General Hospital Stars Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes Draw Big Crowd at Norwood Junior High-October 19, 1987

Soap Opera Stars Draw 200 Fans to Norwood Junior High-October 19, 1987

Nearly 200 devoted fans packed the auditorium at Norwood Junior High School yesterday, shelling out $12 in advance or $15 at the door for a chance to meet television stars Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes, best known for playing the beloved characters Duke and Anna on the hit daytime soap opera General Hospital.

“This is the first time I’ve ever gone to anything like this,” said Muriel Young, 69, of Walpole, sitting excitedly in the front row with an Instamatic camera in hand. “I’m really looking forward to this very much. The other soaps bore me, but this one’s always got mystery or action going on, always different.”

The star-studded event was organized by Friends of General Hospital, a nationwide fan club founded about a year earlier by Norwood resident Janet Wroe, which had already grown to roughly 400 members across the country. While fans reveled in the excitement, Jeremy Ritzer, agent for Ian Buchanan, candidly noted that the actors’ weekend tour appearances served a practical purpose. “We do it for the money,” Ritzer acknowledged, explaining that appearance fees ranged from $1,500 to $3,000 depending on location and crowd size, with the Norwood stop pulling in close to $3,000.

Q&A Highlights and Humorous Banter-October 19, 1987

The audience was largely composed of young people aged 15 to 25, nearly all of them female, many of whom purchased $2 glossy photos for the actors to autograph. Laurie Aiton, a senior at Norwood High School, remarked, “The price of the photos was a little steep. I didn’t mind the price to get in, though. It’s worth it. We got to see what they’re really like, pretty cool and not phony.”

Among the few male attendees was Michael Wroe, 20, of Norwood, who was on hand strictly to assist his mother, the fan club president. “I’ve never watched it, never will,” Wroe admitted. “I find soaps boring. Some of it can be silly, too. There was one plot line where they were going to freeze the whole world. C’mon.”

The highlight of the afternoon featured Buchanan, 32, and Hughes, 27, sitting on stage stools answering audience questions for an hour:

• When an audience member asked, “Ian, you’ve traveled all over the world. Where would you go to spend a perfect, romantic weekend?”, Buchanan quipped, “Norwood, Mass.“—a reply that drew hysterical shrieks of laughter before he added Paris to his list.
• Asked by a fan what brand of hairspray she used, Hughes admitted she had no idea, while Buchanan noted he used none at all, prompting more amused laughter.

Discussing their future career plans, Hughes revealed her General Hospital contract was set to expire in two months with her return uncertain, while Buchanan noted his contract ran through May. Buchanan also shared that he would soon appear in a film starring actress Demi Moore slated for release the following year, alongside plans to star in a Los Angeles stage play. A photograph by Susan Walsh captured the actors signing autographs for eager fans at the junior high school.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger