|  ...Continued from previous page Luke also has an affinity for washrooms. Who can ever forget the sight of Luke straddling the seat while decoding the black book on top of the toilet tank in a booth in the washroom of Sally's bar? As Scorpio said when asked where Luke has gone, "Where he always goes when he gets excited--to the men's room." But then, where else can one find complete privacy? Actually, he doesn't mind entertaining in his apartment bathroom, as we saw the morning Laura settled there to watch him shave. Luke is totally compulsive; he can do nothing by halves. When he sets up a con, he makes it so unnecessarily elaborate, he often gets caught in it himself, On a mission to the airport kennels, using a borrowed mutt as a subterfuge, he gives his dog-owner impersonation an effeminate manner. The woman in charge traps him into revealing his real name and he blames the dug. "See what you've done?!" he hisses as he carries the mutt out, "You've ruined my reputation!" In his dealings with people, Luke has many faces. He is polite to people he hates and can do nothing about, such as Rick Webber, Lee Baldwin, and last year, Frank Smith. He is volatile, snide and insulting to people he hates and can handle, such as Bill Watson and Alex Quartermaine. He lies easily to anyone he does not value, is honest and straightforward with anyone he does. His charm is enormous, in both its conscious and unconscious forms. He is not above playing on his loved ones' emotions, can sweet talk Bobbi [sic], win Ruby with a wink and he handles Laura better than anyone else could, teasing away her scolds by orchestrating her dialogue like a maestro conducting. He likes to take the curse off his romantic pretentions [sic] by mocking them before anyone else can laugh at them, but the truth is, he is the soul of romance and Laura loves the little fantasies he creates. Their love affair has always been more spice than sugar. Not since Bacall taught Bogie how to whistle has there been such a satisfying--and titillating--case of screen chemistry as the one between Geary and his co-star Genie Francis. When these two get together the tube starts humming with excitement and the underlying sexual tension colors the screen like a red glow. This is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he looks like a long-stemmed dandelion gone to seed, and she looks like a pure little Alice out of Wonderland. If there is any explanation, it is that they are real. She still gets occasional pimples, he sports shaving nicks; she makes tap-water tea, he trims the burnt edges off fried eggs: she snores and wheezes in her sleep, he keeps his garbage in his closet with his $300 suits; she answers the door to him in jammies and unkempt hair, he shows his face to her bewhiskered; both have to clear off a chair if anyone decides to sit in their abodes, and when it comes to game playing, they mutually hold the five Gold Medals. Actually, they rather appreciate each other's flaws and they can put up with more from each other than anyone else could stand from either of them. Their love scenes are the hottest on daytime TV, though they are usually played fully clothed. Again, it is that remarkable reality that makes it seem as if the steam is rising off the bodies. Laura's lipstick is kissed off, she gets whisker-burn blush, her hair comes undone, her dress looks explored--and Luke looks in equal deshabille [sic]. The actors forego looking beautiful for the sake of looking human and aroused. Tony and Genie's professional rapport is awesome. Every line Laura speaks runs across Luke's face and every line Luke speaks runs across Laura's face. The flow between them is like one continuous thread, like a single reading, instead of two separate readings. Their characters' love affair has become among the most convincing in screen history. Geary has, in fact, brought the leading man business into a whole new era. He is an actor who can make us believe anything and while he isn't regulation handsome, he can be gorgeous if he is concentrating. God gave him all the right actor's tools: a long, dramatically useful nose, a soft, sensuous mouth, and a pair of riveting blue eyes of the kind that used to be called "bedroom" because the pupils are half hooded by the upper lids. The voice itself is not special: his use of it is. His face is so readable he makes other actors seem blank. That expressive face is interpreting the entire storyline for us, thus creating a dependency in the viewer. He is listening, absorbing, reacting, and we must watch him all the time if we are to understand what is going on in a scene. We are afraid to look away, we might miss something. As Geary has lightened his character, the show has lightened as well. The show now has the feel of improvisational theatre, has opened up to comedy and multi-level character development. The traditional hand-wringing, domestic and medical agonies that used to be the familiar fodder of GH are gone. Geary's presence has been felt on all fronts. Of course, there is danger in allowing an actor to swallow a show, even a magnificent actor. Geary is given so much screen time that the other storylines are rather sketchily developed and on his days off, the show practically stops breathing. Also, the actor is so inventive, so incredibly gifted, that it does seem at times the directors may be a bit in awe of him and do not hold him down as they should. He is no under-player--and his upfront technique can slip into hamminess on a loose day. Still, even when he overdoes it, he is endearing about it and the next scene may be so touching, so exactly right, that you quickly forgive his excesses. Geary's Luke Spencer, unlike many leading men on soaps, is a strong man who dominates his own storyline and has never been manipulated or easily deceived, nor is he hampered by a tedious nobility. As long as Tony Geary can find fresh things to say about him, Luke and General Hospital seem destined to remain the fans' number one favorites. Cover of the March Issue of Afternoon TV
Want more Memory Lane? Click: Laura: The All American Girl The Ice Princess Story 1981: Us Magazine, Interview with Tony Geary Lucky's Death
Who is Anna Devane? The Death of BJ Jones
The Car Dealership (Sonny & Brenda meet) Robert Scorpio The Rape Halloween 2003 2004
Heather Webber
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