Back in the days when GH was at the forefront of sweeping stories, nothing had been on quite like the Stone Cates tale of a young heterosexual man with the HIV Virus. Not only that, he infected his young girlfriend, a major character on the show with the virus as well. His struggle and death was at the heart of one of the most classic of all GH arcs. Michael Sutton won a Daytime Emmy award for his work and appeared in two AIDS related PSAs and educational videos.
Branching out from his death, the popular Nurses' Ball was held every year in his honor. Many fans don't realize it ran from 1994-2001 and showcased some of the best talents on GH. One of my fave numbers was "Jail House Rock" featuring Taggert (Real Andrews), Dara Jenson (Vanita Harbor) and Lucky and Liz Webber. These Balls also gave us a glimpse into the stars other talents besides acting. They were a joy to watch. Unfortunately, because of budget concerns and the move to more block taping, these productions were cut.
Many GHers continue to do charity work for the AIDS cause. Alberta walked with team SCRUBS in the LA AIDS Walkathon last year. This year, Alberta raised $200 with the help of WUBS fans for the LA AIDS Cause. Alberta has also walked in the NYC AIDS charity event.
I dedicate this blog today to my childhood friend Mark who died from complications from the virus in 1988. He was a great guy and is missed so much.
I miss the Nurse's Ball SOOOO MUCH I started watching GH in 1999-2000 so I only saw a couple in real time but they are my favorites! I still have the a couple on VHS. I loved when PC and GH both did the Nurse's Ball - I think it was the Nurse's Ball and not some other party. I miss Lucy too. Stupid Guza.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that in the days of Glee and the wake of OLTL's musical episode, GH would bring back the Nurse's Ball! Imagine Robin, Brenda, Carly & Olivia organizing it? It would be so great!!
ReplyDeleteThe Nurses' Ball was one of the best things ever on GH. All that talent! And Lucy Coe is an all-time great character that I love and miss so much.
ReplyDeleteI loved Alan at the Nurses Ball and Audrey and loved loved Lucy.But its in the past all we have now is Mob,Mob,Mob so sick of it.....
ReplyDeleteWONDERFUL CLIP! oh I loved the Nurses Ball...a nice break in the drama for some singing and dancing and showing off what diverse actors were on the show. Did ya'll notice in the background shots all the fabulous people who have since passed on (Nurse Amy) or have been put on the back burner for so long we never get to see them?
ReplyDeleteWe've got enough people around to organize a yearly Ball...and if we can't get Lynn Herring back as Lucy, who wouldn't love to see Carly slip into Lucy Coe's shoes and get caught in her undies every year, hahahaha.
Thank you for this great post!
ReplyDeleteI really miss the Nurses Ball, it was a highlight for sure.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, and all of those affected by this terrible disease.
This will seem trite, but I learned more about HIV and AIDS from GH than I did from health class. Possibly because they put a face on the disease that I, in my sheltered small town life, never imagined. HIV and AIDS was solely a wasting, sinful disease of young gay men in New York City, if you believed the popular conception of the day. I believe GH (and Jesse on "Life Goes On") did a tremendous amount to turn that bigoted and damaging stereotype on its head. That GH no longer embraces the social responsibility it helped engender through cross-canvass shows like the Nurses' Ball is my biggest disappointment with the show.
ReplyDeleteHow I miss my old GH! Lucy, Kevin, Taggert, Felicia, Mac, Edward, Bobby, Catherine, Alan, Justus, Ned, Emily, the rest of the Cassadines....I really wish GH would return to it's glory. It's just not the same anymore. The cast would interact and they brought them all together for the Nurse's Ball. I wish we could have more than 2 people in a scene....I could think of so many storylines with the people who matter to the show. I don't care about all the new people...I could really care less about most of the new cast with no history or attachment to any one. Now I'm reading they are bringing in a new OB/GYN...Come on!! Use the talented cast you have and bring back the old characters we love who have ties to the people now. Wouldn't it be great if Lucy and Kevin came back? Lisa needs a Psych eval, and Brenda could use her old friend/manager....
ReplyDeleteMy favorite number was Mary Mae singing "Midnight Train to Georgia" with Luke, Lucky and Justis as the Pips. 1995, I believe. I had a smile through the entire song, and I remember being impressed that Tony Geary, who was still essentially the star of the show at that time, was a Pip.
ReplyDeleteYes, Skeebob, that was a great one!! Watching the Black T shirt marathon on soapnet made me very sad for the old days! Wow, Jason has bulked up over the years (in a good way!).
ReplyDeleteOne of the first episodes I saw was when Lucky and Luke did the blues brothers thing during the Nurses Ball...LOVED IT!
ReplyDeleteJen, I feel the same way. For the most part, I went to Catholic school, which never really touched on the issue of HIV/AIDS because that would mean having to talk about S-E-X. The one time it came up in class one of the teachers told us that we had nothing to worry about because only gay people got AIDS. At that point I was already watching GH, so I was baffled that anyone could be that stupid.
ReplyDeleteKaren, the Jailhouse Rock clip is one of my favorites.
Thank you for your post today. You really highlighted what is wrong with the current GH. They have made it easy for me not wach. I no longer care. The nurses balls was always such a hoot. They made it fun while highlighting an important issue.
ReplyDeleteOh, this was heaven to see! Amber dancing with her real-life father, Russ Tamblyn, Stuart singing and doing his cowardly lion, Luke and Lucky as Pips and dancing disco, Mary Mae, that beautiful blues singer, to see Ricky Martin again, and marvelous Lucy Coe, to even get to see some snips of the little dramas backstage, the wonderful Katherine and Lucy rivalry, A Martinez next to Bobbie, to get glimpses of all those past glories--and for a moment to remember how much I once loved Luke and why--what a great character he once was. And could he dance! How lovely to see how close he and Lucky once were, how young Lucky looked up to him. And to see he and Bobbie in the same scene!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Karen. This was a delight and I was wondering why they never put out a DVD with Nurses Ball highlights. But it would surely make us even more unhappy with the present mob show.
Loved the Nurses Ball! I MISS IT SOOO MUCH! Can you imagine what it would be like now with people like B.A,BB & N.P in the cast.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder if Lucky "playing" a cop was a glimpse into his future?