Happy Birthday, “General Hospital!”

No April foolin’; “General Hospital” turns 50 years old today, marking so many TV milestones in the process, I can’t even keep count. 

In celebration of the show’s Golden Anniversary, SoapNet ran an old-school GH marathon over the weekend.   While I didn’t watch all 50 hours, I did watch a good chunk of it.  There were some great moments shown (Scotty catching the bouquet at Luke and Laura’s wedding, Frisco and Felicia’s wedding, B.J.’s Heart, the birth of Jason Morgan and of course, “Clink…boom”). 
 
However, in looking at the lineup of episodes, there were a lot of great moments from GH’s long and illustrious history that inexplicably didn’t make the cut.

So, in honor of GH turning 50 (just a year after being snatched from the jaws of cancelation, no less), here are some of my favorite moments and ones I selfishly think should have been included in the GH 50 Marathon:

Sean and Tiffany’s Wedding
O.M.G.  I laughed until I cried.  I laughed until I peed in my pants.  I laughed until my insides begged for mercy.  You have to figure when the dashing Sean marries the sophisticated Tiffany, elegance will abound.  Well almost.  Tiff had a little secret, which blew her carefully crafted chic persona out of the water.

I give you, Elsie Mae:

 

Lucy’s Red Dress
Mousy librarian turned scheming sexpot, Lucy Coe, always got what she wanted and in the late 80’s she wanted filthy rich doctor, Alan Quartermaine.  She planned and plotted and of course, she got her man.  She also got the honor of walking down the aisle in the reddest dress since Miss Scarlett crashed Ashley’s birthday party:

 

Tracy Withholds Edward’s Medication
Jane Elliot (Tracy Quartermaine) says she’s embarrassed that people like this scene so much.  It’s definitely disturbing and one of those seminal moments for the Tracy character.  I didn’t even see it when it first aired, but rather when it was re-run on the show several years later.  Try not to get the chills:

 

Frisco Comes Back from the Dead
I was a major Frisco and Felicia fan.  MAJOR.  Jack Wagner had me at “All I Need.”  J-Dubs wanted to leave GH for greener pastures, so Frisco was killed off (of course no body was found.  Of course.).  The Lady of His Heart, Felicia, moved on with Colton and lo and behold, who shows up on their wedding day but a not-so-dead Frisco.  He skulked around for weeks until finally, Felicia came face-to-face with her very much alive husband.

Swoon!
 


Faison Unmasked
Oh man.  This is a more recent event, but it was classic soap. Hell, it was classic everything.  Duke Lavery had also miraculously returned from the dead (this happens a lot in Port Charles) but was acting a little strange.  With good reason.  He wasn’t quite himself. 

Seriously, I think I fell off my couch when I saw this scene:
 


Anna and Duke Meet
One of my all-time favorite GH couples (or any show, really, daytime or primetime).  Off-the charts chemistry.  And couldn’t you just scoop up Ian Buchanan like ice cream?


 
Luke Sees Laura
Like I said, people come back from the dead a lot in Port Charles (Frisco, Robert, Luke, Anna, A.J., Robin, Duke, et al.)  Laura’s turn came after she disappeared from a shadowy pier and popped up like a year later.  She too skulked around Port Charles hiding from hubby Luke—something about murderous Cassadines being after her and she didn’t want to put Luke in danger, so she didn’t let him know she was alive.  Anyway, didn’t work; Luke spotted her and what followed was one of those OMG, edge-of-your seat, how-fricking-awesome-was-that moments.  I remember this like yesterday and if there had been a VCR in my house back then, this would have been replayed until the tape snapped.  Thank God for the Internet:

 

Edward Quartermaine’s Last Scene
Heartbreaking for so many reasons; because John Ingle, Edward’s portrayer, was dying in real life, because little Emma Drake is so stinking adorable, and because it was the circle of life: 


 
BONUS: Anna Holds Olivia Hostage
Oh, how I love Anna Devane.  No other words need to be said:

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