General Hospital: Black and White Ball, Part 2

amp160There actually were some decently written scenes one of which I will examine in depth Itamp8217s this kind of good work done by dialogue writers that makes bad soaps more watchableamp160What also often helps to make bad soap storytelling better is the creative work of actors who bring the scenes to life Hereamp8217s an examination of the three performances and one standout scene during the Black and White Ball that really elevated the awful overall plottingamp160Anthony Geary and Jane Elliott Luke and Tracy Quartermaine Spencer amp160What a treat for you young viewers who werenamp8217t around to see either of these actors in the late amp821770s and amp821780s when their originally villainous characters became legends Their many scenes leading up to and following Luke39s heart attack at the Ball at Wyndemere offered a rare chance to see how dynamic talented and creative they areamp160We always thought Luke and Tracy39s was a marriage of convenience but during these scenes of sudden illness the pair displayed the deep and marvelously mature love that has somehow grown between them amp8220You dragged me out of the past with Laura and propelled me into my futureamp8221 Luke confessed to Tracyamp160Wowsa Their scenes together were so unexpectedly and richly romanticamp160Question Was the development of the real deep love displayed by Luke and Tracy in the wake ofamp160his heart attack in the script or did the actors invent it Elliot has always been a sharply intelligent actress Geary is notorious for writing his own lines Calling Tracy amp8220wifeamp8221 in all the dialogue sounds both Shakespearean and Gearyian to meamp160What made the Luke and Tracy scenes all the richer was that we the audience have closely walked down 30 years worth of separate paths with these characters And here they are sharing a love that is even sweeter since we39ve watched them as separate characters both rogues struggle and suffer all these yearsamp160I reveled in the Spencersamp8217 depth of emotion Middleaged love is never portrayed on daytime anymore It takes actors of great intelligence to understand and realistically communicate this kind of mature emotion Bravo Who would ever have predicted that Geary and Elliot would become the Lunts of daytime televisionamp160John Ingle Edward talking to Robin Christopher39s Skye who had just told him of Emilyamp8217s death Ingle brilliantly delivered a long monologue that had to be the smartest written scene of the last soap year In his agony Edward compared himself to the megasuccessfulamp160businessman Joseph P Kennedy hisamp160idol whom he had supposedly met while he was in college All his life Kennedy was ruthless and successful in business only to see an astounding number of children and grandchildren die before their time Edward conducted his businesses the same way and now added the death of granddaughter Emily to those of sons Alan Justus and grandson AJamp160Whoever wrote this monologue deserves an Emmy for relating similarities in the lives of Kennedy and Edward Q and writing about them so elegantly on a soap opera Real people from history are hardly ever talked about in soaps Marlena a one time American history teacher stood up during Ingle39s scene saluted the screen and shouted amp8220Thank goodness someone in class was listeningamp8221amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160amp160Ingle did the material so proud I was wondering if the GH writing staff had written it as a valentine to the actor As you may know Ingle was the beloved acting teacher at Beverly Hills High for many years in addition to being a highly respected professional actor If they had to knock off yet another member of the Quartermaine family some writer with brains at GH figured out that the oldest Quartermaine had to be asking himself whyamp160Let39s be glad Joseph P Kennedy has a long listing in Wikipediaamp160But seriously I salute all the creative people at General Hospital whose efforts made the dreadful BampampW Ball more than a haunted houseful of hooeyamp160Read more about soaps with Marlena at wwwmarlenadelacroixcomamp160amp160amp160

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General Hospital: Black and White Ball, Part 2

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Elaine Liner

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

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General Hospital: Black and White Ball, Part 2

Elaine Liner

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

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