General Hospital
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | General Hospital |
| Original title | General Hospital |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | since 1963 |
| Production company |
Selmur Productions (1963–1968) ABC Studios (since 1968) |
| length | 1963–1976: 30 minutes 1976–1978: 45 minutes since 1978: 60 minutes |
| Episodes | 14,256+ in 58 seasons |
| genre |
Hospital soap opera series |
| idea | Frank and Doris Hursley |
| production | Selig J. Seligman (1963) James Young (1963-1975) Tom Donovan (1975-1977) Gloria Monty (1978-1987, 1991-1992) H. Wesley Kenney (1987-1989) Joseph Hardy (1989-1991) Wendy Riche (1992–2001) Jill Farren Phelps (2001–2012) Frank Valentini (since 2012) |
| First broadcast | April 1st, 1963 on ABC |
| German-language first broadcast |
October 3, 1988 on Sat.1 |
| occupation | |
| |
General Hospital is an American soap opera set in the fictional port city of Port Charles near New York. The television series has been broadcast in the United States by ABC since April 1, 1963, where it exceeded 10,000 episodes in April 2002. This makes it one of the longest television series in the world. General Hospital has received the“Best Drama Series” award eleven times - a record -at the Daytime Emmy Awards .
background
The series was created by the couple Frank and Doris Hursley. The episodes are filmed in Hollywood. Initially, the film was shot at Sunset-Gower Studios before production moved to ABC-owned Prospect Studios in the mid-1980s. The first episodes were 30 minutes long before increasing to 45 minutes in 1976. Since 1978, an episode of General Hospital has lasted a full hour, including commercial breaks. The show is in the Guinness Book of Records as it is the longest-produced show in the world.
The series initially took place in an unnamed city in the eastern United States. It was not until 1976 that the then chief authors Eileen and Robert Mason Pollock gave the fictional city of Port Charles a name. The respectable success in the early years was followed by falling rates in the 1970s. This was mainly thanks to the competition from NBC and their soap opera hit Another World . In 1978 the series almost came to be canceled. A new producer, Gloria Monty , turned things around. General Hospital became a huge success and dominated soap scene in the 1980s. The wedding of the dream couple Luke Spencer ( Anthony Geary ) and Laura Webber ( Genius Francis ) achieved a record rate of 30 million viewers.
General Hospital gives the impression of a typical hospital series. However, it is only about what is happening in the hospital to a limited extent. The doctors and nurses with their families are much more in the foreground. In the 1980s, people finally said goodbye to the hospital setting and focused on adventurous stories. Even so, the hospital remained a constant and still serves as an employer for some characters today.
On October 3, 1988, Sat.1 began broadcasting the series for the first time. General Hospital aired Sat.1 for seventeen months in the afternoon program before it was stopped after 364 episodes in late February 1990. Two years later, kabel eins took on the series and showed a further 400 episodes until 1994. From 1997 tm3 tried again on the series. A total of 884 episodes have been broadcast in Germany to date. The last time General Hospital was repeated on the pay-TV platform was Premiere from 2003 to 2004 . The episodes shown and dubbed in Germany were shown in the USA on the original broadcast dates from February 1980 to August 1983. The series is still produced and broadcast in the United States.
Through mutual crossovers , General Hospital became part of a series universe of All My Children , General Hospital over the years : Night Shift , Love, Lies, Passion , Loving , Port Charles and The City .
structuring
General Hospital is set in the fictional port city of Port Charles near New York .
Each episode of the family series soap opera is structured in parallel. This means that several different storylines run side by side, most of which take place in different locations. In between, there is a switch back and forth between the individual scenes, so that classic cliffhanger situations also occur within a sequence , which serves to create tension. The different actions are interwoven in the overall story and meet again and again.
The interlocking actions are weighted differently. There are usually a few main acts that can stretch over months or years. Much of the series consists of conversations and discussions in different locations; these are mostly located inside buildings. The viewer has to imagine a lot in addition to this, outdoor shots are relatively rare and are usually only used when a particularly exciting plot development is led.
The social weighting of the main actors is interesting. In addition to the extremely rich family clan (the Quartermaines) and the well-paid doctors, there are also the more average characters from the harbor district, whose lives are also illuminated. All of these characters are fatefully linked and sooner or later they meet.
Series history
The early years
At the beginning there are Dr. Steve Hardy and the nurse Jessie Brewer in the focus of the action. Jessie's tumultuous marriage to the young doctor Phil Brewer made many stories. Steve, on the other hand, falls in love with Audrey March in the second year of the series. The two became the faces of General Hospital in the years that followed . Meg Bentley, Diana Taylor, Sharon McGillis, and Jane Harland were other major early-stage nurses. Meg marries lawyer Lee Baldwin, who adopts his son Scotty. Shortly thereafter, however, Meg dies. Diana cannot choose between Dr. Peter Taylor and Phil decide. Sharon marries Dr. Henry Pinkham, while Jane falls in love with Howie Dawson and marries him. In a surprising plot in 1971, Audrey is suspected of murdering her son's babysitter. The story ensured a quota victory over competitor As the World Turns and made General Hospital number one for the first time in the short term. A year later, Howie Dawson is suspected of murdering Brooke Clinton after failing to comply with his advances. In 1973, after separating from Steve, Audrey married the doctor Jim Hobart and soon found herself in a loveless, violent marriage. Jim becomes an alcoholic and his marriage to Audrey falls apart. Augusta McLeod comes to town in the same year and brings back Phil Brewer, who has since moved away, to destroy the happiness of Diana and Peter. Augusta is pregnant with Peter and is hoping for a future together with him. In December 1974, Phil Brewer was murdered. Jessie is suspected of murdering him. Eventually, however, Augusta turns out to be the perpetrator.
While General Hospital was still at the top of the ratings in 1972, it came to an apparently incessant fall. You always lost in a fight with NBC rival The Doctors , which at the same time caused a rift in General Hospital due to the reviews . The last hope was on the public's favorite Dr. Lesley Williams, which first appeared in March 1973. Together with Monica Webber, introduced in 1976, Lesley was to bring about the first turning point.
Douglas Marland , who had spent the previous years at The Doctors , was hired as chief author under threat of dismissal . As soon as he gets into his new role, Marland changes a planned story in which Lesley would cheat on her husband Rick Webber with David Hamilton. Instead, Lesley rejected David, who then seduced Lesley's underage daughter Laura. The story reached its climax when Laura killed her older lover after learning that he had only used her to get revenge on Lesley. With the success of the story, Laura soon became the focus of the series.
German synchronization
From 1980 a total of 884 episodes were dubbed into German. The synchronization was taken over by the Arena Synchron Berlin until episode 384 ("A back door"), after which the synchronous voices partially changed.
Action of the episodes broadcast in Germany
Luke Spencer ( Anthony Geary ) runs a well-frequented discotheque in Port Charles, the "Campus Disco", in which Laura Baldwin ( genius Francis , Zeit der Sehnsucht ) works as a waitress. Luke, who was actually brought to Port Charles by his sister Barbara "Bobbie" ( Jacklyn Zeman ) to drive a wedge between Laura's husband Scott Baldwin ( Kin Shriner ) and Laura herself, finally falls in love with Laura, which she suspects but initially does not want to admit it. One night, when both of them are alone in the campus disco, Luke asks Laura for a dance - and rapes her. Laura escapes home from the disco and confides in her husband without naming the rapist. That night a very specific song was playing (in the episodes broadcast in America and Germany there are different songs), the song "Rise" by Herb Alpert , which was mainly in (romantic) scenes between Luke and Laura, but also in completely surprising moments is played back (audible for the audience and / or for the actors).
Ultimately, that night was the beginning of her love for Luke for Laura.
Laura is married to Scotty Baldwin, a successful young lawyer who can hardly develop a relationship with his wife after that night. Through a love letter written by Laura, which was actually intended for Luke, Scotty found out about the day of the wedding planned between Luke and Jennifer Smith (then played by Lisa Marie, later in other line-ups), daughter of Frank Smith ( George Gaynes ) the night of rape and the love between Luke and Laura. On the ship on which the ceremony is planned, a dispute with scuffle breaks out, in which Luke goes overboard with a head wound - and is believed to be dead. However, this is later found in the docks of Laura. Both flee.
Frank Smith is the head of a criminal organization and in possession of a "black notebook" which probably - coded - contains all possible transactions and machinations and could bring Mr. Smith and his staff behind bars. Luke knows about this book, gets access to it and, in collaboration with Laura, steals it from Mr. Smith's office. Frank Smith noticed the loss of his "black book" immediately and set three hit men (Vic, Hutch and Max) on Luke one after the other; Luke escapes from town with Laura, without her being able to let her family know. Her husband, Scotty, who was left behind, is comforted by Bobbie, Luke's sister, in the meantime. She has been in love with Scotty for years, had an affair with him and had led him to believe that he was pregnant. The fact that Laura snatched Scotty away from her without really loving him causes discrepancies between Laura and Bobbie episode after episode, as Bobbie is well aware that Laura and Luke are in love with each other.
After a romantic night in the department store, Luke and Laura flee (always with the hit man on their heels) and stay with a nice couple in the small town of Beechers Corners. They pretend to be a married couple, Lloyd and Lucy Johnson, on their honeymoon.
More escape actions follow until the showdown (in the following killer kills killer ) in the place Fair Oaks between Luke, Sally alias Max, Hutch and Laura, in which Luke and Laura manage to escape. Shortly before, Luke had found out that the "left-handed" (a code name that has been mentioned several times in the past) is a statue whose saying allows the deciphering of the black book and in whose pedestal are the gold bars that Hutch was after.
Before Luke and Laura return to Port Charles, they spend their first night of love together at Beechers Corners, where Luke puts a cigar sleeve on Laura as a "promise of marriage".
On their return to Port Charles the next day, Luke and Laura handed the black book over to the police. Frank Smith and Hutch, who was shot, were arrested. Pressured by the police, the Baldwin family and a crowd of reporters, Laura denies Luke and stresses that she is still Scotty Baldwin's wife and that she has not cheated on him - and breaks off contact with Luke after a wonderful summer. He is terribly offended and blocks all attempts at reconciliation by Laura in the next episodes.
Dr. Rick Webber ( Chris Robinson ), father of Laura Baldwin, has an affair with his colleague Monica Quartermaine ( Leslie Charleson ) and lives in separation from his wife Lesley ( Denise Alexander ), who still loves him. Monica's extremely jealous husband Alan ( Stuart Damon ) gets behind the affair and tries several times to murder Rick and Monica. A child is born, Alan Jr. and becomes a bone of contention. His claim to the legacy of the Quartermaine trust fund is in question, as for a long time it is not clear to everyone involved whether this child comes from the marriage of Monica and Alan or from the affair of Monica and Rick. Ultimately, this is Alan's child. This in turn later begins an affair with Susan Moore ( Gail Ramsey ), who then also becomes pregnant by Alan and enjoys his full support.
Alexandria ( Renee Anderson ), the favorite niece of the family patriarch Edward Quartermaine ( David Lewis ), comes to Port Charles for some time. However, an important delivery with a box containing a valuable item is missing, the "ice princess", a huge, artificial diamond, painted black and camouflaged on a pedestal as an art object (only "the statue" in the series). So Alexandria hires Luke Spencer to track down the disappearance of the box and to find out whether the Cassadine brothers (one of them ex-lovers of Alex) are in town and may have stolen the box. During this time Luke works for Alexandria as well as for a small café as a cook and waitress and is shadowed by an agent named Robert Scorpio ( Tristan Rogers ). To make matters worse, Laura (who has accepted a job as a receptionist at Alexandria) and Luke unconsciously move into the same house. After all, everyone is looking for the legendary ice princess who turns up again at an auction at the end. Luke and Laura get closer to Laura's apartment during a parade in Port Charles.
Dr. Jeff Webber ( Richard Dean Anderson ), the half-brother of Rick Webber, falls in love with hospital nurse Anne "Annie" Logan ( Susan Pratt ) and begins a love affair. Anne is the single mother of a boy, Jeremy, with whom Jeff has developed a very warm relationship. Anne lives in the Hardy's house. Dr. Steve Hardy ( John Beradino ) is General Hospital Director and the father of Jeff. Dr. Audrey Hardy ( Rachel Ames ) also works at the hospital and is a good confidante of Anne. Ultimately, Anne separates from Jeff and after a cozy evening he ends up in bed with Diana again. Diana Taylor ( Brooke Bundy ) is also the single mother of a young boy.
Jeff's wife Heather ( Robin Mattson , California Clan and Springfield Story ), who tried to poison Diana Taylor with LSD and accidentally swallowed it herself, is in the sanatorium. However, she has long since awakened from her catatonic state and is now playing ill and feigning a persistent amnesia in order to carry out another murder attempt on Diana and at the same time to wipe out her rival Anne. She cleverly uses her sick roommate Sarah to secretly leave the sanatorium by blackmailing Sarah in cold blood and terrorizing her psychologically. Heather manages to leave the premises one night with a nurses uniform from the sanatorium and a stolen car from an employee and on her return gets into serious trouble because she happens to be in a car accident and is mistaken for a nurse because of her uniform and asked for help .
Certainly the relationship between Luke and Laura at the beginning of the 1980s can be described as the "main act", since basically almost all people have something to do with the two and are involved. The two married in November 1981 with family and friends. At this wedding, ex-husband Scotty shows up again, who to make matters worse also catches the bridal bouquet. Luke and Laura later have two children, Lucky and Lulu Spencer. After several interruptions, Genie Francis left the series on November 22nd, 2006, which prompted various fan clubs to launch regular calls - including to the broadcaster - to “bring the angel back home” (we want our angel back home). Anthony Geary continues to play the role of Luke Spencer. Francis returned to her role as Laura Spencer from August to November 2008 and February to August 2013.
In Germany, the broadcast of the series was canceled at various points.
Further actors / casts and their roles
Lee Baldwin ( Peter Hansen ), lawyer and adoptive father of Scotty Baldwin. Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin ( Susan Brown ), wife of Lee Baldwin, a psychologist at General Hospital. Both with no major affairs worth mentioning.
Amy Vining ( Shell Kepler ), Laura's cousin, works as a student nurse at the General Hospital and is known for parroting everything that is entrusted to her.
Dr. Noah Drake ( Rick Springfield ), played for two years until 1983 in the General Hospital and returned to the series in 2005. Ex-alcoholic. Eventually begins a brief relationship with Bobby Spencer, Luke's sister.
Alice Grant ( Lieux Dressler ), mother of Heather, who, together with Diana Taylor, is the only one who knows about the truth of the child and also about the dangerous unpredictability of her daughter Heather.
Joe Kelly ( Douglas Sheehan ), stepson of Rose Kelly ( Loanne Bishop ), with whom he had an affair with his father before their wedding. Good friend of Luke Spencer. Secretly in love with Anne Logan.
Trivia
- In the television series Dr. House is brought up to General Hospital on a case-by-case basis, because House often looks at General Hospital .
- The soap clips based on Dr. House's televisions are only actually from General Hospital in the pilot episode , afterwards specially filmed, fictional scenes were used. In a Playboy interview, Hugh Laurie (aka House Dr ) stated, "Whoever invented General Hospital didn't want to give us the rights, so we had to invent our own soap opera ."
Web links
- General Hospital in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- GH at ABC