MY DAY AT OPRAH!
 By Paul Hirsch of Oak Park, IL

When I heard that Oprah was doing a ˜Soap Opera Legends" show, I knew I needed to be a part of this. I headed straight to Oprah's website and wrote about my loyal ABC soap watching habit since the age of nine. (I'm 45 now.) It took many edits to keep the entry down to 2,000 characters“ There was so much to say. How any hours of ˜General Hospital" and ˜All My Children" viewing had I clocked in over 35 years? (I shudder to think!) How many days of school did I miss (pre-VCR) wanting to check out what Luke and Laura were up to?

My efforts were in vain. I found out later that the show was set to tape the next morning. Miraculously, the blizzard in Chicago halted the Oprah show for the first time ever. Through a friend, I was put in touch with one of Oprah's producers, who told me she could get me in the audience for the rescheduled taping two days later. I was ecstatic! No one was told which soap stars would be in attendance when I checked in at 10 a.m. on Feb. 4. (We were told taping would start at approximately 1:30 p.m.) While having breakfast across the street from Harpo Studios, I received an e-mail from a producer, letting me know that they were running a few hours late.

And so waiting began. I lined up again. We were all told the cameras and cell phones were strictly prohibited in the studio. (I'd read that in the contract I had signed as well, but I was hoping there was some loophole.) Once upstairs in the "holding" room, sans my iPhone, there was nothing to do but bond with fellow soap fans “ all of whom were excited to share their favorite shows, storylines, and their dream guests. The person I most hoped would be there was Genie Francis. ˜Laura" was the reason I had tuned into˜General Hospital" long before Luke had arrived in Port Charles.

Of course I also hoped that Tony Geary would be there, but many of us didn't think doing Oprah was his ˜style".

Having ˜031" on my form, I was certain to get a good spot once we were allowed in the studio. Or not. At nearly 2 p.m., groups of people were called down by name to line up.  When the room appeared 1/3 empty, they called for group 1-50. Once inside the
studio, I was ushered in toward the back“ but at least I sat on an aisle “ in case I decided to rush the stage. (Which I considered when Luke and Laura came
out!)

A few of the things I noticed that they edited out:
Tony and Oprah recalled the night before he appeared on AM Chicago with her in the early 80s. Tony introduced Oprah to Ouzo that night and they apparently did many shots of it. Both of them were hung-over during the live show. They showed a clip from that show. In it, a girl asked Tony if it was true that he did his love scenes in the buff. He admitted this, but said he stopped once Emma Samms laughed at him when he ran across the set while naked after a scene. Genie was quick to add that he was always covered up when he was with her and that he was always a gentleman. Tony was very sensitive considering their significant age difference.

Also edited out was
Genie telling of her craziest scene, when Laura jumped from the plane after Luke tossed her bag out, when the infamous duo landed back in Port Charles in 1993.

It was magical watching them all on stage, and well worth the hours of waiting. I hope to see them reunited on General Hospital one day.