The day after "General Hospital" aired its fabulous 55 anniversary show, Kin Shriner, (Scotty) who has been with the show on and off for over 40 years, tweeted the not so fabulous news that "Scott Baldwin has left the building." A second post about his exit was removed, but for now it appears he is checking out of the hospital.
If this is true, that will be bad news for viewers as well as the cast and crew of the show.
The first time I interviewed Shriner was over 30 years ago. At the time it was reported that he was the highest paid actor on daytime. "Not true." He claimed. "I am doing OK. But ever since that made the news I keep getting hit up for money from people I don't even know."
He was shy and almost defendant at the time. He looked at the tops of his shoes for most of the chat. Talking about himself was not something he relished. He was always polite and never skirted any question.
He grew up in a show business family. As a kid, I remember my parents watching his dad Herb on television. He had a folksy talk show and played the harmonica — his theme song was "Back Home in Indiana." In fact, Kin's sister was named Indiana. Kin is a twin. His brother Wil is younger by eight minutes. It seemed the family had a charmed life. Then tragedy struck. Herb and Kin's mother "pixie" were killed in a car crash. The twins were 16. The kids moved to Texas to be raised by their grandmother.
Kin decided he wanted to act and headed to California. When Scott first appeared on "General Hospital," he was the hero. Before the super power couple Luke and Laura we had Scotty and Laura. He was her knight in shining armor. Then along came Tony Geary (Luke) and suddenly Scott was the outcast.
When Shriner decided to leave GH the first time, the show's legendary producer was not happy. At that time, an actor only left the show if Monty wanted them to. He was gone for years and never mentioned. At the time Monty said, "Why would I give someone who was leaving a story?"
A few years later at the daytime Emmy's, I was sitting next to Shriner when Monty breezed in, put her cheeck next to his mouth and practically demanded a kiss. He obliged.
Shriner would exit the show many a time, going to work on primetime as a guest star in roles on other soaps.
"Kin being Kin" is often endearing. When an actress joined GH for a short time, he realized she was in trouble. He helped her out financially and got her into rehab. She no longer acts, and she says "Kin saved my life."
Shriner always welcomed newcomers to the set. He takes them to lunch at the commissary and fills them in on the show. Actors who share scenes with him delight in his acting skills.
And, oh, that hair! One day, Kin decided to get a haircut without telling the producers. One of Scotty's traits was his Beatles-eque hair.
Hopefully Shriner is not being slashed from the show. He can play comedy, tragedy and even makes in between traits a wonder to watch.
To find out more about Lynda Hirsch and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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