ABC Presents General Hospital with a Very Special Honor

General Hospital has received many honors throughout the course of the show’s history. Now, it has one more of which it can be proud. The stage where the ABC soap opera tapes has been awarded something special.

It Started Out in Port Charles Town

A spokesperson for GH shares that ABC Entertainment has honored the GH cast and crew by dedicating Stage 4 where GH tapes as “The General Hospital Stage.”

GH debuted on April 1, 1963, which means the show celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. The show began as a half-hour drama in black and white. It later was broadcast in color. Before becoming an hour in length, GH briefly experimented with the rare 45-minute format in the late 1970s.

Earlier this year, ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals President Craig Erwich exclusively talked to Soap Hub about the network’s commitment to the long-running serial. “[GH is] absolutely a tremendous pride for us,” Erwich shared. “The show’s been on for 60 years. That is a remarkable achievement. And the great thing about General Hospital is that it’s on daily. It’s an opportunity for us to delight, entertain, and surprise people on a daily basis. The joy is to have an audience who has watched the show for 60 years; they’re now watching with their kids and grandkids.”

GH holds the record for the most Daytime Emmy wins in the category of Outstanding Daytime Drama as it has taken home the statuette 16 times. To date, there have been 15,468 episodes of GH.

Frank Valentini serves as executive producer of General Hospital. GH’s head writers are Patrick Mulcahey and Elizabeth Korte. The show’s longest running cast members include Genie Francis (Laura), Kin Shriner (Scotty), Jane Elliot (Tracy), Lynn Herring (Lucy), Wally Kurth (Ned), John J. York (Mac), Steve Burton (Jason), and Maurice Benard (Sonny).