There are television shows people watch, and then there are television shows that become part of our lives.
For generations of viewers, ABC's “General Hospital” has been the latter. Since its debut in 1963, the daytime drama has delivered decades of romance, mystery, family conflict and cliffhangers, keeping audiences coming back to Port Charles for more than 60 years.
The series has helped launch the careers of performers who went on to become household names, including Demi Moore, Mark Hamill, John Stamos, Rick Springfield and Ricky Martin.
But the show's longevity isn't measured only in years on the air or the stars who've passed through its hospital doors. It's measured in the people who've made it part of their daily lives.
That connection
was on full display this weekend at Graceland, where "General Hospital" fans from around the world gathered for the show's fan celebration.
A fan following that spans generations
A glance at Graceland's parking lot in Memphis told part of the story: license plates from New Mexico, Maryland, Colorado and Minnesota marked the arrival of fans who had traveled long distances to spend the weekend with their favorite show and the people who bring it to life.
“I’ve been watching the show since 1979,” said Don Hair, who traveled from Lexington, South Carolina. “... I’ve never missed an episode.”
His devotion was evident during Oct. 24's Q&A panels with the show’s stars. Hair had claimed a seat in the front row, dead center, looking happy as a clam.
According to Lisa Garvey, who heads up marketing and special events at Graceland, the "General Hospital" Fan Celebration sold out in three weeks, the second year to do so.
“My mom got me into the show,” said Laura Guenther, who traveled with her mother for the event. “And we came here all the way from Norfolk, Nebraska. Carly and Sonny are our favorites.”
Mother and daughter were in luck. Laura Wright, the Emmy-winning actress who plays Carly, was moderating the panels all weekend.
We caught up with Wright first thing in the morning, before the day’s festivities got underway.
“I volunteered,” Wright explained proudly. “I asked to do it. Because I love talking to the fans and being out there. I love joking. I love being a part of the questions. I love hearing what the fans have to say. Yes. Also, I think I'm good at it. Where I'm not gonna maybe sing and dance at tonight’s Nurse’s Ball. That's really not my specialty.”
After watching several panels, it was easy to see why Wright had volunteered. She was comfortable joking with her co-stars, engaging with the audience and helping keep the conversations lively. She’s also the only actor to have attended all seven "General Hospital" Fan Celebrations at Graceland consecutively.
On Oct. 23 there was a welcome dinner and a spirited General Hospital Family Feud competition, where the stars battled it out head-to-head.
Oct. 24 consisted of autograph sessions and photo ops, plus a Nurses Ball planned for the evening where "General Hospital" cast members take the stage to sing and dance for the audience.
Behind the scenes in Port Charles
Plus, the Q&A panels kicked off in the morning with “Laredo Sunrise: From Fiction to Reality” featuring Kristen Vaganos and Josh Kelly, who play lovebirds Molly and Cody. (Kelly is no stranger to Memphis. He played Robbie Ellis on NBC's short-lived, made-in-Memphis "Bluff City Law.")
A recent episode involving Molly’s offer to join a top law firm in Chicago had all the fans speculating about whether Vaganos and Kelly might be leaving the show. The actors offered a few hints but stopped short of spelling out what the storyline might mean for the characters.
"I have a little should I take a job in Chicago moment," Vaganos explained.
She went on to tell the packed auditorium, "What I will say to your question is this. We were gonna go on a book tour to Nashville, we didn’t do that. We were gonna have a book party, we didn’t do that, sooooooo….”
The audience responded with applause, seemingly encouraged by the suggestion that the storyline might not unfold as expected.
Then Wright chimed in.
“And… they’re here.”
The applause grew louder.
Other panels on Oct. 24 included "Meet The Doctors of General Hospital" with Brook Kerr (Dr. Portia Robinson), Kelly Thiebaud (Dr. Britt Westbourne), and Sawandi Wilson (Dr. Isaiah Gannon).
Oct. 25's Q&As were set to feature "Dark Sided: The Complicated Men of Port Charles," featuring Rory Gibson (Michael) and Rick Hearst (Ric); and "Forever Friends (And Icons)" with Lynn Herring (Lucy) and John York (Mac).
The conversations offered fans a peek behind the scenes, along with some hints about what might lie ahead for their favorite characters.
One fan wanted to know whether Carly would ever reunite with Sonny. Wright had a straightforward answer.
"Alright, I'm gonna answer it the way I answered this recently,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Sonny cheated on Carly with Nina. And then he picked Nina. So, would you tell your daughter to go back to him? So that's when Carly's going back to Sonny.”
After a smattering of applause, Wright added another thought.
“But to be honest, you never know, it's a soap opera,” she said, laughing. “Carly can hit her head and forget about all that stuff he did. And you know what? I love Maurice (Benard). We love working together, and there's a lot of fun stuff coming up between Carly and Sonny, just not in the bedroom.”
The fast pace of daytime drama
If the romantic twists and turns keep fans guessing, the actors' work behind the scenes is no less demanding.
Playing a doctor on television might look easy enough, but remembering all that medical terminology while hitting marks and delivering dialogue at breakneck daytime television speed is another story.
“I did watch a clip of some actors on ‘Grey's Anatomy’ and they were saying that they — with their medical stuff — that they have their lines laying on the body,” Thiebaud said. “They’re reading them off of that. And I'm like, we can't do that. We are amazing because we do not get to do that.”
Kerr agreed.
“We're like in a theater, right? Or a play, so no, we don't get to do that.”
“No, we don't get to cheat, so kudos to us,” Thiebaud joked.
Daytime episodic television has long been known for its demanding production schedules, and Wright believes the pace can be eye-opening for actors accustomed to working differently.
“Oh, yes, I would think anyone in show business that came and spent a couple weeks doing what we do, and the way we do it, would agree," Wright said.
She recalled Oscar-nominated actor James Franco's brief stint on the show, describing the additional support he received while filming his scenes.
"You know, we've had actors, like, when James Franco came on, we shot all his stuff. Everyone brought him food when he needed to eat, and he had someone helping him run lines all day long, which is great, 'cause he's not used to doing what we do. But I would say if you take all that away and had an actor come in and do what we do and the way we do it, they would be floored.”
Catch up with the latest 'General Hospital' episodes on Hulu
More than 6 decades of connection
That kind of discipline is one reason "General Hospital" has endured for so long. But its staying power also comes down to something less tangible: the relationship between the stories unfolding in Port Charles and the people who've welcomed these stories into their own lives.
That's what you feel at Graceland.
The characters may come and go, romances may flourish or collapse, and secrets may eventually come to light. But for the fans gathered here, the show's greatest staying power lies in the connections it creates, not just with the characters on screen, but with the people who share their love for them.
For one weekend, a television tradition that has played out in living rooms for more than six decades becomes something fans can experience together, face to face.
And that may be the most meaningful story of all.
Brian Strickland is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. Contact him at brian.strickland@commercialappeal.com.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: ‘General Hospital’ stars, devoted fans gather at Graceland in Memphis
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