SOAP OPERA WEEKLY -- OCTOBER 22, 1996
 
 
 

"Fifteen minutes of video clips only scratched the surface of the legendary pairing of General Hospital's Luke and Laura. But it was enough to bring tears to the eyes of Genie Francis and Anthony Geary (Laura and Luke), who held hands as the tribute began with videotaped messages from several GH co-stars, including Stephen Nichols, Jacklyn Zeman and Maurice Benard (Stefan, Bobbie and Sonny), and continued with a retrospective of scenes dating back to the beginning of their relationship. The video tribute also provided a number of laughs, as Luke's hairstyle changed almost as often as the clips did. Francis' husband, actor/director Jonathan Frakes (ST:TNG), dabbed at tears during the footage and when Francis and Geary received a standing ovation after GH executive producer Wendy Riche officially inducted them."

 

ANTHONY GEARY'S SPEECH

"I want to thank the editors at SOW and the board that bestowed this honor upon us. {In my} 18 years of General Hospital I've only had two producers. I'd like to thank Gloria Monty for bringing me on the show in the first place, and bringing me back, and Wendy Riche, for letting me stay. I would like to thank all the writers whose scripts hit the wall, the directors that I fought with about my over-the-top style. When we learned about this, The Soap Opera Hall of Fame, some of my colleagues and friends had a lot of interesting things to say. I remember one friend said, 'It's not being televised and you can get as hammered as you want, and you'll only make an ass of yourself in front of 200 people instead of 20 million.' Another one was, 'You don't have to sit through the purgatory hell of being nominated.' But everybody along with that {asked}, 'Where is the Hall of Fame?' The Baseball hall of Fame is in Cooperstown (N.Y.). The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland. Is this in Genoa City, Port Charles, in Springfield? I guess we're here tonight to say if you build it, we will come."
 
 

GENIE FRANCIS' SPEECH

"I've been working in daytime television, as of December 28th this year, for 20 years. And I've never once been nominated for an Emmy, and I can't say how much it means to receive this wonderful honor and recognition from my colleagues. I guess I'm a person who always feels like I'm on the outside looking in, which is part of who I am. And I want to thank you for this wonderful evening because it really made me feel on the inside."

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