Soaps have transformed; just ask Francis

Soap operas keep transforming. There are no more tinkling teacups, no prolonged parlor chats, fewer empty moments.
But to look at the bigger changes, ponder Laura of “General Hospital,” as the show nears its 60th anniversary (April 1) and launches a multi-day celebration (April 3) — a week after “The Young and the Restless: (see separate story) has its 50th anniversary.
As a teen-ager, she was a date-rape victim … who then fell in love with her rapist. They married – drawing record ratings – and became the top couple in the soap world.
And now? “I love who she is,” Genie Francis (shown here in a previous anniversary), who plays her, told the Television Critics Association. “She was such a victim as a young woman. To see it flip around and have her be … this powerful woman who is the mayor. She doesn’t take crap from anyone.”
Francis is 60 now, the same age as the show. (She’s 10 months older.) She was 15 when she took a small role on “GH”; two years later, that exploded.
“At 17, you … do as you are told and you aim to please,” Francis said. “At 60, I don’t feel the need to defend that anymore. The (rape) story was inappropriate and I don’t condone it.”
But in a different era, Luke (Anthony Geary) and Laura (Francis) caught on. A show that had been last in the soap ratings eventually reached No. 1; the Luke-and-Laura wedding was seen by 30 million viewers, a soap record.
After Francis had been on the show for five years, wNBC lured her with a big-money deal. The network had little for her to do, however, except for a failed primetime soap
She returned to ABC for Geary’s farewell episodes – he later returned for a dozen years – and for two “North and South” mini-series. She’s had regular roles on three other soaps and has returned to “GH” for two more long stays.
Along the way, soap operas have wobbled. In 1982, ABC considered eliminating all three of its soaps; it spared only “General Hospital,” which is now on the network and on Hulu.
Ratings have continued to be modest, but by some measures the quality is there. “GH” has won the past two best-daytime-drama Emmys and four of the past seven.
By now, Francis is working with people who used to catch “GH” after school. “We grew up watching the show,” said Dan O’Connor,36, one of the two head writers. “I still have to pinch myself a little bit sometimes, when I’m writing certain characters.”
The co-stars are fans – or not. “I didn’t watch the show – or any other soap opera – before I came on,” said Nicholas Chavez.
He’s 23 and plays Spencer Cassadine, a prince (literally) and ex-convict who is fond of Trina Robinson, the daughter of a cop and a doctor. “I think I’s really nice to see two young people, two interracial people who love each other (and) try to jump over the barriers,” said Tabyana Ali, who plays her.
All of this is executed quickly. “I love the pace of the show …. I like that we work fast,” said Rebecca Herbst, 45, who’s been playing Elizabeth for 25 years.
Still, the working pace was even faster in the early days, Francis said. “I remember having to … trick the clothes so I could exit one set and rip them off as I ran to the next one.” Each scene was done quickly, preferably in one take. “There was no such thing as making a mistake.”
She’s had a lot to do. Laura had been a waitress, a secretary, a model, an adventurer, an entrepreneur and now a mayor. She’s been married five times (twice to Luke) and currently to Dr. Kevin Collins.
Laura has also had three children, but viewers haven’t seen Lulu in two years and Lucky in seven.
“Lucky and Lulu are out there,” said Chris Van Etten, a head writer. “You never know; they can come back at any time.”
If they do, they might be pleased to find a mayoral mom who doesn’t take crap from anyone.