GH: Classic Thread

[Dion]

 

Well it was really only New Wave that Georgia objected to (probably should have made that clearer in my summary) so Georgia may have had no problem with the Campus Honky-tonk lol.

 

 

[Franko]

No worries. I was getting a kick out of the idea that Georgia was hardcore into disco and wouldn't accept anything else.

[Dion]

Actually, that thought did cross my mind too lol

Edited August 31, 2020 by Dion

[Dion]

August 21, 24 & 25 (Partial), 1981

 

Joe comes by GH to offer Bobbie a ride home upon her release; Burt jokes to Georgia that Joe won 'Mr Nice Guy'. The two discuss the case against Heather. Later, Joe meets with Noah and Bobbie (who is wearing a massive pair of glasses). Bobbie declines Joe's offer to give her a ride home as Noah will be taking her instead.

 

Laura has finished making curtains for the hut, Luke jokes that she is turning into Mrs Whittaker. Laura hints to Luke that tonight will be the night. Robert returns and says that Tiffany hasn't shown up. Luke goes off somewhere, but not before kissing Laura, which disgusts Robert. Later Robert suggests that Laura come for a walk with him, she declines and then feels faint while hanging up the curtains.

 

The Cassadine guests have another round of champagne, though Tiffany questions whether it is safe to drink out of the champagne fountain after the demonstration. Alex notices that the plant next to the Champagne fountain has died. This disturbs the other guests and Max queries whether Mikkos will be able to stop the freezing process from killing Human beings. Caluga interjects and says that they will be able to inspire more fear in their enemies. Later Tiffany convinces a guard to let her out of the compound.

 

Joe heads off to meet with Sarah (who is on day release) at the park. Joe makes a paper boat and drops it in the park fountain where it starts sinking. Sarah freaks out (because her sister Edie drowned in a boat), but Joe calms her down and explains to her that she isn't responsible for Edie's death. Sarah hands over the gun to Joe and thanks him for her freedom before she leaves.

 

Luke speaks to Robert and asks him to make himself scarce tonight since he and Laura want to... After Luke leaves to head back to camp, Tiffany arrives and finally tells him which rock is the entrance to the compound. Tiffany says that she is now convinced that the Cassadines are evil and agrees to help Robert. Meanwhile, Luke arrives back at the camp. Laura assures Luke that she is ready and doesn't have any hang-ups except for one: she doesn't like his stubble and tells him to shave with a shell. After Luke is shave, Laura makes Luke look away while she undresses to take a dip in the pond. Luke feels really tempted, but Robert and Tiffany arrive. Tiffany is shocked to see 'Thor' and 'Lucy'.

 

Noah accompanies Bobbie home and tells her about how he helped out at the clinic while Rick and Lesley chased after leads on Luke and Laura. Bobbie changes into some nightclothes; Noah sweeps her into his arms, kisses her, and gently places her on the couch. He tells her not to watch TV or do any reading.

 

Max and Noel relay their concerns to Mikkos; they say that they are not murderers and want Mikkos to stop the freezing process if the WSB doesn't acquiesce to their demands. Their meeting is interrupted by Kemo, who tells Mikkos that Tiffany has absconded. Meanwhile, Tiffany tells Luke, Laura and Robert how Mikkos froze the fountain. Laura notes that it was the same night that things froze on the island. Tiffany tells them a little about Mikkos' plans for weather control before they hear the guards come looking for her. Later, Robert, Laura and Luke have dinner before Robert departs to go on night watch. Alone, Luke and Laura get intimate but before they can make love, Laura suddenly gets a bad headache. Luke leaves her to sleep and goes to chat to Robert. Back in the hut, Laura starts tossing and turning.

 

At Kelly's the following morning; Rose sees that Joe is in a bad mood but he knocks back her attempts to cheer him up. Joe apologises to Rose and just then, Heather comes down from upstairs. Meanwhile, Lesley gives a patient (who sorta looks like Laura) the good news that she will be released from the hospital. When the patient says that she is planning on moving out of home, Lesley tries to dissuade her and then gets a bit upset. Rick comforts Lesley. Back at Kelly's, Heather accuses Joe of avoiding her and won't leave Joe alone. This causes Joe to storm out of Kelly's just as Rick and Lesley arrive. Lesley talks to Slick while Rick and Rose try to calm Heather down. After Rose leaves the room, Rick tries to get Heather to open up with him, but she accuses him of being like Joe and kicks him out of her room. Downstairs, Rose and Lesley briefly discuss Heather and when Rick returns, Slick tells them that he will go off and find the man who fell into the harbor.

 

Robert and Luke are concerned about Laura who appears to be ill. Laura wakes up feeling cold and Luke realises that she is burning up with fever. Robert decides to go and seek out Tiffany's help in getting medication. With Robert gone, Luke comforts Laura. Meanwhile, Tiffany is in a bad mood and demands that Victor speak to Mikkos about allowing her out again. Alex makes quips about the situation before the others arrive for a meeting. Max says that America should be the first to fall to the Cassadines; Mikkos agrees and says that he has made a decision. He takes the others into the control room. Everybody tries to guess which city will be the first target for the weather machine: New York, Los Angeles and Miami are among the guesses. However, Mikkos announces that he has decided that a more average city will be the target. He turns on a news report about a heatwave and Alex is horrified when she realises that the city in the news report is Port Charles. Mikkos pulls a lever to begin the freezing process. Alex tries to stop it but Tony restrains her; Mikkos says that it is already too late as the rockets have been launched

 

Slick arrives with a man who fell into the harbor. Unfortunately, Slick has brought them the wrong person as he fell into harbor four months ago! Once again it is Mike who upstages Slick once again by saying that he has found the man who fell into the harbor on the day that the Titan left.

 

Joe is with Lee when Lee receives a call from Burt. Lee makes a joke about asking Burt to do something about the (hot) weather. Joe doesn't want to take Burt's call and gets Lee to tell Burt that he isn't there. Joe decides that he isn't feeling well, so Lee gives him the day off. Meanwhile Heather attempts to phone Sarah from the Kelly's payphone. Sarah won't take her call. Two workers come in and tell Rose that the heatwave has suddenly ended. They order some hot soup to celebrate the end of the heatwave.

 

Joe heads down to the docks, passing a fisherman who has called it quits for the day because of the cold weather. Joe starts having visions of Heather being locked up in a padded cell with a straitjacket on. He contemplates throwing the gun into the harbor but decides against it. A cop notices his distress and tells him to go inside as there is a cold wind coming in. Rick, Lesley and Mike arrive and comment on how the weather has changed. Joe just walks off, prompting Mike to ask Rick what is wrong with Joe. Later, Rick, Lesley and Mike meet with the man who fell into the harbor on the day that the Titan left. The man admits that he was paid by Luke and Robert to do so and that they most likely went onto the yacht. While the man did not see Laura, this is enough to confirm to Rick and Lesley that Laura went with them.

 

Max and Mikkos watch news reports about the sudden end to the heatwave in Port Charles. Meteorologists are apparently mystified by the change as the high pressure ridge that caused the heatwave has not moved at all.  Max wants Mikkos to warn people about the freezing process, but Mikkos says that they have plenty of time.

 

Joe confronts Heather in her room and tells her that he went to see Sarah. Heather attempts to paint Sarah as living in a fantasy world and says that the gun doesn't exist. Heather is shocked when Joe shows her the gun.

 

Robert returns to Luke and Laura. Robert is worried about jeopardizing the mission but Luke doesn't care, saying that he will get help from the guards if Laura doesn't get better. Later, while Robert is off waiting for Tiffany again,  a delirious Laura wakes up and is insistent about washing her hair. Luke manages to stop her from jumping into the pond and embraces her.

 

At the hospital, Bobbie waits for Noah while chatting to Bryan, Gail and Jesse. Bryan jokes that Bobbie looks like an undercover movie star with her huge glasses. Gail tells Bryan about the change in the weather, saying that the temperature has dropped from 98 to 55. Bryan invites Gail, Jesse and Bobbie to the disco but Jesse has to work. Gail is hesitant, but is eventually convinced to accept the invitation and decides to invite Monica. Bryan leaves with Zack and Stacy while Bobbie waits for Noah.

 

Monica agrees to go to the disco with Gail and tells Edward that she is going out. Monica says that she will need her coat, the two briefly talk about the change in the weather. Monica says that the Disco is more enjoyable now that Susan Moore has left. Meanwhile, a tense Alice looks at an address book. She phones the Quartermaine mansion and speaks to Edward. She tells him that she will come by his house to drop something off for Alan (Most likely Susan's address). Later, Alan finds Edward starting a fire in the fireplace. The two discuss Lila's whereabouts (she's gone to Palm Beach). Alan changes the subject to Lesley Webber and the Ice Princess.

 

Bobbie is still waiting for Noah when Steve and Audrey drop by. They also talk about Bobbie's glasses and her looking like a movie star. Steve and Audrey give Bobbie a brief update on Hutch before they leave. When Noah arrives he also makes a joke about Bobbie being a movie star. After Bobbie and Noah leave, Anne stops by the nurses station on her way out and talks to Jesse. Anne bemoans the fact that Joe hasn't been answering her calls and that everyone else has dinner plans. Jesse suggests that Anne go to the Disco, but Anne is too worried about Joe.

 

Kathy, Bryan, Claudia, Zack and Stacy are all at the Disco. Corrigan assures them that the disco is only closing for a remodel. Noah and Bobbie arrive, followed soon after by Gail and Monica. Since Gail doesn't know that Monica has hired Corrigan to spy on Alan, Kathy pretends to introduce Corrigan to Monica as well as Gail. Later, Stacy attempts to flirt with Corrigan by telling him that he looks like Robert Redford. Corrigan knocks her back, so Bobbie allows Stacy to dance with Noah. Bobbie, Gail and Monica discuss the remodel of the disco with Corrigan; Monica says that she has had some remodeling experience so Corrigan suggests that she help him with the remodel. Corrigan asks Monica to dance.

 

Heather comes to Joe's room and finally admits everything she did in the lead up and aftermath of Diana's murder (including the fire escape, getting a copy of Diana's keys from Alice, stealing Lesley's gun, posing as Shelly Vernon several times, finding Jeff and Diana in bed together, the capes, the car accident etc etc). However, she insists that she doesn't remember killing Diana and refuses to admit to something that she didn't do. Heather embraces Joe and they fall onto the couch. Heather begs Joe to make love to her; when Heather won't let Joe go, he slaps her, calls her a liar and forces her out of the room. Joe phones Burt and says that he has just wound up the Diana Taylor case. Joe then leaves his room and Heather attempts to hold onto his leg but he breaks free and walks away. Heather begins to follow him.

 

[Franko]

Bobbie looks like a little girl playing dress up with those shades!

 

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The Laura "lookalike" is Julie Piekarski, formerly of The Facts of Life. In my (primitive) screengrab, she looks a bit like Kristina Wagner.

 

[j swift]

It is interesting to recall when GH could maintain multiple plots.  That summer had both Casadine island and the Diana Taylor murder plot.  The previous year had the Left-handed Boy and the Quatermaine divorce saga.  They were really good at balancing an outrageous action adventure with more traditional soap storylines.

[Dion]

Yeah she does actually.

[titan1978]

That was Monty’s style for GH if you ask me, which really cemented once PFS got there.  One umbrella plot that was usually focused around the action adventure crew (Luke, Robert, Anna,Frisco, etc), and another umbrella plot around more grounded human stuff- epic romance, relationships falling apart/affairs, murder or accidental death, etc airing simultaneously.  There would be crossover of characters and themes, but you still had the action team and the normal people.

 

As stupid as carbonic snow is, the details are so well constructed as these recaps point out.  People questioning Mikkos is a great part of these summaries.  Until now, I would have had no idea Alex Quartermaine was uneasy with aligning herself with The Cassadines as the plans are revealed.  I thought she was always a part of it.

 

Also- Doug Sheehan was adorable then, and I loved him on Knots Landing (and a sitcom I watched that was cancelled in the late 80’s).  Joe deserved better pairings.

Also- reading so many Marland quotes and stories from the GL and ATWT cancelled threads makes me think he must have hated working with Monty.  He was so particular about his work, and here you have someone that the script is a guidepost, and she and the actors will retool and improvise and on her terms change the story right in the moment if it is not working.

 

Back then she had the experience and the chops to do that well.  But I bet he hated it!

Edited September 8, 2020 by titan1978

[Paul Raven]

Notice in these recaps that vet/supporting characters are lumped together in scenes like meeting at the disco/nurses station and given  seemingly a few lines.

I wonder why there was no interest in giving them any sort of storylines?

The actors must have been frustrated and it might have made the show more layered.

This was Monty's style and continued for years until Wes Kenney came along and fired a bunch of people that had nothing to do.

[titan1978]

Monty was revolutionary but she was still steeped in old school soaps.  Thanks to this site I have learned that she had a much more extensive soap directing and producing background than I had any clue of.  She knew to keep those vets around, even if she didn’t give them a lot to do.

 

The fact that the show survived the 1981 transition and outlandish storytelling is pretty incredible and shows just how much the audience loved the newer characters.  It went to heights it had never seen before while loosing a huge amount of major characters in a two year period.  An entire era of the show could easily be defined by the storylines involving Diana, Peter, Jeff and Heather.

 

 

I seem to recall reading that Rachel Ames did leave somewhere in the middle of Monty’s tenure, and I know Beradino was critical of the show treating Steve like a talk to only.  Loosing Jeff really hampered his story for years.  Was it Wes Kenney or Joe Hardy that brought Tom back as an adult and really gave Steve and Audrey material again?

[victoria foxton]

 Wes Kenney brought back Tom as a Psychiatrist. Involved in an interracial relationship with Dr. Simone Ravelle  I don't remember the Hardy's having that much to do. All i remember was Audrey being worried about the prejudice they would face. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by victoria foxton

[titan1978]

I didn’t mean they had their own story.  They just had a part to play again in story involving their family.  Instead of generic hospital scenes and commenting on stories they were really removed from.

 

”I hope Robert can figure this out.” Type of stuff.  Once Tom came back they had scenes about the Hardy family again.

[Dion]

Poor deluded Alex really thought it was all merely a get-rich-quick scheme involving the manufacture of diamonds; only to find herself embroiled in a plot to bring about a new world order via the threat of a new Ice Age.  I'll miss her though.

 

I never realised just how prominent Joe was a character until I started watching these old episodes. He literally got like two or three mentions in the ABC yearly recaps (which I think were sourced from the GH scrapbook) and yet there he is, day in and day out, chipping away at the Diana Taylor case through most of 1981. With Jeff gone, he's basically the leading man (outside of Luke's stories of course). That said, he's not really driving story himself, just chasing leads on what Heather got up to.

 

I'm not up to there yet; but, If I'm not wrong, there was an attempt to create stories for the younger supporting players Bryan, Claudia, Amy etc in 1982. Unfortunately this coincided with the post-Laura rough patch, so once the Robert and Holly show got off the ground they went back to supporting.

 

[Dion]

August 26 & 27, 1981

 

Heather enters Joe's apartment at Kelly's but he is not there. Meanwhile, Lee finds Joe asleep at their office and tells him that he looks terrible. Lee and Joe talk about the cold weather, they are both mystified by the drop in temperature. Joe decides to take off, despite Lee saying that he needs Joe's help. At the police station, Burt is on the phone with a crank caller about the weather. After the call ends, Joe arrives. Burt tells him he looks like an unmade bed. Joe explains how he convinced Sarah that Heather was using Edie's death against her and then hands over Lesley's gun to Burt. Burt is not happy when Joe tells him that he showed Heather the gun and decides to go get a warrant before Heather can skip town. 

 

Mikkos, Max, Tony, Victor and Caluga watch a news report on the drop in temperature in Port Charles (complete with generic blizzard footage lol). The anchor notes that it is the largest drop in temperature on record and that the temperature has now dropped to 52 degrees. Mikkos finally contacts Ballantine to issue his demands. After ranting on about how he plans to bring about world peace and the WSB can only stop wars, Mikkos tells Ballantine that he can control the weather and tells him to watch the weather in Port Charles. Meanwhile, Luke and Robert are concerned about Laura's condition. Luke says that he is going down to the Cassadine compound but Robert stops him. Laura wakes up and starts moaning feverishly. Robert assures Luke that chills are a normal part of a fever and speculates that she may have dengue fever, although she doesn't have all the symptoms. Robert goes off to find Tiffany, while Luke tries to get Laura to drink some water. Laura feels cold, so Luke decides to stoke up a fire in an attempt to get Laura to sweat the fever out.

 

Lesley is watching a news report about the weather, while Alice opens the door to Rick. The two discuss the matter of Laura's whereabouts again and decide to contact Balantine, but Balantine is busy 'in a crucial discussion' (with Mikkos, see above). After the call, Rick and Lesley make a few quips about the weather with Alice, not realising that it's connected to the situation that Robert, Luke and Laura have found themselves in. Later Ballantine calls and Rock answers. Rick tells Ballantine that Robert and Luke got on the yacht, but Ballantine only tells them that he spoke with Mikkos. Rick is frustrated that Ballantine won't tell them more information. Amy arrives home wanting hot chocolate (because of the cold weather). Amy is annoyed that Rick and Laura are huddled talking about Laura again. Amy snidely refers to Luke and Laura going off to "Butcher's Hollow" last year. "Beecher's Corners" Lesley corrects her. This gives Lesley and Rick the idea to go see the Whittakers at Beecher's Corners.

 

Robert returns to find Luke trying to build up the fire. An ape (a chimpanzee I think, but Robert and Luke also refer to it as a monkey) randomly shows up and steals Laura's black wig much to Luke's anger. Later, Robert notes that a guard is headed in their direction. Since they can't move Laura, Robert takes him down with a poisoned dart. Robert assures Luke that when the guard wakes up he won't want to tell anyone. Robert goes back to move the guard further away from the camp. The ape returns and steals Luke's gun. Robert is not happy when he returns and learns about it.

 

Tiffany is unhappy that she is not allowed out of the compound and complains to Mikkos and Victor. Tiffany feigns loyalty to the Cassadine cause but refuses to stay 'in prison' as she puts it. Tiffany points out that she is a success on the stage, but Mikkos says that he is the writer, producer and director of this 'unfolding drama' and tells her that she can go sit in her dressing room if she won't take direction. He orders Victor to get Tiffany out of his sight.

 

Heather is frantically packing. Rose arrives as Heather is about to flee and asks her where she is going; Heather pushes past her with her suitcases, so Rose tries to get in touch with Joe. Meanwhile Joe tells Lee how Heather stole Lesley's gun from the Webber home last Christmas. Joe is very upset and thinks that Heather will be committed to an institution for the criminally insane. Joe decides to go and have a drink.

 

Rick and Lesley meet Mrs Whittaker for the first time at her farm in Beecher's Corners. They tell her about the situation with Luke and Laura. Mrs Whittaker assures the Webbers that Luke wouldn't leave Laura to face a situation on her own.

 

Robert and Luke continue to argue about Laura's condition. When Laura becomes even more feverish, Luke is determined to go seek help from the Cassadines. Robert knocks Luke to the ground with a rabbit punch in order to stop him.

 

Bryan and Claudia arrive at Kelly's. Claudia notes that it is now 48 degrees and it's still August. Bryan notes that Rose is a little uptight. Burt and some cops arrive but Rose tells them that it is too late as Heather has already left. Rose suggests that Heather might go to her mother.

 

Mrs Whittaker tells Rick and Lesley about the time a few months ago when Luke and Laura both visited her separately. She also shows them a photo of Luke and Laura at the barn dance. Lesley sees that Laura is wearing the Lucy Johnson wig and both she and Rick realise that Laura used to wig to get onboard the Titan. Lesley calls Alice to tell her that they are at Beecher's Corners. After the call ends, Alice is surprised when Heather arrives. Heather tells Alice what is going on and begs her mother to hide her from the police. Burt arrives soon after, but Alice lies for Heather. After Burt has gone, Heather insists that she doesn't remember killing Diana even though she did plan to do it. Alice eventually gives her some money so she can leave town. Heather apologises to Alice and hugs her before she leaves.

 

Luke is not happy with Robert but Robert says that he loves both Luke and Laura and that he is worried about Luke risking his life. He promises to go and figure something out, Luke gives him one hour. However, as Laura's illness continues to worsen, Robert and Luke are instead forced to cool Laura down with wet blankets. Robert climbs a tree and sees that Tiffany is on her way. When Tiffany arrives, she is shocked to see Laura in such a state. Tiffany begins to tell Robert and Luke about the Cassadine scheme to sprinkle diamond dust on some city to control it's weather, but Luke is more concerned about Laura. "Who cares!" he says; not realising that the weather machine is to be used on Port Charles. Tiffany promises to get some medicine and has to go quickly when Kemo calls for her.

 

Lee and Gail are concerned about Joe; Lee - a recovering alcoholic - is particularly concerned about Joe potentially drinking too much. Gail calls Rose. Rose tells Gail that she has heard that Joe has gone to the Bucket of Blood. Lee heads there and as he walks in one of the bar patrons is blaming atomic bombs for changing the weather. Lee talks to Joe, pointing out that he is at war with himself; that it is ok to love both Heather and his job, but not ok to deal with it this way (by drinking). Lee offers Joe an alternative way to get his mind off Heather. He asks Joe to help him search for Scotty, but first they will go to a conference in Atlanta to come up with strategies for the search. Later, Joe returns to Kelly's and tells Rose that it is time that he took a long, hard look at himself and his future. He tells Rose that he is going to go and search for Scotty. Rose tells Joe that she will miss him and gives him a hug, telling him to stay warm.

 

The Cassadines and their guests have dinner. When Noel says that women are just as interested in changing the world, Mikkos chauvinistically says that they lack the vision, much to Alex's annoyance. Mikkos goes on about his plans for the world but Alex is still skeptical. Tiffany fakes an illness and feigns passing out at the table. Corinne helps her away. Mikkos says that Tiffany doesn't know how to relax and continues to wax lyrical about his plan. Mikkos says that the temperature has now dropped to 47 degrees and the mercury is still falling. Later Corinne returns and reports that Tiffany is very sick, but prevents Victor from going to see her. Mikkos isn't too concerned and says that Tiffany should have an aspirin. Corinne insists that Tiffany is very sick, but Mikkos says that they will wait until morning before giving Tiffany more medicine.

 

Mrs Whitaker makes things awkward for Rick and Lesley by noting how much in love they are. She insists that they stay in Luke and Laura's room, so Lesley is forced to tell her that they got divorced. After Mrs Whitaker goes off to make up their rooms, Rick and Lesley reminisce about their trip to Canada before heading out for a walk. Later Rick and Lesley head to the barn, meet Bessie the Cow, and play with the baby chicks. The two end up having their very own barn dance with imaginary music before Rick lifts her onto a hay bale. They compose themselves and Rick asks Lesley if there is a future for them.They agree that it will take some time; the two share a kiss before heading for dinner.

 

More guards approach the camp so Robert throws a coconut in an attempt get them to go in another direction. He is successful. Luke is still worried that Tiffany won't be able to come back to them, but Robert says that he is sure she'll make it. Robert says that Luke and Laura helped him deal with O'Reilly's death and that he understands how Luke feels as he still wishes he could've taken the pain away for O'Reilly when she died. Laura wakes up and says she is hungry. For the moment, this is enough to cheer Luke up. He embraces her.

 

 

[rlj]

I loved Ginny Blake Webber