History of General Hospital - The Early Years (1963–77)

The Early Years (1963–77)

Launched in 1963, the first stories were mainly set at General Hospital in an unnamed midsized Eastern city (the name of the city, Port Charles, would not be mentioned until the late 1970s under Gloria Monty). Storylines revolved around Dr. Steve Hardy (John Beradino) and his friend, Nurse Jessie Brewer (Emily McLaughlin). Steve was Chief of Internal Medicine on the hospital's seventh floor and dedicated his life to healing and caring for the sick, ably assisted by Nurse Jessie. Jessie's turbulent marriage to the much-younger Dr. Phil Brewer (originally portrayed by Roy Thinnes; lastly by Martin West) was the center of many early storylines. In 1964 the woman who would finally win Steve's heart, Audrey March (Rachel Ames), a former flight attendant, came to town. Audrey's older sister, Lucille March was a nurse at General Hospital. Lucille married hospital janitor, Al Weeks. Audrey married Dr. Tom Baldwin and had his son (played as an infant by the daughter of Rachel Ames).

Other nurses that had an impact at General Hospital during the 1960s and 1970s included Meg Bentley, Diane Taylor, Sharon McGillis and Jane Harland. Meg was the mother to her young son Scotty and stepmother to troubled teen Brooke Clinton. Meg married attorney Lee Baldwin, Tom Baldwin's brother. Lee adopted Scotty. When Meg died, Lee became Scotty's only family. Several years later, Lee met and married Caroline Chandler. Caroline died within a few years, with Lee later marrying Gail. Diana Taylor was a young nurse torn between two men, Dr. Peter Taylor and Dr. Phil Brewer. Bouncy Sharon McGillis married shy Dr. Henry Pinkham. Jane Harland was married to businessman Howie Dawson. They had a daughter. Howie's mother, Mrs. Dawson, lived with them.

In one relatively high-rated and fast-paced plot in 1971, Audrey was accused of murdering her son's babysitter and General Hospital was briefly elevated to the number one position, beating longtime ratings giant As the World Turns. At one point in about 1972, Howie Dawson became involved with Brooke Clinton. When Brooke spurned his advances Brooke was found murdered the following day. In 1973, Audrey married alcoholic Dr. Jim Hobart before finally realizing she loved Steve. Also in 1973, Augusta McLeod came to General Hospital and set in motion events that would impact General Hospital for years to come. She brought Phil Brewer back to break up Peter and Diana Taylor. Augusta was pregnant with Peter's child. On December 6, 1974, Phil Brewer was murdered by a geode paper weight. Jessie Brewer was on trial for her life after having been caught with the deceased Phil holding the murder weapon. She was acquitted and Augusta McLeod was sent to prison for murder. She gave birth to her son which was given up for adoption.

Having been rated No. 1 in 1972, by the mid-1970s, viewers of General Hospital felt it to be glacially paced and the show was low-rated. Due to relatively easygoing choices in storyline, the show almost always lost out to rival medical soap The Doctors, which was considered by many to be more daring. TIME magazine panned General Hospital in 1976, stating, "If malpractice is this dull, it is worth insuring against," noting the serial's saving grace was Dr. Lesley Williams (Denise Alexander). The introduction of actress Leslie Charleson (Monica Webber, later Monica Quartermaine) and actor Kin Shriner (Scott Baldwin) were also credited with aiding the show's revival.

With cancellation looming, Douglas Marland was brought on as head writer. When he objected to a planned storyline that called for the virtuous Dr. Lesley Webber to cheat on her husband with David Hamilton, Marland was challenged to come up with a better idea. As a result, Lesley rejected David's advances and the enraged suitor began sleeping with her sixteen-year-old daughter Laura Webber (Genie Francis) instead. This torrid affair culminated in Laura killing her older lover after discovering that he was only using her to get back at her mother. This storyline was successful and as a result, Laura became a major focus of the show. Laura's subsequent storyline, a love triangle involving her, Scott Baldwin, and Bobbie Spencer, was also a success, but soon the success of both stories would be overshadowed by a phenomenon that very few expected, when Laura crossed paths with Bobbie's brother Luke Spencer (Anthony Geary). Marland is also credited for creating longtime staples such as the Quartermaine and the Spencer families.