‘General Hospital’ The Day It All Began – Revisiting The Premiere
Remembering the 1963 Premiere of General Hospital: Plot, Cast, and Where They Are Now
In exactly one month, General Hospital (GH) will have aired for 63 consecutive years! So, we decided to take a trip down memory lane to take a look at what happened in the show. Read on for more about the historical ABC soap opera, its cast and more.
The Premiere Date
On April 1, 1963, one month after future Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) was born, TV history happened, because on that day, the ABC Network premiered Season 1, Episode 1.
If you don’t know, the show ran for only 30 minutes. And perhaps the creators, Frank and Doris Hursley, had no idea that six decades later, teenagers old enough to be the cast members’ grandchildren would faithfully tune in.
Por Charles Didn’t Have A Name
In the first episode, folks who watched General Hospital didn’t know the town where it all went down was Port Charles. That came later. Meanwhile, there wasn’t a mob boss lurking around.
Actually, it originally set out as a much more hospital-themed story than a drama with multiple resurrections, deaths, and unscrupulous characters.
Fans who watched the premiere saw a rather basic hospital and the premiere focused on Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino). Back then, he held the position of Chief of Internal Medicine. Assisting him was Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin).
The Plot
Up on the 7th floor, a young patient named Angie Costello (Jana Taylor) lay distraught. Actually, she could have died, but then the story would have ended there. Anyway, she seemed totally devastated after she survived a DUI car accident.
The trauma came from her emotional perspective because she ended up disfigured. No matter how much Dr. Hardy reassured her that plastic surgery could help, she seemed inconsolable.
Skilful Writers
That first episode also brought hints of the skillful way writers drew in other cast members. So, GH fans met Peggy Mercer, Hardy’s fiancée. While it’s not clear who acted the role of Peggy, the fictional character was just about done with her man who seemed more dedicated to his job than going to the theater.
Somehow, the tickets to the theater ended up in the hands of intern Dr. Phil Brewer (Roy Thinnes), the husband of Nurse Jessie Brewer.
Well, he wasn’t too dedicated to attend the theater, a point of contention with Jessie who felt he’d be better off studying. While theater-going and fiancee bickering went on, the patient, Angie, all alone, lost it.
She threw a total meltdown and smashed a mirror. Next, she gave into despair and collapsed. And, that set the tone for a lot of future drama for General Hospital viewers.
What Happened To The Cast?
Sadly, many of the cast members from Season 1 have passed away, but a few icons remain. Roy Thinnes (Phil Brewer) is still alive. So is Susan Seaforth Hayes (Dorothy Bradley), who became a daytime legend for her decades-long role as Julie Williams on Days of Our Lives.
As for the show’s original leads, John Beradino passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1996 after 33 years on the show. Cancer also took the life of his longtime co-star Emily McLaughlin in 1991.
Ratings And Competition
It’s not all that easy to get ratings on the early shows, but clearly General Hospital was very popular because of the many renewals. In the early days, the daytime field was crowded. The Doctors premiered on the exact same day as GH, though it eventually ran out of steam in 1982.
GH’s biggest competition often came from CBS shows like Guiding Light, which transitioned from a 1930s radio hit to TV. And then there was another Irna Phillips creation, As The World Turns.
What are your thoughts about how the show changed over the years? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your General Hospital cast news, spoilers, and updates.