TV and Movies

[Laura14]

Welcome to Port Charles!

We're glad you're here! 🏥🚑🚨

[Laura14]

General Hospital GH Legacy Thread Post of Honor

(please add to this at any time!)

Just like GH, there are some posters who belong on our own legacy wall!
Thank you for going above and beyond in contributing to our fun! 🙏💙

@mysoutherncomfort 

@grandma r 

@Preds 

@Tique 

@CLHS68 

[Laura14]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR APRIL GH PEEPS!

If you are having a birthday this month, please let us know! 🎊🎂🥳

[Laura14]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GENERAL HOSPITAL! 

WE ARE CELEBRATING 62 YEARS OF FUN AND MARTINIS AS OF APRIL 1st. 🥳🎊🍸🍸🍸🍸

CHILLY WILLIES FOR EVERYONE... 🍹🍹🍹🍹

[Laura14]

INTERVIEW

GH EXCLUSIVE: LAURA WRIGHT (CARLY) PREVIEWS 'VERY EMOTIONAL' 62ND ANNIVERSARY EPISODE

Expect a poignant, emotional, and history-rich episode when General Hospital marks its 62nd anniversary on Tuesday, April 1. In the milestone show, a cross-section of Port Charles residents will gather at the hospital for the dedication of the Monica Quartermaine Cardiac Care Center (Monica’s portrayer, the late Leslie Charleson, will be honored separately, later this year). The occasion will give the characters the opportunity to reflect on what G.H. has meant to them over the years. Soap Opera Digest spoke with Laura Wright, whose Carly will share touching scenes with her ex-husband, Sonny Corinthos, in the episode.

Memory Lane

According to Wright, who will mark her 20th anniversary in the role of Carly in November, participating in a special episode like this one feels, well, special. “This one honors Leslie Charleson, so that’s special,” she points out. “And I get to work with people that I don’t usually work with on an everyday basis, because they sprinkle in different people from the cast together. There are a couple of scenes where everyone’s together, and that definitely feels special.”

Carly’s day starts out with her young daughter, Donna, and Felicia, who works at the hospital as a patient advocate and was close friends with Carly’s late mother, Bobbie Spencer. “Donna wants to go see the [memorial] wall, the wall of people who have passed away who made General Hospital so special,” Wright explains. “And then Felicia let’s Carly know, ‘We’re celebrating 62 years [since the hospital’s founding].’ ”

Carly, Felicia and Donna then lovingly remember Bobbie, who passed away last year. Later, Carly meets up with her former hubby, Sonny. “When Carly and Sonny run into each other, Carly’s in the chapel,” the actress reports. “And they talk about, ‘Wow, it’s been a long time [since we’ve been coming here],’ and Carly says that she doesn’t think of loss when she thinks of General Hospital. She thinks of all the nurses and doctors and her mom and how they’ve taken care of so many people. So, it’s very emotional and I think just kind of perfect. It’s a bittersweet thing for Carly in that moment. I think that a hospital would be, especially a hospital chapel. It’s a place where people are healed and there’s so much great success, but there are also people who find themselves in the chapel to pray that the people they love make it. They kind of talk about that.”

While the oft-married Carly and Sonny are in different romantic spheres at the moment, their connection remains palpable. “They’re family,” Wright declares. “And there is stuff coming up in a few weeks, stuff going on with Sonny, where Carly steps up — without a doubt, without a question — into a spot of support. They are family, whatever has happened in their romantic life, and no matter what, she’s got his back and vice versa.”

Wright’s stand-out memories of shooting the episode involve getting to be on set with actors whose storylines don’t often cross with hers. “I loved being on set with Finola Hughes [Anna] and Jane Elliot [Tracy] and Wally Kurth [Ned],” she enthuses. “Most of the fun stuff is behind the scenes, like us being yelled at to stop talking and laughing so we can get to the scene and stuff like that [laughs]. Us trying to take pictures of each other and them telling us to hurry and put our phones away and to hide the scripts: ‘We can see your scripts!’ And [Scarlett Spears, Donna] is so adorable, the only kid on set, and we were having so much fun just hanging out with her. It was just a great day!”

The main event that brings all the characters together is, of course, “the unveiling of the wing and the honorary plaque to the character of Monica. I didn’t really have a lot of dialogue in those scenes, I was just in them, but Genie Francis [Laura] has a lot to say. And I told her like, ‘I don’t think anyone can stand up and give a speech, a eulogy, a toast at a wedding better than Genie Francis!’ I mean, she, she nails it to me every single time. I’m drawn in to what she’s saying. If I have any lines around it, I usually mess up because I’m too busy paying attention to what she’s saying! I love watching Genie do what she does because she’s so fantastic at it and she kind of pulls us in, you know? It feels like home when Genie’s there, and you feel like you’re part of a really beautiful cast with her at the center.”

[Laura14]

[Laura14]

Genie Francis Takes Us Inside ‘General Hospital’s Anniversary Episode Honoring Leslie Charleson

GH turns 62 on April 1, and the show will mark the occasion with a special episode focusing on the hospital.

Mayor Laura Collins, played by the legendary Genie Francis, plays a key role in the day as she leads the dedication of the Dr. Monica Quartermaine Cardiac Care Center. “I was thrilled,” says Francis. “It’s always nice when they acknowledge the fact that I’m sort of an antique here, and I’m historical. I like the feeling of that.”

The episode was written before the real life death of Leslie Charleson, on January 12, with the hope that Charleson could be a part of it. The show’s writers are now planning a memorial for the actress to air later. “She was a real pillar of this show and of that hospital, which is a lovely thing, so I’m glad they did this in her honor,” Francis notes. “I think it’s beautiful. Most of us have come and gone, me included — even Tony, Geary, Luke Spencer came and went — but Leslie was there nonstop.”

Charleson joined the show in 1977, and Francis, who started airing as Laura months earlier, shared scenes with her back then. “She was always so kind to me,” Francis says. “And the story was that Laura became friends with Monica, and Monica was having an affair with Rick [Webber, Chris Robinson], Laura’s mother Leslie’s [Webber, Denise Alexander] husband, which, of course, Laura didn’t know. And there she was, sort of being chummy with Leslie’s daughter, and they became fairly good friends. Laura confided in her and asked Monica for birth control pills when she started to date Scotty [Baldwin, Kin Shriner].”

Francis has a standout memory of working with Charleson when she was a teen. “Years ago, we did the show as if it were live, even though it was live-to-tape,” she begins. “I remember one time doing a scene with Leslie, who always knew her lines, and in the middle of the scene, I could see the terror go across her eyes that she was up and she did not know her lines. I knew we couldn’t stop, so we were being fried like an egg, basically, and I’ve never had that experience before. That was the first time going through it as a young kid. I remember trying to feed her lines and we were ad-libbing and trying to stay somewhat in the scene. Anyway, we got through the whole thing, and when ended it, they cut away, and Leslie grabbed me, hugged me, and we both burst into tears because it was utterly terrifying. We were both shaking. We got through it but then I went home that night and I cried in my mother’s lap. I’d never experienced anything like that before. That was really cutting your teeth on live television. I think I must have been only 15 at the time.”

Now, she gets to kick off the commemorative hour with another cherished costar, Maurice Benard (Sonny Corinthos). “I have to say, without question, he’s my favorite person to work with,” declares Francis. “There’s a comfort there that is unexplainable. The only other time I felt it was with Tony Geary. I just feel safe and when I work with him. He reminds me of how beautiful our profession of acting can be, and it makes me love it again. He’s that kind of actor, and I just feel so lucky when I get to work with him.”

Francis will also share poignant moments with Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) as they talk about the late Sam McCall (Kelly Monaco). “Nancy’s a friend of mine, so I’m just thrilled whenever I get to work with her, as well,” relays Francis. “It’s so painful for both of them because Laura’s child [Lulu Spencer] lived and Alexis’s died, so it’s about Alexis helping Laura to forgive herself and telling her how to honor her daughter. I thought it was really beautiful.”

Laura’s daughter, Lulu, is now being played by Alexa Havins, and Francis quickly felt a connection to her. “It’s such an easy fit,” Francis praises. “She wants to make it wonderful, and she’s excited to be here. Some people you just click with, and I click well with her. I like the way she works. I like her simple, honest truth, and she’s a very giving actress. She’s very aware of what the other person has to do and being supportive of that.”

She’s also thrilled to have Jonathan Jackson back as Laura’s son, Lucky Spencer. “Jonathan’s been great; it’s been such a treat,” she enthuses. “My only disappointment is that I haven’t had many scenes with him. They’ve played him with Elizabeth [Webber, Rebecca Herbst] so much because that’s such a popular couple, and it makes sense. He’s a grown man. He wouldn’t be around his mommy all the time, but I wish I had more scenes with him.”

Francis’ scenes in the special episode conclude with Laura’s dedication of the wing at the hospital. “I take great pride in giving the speeches because there’s a lot of truth in them and how I feel about this place and how I feel about the people in it,” Francis offers. “Laura reminds us to honor what’s come before us, to be proud of what we’ve done, and that our love for each other is the most important thing. Laura speaks from the heart, and she reminds us to live from our hearts. That’s her voice, with an honest love for the place where she grew up.”

As Francis looks back on her own 48-year association with GH, which has seen its share of highs and lows, she reflects, “It’s a mixed bag, but I feel rather than having been crushed down by some of the bad parts that happened, I feel that I managed to work through it and stand up on top of it victoriously and it feels like a win to me. It feels like I weathered the storm. I’m still standing, and I am very proud of everything that I’ve been through.”

And she’s already looking ahead to more milestones. “I’m kind of hanging on for the 64th anniversary because then I would have attended then 50 of them,” she points out. “I’m looking forward to that moment. I think I may have to have a party.”

[RainCityWoman]

So there is no storyline today?

[Laura14]

@RainCityWoman There is. In fact, Lucy just hit Sidwell up for the Nurses' Ball. We may be getting one after all! 

PS: Bring tissues and make my martini a double.

[doolie]

Nurses Ball May 20th