Thriving in Port Charles
‘General Hospital’ reaches its 50th anniversary, having learned to adjust.
Fifty years ago, a gallon of gasoline sold for 29 cents, the Beatles were preparing the release of their first song in the United States and “The Beverly Hillbillies” loomed large as the No. 1 show on television.
And ABC’s “General Hospital” had its premiere on April 1, 1963.
Monday marked the 50th anniversary of the show — the longest-running soap opera in production — after 12,776 original episodes.
A year ago, fans fretted that ABC would cancel “General Hospital” following the demise of the Walt Disney Co. network’s two other signature soaps, “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.”
Show producers, however, accepted the challenge, introduced younger and more diverse characters and downplayed stories that revolved around the mob bosses of Port Charles, N.Y., the show’s fictional setting. The result has been a ratings revival.
The show, which averages 3 million viewers an epi- sode, is on track to have its best season in five years. It has experienced a 19% boost in viewers compared with last season, and a 44% increase among women ages 18 to 34.
“‘General Hospital’ was the soap opera that brought young people to daytime television,” said Ed Martin, television columnist for MediaPost Publications. “Other soap operas like ‘Young and the Restless’ and ‘All My Children’ dabbled in it, but ‘General Hospital’ was most aggressive.”
In 1977, the serial was in desperate need of resuscitation when ABC hired Gloria Monty as executive producer. The show had re- cently been expanded to an hour from 45 minutes, and Monty was given a few months to produce results. She did so by increasing the screen time of young characters, including Laura Spencer, played by Genie Francis.
“That’s when the show really came alive,” Martin said. “Then, when they added Luke to the mix, it was like catching lightning in a bottle.”
The November 1981 marriage of Laura and Luke (played by Anthony Geary) attracted 30 million viewers, which remains the record for the biggest audience for a daytime program. Martin said network executives used to boast that “General Hospital” generated enough profit during the 1980s to fund the network’s entire annual development slate for prime time.
“‘General Hospital’ changed the mold for soap operas,” said Karen Herman, director of the Archive of American Television, part of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. The archive has collected oral histories of nearly a dozen actors from the show.
“It became one of the first soaps to go on location for shoots, they introduced younger characters and they tackled sensitive issues like cancer, AIDS and rape,” Herman said.
It is just one of four network soaps to survive waves of cost-cutting that resulted in the termination of such hallmark programs as “Guiding Light” and “As the World Turns.” Last month, the No. 1 daytime drama, CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” celebrated its 40th anniversary.
meg.james@latimes.com