilarious!

Edward bribed a janitor with only 20 bucks? Today you'd need at least $50!

When David Lewis (Edward Quartermaine) died they should have killed off his character. His voice and comedic timing was so unique. I could never see anyone else as Edward.

I don't understand how Jimmy Lee Hold was able to walk with is pants so tight. His penis may be small but it is in full view.

Alan was a gorgeous man, but a hideous woman with broad shoulders.

David Lewis was a sensational Edward. I love the practical joke done during the Susan Moore murder investigation where he walks to the closet, opens the door, and you see a hand give him his coat. He continues to speak then 10 seconds later starts to laugh. Leslie Charleson tells the story of when David and Anna Lee were exiting during an Alan and Monica argument and David said in a volume that only Leslie and Stuart could hear "I'm taking mommy for a pee pee". Stuart and Leslie had to fight to prevent them from having fits of laughter to complete the scene then told him off as they dealt with their anger and amusement. John Ingle wasn't bad, but he was an alternate universe Edward. I couldn't completely accept him. David as Edward was a powerhouse, and you understood why some characters feared him. With John, he was just an annoying uncle who happened to have the same name.

Jed Allen was the perfect Edward. Made you forget Lewis and the nelly Ingle. Another casting gem from the wonderful JFP.

r235

this is small??

[quote]Jed Allen was the perfect Edward. Made you forget Lewis and the nelly Ingle. Another casting gem from the wonderful JFP.

-100/10

Originally, Alan and Monica were such fucked-up characters. He tried to murder her twice. She ping-ponged between the Webber brothers, often telling horrible lies to get what she wanted.

This dates me but I remember watching GH as a kid when Alan had arranged for the Quartermaine mansion attic to collapse and kill Rick and Monica during a big christening party for AJ.

Alan was psychotic. Monica put today’s bad girls to shame.

This is a great link on their history.

R236 I was a sporadic GH fan. [There were better soaps IMHO]. I mainly watched GH consistently around it's heyday (the Luke and Laura years of the 80s). After that I only caught it sporadically. There were a few hit or miss good stories after that but I think it was best during those years. You had the full Quartermaine Klan including EQ, Alan, Lila, Tracy, Monica, Jimmy Lee and Alexandria, remember her? This clip holds up so well now (35 years later) because they really did a good job producing the show during that era and all the characters were like family.

I tried to pick up GH in the mid 90s. I saw John Dingle as EQ and a bunch of other changes and it felt like a completely different show. I blamed Dingle [probably unfairly] for making the show unwatchable because the Quartermaines were my favorite family and his presence flipped that dynamic, but the whole show had gone through massive changes. Dingle was a good actor in other things but he never had the mischeviousness of the EQ I had grown to know and love.

I had not heard those behind the scenes stories about David Lewis, but I can certainly believe them. He had that twinkle in his eye and just seemed like he was always having fun. And yes he did seem like a doddering old uncle at times but that was part of his charm. A lot of wealthy men tend to be slightly quirky and eccentric so it was believable. He was a hoot!

I understand why they had to alter the character for a new actor to play EQ, but I felt that going with Ingle and the drastically different writing changed the character too much (for me).

R237 I didn't see Jed Allan in the role, but he certainly would have been the most handsome of the three. I remember him from DAYS (with his sexy afro), and Santa Barbara where he was a classic patriarch. He was so good looking. I'm sure he was good in the role, but even he would not have been EQ to me.

I agree with you, r241. David Lewis was great as Edward. I got used to Ingle but he was never as convincing as Lewis. His arrival came at the same time that the Quartermaines started becoming more comedic fodder than dramatic fare. Jed Allen was never right for Edward.

One thing that classic GH used to deliver better than most was original suspense.

Alan trying to murder Rick and Monica in the Quartermaine attic turned nursery, during a party, was incredibly suspenseful. The center beam of the attic had a timer on it so it would give way at a certain time, bringing down the roof. As we watched the party downstairs, Alan had to convince Monica and Rick to go to the attic. In pure soap fashion, Rick and Monica’s trip upstairs kept getting interrupted. You could see Alan’s frustrated desperation to get them up there. Finally, they went to the attic alone together where they could talk about their affair and love openly. As they talked, the couple decided to tell Alan that they were in love. Downstairs, as the clock ticked down, Alan was gleeful that his plan was about to succeed. Then Alan was confronted by Lee Baldwin who voiced his suspicions that Alan was up to no good. Alan realized he would be pinned for the murders so he raced upstairs to get Monica and Rick to leave the attic just as the timer was about to go off. Alan tried to get Rick and Monica to leave but they said they needed to Alan to listen to him. Alan said they could talk later, downstairs but Rick and Monica insisted it couldn’t wait. Alan begged them to leave with him but the timer went off and the roof collapsed on all three of them. The end of the show on a Friday.

So many great moments like that. Young Heather trying to get rid of Diana Taylor by spiking her tea with LSD. Unbeknownst to her, Diana’s adopted young son (who was also Heather’s bio son) spun the swivel tray where the tea cups sat. As Heather and Diana drank their tea, the audience had no idea who was getting the overdose of LSD.

Diana getting murdered and the dead body having the name ANNE written in blood beside it.

Great writing. I miss those days.

The Diana Taylor murder mystery was a terrific story. Say what you want about Gloria Monty and how her changes negatively affected the genre as a whole, but GH was mostly electrifying under her, even when the writing was uneven. Even watching clips 35-40 years later, you can see why young people were drawn to the show.

Yep, r243, I remember watching Heather Webber escaping the insane asylum late at night to kill Diana with a gun stuffed in a doll and being on the edge of my seat. So good.

Gloria Monty and her clicking high heels were gold. Best era of the soaps.

I remember that for the 35th anniversary of the show, ABC did a primetime special with the entire cast talking about their experiences. Denise Alexander was talking about Monica and Leslie fighting over Rick, specifically her strongest memory of a catfight between the two of them. She doesn't quite remember the specifics, and says something like "Either I hit her or she hit me" and then remembers, and just cackles when she says "I hit her!"

Cut to clip of it. It was great. Her sheer delight at the memory was wondering.

R242 You hit the nail on the head. Suspense was the key. Parts of some of those specific scenes predate me, but I certainly remember ALL those storylines being advanced on the show and all of those wild wacky characters. There was no binging so the Friday cliffhangers (which were the best) really COMPELLED you to "tune in next time." You became invested. GH brought in a whole NEW set of viewers from professionals, to college kids, to athletes. It was no longer just bored housewives. GH started that!

R243 Yes! Gloria Monty revamped daytime. The 80s was her era. You could tell when other hands hopped in the mix because it became a hot mess.

Under GM though, GH became the prototype to making daytime more a like little miniseries focused on more than just fucking. They were thrillers! They of course kept the fucking, but expanded the show to include many exciting and elaborate storylines with Luke and Laura on the run, disco scenes, Frank Smith and the Cassadines etc. But they also ALWAYS kept with the hospital (and those characters) as the base. So many other soaps then tried to copy GM's formula.

GH was so good with the casting and writing back then too which was critical. The writers had to quickly pull shit outta their ass that made sense and kept an interesting story going. People protested stories they didn't like because they knew things were happening "close to live" and wanted their voices heard. Audiences would quickly turn on a show so the writing had to stay top notch!

Also, you really couldn't do stunt casting because the actors actually had to memorize many pages of dialogue on a much tighter time schedule. They occasionally fucked up a line, but it was ok because it felt more realistic. Nowadays they use cue cards and everyone films months in advance. But back then it was more raw. It was incredible! Successful soaps in that era had to have good writing and casting and GH was certainly one of them.

Things never were the same after GM left.

I miss all that.

GH was the best from 78-81. That prissy Doug Marland started it, but when he and Glo Monty butted heads and he clicked his heels and walked away, the show got even better.

I stopped watching when John Beradino, Rachel Ames, and Emily McLaughlin were backburnered and turned into glorified extras. That was about the same time the show dropped the "The" from its name. Coincidence? I think not.

Gloria Monty cut Beradino, McLaughlin and our beloved Rachel Ames guarantees to 20 episodes a year back in ‘84. What a cunt! I wanted to see Steve and Audrey more than that.

Let's not get our trifocals in a pinch, girls.

[quote]I stopped watching when John Beradino, Rachel Ames, and Emily McLaughlin were backburnered and turned into glorified extras. That was about the same time the show dropped the "The" from its name. Coincidence? I think not.

It was always "General Hospital," from the first episode (see below). Perhaps you're thinking of "The Guiding Light."

If they were cut to 20 episode guarantees, they must have used them a lot more than that, because I remember them being on much more often than that about ten years later.

I think John Beradino was still used fairly often, and Rachel Ames to a lesser extent. But Emily McLaughlin was rarely on, and when she was it was just a glorified walk-on as she manned the nurses station, telling Amy to shut her fucking trap or something. She could've been anonymous Nurse #3, for all anyone cared.

Hey r253 what a dumbass you are! NO they weren’t on more.

R225 Steve and Audrey were on more than 20 episodes a year, but I agree Jessie was , sadly, rarely on R254.

The problem with those old vets is that the show originally had been built around a hospital family that included Steve, Audrey, and Jessie, and all the doctors and nurses. When the show started becoming more about the families connected to the hospital (Webbers, Quartermaines, Spencers, Baldwins), poor Jessie, with no family on the show, fell through the cracks. Steve and Audrey were a little luckier, since their family also included Tommy, Ann and Jeremy, and they became connected to the Webbers through Jeff. Besides Jessie, ancillary characters like the Taylors eventually suffered the same fate. GH really treated their long-time vets horribly, and OLTL was little better. For some reason, AMC was the only big ABC show that held on to its long-term vets and kept them active. My guess is that had to do with Agnes Nixon's clout with the network.

Jessie Brewer’s sweater appeared more than she did.

AMC though, never suffered from a massive change in direction like GH did where they focused less on the hospital and more on espionage, the mafia, and business. Or OLTL, when it became much more just about the rich and not the Haves and Have-nots of the original premise. Poor Larry was hardly ever on before he left in 2004. With AMC it was easier to keep them integrated in the show, because the focus was always the people of small town Pine Valley.

I think too that when GH reinvented itself, there were so many new viewers who flocked to the show with no knowledge of or emotional connection to Jessie or the Hardys, so the no one in charge was probably worried about alienating any of the few long-time viewers who were left by sidelining those characters. No one was watching anyway, and the show was about to be canceled.

Gloria Monty clicked her heels into Emily McLaughlin’s dressing room in 1984 and said since you’re so cold all of the time, you and your blue sweater get 20 episodes a year. End of story and those heels went clicking away to Rachel Ames dressing room. Then to John Beradino.

Jessie’s storylines first revolved around her deadbeat husband Phil and then another husband who soon died and then her boy toy lover who ran off with her niece. Once she stopped being accused of murder in connection with her husbands (I mean, how often does that happen in life?) and aged out of younger lovers (Phil was younger too), the writers didn’t know what to do with her. The shift to international intrigue was exciting for a while.

Emily McLaughin was only a year older than Rachel Ames but she looked 15 years older. That didn’t help her storyline prospects either.

Jessie Brewer died 30 years ago this year.

Jessie's last storyline was a love triangle between her, Ruby and Dan Rooney. I don't think Monty limited Bernardino's appearances like she did with Emily and Rachel. And was the agreement with Rachel null and void after Monty left? Soon after with H. Wesley Kenney, then Joe Hardy and Wendy Riche as EPs, she was on quite a lot. Suddenly there was adult Tommy and then she was menaced by Jon Lindstrom's character, and even used a lot on Port Charles.

[quote]Emily McLaughin was only a year older than Rachel Ames but she looked 15 years older. That didn’t help her storyline prospects either.

And yet she was still married to that gorgeous hunk of man Jeffrey Hunter. Well, until his death three months after the wedding, anyway,

The actress who played Jessie Brewer (Emily Mclaughlin) died of cancer in 1991. She was dropped to a day player in the latter years because she was ill. I remember that period. She LOOKED sick. She worked up until around the time she died.

Keep in mind that soap operas have always focused on younger people so they could gossip about potential bastard children. She was inevitably gonna have her appearances cut back. Her veteran status was probably why she wanted to (and was allowed to) remain on the series despite her illness. Kudos to Emily.

Can I be the Brooke Bundy troll? Pretty please!

Axing Anna Lee was justified. She was an invalid with a multi-guarantee contract eating up precious money.

[quote] Suddenly there was adult Tommy and then she was menaced by Jon Lindstrom's character, and even used a lot on Port Charles.

Don't forget, she wasn't just used on PC quite often, especially in the early years. She was the GH veteran they built the drama in the PC pilot movie around. The interns had to perform brain surgery on our beloved Audrey with a a regular power drill.

Frank should've called Slezak and begged her to go recurring as nuAudrey.

Correction. It wasn't Jill on Y&R that I called "the sex bomb" as a little kid in the mid 1970s. It was Leslie!

r271

100% agree

R272, who is the man in that picture? He is fine and looks familiar!

That's a much younger John McCook aka Eric Forrester from B&B

-R272

R275 ahhh! That is why he looks so familiar. He looks nothing like that now.

[quote]That's a much younger John McCook aka Eric Forrester from B&B.

Who was married for several years back in the '70s to Juliet Prowse.

Les Tremayne was a good Edward when he took over for about six months from David. He resembled him and was equally as commanding. Meg Wyllie later subbed for Anna Lee and was also good.

[quote]Suddenly there was adult Tommy and then she was menaced by Jon Lindstrom's character, and even used a lot on Port Charles.

I started watching GH when the Ryan story started--with Felicia showing up back in Port Charles with amnesia. God, that was so good.

I also remember Wendy Riche having the unenviable task of announcing John Beradino's death during her acceptance speech for Best Series at the Emmys that year.

No. Rachel is Audrey; I wouldn't want to see Slezak as Audrey; maybe a cousin or somebody

I love Erica Slezak, but not as Audrey. For one thing, I know some on this board likes to consider Ms. Slezak older than her years but she is 17 years younger than Ms. Ames. It would screw things up too much. Like when OLTL brought back Vicki's father in the early 2000s. The man was already very elderly the first time he died. I remember when they brought him back my mom was like, "this is stupid, the man would have to be in his hundreds by now."

We don't know much about Caroline Webber's family, perhaps she could play some relative from that side.

And yet Victor Newman still lives… IS THERE NO JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD?!?

r281

True... She could be Liz's mom(but I can't see MacGyver going after ES)

R283 Maybe not 1981 MacGyver, but today he'd be lucky if we could pull her.

When JFP finally fired Anna Lee, poor dear Anna needed 20 takes to do a scene. She could no longer act. Yes, per her family, Anna wanted to act, but she could no longer do the job. She was wheeled out in a bed for christ sakes. What the fuck did Anna Lee’s family want? Anna Lee could not act and you couldn’t understand a word she said in her 20 takes. Anna Lee’s family should be embarrassed that they allowed their mother to be rolled out in a bed and on camera where you couldn’t understand a fucking word she said.

R285 Why not just let her be wheeled out, as both she and fans wanted, just don't script her any real lines. "Hello" "Goodbye" "Edward" "Tracy" "Alan" "Monica" I'm sure she could've managed that. That was really all she needed to say. Have those characters lean down for her to whisper to and then they can say what she would have said. It is a simple solution that would You by the promise made to Mrs. Lee, and it keeps the cast and fans happy. No one was expecting Mrs. Lee to have a major storyline, or be on everyday, we didn't expect her to jump out of her bed and take the reins at ELQ or something. Just her presence was enough, since it was obvious she didn't have long. Thankfully they learned their lesson by the time John Ingle died. Yes, he was no David Lewis, but I grew to like him.

Jeanne Cooper on Y&R, ended up having the perfect inadvertent send off in soaps. Katherine had one last nice yet still somewhat bitchy conversation with Jill about who would run Chancellor Industries, she got up and refused assistance, asserting her independence, and turned and said goodbye to Jill and by extension the audience, and went of the stairs of her iconic mansion one last time. it was perfect for that character.

Jeanne was a tough broad, and I mean that in a good way. She knew she was dying, yet she had the balls to come to work and tape what she probably knew would be her final scenes.

And now Katherine Chancellor is back on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and played by me, Scoche Marin. Everyone on the set is in awe of how I have taken Genoa City’s grande dame to the highest heights.

R286 Anna Lee couldn’t fucking act anymore. She was useless. No one could understand a word she said. She held up production for hours while she tried to spit out words. That’s a fact.

[quote]Anna Lee couldn’t fucking act anymore. She was useless. No one could understand a word she said. She held up production for hours while she tried to spit out words.

Couldn't they have just put her on an iceberg and sent her out to sea?

Anna Lee’s last scene.

I remember it was Anna Lee’s son, Jeffrey Byron, also an actor, who was the most outraged. He felt the show had made a lifetime commitment to his mother and they were reneging on it.

R291 I can understand her perfectly in that scene.

R291 That was NOT Anna Lee’s last scene. Nice try though.

Anna was as entitled at GH as Beverlee McKinsey was at GL. You can’t run a show with performers who cannot or will not do the work they are being paid for! JFP does not have time for laziness! Anna barely wanted to do anything.

That is from the May 30, 2003 episode, r294. Wikipedia and Soap Central both list it as her last episode date. Shortly after she was taken off contract.

I remember Ana Lee and she was pretty awful at the end. Those who said that you couldn't understand a fucking thing she said are absolutely right. Frankly As much as I loved the Quartermaines, I hated when they rolled her ass in. I'd be like, not this shit again...

I never knew about the agreement GH made with her. At least now I know why we had to endure that.

Wendy Riche had no business telling Anna Lee that she had a contract for life. The contracts are between the actor and the owner of the show. Not the EP.

Did Anna Lee, like, steal your boyfriend or something?

[quote]Jeanne Cooper on Y&R, ended up having the perfect inadvertent send off in soaps

I doubt very seriously that it was inadvertent. It seems to have been written very much with the fact that she didn't have a lot of time left. You can see Jess Walton struggling not to cry a few times.

You tell her, r298!

Anna Lee was one of the nuns in the Sound of Music. I think she even sang a little.

[quote]Anna Lee was one of the nuns in the Sound of Music.

So was I.

R300 Yes, I'm sure it was written as a possible last scene. But, they had no idea that it would be. She didn't know when she would actually die. And, I don't see Jeanne Cooper quitting or Y&R firing her, she might have told them "I need to take a few weeks off." Perhaps the writers just wrote such scenes a few times incase that appearance would be the last.

Fun fact: All three of the SOM nuns appeared on the ABC soaps. Besides Anna Lee on GH, Portia Nelson played the recurring role of Mrs. Rachel Gurney on AMC for many years, and Peggy Wood appeared briefly on OLTL in the 1970s as Dr. Jim Craig's sister. I wonder if Portia had a chance to catch up with Anna Lee's son Jeffrey Byron, when he played Jeff Martin on AMC from 1986-1987.

Portia got really really FAT!

Ain't this a bitch?!! That's the right woman in the pic, but the wrong name! It wasn't Jill OR Leslie who I called "the sex bomb" in the mid 1970s. It was LORIE!! (I was only 5/6 years old at the time) Lorie!

-R272

Of course, I, Scoche Marin, am the newer, more definitive Katherine Chancellor. Mel calls me “mother” and my other fabulous castmates (except Katie Linder) call me their “Scochey.”

They rolled in Phoebe for "All My Children's" 35th anniversary, and it was very apparent that the end was near for Ruth Warrick. For her to be made up, dressed to the nines, and be pushed in to be greeted by Erica and guest Agnes Nixon sometime a few weeks before, just smile and not say anything seemed cruel, especially in a New York winter. I was walking through Times Square and saw the announcement of her death around Martin Luther King's weekend and wondered if she contacted pneumonia going to the studio. John Ingle also had a cameo in one episode and passed away a few weeks later. Helen Wagner made a few appearances in the months before she died, and was nowhere near as frail as any of the elderly actors mentioned. Hers was the biggest surprise.

That ugly homely Alan Sarapa is having another meltdown on twitter. lololol What a MESS! The poor thing. He has nothing going for him in life. A true mess in every sense.

I can’t believe Helen Gallagher is still kicking. At least Broadway can dim the lights for her when her time comes.

Bitches, I'm still kicking at 90!

Who is she?

The luminous Ellen Holly, who played Carla on OLTL for many years. Oh and she hates Slezak.

Ahh yes! The first African American to appear on daytime television. I cannot believe she is still alive either. She looks great to be 90! I hope someone celebrates her soon and that she writes a book. I am sure she has some stories to tell!

Did Sleestack send a birthday card? I treasure my autographed copy of Lil Haymen’s autobiography Driving Miss Viki: Tales From The Tercel.

In her archives interview, it's clear that Holly has no love for Slezak. She won't even refer to her by name, rather referring to her as "the third Viki." She just can't let go of that Tavern on the Green incident in 1983. Miss Holly has also said some very unkind things about our beloved Q-goddess and teen fan mail record holder, Miss Kathy Glass.

Ellen Holly is still a bitter angry woman decades later. For the record, Slezak completely disputes Holly’s claim about Tavern on the Green and calls it false. Holly doesn’t impress me. I’m more apt to believe Slezak, who had a spotless 42 year career at OLTL over a very obviously bitter woman because she never had the career she wanted and was jealous of Slezak. There’s always 2 sides to a story and I don’t believe Holly’s claims completely. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, as usual.

It's just so much easier to believe a white woman especially when it involves racist behavior. I mean, why give the Black woman the benefit of the doubt that she just might be telling the truth. After all, there is no history of White people ever being racist.

What a beautiful and "convenient" bubble we can comfort ourselves in.

Next let's all put our fingers in our ears, close our eyes and just say "la la la la la" until people stop saying truthful things we don't want to accept because they don't fit our narrative.

R320 it is hard to believe a bitter person regardless of race, Ms Holly is just like Ms Rowell.

R310 I really wanted Helen Wagner to live until the the end of ATWT, so they could end the show with her pouring coffee and saying the last words so that the show could come full circle.

Can you imagine Helen Wagner’s reaction if Chris Goutman came to her in 2009 and said, “ look, we’re going to get canceled and you’re about to die. We want to tape a scene of you pouring coffee and saying ‘goodnight dear’ or reminiscing about Chris, so we put it in the last episode in case you die before we tape the last show.”

[Quote]it is hard to believe a bitter person regardless of race, Ms Holly is just like Ms Rowell.

R321 WOW! You really opened your mouth and inserted your foot. So Ellen Holly and Victoria Rowell are the angry Black woman? Are we really trotting out that old racist trope?

Erika Slezak lied her racist ass off and you know it. You know what happened. Stop caping for that old racist bitch.

Holly was gorgeous and Slezak was always one of the ugliest women on that show. Of course she was tired of being shown up and a Black woman would have been low hanging fruit - especially during that time period. Face facts and stop living in a bubble. You know what it is!

Oh lord. How many lawsuits did Rowell lose? No merit. Same with Holly - not lawsuits, just angry and jealous of others success. These bitter women really needed to look at themselves. Everyone wasn’t against you. You were against you and wanted to cause shit and it didn’t stick. Erika Slezak is held in the highest regard to this day. Rightfully so.

I didn’t say they were angry black women, only that they are bitter actresses, I don’t tend to believe bitter people of any color or gender.

R325 We all know what you meant. Dog whistle all you want. Everyone actually can hear you.

Helen Gallagher is going to be 95 in a few days.

Who will sing Danny Boy when the time comes?

ENOUGH YOU CUNTS . WE ARE TALKING ABOUT MY DEAD BROTHER AND NOT A COUPLE OF OLD LLANVIEW BITCHES.

Jesus lordy be. Helen Gallagher is still alive? Why?

I, Scoche Marin, still play the definitive Katherine Chancellor on television’s number one daytime drama, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS.

Even Michael Levin is wondering why the old bitch Gallagher is still alive!

R322, well, Goutman wouldn't have had to put it that way; they could have scripted a whole bunch of famous moments from over the years and had Helen done her bit and then inserted it into the show.

I actually talked to a CBS executive about shooting something in advance in case Helen didn't make it and was brushed off. 'We still use Helen,' was the response or something dismissive.

And, of course, she died and the option of inserting that scene was off the table. ATWT has such a shitty shitty ending. Almost as bad as AW's.

I'd say THE Guiding Light got the best sendoff of the P&G soaps.

THE Guiding Light was dead to me after 1977 when they ignored history and changed the show to just Guiding Light. I’m still not over that mistake.

Alan and Tracy of GH were very similar to Alan and Alexandra of GL. I would have to say that Alexandra would have passed away by now even though Beverlee and Marj seemed ageless to me. Pictures of Marj just a year before her death indicated that she was still quite striking and filled with joy even though she had extreme back pain. I see that GH killed off Jimmy Lee Holt to introduce his son by Charity. He would most likely be in his mid 60's now, rather young to kill off a character rather than bring him on even if they recast.

My favorite story about Marj was what eventually happened because of her infamous appearance on Star Trek's "Spock's Brain" (although she looked great). She had never done a convention until the 00s, and had apparently always assumed that the episode was beloved, and not in a so-bad-it's-good way.. Even though she discovered this was not the case, she had such a good time (Trekkies are famous for treating even the smallest guest stars like gold), she started doing more conventions.

She was so awesome on AMC, too.

R335 Steve Bond (the actor who played Jimmy Lee) is now 68 and doesn't act anymore. They could have done a recast but that is always a calculated risk when a character has been gone so long whether to bring back an old character or just use the reference to do something new. I think they did the right thing. Roger Howarth is a soap vet and will be recognized by many soap viewers. He'll give them the nostalgia "feels" they're looking for.

Brain and brain. What is brain? R336

Marj has a GH connection as Anna's former mother-in-law. They've talked about bringing David on. After GL was canceled, she did chat with AMC about bringing Vanessa back but that never came to fruition. Imagine Vanessa ending up in a mental asylum with Heather (that Janet Green lookalike) or conspiring with Tracy or Helena. She could reveal to the Q's that Tracy once went by the name Cynthia while broke and that Ned was once known as David Preston and pretended to be Ross Chandler's son. Of course Skye would play into that as well. A visit from Rae Cummings would expose both Vanessa and Tracy/Cynthia as ex-wives of Palmer Cortlandt.

Marj was great on AMC and the character had so much potential to be a powerful diva-bitch-in-residence, but the way they left her - scribbling on the wall of an insane asylum - was pathetic and ridiculous.

It was at about that point that AMC began its long, painful, dismal, tragic inexorable slide to the end,

Agreed that Marj had so much potential at AMC. She and James Mitchell were delicious together, and fans used to refer to them as the "PalmNess Monster." Yeah it was around the time that they made her a loony drug lord that the show really began to lose its mojo, pretty much timed with the arrival of Brian Frons. Richard Culliton wrote her descent into madness. I was never a fan of his HW skills.

I adore Marj and loved her in a lot of her roles, but Alexandra wasn't one of them.

Marj had some huge shoes to fill at GL. It's not easy replacing an actress who complained about being overworked, despite having 10 weeks vacation per year, and who abruptly quit, compromising the employment status of some of her co-stars. How does an actress fill those shoes?

Bev was one of the laziest performers in daytime. Her demands and complaints burdened the entire acting companies of the shows she was on.

RIP, but could your Stuey Damon pull this off? I think not!

Stuart Damon was swishier than that, r345. He didn’t have the masculine energy to pull off the braying and screaming.

I know a lot of people have fond memories of what soaps were back in the the 70s and 80s, but for me, I wish I'd known that from about 1993-98 or so, I was watching the zenith of the format in my lifetime.

The first two stories I really remember were Billy Douglas (way ahead of its time) and Felicia's return to Port Charles with Ryan on her heels.

Susan Haskell did win for the rape story, right? I know Hill Smith and Roger Howarth did.

I’d say the non-P&G soaps were good until 1996 or so, r347. That’s when the cost cutting hit ABC hard and OLTL and GH lost their head writers. GH was fine until Wendy Riche left, then it turned to shit.

Also, DAYS was the only soap that didn’t have a ratings plunge as a result of OJ, so the other shows began to copy them to their detriment.

GL and ATWT started falling apart in 1993, and AW became garbage shortly thereafter.

Now just how in blazes could Roger Howarth be the son of Jimmie Lee Holt? First of all, they're only 15 years apart in age. Second of all, the OLDEST Jimmie Lee and Charity Gatlin's could be is 35. They left town together in 1986. This guy is clearly over 50. Thirdly, he looks nothing at all like Jimmie Lee, Charity, or Beatrice. Like, he could NOT be their son! With that nose.

GH just had Valentine mention Maeve was singing Danny Boy in the bar. Valentine and Anna are in NYC.

[quote]I’d say the non-P&G soaps were good until 1996 or so, [R347]. That’s when the cost cutting hit ABC hard and OLTL and GH lost their head writers. GH was fine until Wendy Riche left, then it turned to shit.

I think inertia, if nothing else, carried GH through the bulk of the 90s after the Labines left. Carly, especially early on, was a total firecracker, and February sweeps 1998, when Guza had just returned (I have no idea how he managed to keep the show together when it flew apart later, though it might have been because Riche seemed to have everything locked down) when she finally told Bobbie the truth. Great acting on that one, and I think got Jackie a Supporting Actress nomination. And for all the ridiculousness it would beget, the reintroduction of the Cassadines was brilliant.

I know Wendy Riche had her bad points, but one thing always struck me. A few years before she died, Claire Labine said in an interview that she'd been worried about network interference when she came to GH, but Riche told her essentially "Tell the stories you want to tell. I've got your back." Despite Riche basically stealing her idea for a GH spinoff, she still seemed to respect her, which I think speaks well of her overall.

I really wish The City had happened maybe ten years later. I think it was ahead of its time in a lot of ways, and probably would have had more luck finding an audience that was more ready. It would have worked great as a web soap, too.

[quote]GH just had Valentine mention Maeve was singing Danny Boy in the bar.

Seriously? Did they stop off and see Deliah?

Kimberly Mccullough's response:

I have mixed feelings on all those storylines in the mid 1990s on GH; killing BJ, Monica's breast cancer, Robin getting HIV.

Claire Labine was the head writer; she would have stormed ABC in NY with a machete if someone had done this to her beloved Ryan's Hope characters.

Doug Marland did an HIV rape story with Margo; he played all the beats and then had Margo test negative (poor Dawn, however, not so fortunate).

He set it up from the beginning that her odds were good as Dr. Audrey Samuels said on more than one occasion the most graphic line on soaps ever spoken:

"Margo, you may not even have the virus that causes AIDS as Elroy Nevins ejaculated on your thigh."

r353

response to what?

Response to Biden's infrastructure plan Rose. Read the link.

r356

thanks Dorothy but the link says there is nothing there

Why is Kim McC commenting on Biden's infrastructure plan? I hate it when actors start airing their political views. JUst do your job, vomit out your script, and go home. No one needs to hear your opinions on politics.

The Kimberly McCullough link works just fine, Rose.

It's her tribute to Stuart Damon.

Stuart Damon? Never heard of him.

Voice of the Night!

Good to see you back in these parts after being MIA for the past several years! You always have interesting insights to offer. You've been missed.

Hope med school is going well. I read on another thread you are in quarantine after testing positive for COVID. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Port Charles. 1996.

I had sex with this guy, Stone. He was a hottie.

But we should have waited.

I'm lucky.

Is he from the Lost City of Gold?

Hi, it’s me, Shearoun Stiegele, the new Nurse Audrey March (Hardy). I am Elizabeth Webber’s grandmother.

Looking good, Audrey!

The sad thing is that that pic at r364, looks younger than Erika Slezak, who people have been hoping would assume the role. What's Kathy Glass doing these days? She'd be great as nuSarah Webber.

Yay! I just heard that NuAudrey will be in a storyline with the Lesley Webber recast, Shelleena McTart, who made her career on stage in Las Vegas. We are in for a treat on GH as we head into the fall!

Has Richard Sarradet's return airdate been confirmed yet?

A link to the latest GH thread:

David Lewis had a Muppet lookalike.

the one on the left, yes! The one on the right looks like this great character actor who recurred as a judge on Y&R

R370 Yes, David Lewis was quite the curmudgeon. He was my favorite Quartermaine.

Edward during David's era had great rapport with a lot of the younger characters. I recall some great scenes between him and John Stamos (Blackie) who had the rascal quality his version of Edward admired. Until the oil scam, he was also friendly with Luke. But Tracy, who wasn't around, would have been jealous of how he flirted with Holly and Tiffany. Edward also had a soft spot for Leslie and Laura as well, and when they were both believed to be dead, he was visibly upset. Leslie was his general practitioner and always did house calls for him. Like most curmudgeon, Edward was sneaky when he played a practical joke on someone, much like a mischievous boy. Lila adored that side of him. When Lila signed ELQ documents as Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, he was upset because he lost the deal but you could see how impressed by her getting the better of him. Alan and Tracy didn't have those qualities, but Jimmy Lee did to an extent.

My favorite Lilas were the ones who could recite their lines and who didn’t hold up production. Both Edwards left when they should have.

R373 I would say John Ingle managed to keep Edward being great with younger characters. Some of his best scenes were with the younger characters.

R373 I also loved the way David Lewis as Edward brought in his niece Alexandria Quartermaine. She had a great relationship with him and the actress (Renee Anderson) was beautiful!

JFP did the right thing with the Lila character.

[quote][R373] I would say John Ingle managed to keep Edward being great with younger characters. Some of his best scenes were with the younger characters.

Ingle ADORED Amber Tamblyn. Watch any of the 90s stuff, he lights up around her.

R377 Yes, she did. Anna Lee wasn’t able to act anymore. Held up production for hours. Sometimes took 20 or 30 takes to do a scene because she couldn’t memorize shit. They had to let her go.

One of John's last scenes before he became extremely weak was Tracy tenderly telling him that Robin had died in the hospital explosion. The look on his face said everything as if he was channeling David Lewis in scenes with Robin as a little girl. John had been on the show years before joining as Edward sharing scenes with Anna as a commissioner. I don't remember the character name. David was in the same episode. A 1992 episode has David as Edward flirting with Jason's then girlfriend Karen Wexler. Being a curmudgeon isn't a bad thing. I am 58 and can be, but I know that I would cry over the smallest of things if sad, love a good practical joke, but walk down the streets of New York and grumble over the most inane things. If you are not a curmudgeon ever in your life, I don't think you have a heart. I hope when I'm 78 that my face is as rubbery as David's was so younger people look at me and say, "Look at that adorable old man!"

I remember David's Edward being upset when Anna "died" as well. That was around the time I first started watching.

My first real exposure to Anna and Robert came when their ghosts appeared to Robin as Stone was dying. I fell in love with Fin basically instantly. She even got me watching a few episodes of Charmed.

David Lewis was an amazing actor and he so deserved that Daytime Emmy.

He brought gravitas to the Q family.

I always thought the "L" and ELQ stood for Lila but it's Louis (right?), Edward's middle name.

Edward Quartermaine was another great Douglas Marland character.