They were introduced as daytime's most romantic couple - in the tradition of Gable and Lombard, Kate and Spencer, and other great love duos.  And then, the door to the penthouse suite of the Plaza Hotel in New York opened and a sweater-clad Tony Geary and luminous-looking Genie Francis, dressed in casual shirt and slacks, stepped into the room.  They were accompanied by a hubbub of noise and a ripple of excitement as even New York's sophisticated and at times jaded press corps glimpsed the hottest twosome in daytime television, Luke and Laura of General Hospital, before their very eyes.

Ironically, their love story began with a rape, but it is an act that triggered a real and enduring romance - and the storyline was so powerful that it helped to make the act itself more credible and even more understandable to audiences.  Indeed, Tony Geary has been dubbed by some of the media as a most sympathetic rapist, one who inspires love and compassion from the viewers as well as from Genie.

When queried about the controversial act, Tony, a thoughtful young man who exudes a great deal of charismatic intensity as well as a flair for witty, sarcastic comments, explained.  "We grabbed a great deal of attention with that event.  It was an opportunity to show two people in crisis, people who learned to really care about each other.  There was some difficulty in staging the scene, but when you work with conscientious and careful directors, it's much easier to accomplish."

What about Tony's strong identification with one character?  This former stage and theatre actor who appeared in a starring role in The Subject Was Roses is now thought of interchangeably as Luke.  The powerful identification is not something that Tony takes lightly.

"Luke is such a fantastic, colorful character.  I fear that this is it for me, that after I leave General Hospital I'll be wiped out forever.  Actually when I leave, I hope Luke dies.

"Basically, I'm a character actor.  After this is over, whenever it's over, I hope to do some kind of period piece, something very different from General Hospital."

Genie, daughter of the famed character actor Ivor Davis, spoke of longheld and deep-seated desires to be an actress.  "I've always wanted to be an actress.  It didn't matter where.  I just knew that was what I wanted to be."

Currently, Genie is augmenting her busy schedule with college courses.  She especially enjoys her courses in psychology.  "Those courses help you understand people better.  And yes, it does help my acting ability."

Right now, Genie and Tony are both on their vacations - spending well-deserved rest time away from their hectic schedules.  For two weeks they will attempt to lead fairly normal lives - away from the pressures of the studio and the script.  That is, if their ardent fans will let them.  Tony revealed that just that morning as they emerged from an appearance on Good Morning, America, their limousine was chased, and excited fans screamed and yelled.

One important note to fans who mistake the love story between Luke and Laura on General Hospital as one which carries over in real life - Tony and Genie are very flattered by the fact that so many audiences think it's real but they're just good friends.  But still the mail for each of them keeps pouring in, and Tony confesses that he gets between 400 and 900 letters each week.

Soap operas seem to be coming of age and getting stronger and stronger in the popularity ratings.  Tony has some thoughtful opinions on that subject.  "They're getting better," he says emphatically.  "And a show like General Hospital has broken the mold and set forth new ground in so many ways.  It's kind of like reading a comic strip, watching a soap.  Just like people used to check the papers every day to see what Mary Worth is doing, so do people check into us each day to find out what we're doing."  A whopping 12 million viewers a day watch General Hospital, and the latest Neilsens show that the serial has gained a 39% share of the audience.

The dancing segments between Luke and Laura were of particular interest to fans.  While neither one of them harbors any aspirations to become the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire of daytime TV, they both enjoyed the episodes.  "Tony's quite a dancer," says Genie, and then with a flashing and endearing smile, "I'm definitely a klutz."

Genie has grown up, it seems, on daytime television, but as proof that she has finally emerged into full-blown adulthood, she has recently taken an apartment of her own.  But she didn't take her cat with her, since it is almost 12 years old and quite sick and she feels she doesn't have the time to properly tend for it.

One way perhaps of Genie's emphasizing her individuality is the way she changed her hair color.  "It's definitely a different feeling," she explains.  "I moved differently, I acted differently - it was almost like I was a different person."

The popularity and the success that Tony and Genie enjoy is not without its toll.  They work long and hard hours and rarely have time to socialize.  A typical day for Genie consists of "getting up at 7:30, going to the studio and rehearsing and filming General Hospital, then coming home late at night and almost collapsing from fatigue."

A typical day for Tony involves getting up at 8:30, going to General Hospital and preparing until about lunchtime.  Tony confesses, "I never eat lunch when I'm working so I either learn my lines or have a French lesson or else re-write my lines.  When I come home from the set I have dinner and maybe I'll feed my cats."

In a deliberate and definitive statement, he says, "I don't have a personal life.  And frankly, I'm glad to be rid of it."

Neither of them resents the hours that it takes nor the psychic toll that their work exacts from them.  "I'm doing what I always wanted to do," says Tony. "That makes up for the lost personal time.  And I'm going to do this as long as I can.  I really enjoy it.  I'm not on this planet to find a cure for cancer or to make babies.  I'm here to act."

Adds Genie, "I'm just doing what I always wanted to do too.  It's really a dream come true for me."

A question about whether General Hospital receives the attention it deserves in the daytime Emmys brought a heated response from a very concerned Tony Geary.  He slammed his fist down on the table, jarring the microphone and almost tipping over the glasses of water.  "What is that all about," he asked, with a touch of anger.  "I think in part that's true.  Perhaps it's because we're on the West Coast and we don't get the ballots in time.  But I do feel that there is something that is amiss.  I hate to think there's a conspiracy afoot," he added with a sinister yet whimsical tone.

How do they react to their fans?  Genie, ever the sweet and caring young woman, said, "I find it flattering.  I really enjoy meeting my fans.  After all, they're the ones who put me where I am.  I remember being 12 or 13 and feeling this way about big movie stars and people in the entertainment world that I liked.  So I can understand how they feel.  And I'm really very grateful."

Tony, who had a running role on the now-defunct Bright Promise, said that it was definitely more pleasant and pleasurable to be on a successful show, as opposed to a show where the ratings were faltering and the serial was in danger of being cancelled.  "It's much easier," he said.  "There are less tensions and fewer pressures on a show like this."

Then, revealing still more of the complex personality that comprises actor Tony Geary, he said, "I thrive on adversity.  I've worked for 14 years with some distinguished and lesser credits to get where I am today.  I've worked a long time to get here and I really enjoy it.  And I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can."

What about the fact that the storyline is so centered on the Luke and Laura characters that there are some who think of General Hospital as the Luke and Laura show?  Is there any resentment about this focus?

Genie responded, "There is a tremendous amount of affection among all of us on the show.  It's really like one big happy family.  We're all really very close.  And I don't feel any resentment at all and I don't really think that Tony does."

How similar are these wonderful actors to their characters?  Genie replies simply, "We look alike.  That's about all."

But Tony says, "Luke is the cynical, surviving side of Tony."  Where did he get his sense of humor?  "I think humor is a wonderful tool.  It helps you survive.  I'm real in touch with living on the edge but I like that.  I like to take chances and I don't want to be safe.  I don't want to be ordinary, typical or safe.  In that respect I want to survive and be those things, and I think Luke is like that.'

What makes each of them angry?  In his typically acerbic manner, Tony says, "Somebody stealing my Porsche car and then the insurance company taking 14 months to pay my claim."

In her typical more serious nature, Genie says, "We don't get angry very often.  Sometimes, when there is a lot of pressure on the set.  But we're surrounded by very creative people who are always willing to listen and make changes."

And what has made each of them weep?  Tony confessed, with an openness and heartfelt emotion that palpably moved the audience, "I wept last night.  I was so excited about being in New York and meeting with all of you.  It was just very moving and very emotional for me."  Genie nodded in silent agreement and then the world's most romantic couple slipped off into the busy streets of New York City.

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