This piece appeared in Daytime TV's Greatest Stories No. 2, Everything You Want to Know About...General Hospital in 1981.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GENERAL HOSPITAL
CREATING A HIT SHOW EVERY DAY IS MORE THAN A NINE-TO-FIVE JOB

5:00 A.M. The persistent ring of the telephone finally rouses the sleeping figure. "This is your wakeup call. It's 5 o'clock. Have a good day!" For General Hospital stars the morning always comes too soon. But if they want to get to the studio by 7:30 they have to get a very early start. Of course, they have one advantage--they don't have to do their hair or makeup before coming to work. The actors simply jump into a pair of jeans and head out the door. Some hardy souls like to jog before the work day [sic] starts but for most it's just a matter of hopping in the car and driving to Port Charles--located on North Gower Street in Hollywood, California. There's not a minute to waste, as Robin Mattson confessed, "When I drive to work in the morning, I recite my lines out loud in the car. People think I'm crazy enough as Heather Webber but when they see me talking to myself they're sure I'm totally schizophrenic!"

8:00 A.M. The song says the daily grind is "Nine-to-Five" but for the citizens of Port Charles the situation is reversed, their days are usually, Five-to-Nine! General Hospital didn't get to be the number one soap opera by taking an easygoing route. Producer Gloria Monty won't abide sandbagging. They just keep on doing it until they get it right.

The actors' day begins in the rehearsal hall where they get their first crack at reading scenes with their co-stars. It's strictly casual attire at this time of day and the actors are seen strolling around unshaven and pale-faced with a cup of coffee in one hand and a script in the other. While half the crew is rehearsing the other half is up on the set for camera blocking. Blocking is a crucial part of production because it shows the cameraman the places everyone will take on the set. It's done early so changes can be made before the final taping when every foul-up means lost time and money. The slightest detail is considered. Say, for instance, Laura had to answer a phone and it fell off the table. The phone would have to be moved to a better spot but the actress can't do that herself. It's the propman's job and his union demands no one else touch the props. So the morning hours are the nitty-gritty part of the day on the set.

If you walked into the studio at 1230 p.m. you might think you'd stumbled into a ghost town because as soon as the lunch hour starts the stars disappear. For many, It's the only time of day they'll see the sun so they takeoff for a stroll or lunch at a local restaurant. For some, like Chris Robinson, it's time to take care of other business--returning phone calls that his private secretary, who's set up office in his dressing room, has monitored all morning. But one thing's for sure, everyone is back on the job by 1:30.

3:00 P.M. The stars have spent the hour after lunch getting ready for the camera--makeup, wardrobe and dress rehearsal. Suddenly Port Charles people have the glamorous look we're used to seeing on our television screens. They start going through their scenes up on the set. If the rehearsal looks good, they'll tape on the spot. If there are problems, and Gloria Monty is watching out for any that might crop up, she'll be down on the set with notes in minutes. In one scene at the Webber's house, Tony Geary sat in a chair that had always been considered "Rick's Chair." Ms. Monty was on the set in a flash telling Tony he'd picked the wrong spot. After discussing the situation with him, Ms. Monty agreed that taking over Rick's chair was just the sort of thing Luke Spencer would do, so he stayed put.

When an actor goes up on a line--stumbles on a word or forgets what to say--the taping will stop and the director will say, "Okay take it from the top." The actors groan, especially if it's an intense scene, because it's very difficult to work up the emotion a second time.

6:00 P.M. The actors have been up and working for 12 hours and although they're certainly exhausted this is the most crucial part of the day--the actual taping of the show. Every time the director yells "Moving on!" the actors breathe a sigh of relief because that means the scene went fine and they won't have to do it over. You hear the whirring of the videotape being rewound and the actors' faces are a study in concentration as they watch their performances on the monitor looking for flaws or mistakes they might not have realized they'd made.

Despite the long hours and hard work and the constant striving for perfection you never hear a complaint from the crew or performers. They learned long ago that it's worth the effort to get the best. The show's popularity continues to grow so they know they're doing something right. Even at the end of a long day, when smiles are fading, hair-dos drooping and all they have to look forward to is another 100 page script to memorize for tomorrow, their spirits never falter And rarely is heard a disparaging word since the ratings are still sky high!

...AND ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
EVEN AFTER A 14-HOUR DAY, THE STARS SHINE ON AFTER DARK

Is there a nightlife after a grueling day on General Hospital? Well, most of us have heard of Flippers, the L.A. roller disco, and The Ginger Man restaurant, two favorite hangouts of the GH crowd and they're certainly not going out of business for lack of high voltage clientele. Some GHers, like musicians Rick Moses and Rick Springfield, have second careers that are booming after hours. Denise Alexander runs a wild game preserve. Jackie Zeman has a sideline business, marketing and promoting her own line of hats called "The Jaclyn Hats." And Chris Robinson has become spokeman [sic] for several huge corporations like Maytag and Mazda, so after seeing him on GH we can tune in to nighttime and see him on the commercials.

Many stars would be happy just to get home to dinner with their husbands or wives. Tristan Rogers pursued his wife from London to Australia in order to convince her to marry him. Now that they're happily wed they find they hardly have time to see one another with his loaded schedule and they can expect it to get even worse as Scorpio, Tristan's character, becomes more and more important to the story. And Robin Mattson and her husband Ray Manzella enjoy a game of tennis, but these days it's strictly a weekend pastime. Doug Sheehan and his beautiful fiancee Kate Abert are matrimonially minded and when they can find a moment together are planning their wedding for sometime in August.

Of course, with a little advance planning, even the busiest stars are allowed to take vacations. Genie Francis likes to escape to her Lake Arrowhead cabin or fly out east to see her step sister [sic] and pay a visit to ex-castmate Kin Shriner in New York. Tony Geary may take a couple of days off to appear at soap events or on TV talk shows--kind of working holiday. Since he appears on the show nearly every day his scenes are taped ahead so they can be inserted into the shows that air on days while he's away. (The shows we watch daily are taped about a week in advance of their air date.)

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY...

Stardom, glamour, wealth, acclaim--are the fringe benefits that go along with being a star on General Hospital. But like any success, theirs is very hard won. It's to their credit that they can make the job look so natural and easy. The General Hospital cast have got just what it takes to make great drama, day after day!

Sidebar:
BEAUTY SLEEP

While all around the country sleepyheads are dreaming of Genie, Genie's own thoughts are filled with the trials and traumas which will plague Laura the next day. "I used to be obsessed with my character. I'd think about Laura twenty-four hours a day. I've learned to put some distance between myself and Laura. But when you work on something so intensely it's difficult to leave it behind at the end of the day. I'm getting better at it though," Genie Francis says. Still it's nix on socializing during the week. "How could I possibly stay out late at night and then get through a 12 hour day on the set? I just collapse when I get home," she says. And Genie knows she has to get her beauty rest it she wants Laura to keep breaking hearts and charming viewers as she has done so beautifully for the past four years on General Hospital."