5 hours ago, carolineg said:

I couldn't imagine GH making that up years later lol. I was so naive back then.

It wasn't something they did a lot of in those years. Ron and to a lesser extent Frank's post-RC regimes have done a lot more of those kind of offscreen bomb drops, because Ron couldn't manage time or characters properly and then he'd always go on Twitter and blame the editing bay for cutting scenes for time. Then we'd cut back to Duke and Lucy after 3 weeks and they're fúcking! What?! I'll never be over that one.

4 hours ago, titan1978 said:

Pratt absolutely turned Melrose Place into the show to watch when I was a teenager. He’s the one that told them they have a soap, and they might as well take advantage of it. I do think a good writer for GH in modern times should be better at balancing character development and growth with the spectacle and crime elements they are known for, slow it down a bit too! Pratt is too much trash all the time.

I think Pratt is the main reason 2003-05 have such sleaze in them and really abject misogyny. Not that Guza couldn't absolutely be sleazy or misogynistic, but there is a hysterically vulgar, almost camp edge to the brazen sexuality and envelope-pushing, to Faith's sex-laden madness and how the men would grapple with her (I think I've talked about the extended scene with Sonny sadomasochistically manhandling her in front of the Five Families and asking the men if they 'want a piece of this whore,' which should not have aired), to the catfights and even lesbian teases with Faith, Courtney, Carly, etc. that fades after Pratt's gone. And a ton of blondes, blondes, blondes. And of course they hired Kari Wuhrer, who I think Pratt may have had a tie to from his time at Spelling soaps.

I'll always give him his props for his days at Melrose, a show I adored, but it's a totally different beast.

Edited December 25, 2025Dec 25 by Vee

4 hours ago, Vee said:

I'll always give him his props for his days at Melrose, a show I adored, but it's a totally different beast.

Agreed! And yes, his tenure with Guza was much sleazier than Guza alone.

The 1987 Christmas Eve episode was interesting. A lot of the characters from when I started watching in 1990 were on.

I'm reminded of how hard it was to find a proper pairing for Robert outside of Holly and Anna. The character he's paired with here, Autumn, is not very good. I understand she only lasts a few more episodes!

I had no idea John Ingle played another character on the show, at the same time David Lewis was on as Edward Quartermaine!

It was interesting seeing a triangle between Ruby/Dan/ and Aunt Charlene! Did Dan ever get a proper exit, or did he just disappear?

When was the last time they actually had the reading of the Christmas story at the hospital? It's a forgotten tradition at this point.

And to see Jeff Donnell as Stella! I imagine this is one of her last appearances, as she died in April 1988. Another character that just disappeared?

And there's a continuity error at the end, as Anna and Robin are at a Christmas party at their house at the same time they're at Steve's telling of the Christmas story.

Edited December 26, 2025Dec 26 by Jdee43

22 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thank you so much for passing these along. This one in particular is a gem.

I don't even know why Bobbie is crying in her close-ups during Steve telling the Christmas story but just that and Beradino's recitation got me. Good old Jackie. Meanwhile Luke and Laura are all but fúcking in the doorway in front of the little children. Good times all around.

Edited December 26, 2025Dec 26 by Vee

1 hour ago, Vee said:

Thank you so much for passing these along. This one in particular is a gem.

I don't even know why Bobbie is crying in her close-ups during Steve telling the Christmas story but just that and Beradino's recitation got me. Good old Jackie. Meanwhile Luke and Laura are all but fúcking in the doorway in front of the little children. Good times all around.

I don't know either. Maybe Luke and Laura leaving Port Charles.

Sad knowing this would be the last moment for Leslie and Laura for a long time. I wonder if they knew Denise was leaving by this point. Her "death" seemed very sudden.

This is framed so much as our final goodbye for L&L, yet they return (briefly) later in 1984. I guess the ratings were slipping and Genie and Tony needed the cash. I can't remember if they even show in in Port Charles.

It's sad seeing that sweet moment with Alan and AJ knowing what is to come. In later years the show tended to act like every childhood moment with Alan and Monica was a misery.

26 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

It's sad seeing that sweet moment with Alan and AJ knowing what is to come. In later years the show tended to act like every childhood moment with Alan and Monica was a misery.

It was lovely to see Alan's "stupid trains" as Tracy affectionately called them a couple months ago. Kudos to the writers who dug that up.

I thought Denise got fired after tangling with Monty or the network.

GH legend Kin Shriner talks Scotty Baldwin, soap history and Elvis at the Pop Culture conference.

This is another Locher Room - I think Alan said he filmed this months ago.

7 hours ago, DRW50 said:

GH legend Kin Shriner talks Scotty Baldwin, soap history and Elvis at the Pop Culture conference.

This is another Locher Room - I think Alan said he filmed this months ago.

Yes inside the youtube description, it says: "Recorded at the Soap Operas in Popular Culture Conference". I looked that up and that was held Oct. 31 - Nov. 1, 2025.

Here's the full blurb on the conference:
https://bgindependentmedia.org/bgsu-announces-soap-operas-in-popular-culture-conference/

On 12/18/2024 at 9:49 PM, depboy said:

Hi friends!

As an early Christmas gift, I would like to share with you a reproduction of the script (with commercials) of the Christmas Day 1963 episode of GH.  Enjoy this look at the first time Dr. Hardy reads the Nativity story to the hospital's Children's Ward!

GH - December 25, 1963

I hope you all have a happy Holiday season, and I look forward to sharing more classic GH research with you in 2025!

dep

I adore this episode!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!! Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

GENERAL HOSPITAL New Years Eve December 31 1981 w/original ABC commercials Tony Geary

4 hours ago, DRW50 said:

GENERAL HOSPITAL New Years Eve December 31 1981 w/original ABC commercials Tony Geary

Another treasure. Thank you (and the uploader)!

10 hours ago, DRW50 said:

GENERAL HOSPITAL New Years Eve December 31 1981 w/original ABC commercials Tony Geary

Thank you for posting the link. Funny we were talking about him, Chuck Pratt is in the closing credits in that episode.

DL Brock was such a horrible man. David Groh played it well but it's very ugly to watch.

Edited December 28, 2025Dec 28 by DRW50

8 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

DL Brock was such a horrible man. David Groh played it well but it's very ugly to watch.

First, he dumps Rhoda; then, he beats the hell out of Bobbie and Terry. And all that's before the [!@#$%^&*] he pulled on various episodes of "Law & Order" and "Murder, She Wrote." Was there no END to that man villany, lol?

I'm probably the only one not in the know, but the Christmas '87 episode's credit roll had a very interesting writing team. Kenney was the EP and the HWs were Ann Marcus and Norma Monty - I didn't know Gloria's sister hung in without her.

Also on staff is quite an array: JER, Guza, presumably one of Marcus' relatives (Ellis Marcus), Gene Palumbo and a Soderberg, among others. People often forget Guza and Pratt both had a history at the show dating back to its heyday, for better or worse.

They also do something I've long wanted to see modern soaps do more with special episodes or holidays: Run the end credits over more material or a montage. In this case they run them over a regular end segment of Steve wrapping up the Christmas story, which I think is lovely.

Edited December 28, 2025Dec 28 by Vee