By April MacIntyre Sep 3, 2010, 23:29 GMT
Some of the finest drama is being played out in daytime television, and as the field winnows down for iconic soap opera serials, the opportunities and storylines for ABC's "General Hospital" keep improving an adding to the show's illustrious history as a springboard for so many A-list actors.
Stars such as Demi Moore, John Stamos, Ricky Martin and Rick Springfield got their start on “General Hospital.” A-list fan Elizabeth Taylor famously guest-starred as the malicious Helena Cassadine at supercouple Luke and Laura’s wedding in 1981, one of television’s most popular moments, attracting 30 million people. Courtesy of ABC
And the coolest thing about this is that so many great actors are returning to the daytime dramas, turning out superb performances.
Exciting guest stars are par for the course in "General Hospital," as writers deliver clever story arcs that either reintroduce some key players from their novice acting roles on GH, or add roles that are filled by notable stars who happen to be fans of the series, selected by the casting director, Mark Teschner, to round out his seasoned established casts.
Perhaps the dearth of scripted drama and story on television overall is a culprit in this interesting trend. So many reality shows, and so little work for many talented thespians. What to do if you were trained to act?
"General Hospital" is a crown jewel of ABC Daytime programming and for good reason: Created by Frank and Doris Hursley in 1963, the serial focused on a tight group of families in the fictional town Port Charles, New York.
The series tops the record books as the longest running drama in daytime history next to "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns." Unlike these mentioned fated series, already off the air and soon to be off the air, ABC owns "General Hospital" and has filled a void by those looking for inventive storylines, excellence in casting (both guest stars and principle cast) all aided by staff writers who respect the show's history, making sure the young cast is woven into the arcs of the older players, and the historical feuds and secrets are still being churned up out of respect for the long time viewers too.
"General Hospital" has many crowning achievements and trailblazers who have taken chances on the story, or a particular unknown actor, even below the line crew who bucked sexist attitudes in the 1970s, an era which saw few women working on set unless they were in front of the camera.
Just prior to the Primetime Emmy Awards, Monsters and Critics visited "General Hospital" at the landmark Prospect Studios, one of the oldest soundstages in all of Southern California; we had a chance to meet and speak with a diverse group of "General Hospital" veterans and three-time Emmy Award winning actor, Jonathan Jackson, who returned after years of hiatus, as Lucky Spencer, the child of the iconic Soap Opera royalty couple, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Genie Francis).
Jackson was cast as Lucky at age 11, and left the series when he turned 16. Jackson is back now, ten years later, reclaiming the role that helped established his acting career and showing that during his time away he has grown and matured as a actor. If you need proof try to sit through the episode that Lucky finds out that his fiance and ex wife Elizabeth has been sleeping with his brother. The pain and devastation are all to apparent to all who watch and there were not many dry eyes in the house.
Unlikely opportunities and pure luck brought sound effects crew member Sandra Masone from her home in New York to Los Angeles, and a serendipitous opportunity for a gig with "General Hospital" in 1976, and she never looked back.
Sandy was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing for a Drama Series for her work as a boom operator on General Hospital. She had to work twice as hard as many of the all male crew when she started at "General Hospital." Women were not encouraged or sought after to enter these positions, and Sandy initially had to prove she was just as worthy as her male peers to have a chance to advance her career and help open the door to women in future generations. Sandy Masone is a sound engineer who worked on "General Hospital" for over 30 years. She has been at the top of ABC in both the Entertainment Division and the Sports programming division, working on ABC'S Monday night Football, working with Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford and "Dandy" Don Meredith and with ABC'S Wide World of Sports.
Her time there included working with the best sports color commentators, play-by-play announcers and sports personalities of that time. The legendary Keith Jackson, Curt Gowdy Sr, Chris Schenkel and Jim McKay topped the list, with all of them notably ranked in the Top 50 of all time. But they admired Sandra's work, liked her as a person and grew to respect her as a top-flight sound technician, and most of all, accept her as just one of the team.
But her West Coast family is squarely "General Hospital."
For over 30 years she has been key staff for production work at the studio. She has admired many great actors' work, laughing with them, crying with them and has formed a lifetime bond and friendship with the cast and crew that that makes "General Hospital" so rich in history and with the reputation as one of the tightest cast and crews in Hollywood today.
Stars such as Demi Moore, John Stamos, Ricky Martin and Rick Springfield got their start on “General Hospital.” A-list fan Elizabeth Taylor famously guest-starred as the malicious Helena Cassadine at supercouple Luke and Laura’s wedding in 1981, one of television’s most popular moments, attracting 30 million people.
“Elizabeth Taylor was cast Helena Cassadine at a time when the show was close to being canceled, and with Gloria Monty brought in as Executive Producer, she brought in new writers and hired Liz and Tony Geary and really put out some great storylines that no one had ever done. She even found a local drag queen here in Hollywood, and unknown person who was cast in this top secret move, no one knew it was a man dressed like (Marilyn) Monroe and she fooled everyone until the moment in the script where she took off her wig and revealed she was a really a man” laughed Sandy Masone, “But Liz Taylor was such a delight to work with, she was able to laugh at herself when she flubbed a line, and had such a sense of humor and was so gracious. She was very easy to get along with.”
Masone had fond memories of Demi Moore too, "Easy and such a funny warm person, she loved to laugh and she even managed to arrange one gorgeous suit she wore from wardrobe to be borrowed so I could wear it for my brother's wedding! I had to go back east and it was a perfect fit for me, and she went to bat and got me the suit so I could wear it at the wedding. She was very kind that way and such a lovely person."
She shared a moment she had with Diana Ross at the Tony Awards back in New York in the 70s. "Miss Ross was on the red carpet and there were people taking her picture and interviewing her, and she turned and saw me, and stopped what she was doing, and came over to me and said, 'Excuse me, I'm Diana Ross,' and I was like, of course you are, I knew who she was," laughed Masone, incredulous at the time that Ross had left the red carpet to come and speak with her. Ross told Sandy, "I just wanted to say how proud I am to see you working with the crew, doing this kind of work, thank you." Masone was still moved by Ross's kind words which bolstered her spirits to keep plugging away despite the tough work environment. "I've been blessed, I continue to do what I love, and I have such a family, really, they are my second family here at General Hospital, and we all love each other very much, and even some days when we might have some disagreements or fight about something, we always work it out and make up and keep going."
It can be effectively argued that the engine of a successful drama like "General Hospital" is in large part due to the consistent intuitive casting that places the right actor in the role created by the writers.
Casting is an artful craft, and the best possess a talent for being able to see the imperceptible that lays under a façade of beauty or good looks, qualities that may get someone in the door, but won't keep them according to the show's casting director of 21 years, Mark Teschner, who has three Emmys and four Artios awards under his belt.
"Looks are very important for casting a specific role, and it never hurts to be beautiful, but that doesn't guarantee anything. Within 15 minutes I can tell if someone has it, the right emotional range and ability to have the depth to inhabit a character," says Teschner. He was especially proud of finding numerous younger unknown actors to fill roles on "General Hospital" over the years, especially Lisa Marie Berman as Lulu (who has taken two Emmys for that role), Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) an actor Teschner had a great anecdote for. "I had to pull Steve aside and coach him to go an add some height on the sly by telling him to go into the men's room and add toilet paper inside his boots in order to give him an additional inch of height to win a role which the producers had demanded the actor to be at least 6 feet tall."
Teschner also was proud of the career progress of Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo (Brenda Barrett, back again after being off the show for a few years). He was also effusive for the find of Dominic Zamprogna, cast as lead mobster Sonny Corinthos' son Dante Falconeri, "He came in and just grabbed this role, he is playing in one of the key storylines right now, especially since Sonny didn't know Dante was his son." Teschner also was excited that Jonathan Jackson rejoined the GH cast last October as Lucky Spencer, Luke and Laura's son who began his career on GH at age 11 until he was 16.
"Now he is back, ten years playing a grown up Lucky, as a police officer. The scene where Lucky discovers that his ex wife Elizabeth who he was set to marry again was having an affair with his brother Nikolas Cassadine (Tyler Christopher) was a powerfully emotional scene that I think was some of the best work we've ever seen on the show."
Another younger actor who Teschner noted was Brandon Barash (Johnny Zacchara), the son of Anthony Zacchara (Bruce Weitz) who play's the tormented role of a son of a mobster who is determined to kill the man who he believes is responsible for his sisters death even if it cost him the love of his life. Johnny is desperately in love with Dante's mother Olivia Falconeri, played beautifully by Lisa LoCicero, who is also caught up in emotional twist of fate because she is Dante's mother and is heartbroken with the thought of Johnny either killing her son Dante's father or being killed himself. It is a lose-lose proposition and she can not bear either outcome.
These younger actors are surrounded by a veteran cast that is second to none in the daytime television industry. With Tony Geary still giving the performance of a lifetime playing Luke Spencer, Maurice Benard playing Sonny Corinthos a character that never loses but cannot really ever win what he wants most, the love of his children and life's simple pleasures, and Laura Wright, who combines incredible sex appeal with a vindictive streak that means nothing will get in her way of getting what she wants or protecting her children.
Teschner's casting work is highlighted by understanding how to pair actors with chemistry and respecting the ongoing storylines that connect the past to the present for the viewers who have invested so many years following the great families of General Hospital: The Quartermaines, the Corinthos, the Cassadines, the Spencers and the Hardys. Teschner specifically mentions Scott Reeves, cast as Dr. Steven Webber. "He is the grandson of Dr. Steve Hardy, who was played by the late John Beradino, and I believe that we must always connect the past characters to today's storylines, the viewers deserve the right to have that history respected and played out in the show."
Teschner's work ethic is unrelenting, and he is always looking for opportunities to have capable guest stars to come on the show and portray characters that are crucial to the success of a particular storyline. Recent examples of this include Adrienne Barbeau and Bruce Weitz. Not only do they fill a intrinsic part in the story line but they teach the younger actors many important lessons and give much needed advice and knowledge, according to Teschner.
The day Monsters and Critics was at the set we were able to watch the taping of an upcoming episode of "General Hospital." The scene involved Robin Scorpio (Kimberly McCullough) and Lisa Niles (Brianna Brown).
Without giving away the scene (watch on September 28, 2010), this is one of Lisa's most bold attempts to rid the world of Robin yet and capture the heart of Patrick. The actors and there stunt doubles worked this to perfection and Monsters and Critics was amazed to see how hard these great actors have to work to capture the moment at it's best.
Another arc that deserves accolades is the abuse storyline that aired this past spring. Alexis Davis (Nancy Lee Grahn) watched as her daughter Kristina Davis (Lexi Ainsworth) went though a teenage domestic violence situation that was as powerful as any ever played on the small screen.
Her daughter was abused for months by her older boyfriend Kiefer Bauer (Christian Alexander). The abuse was graphic and was delivered in many ways. Physical violence, verbal assault, belittling of fathers past and the constant mental harassment that made Kristina feel that she had no escape and worse that she deserved the violent outburst that she was receiving.
After several months of horriffic abuse, the story finally ended with Kiefer dead, his abusive father dead and Kristina forced to slowly rebuild her life. She has to trust, love, forgive and most of all learn that no one has to go through an abusive situation of any kind by themselves.
In the background of this great storyline was the affects that domestic violence has on the parents of the victim. While both of her parents Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) and Alexis Davis ( Nancy Lee Grahn) felt the pain and sorrow of their daughter, it was the pain and torment that was felt by Alexis that stole the show and captured the hearts of many parents that watched the drama unfold.
She felt the pain of her daughter, felt guilty over what she could have done differently and wondered how she failed to realize what was going on. You could see it on a daily basis as she tried to lift her daughter out of a emotional abyss. Alexis also had to live with the fact that she accidentally killed Kiefer while rushing Kristina to the hospital, and to see the pain that his parents went through. This wonderful portrayal of a mother torn in multiple directions was award worthy.
Monsters and Critics had an opportunity to ask star Jonathan Jackson for more insight to his character "Lucky" on General Hospital regarding the news his character is dealt, finding out his wife Elizabeth (who he was to remarry) had been cheating on him. "That scene was very emotional, as was the whole week leading up to climactic moment where he reacts' it was a very draining experience."
Jackson revealed how his character processed the news after he discovered that Elizabeth's baby was his child, and if Lucky will want her back in light of this news. "Tough question...on one hand Lucky has always loved Elizabeth but in his head and heart he feels all the pain and the doubts that go along with the betrayal."
Jackson also ceded his connection to the older cast was as strong today as ever. "The bond is very strong, and the longer you work with someone the stronger the ties. Probably a little stronger for the younger actors but the older cast members feel it too. I worked with Tony (Geary) from the time I was 11 until I was 16, and we kept in touch and always wanted to work together again."
We asked Jonathan if there was any other actress on the show he might want to be involved with. "Yes. Claire and Lucky have already spent some time together and they both work in law enforcement so there are possibilities ahead."
General Hospital airs weekdays 3et/2pt/c on ABC weeknights 10pm on SOAPnet
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