I've been an avid soap opera fan since I was a teenager, so I thought it would be fun to revisit some past and present daytime dramas. We're going to begin with Luke and Laura's wedding on ABC's General Hospital, which 30 million people tuned in to watch on November 17, 1981. It remains the highest-rated episode in American soap opera history. I'm also featuring 15 other episodes of the series from November 1981, which include Elizabeth Taylor's multi-episode arc as Helena Cassadine.
CAST
Ruby Anderson - Norma Connolly
Dr. Gail Baldwin - Susan Brown
Lee Baldwin - Peter Hansen
Scotty Baldwin - Kin Shriner
Jessie Brewer - Emily McLaughlin
Helena Cassadine - Elizabeth Taylor
Delfina - Nita Talbot
Dr. Noah Drake - Rick Springfield
Alice Grant - Lieux Dressler
Audrey Hardy - Rachel Ames
Dr. Steve Hardy - John Beradino
Tommy Hardy - Bradley Green
Tiffany Hill - Sharon Wyatt
Claudia Johnston - Bianca Ferguson
Slick Jones - Eddie Ryder
Joe Kelly - Douglas Sheehan
Rose Kelly - Loanne Bishop
Anne Logan - Susan Pratt
Charlie Lutz - Ken Smolka
Emma Lutz - Merrie Lynn Ross
Mike - David Mendenhall
Susan Moore - Gail Rae Carlson
Bryan Phillips - Todd Davis
Georgia Price - Lisa Figus
Dr. Alan Quartermaine - Stuart Damon
Edward Quartermaine - David Lewis
Lila Quartermaine - Anna Lee
Dr. Monica Quartermaine - Leslie Charleson
Capt. Burt Ramsey - Bob Hastings
Stacy Rawlins - Robin Eisenman
Dan Rooney - Frank Maxwell
Robert Scorpio - Tristan Rogers
Bobbie Spencer - Jacklyn Zeman
Laura Baldwin Spencer - Genie Francis
Luke Spencer - Anthony Geary
Dr. Zack Stewart - Steve Doubet
Amy Vining - Shell Kepler
Heather Webber - Robin Mattson
Dr. Lesley Webber - Denise Alexander
Dr. Rick Webber - Chris Robinson
Agnes Whitaker - Beth Peters
Whit Whitaker - Mark Underwood
Monday, November 2, 1981
Noah Drake and Bobbie Spencer share a romantic dinner. A drunk Lee Baldwin, who blames Luke and Laura for ruining his son Scotty's life, burns Laura's divorce decree.
Wednesday, November 4, 1981
Luke angrily confronts Lee and wants to know if he knows anything about Laura's missing divorce decree. Fearing she could lose custody of her son, Heather Webber breaks into her mother's house to search for a document that would help prove she is an unfit mother - but instead she finds a gun.
Thursday November 5, 1981
When Heather is stopped for speeding, the police discover that she has Alice's gun. A ballistic report later shows that the gun is the one that killed Diana Taylor, and Heather is held on suspicion of murder. Meanwhile, Laura's girlfriends throw her a surprise bridal shower.
Friday, November 6, 1981
Tiffany's friend Delfina arrives with designs for Laura's wedding dress. Lee finally admits to Luke that he burned the divorce decree, and he then accompanies Luke and Joe Kelly to Mexico to get a duplicate copy.
Tuesday, November 10, 1981
Special guest star Elizabeth Taylor makes her debut as Mikkos Cassadine's widow Helena, who invites all the prominent citizens of Port Charles to attend a reception she is giving. Luke believes that Scotty stole Laura's divorce decree, which is missing from a ransacked records office in Mexico.
Wednesday, November 11, 1981
Laura decides to get a quickie Mexican divorce, despite the risk that if Scotty contests it, the divorce could be ruled invalid - and she could be convicted of bigamy.
Thursday, November 12, 1981
Helena Cassadine tells Steve Hardy and others that she plans to announce a generous gift to General Hospital during her reception - but only if they are all in attendance.
Friday, November 13, 1981
Luke and Laura return from Mexico. Robert and Slick throw a wild bachelor party for Luke, whose Aunt Ruby pops out of a cake dressed as a chorus girl.
Monday, November 16, 1981
It's Luke and Laura's wedding day, and the guests begin arriving at the mayor's mansion for the nuptials.
Tuesday, November 17, 1981
Helena Cassadine secretly watches the wedding ceremony, and she later puts a curse on the newlyweds because she blames them for her husband's death. Scotty Baldwin catches Laura's bridal bouquet during the reception, and he and Luke get into a fight. Luke and Laura then leave on their honeymoon.
Wednesday, November 18, 1981
A bitter and vengeful Scotty, who blames Luke and Laura for ruining his life, admits to his parents that he broke into the Mexican courthouse and stole the divorce decree. Meanwhile, the newlyweds return to the Whitaker farm in Beecher's Corners for their honeymoon.
Thursday, November 19, 1981
Helena Cassadine says there will be no gift for General Hospital unless Luke attends a private meeting with her, so he interrupts his honeymoon to pay her a visit. Later at her reception, Helena presents the hospital with a check for $10 million dollars in the name of Mikkos Cassadine. Rick and Lesley like Tiffany's idea to turn the Cassadine yacht, the Titan, into a floating nightclub.
Friday, November 20, 1981
Scotty gets his beard shaved off and decides to return to Lee's law practice. He insists that he no longer wants to cause any trouble for Luke and Laura.
Tuesday, November 24, 1981
Down on the farm, Luke wears overalls without a shirt. Meanwhile, Susan makes a lunch date with Monica, who informs her that if Alan sues for a divorce, he would lose custody of Alan Jr. and possibly a lot of the Quartermaine fortune.
Thursday, November 26, 1981
Luke and Laura arrive home for Thanksgiving as the Hardys, the Quartermaines and the Webbers all host separate holiday gatherings. Meanwhile, Scotty secretly plays a cruel prank on Ruby Anderson and the Spencers.
Monday, November 30, 1981
Lee confronts Scotty about the cruel Thanksgiving Day prank, but Scotty insists that he had nothing to do with it. Scotty later apologizes to Luke for his behavior at the wedding reception. And Rick proposes to Lesley, who happily accepts.
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