18 hours ago, DRW50 said:

 

It really wasn't any better. The best I can say was that at least Alan was still around. 

 

I remembering crying when they killed off Alan Q because I knew TPTB were systematically killing off classic GH.  I don't think they wanted any reminders of GH's great past because their version of GH (Sonny, Carly & Jason) could never compare to GH's great history. For me, symbolically, killing off Alan Q, was killing GH.  It's never been the same since.

On 1/20/2015 at 6:34 PM, depboy said:

Bear with me, guys!

 

To follow up on last few previous posts about Joan Blackman, I wanted to post this photo from the wedding of Lucille March (Lucille Wall) to Al Weeks (Tom Brown):

 

 

I've seen this photo many times over the years, and when Paul Raven pointed out the clothes the cast were wearing in the cast photo I posted before, I immediately realized that the cast photo was taken on or about the same day the wedding scenes were filmed. Looking at the two photos, you can see Diana, Peter, Sharon and Jane are wearing the same clothes in both. Now to the mysterious part.

 

The photo from the wedding scenes are posted online on various sites as being shot in 1974. But I looked in a copy of Daytime TV Super Special (No. 1, dated 1973) and according to them the wedding of Lucille and Al took place in 1971. Which would correspond to the date that Joan Blackman was listed in a script from September of '71. Also, Indus Arthur is in the cast photo, and by all accounts that I can find, her character of Brooke Clinton was gone by 1974 (although Arthur isn't in the photo from the wedding scene).

 

Lastly, and I didn't notice this until last night, and I shared with slick jones in a PM, that I believe in the wedding scene photo, Joan Blackman is seated next to Peter Hansen (Lee Baldwin). In the past, I've always assumed that the woman next to him was Anne Helm, who played Mary Briggs, RN. I don't know much about the Briggs character other than that she was a nurse, her husband was in jail when she came to town and she "dated" Lee. Anne Helm is listed to have been on General Hospital from 1971-1973. Now, this is pure speculation on my part, but could Anne Helm have replaced Joan Blackman as Nurse Mary Briggs?

 

Here's Blackman (circa 1970) and Anne Helm (circa 1972):

 

 

Thoughts?

 

dep

Confirmed!

 Daytime TV, March 1972 has an article about the wedding of Lucille March to Al Weeks.  Accompanying the article is the infamous 1971 cast portrait with Joan Blackman in it.  The caption all but confirms what character Miss Blackman portrayed in 1971.

 

 

Great work.

 

Alan, Georgie and Emily were all shock-value plot-driven deaths that never should have happened. I'm less upset over Emily because I was tired of her and Natalia Livingston's quivering but Alan and Georgie should still be alive.

 

AJ's was a mistake as well, all of the times, especially under Ron's pen. Although at least that had SOME follow through, with Michael accepting his spot in the Q's and hating Sonny, but the stans cried and we all know what happened there

 

Here is an early TV appearance by Brooke Bundy on Ozzie and Harriet in 1963. She plays a girl that Rick is dating and spills a malt and slams the car door on her dress. Rick sings The Very Thought Of You at the end. At this time Rick had just married his real life Kris (the sister of actor Mark Harmon and Kelly Harmon the Tic Tac girl). Kris would make her debut on O&H shortly after this episode. She was pregnant with Tracy who was born October 63. Since ABC had a morals claus in the Nelson family contracts. The Nelsons placed a full term and healthy baby Tracy in a incubator and claimed she was premature so public wouldn't count back to the wedding. Years later Tracy battled lymphoma in the 80's. I wonder if the incubator incident may have contributed since the early ones were notorious for causing all kinds of health problems. 

 

 

"Co-Starring" John Beradino?

 

To me, no matter what young whippersnappers TPTB have ever brought in and showcased, our beloved Steve Hardy was always the REAL star of the show!

 

Younger viewers who have only endured the show during the Maurice Bernard, Michael Easton, and Steve Burton years don't know what they missed!

 

Stalwarts like Beradino, Emily McLaughlin, and Rachel Ames ruled!

Edited January 2, 20178 yr by vetsoapfan

And even when they were not front and center all the time, they were utilized a few days a week. Their last "big" story involved Ryan Chamberlain attacking Audrey, believing she was his mother Melanie. It was gripping to see Rachel Ames emerge from that plot. 

10 minutes ago, slick jones said:

And even when they were not front and center all the time, they were utilized a few days a week. Their last "big" story involved Ryan Chamberlain attacking Audrey, believing she was his mother Melanie. It was gripping to see Rachel Ames emerge from that plot. 

 

Yes, even when the show gave them nothing but crumbs, the vets always rose to the occasion and made the most of it. That business with Ryan targeting Audrey really WAS must-see TV!

 

Who are the beloved matriarchs and patriarchs, the tentpole characters, of today? Sonny and Carly?!? Pffft!

I believe, in their recurring positions, Monica and Bobbi, Tracy and Laura

4 minutes ago, slick jones said:

I believe, in their recurring positions, Monica and Bobbi, Tracy and Laura

 

Yes, these are the closest we've got to the Jessie Brewers and Audrey Hardys of yesteryear.

 

It's a shame there are no patriarchs left on GH. It was such a bone-headed mistake to kill off Alan Q!

JFP  killed Alan  and destroyed Tony Jones at the altar of Jason Morgan.  These two plus Mac Scorpio  would probably be the patriarchs.

 

Just now, slick jones said:

JFP  killed Alan  and destroyed Tony Jones at the altar of Jason Morgan.  These two plus Mac Scorpio  would probably be the patriarchs.

 

 

It was Guza/Riche who destroyed Tony. By the time JFP came along he rarely appeared. 

Of all soaps, GH in particular should have a compassionate, older-and-wiser doctor as its patriarch. I think either Alan or Tony could have filled that role as time gone by, so losing BOTH these key characters was one of the show's many blunders.