General Hospital (soap opera)

    (ABC Daytime, 1963 - present)

    [Since most soap operas had some overtone or sub-plot involving
     illness or injury, it was only a matter of time before an
     entire soap opera would be set in a hospital; This ground-
     breaking event took place in 1963; And what was even more
     astonishing was that TWO networks premiered such a soap on
     the same date -- April 1, 1963 -- April Fools' Day; On that 
     auspicious day both ABC's "General Hospital" and NBC's 
     "The Doctors" debuted;

     Of course, spies from one network probably got the other one
     thinking "what a great idea"; But it was "General Hospital"
     that won the "test of time"; "The Doctor's" ended after a
     long 19 season run, in 1982; "General Hospital" is still going;

     This series was the U.S. series; another series with the
     same name appeared in Great Britain with a THEME written 
     by Ron Grainer]


Theme 1 (1963 - 1975): "General Hospital Theme"

    [above is title as filed for copyright;
     ASCAP title variations...
     "Theme for 'General Hospital'"]

     Composer: Kip Walton (ASCAP)

     Orig. Publisher: Jonathan Music Co., Inc. (BMI)

     1978 Publisher:

     2002 Publisher: American Broadcasting Music, Inc. (ASCAP)
                        div. of ABC Television
                        of New York, NY

     Copyright Date: Jun. 24, 1964; Eu 832 009.
     Renewal   Date: 

     Recordings:


Theme 2 (1975 - 1976): "New Theme for General Hospital"

    [above is the title as filed for copyright; ASCAP title variation...
     aka: "General Hospital (Signature)"; Wright was the organist for
     the series after Kip Walton left]

     Composer: George Wright (ASCAP)

     Orig. Publisher:

     1978 Publisher: 

     2002 Publisher: Fred Bock Music Company, Inc. (ASCAP)
                        of Tarzana, CA 

     Copyright Date: Apr. 25, 1975; Eu 581 561.
     Renewal   Date:

     Recordings:


Theme 3 (1976 - 1993): "Autumn Breeze"

    [aka: "Theme to General Hospital";
     aka: "General Hospital"]

     Composer: Jack Urbont (BMI)

     Orig. Publisher: ABC/Dunhill Music Co. (BMI)

     1978 Publisher:

     2002 Publisher: ABC Circle Music, Inc. (BMI)
                        div. of ABC Television
                        of New York, NY

     Copyright Date: Jul. 26, 1976; Eu 701 049.
     Renewal   Date: 

     Recordings:


Theme 4 (1993 - ): "General Hospital Theme"

    [vocal title aka: "Faces Of The Heart";

     General Hospital was a long-running soap; How long was it?
     Co-composer David Stephen Koz was born the same year (1963)
    "General Hospital" premiered; 30 years later he is writing
     its THEME song...]

     Composers: Jack Urbont (BMI),
                David Stephen Koz (BMI) and
                Jeff Koz (BMI)

     Orig. Publisher:

     1978 Publisher:

     2002 Publisher: ABC Circle Music, Inc. (BMI)
                        div. of ABC Television
                        of New York, NY

     Copyright Date:
     Renewal   Date: 

     Recordings:


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