Black and White . . . In Color

You’re invited to view another historic wedding. . . .

This one airs Feb. 26 on ABC’s “General Hospital.” The bride is Dr. Simone Ravelle (Laura Carrington). The groom is Dr. Tom Hardy (David Wallace), son of one of Port Charles’ most respected couples, Dr. Steve and Audrey Hardy (original cast members John Beradino and Rachel Ames).

What’s so historic? The bride is black--and the groom is white. Which makes this a TV event of some significance.

As exec producer Wes Kenney observed: “It’s very rare for daytime or even prime time to have an interracial marriage. In the course of the last 10 or 15 years, a number of the soaps have approached the situation, but I don’t recall that anyone’s followed through.”

At first it looked as if there might be a twist. See, this handsome black athlete comes to town. Hospitalized for heart problems caused by steroid use, he falls in love with Simone and proposes. She says yes--but out of guilt, after she was unable to assist him medically.

After the young athlete’s death, Simone and Tim are reunited and Simone’s mother, initially objecting, comes around.

As for the future, both actors are under two-year contracts. And don’t expect race-y problems either, said Kenney. “They’re going to have the same kind of problems that any other pair of young professionals would encounter.”