GH: Classic Thread

[DRW50]

I was going to post this in the soap hoppers thread but as slick won't be updating there anymore I wanted to respect his thread and not dump links in it. 

John Capodice - IMDb

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/john-capodice-dead-ace-ventura-general-hospital-1236097675/

His biggest soap credit was on GH as Lois' father, Carmine. 

I wonder how much they de-aged Carmine when he came back this past year. Not sure how old George Russo is.

[NothinButAttitude]

[titan1978]

It’s the way the show is still being shot too. Those rapid zoom in closeups that are so signature to Monty’s style fade away the longer Riche is there for more subtle versions.

It is disorienting for me to watch this era out of context. The Riche style drama, but still the old opening and she hadn’t updated the hospital and nurses hub to the pale pink colors yet. But it’s so clearly not like the show had been for over a decade too.

[Khan]

TBH, I never cared for the "Faces of the Heart" opening.  I didn't think it was "high energy" enough for a show that was all about energy.  Plus, the first time I saw the opening, with the visuals and the safe-for-the-'90's music, I thought, "This is gonna look even more dated than the old opening five years from now."  And in a way, it IS dated, although it certainly holds up better than the openings that have come afterward.

IMO, all Wendy Riche needed to do was to film a new shot of an ambulance speeding toward the hospital and maybe get a new arrangement for the Urbont theme.  Otherwise, just leave the sequence as is.

I think it's ironic how the larger our TV screens have become, the more reticent GH, DAYS and Y&R are to do those intense close-ups that they used to be known for.  Maybe they're afraid HD will expose all that cosmetic surgery to the light of day, lol?

Edited January 2 by Khan

[Vee]

I think the FOTH opening is all but timeless, especially now when sexy sax is back in in a kind of retro way. I'd happily redo it today in a hot second. But if they don't have the money I'd just say find a happy medium - do something like the brief ambulance opening but with a quick riff on FOTH as the theme over that. Maybe toss in some heads/characters seen over or standing around the hospital, a la some British soap openings. 10-15 seconds and done.

[titan1978]

I still enjoy the overlapping opening notes and dissolve into the opening of FOTH, and I hate it when uploaders cut it. I love it on the AMC opening of the same era too, the falling pictures.

They could easily update the speeding ambulance and old theme. It would be quick, and that also fits how FV cuts up the show. Anything to get rid of the incredibly tacky photo flip they have now. Even photos of an ambulance flipping and getting closer to the screen with the hospital behind it would be better than the various headshots that just sit there.

[Vee]

Same. It almost always worked.

[Liberty City]

It was such a '90s/'00s thing to have the theme overlay the scene(s) preceding it. Miss that era.

[carolineg]

I loved the original FOH opening.  I guess it could be considered dated, but I would take it back today.  I disliked the one after where the men were all sitting in the chairs and by the end like half of them were dead but still in the opening.

This was the last halfway decent opening and I think it looks cool even if I don't understand why the ambulance at the end is about to run someone down.

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I am sure it's much too expensive for today's budget though.

[Vee]

This one looked cheap as hell to me, lol. All the cheesy background images of Wyndemere, etc. made me think half the cast was living in the vampire castle from Big Bad Beetleborgs. But it was still better than the Powerpoint slides featuring every guest player or random toddler Frank has taken a shine to. Why is 6 year old Wiley in the opening, Frank??

I would just redo FOTH largely as it was with a few visual updates, and probably not even change the Dave Koz music. It's back in again. Do not use the rock remix from here, which was dated even by the time this slow opening came along.

Edited January 2 by Vee

[carolineg]

Haha!  I liked it.  The graphics were a little strange and didn't correlate to the characters sometimes, but I appreciate the names of the characters and actors on there.  Honestly, I could use that now for frame of reference for this huge cast we have today. 

This current opening feels like I going to get a seizure while watching the bright pictures flash by.

I am all for redoing FOTH wit Dave Koz's version.  It doesn't seem like it would be too difficult to replicate or that difficult to add or subtract a character either.

[Vee]

I didn't think you needed both character and actor names. One or the other at best, if at all. Every time I saw both I thought 'they really think we're deeply stupid.' And it looked messy.

I also found it awkward when they added character names to the last FOTH openings near the end of its run when Frons took over ABCD. I think OLTL may have tried this briefly at the same time, then dropped it.

[Liberty City]

This opening was good; should have had the Faces of the Heart theme, though... but the mix of crops annoyed me.

[carolineg]

Characters names are the only thing relevant so I'd drop the actor name if it were me.  That's what end credits are for, but I think other soaps were doing actors names in the opening so GH just followed suit.

I'll have to look up the FOTH opening with names.  I am having a hard time picturing it right now.

ETA-I just looked at the 2004 opening with the names.  It doesn't bother me.  The fact they use a PR location scenes from 10 years ago and the same couples insert with different couples make it feel like a lazy update though.

Edited January 2 by carolineg

[titan1978]

They got their money’s worth out of that Puerto Rico remote!