Jessie Brewer

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Jessie Brewer
General Hospital character
Emily McLaughlin as Jessie Brewer in 1967
Portrayed byEmily McLaughlin (1963–91)
Aneta Corsaut (temp, 1976)
Rebecca Herbst (flashback, 2015)
Duration
  • 1963–91
  • 2015
First appearanceApril 1, 1963
Last appearanceMarch 1, 1991
April 1, 2015 (flashback)
Classification
Peter Taylor
(1969–1970)
ChildrenNancy Brewer
Unnamed Child (miscarriage)
Nieces and nephewsCaroline Murray
Kent Murray

Jessie Brewer R.N. (also Murray) is a fictional character from the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. She was played by actress Emily McLaughlin, from the show's premiere on April 1, 1963, until McLaughlin's death in 1991.[1] On April 1, 2015, Rebecca Herbst portrayed the character in a flashback for the show's 52nd anniversary.

Casting and Conception

Young Dr. Malone.[1] Registered nurse Jessie Brewer spoke the opening line of the premiere episode, "Seventh floor, nurses station," a phrase that became a staple in the show's early years. The series' original premise centered on the drama of Brewer and Dr. Steve Hardy's personal lives and experiences at General Hospital.[2] When she died on April 26, 1991,[1] the show wrote in the character's off-screen death. Actor and friend John Beradino (Steve Hardy
) gave an on-air announcement and moment of silence the week after her death.

In 1976, while McLaughlin was on medical leave for internal bleeding, photographer and actress Aneta Corsaut stepped in to play Brewer for a six-week period. Corsaut felt she had big shoes to fill, as she said to the Ocala Star-Banner, "I know everyone on the show practically worships her, which made it difficult for me at first."[3]

On April 1, 2015, Rebecca Herbst portrayed the character in a flashback for the show's 52nd anniversary. Herbst has portrayed Elizabeth Webber on the show since 1997.

Storylines

Jessie Brewer worked at General Hospital as a nurse for many years, and was close friends with

Ruby Anderson
which made Jessie secretly jealous. When Ruby confronted Jessie over what she perceived as a slight in behavior, Jessie realized that she was acting childish and apologized, although she would on occasion go to concerts and other social events with Dan when Ruby wasn't available.

As the 1980s moved on, Jessie's appearances became more scattered, although she was around for various hospital crises such as the attempt by

Angie Costello
, one of her former patients, and Steve mentions that Jessie had died some time ago. Jessie is honored in a 2013 anniversary episode along with Amy Vining at the annual nurse's ball.

Reception

Jessie Brewer is regarded as one of the integral aspects of the early years of General Hospital. Gary Warner, author of General Hospital: The Complete Scrapbook, told the Los Angeles Times in 1995: "A lot of people don't even know how important a character [Jessie] was. Pivotal for exactly 15 years. From 1963 to the late '70s, Jessie was it. She got me into soaps. I just remember being mesmerized by her eyes, those sad eyes. Anything and everything that could possibly go wrong in her life went wrong."[4]

In 2023, Charlie Mason from

Soaps She Knows placed Jessie #7 on his ranked list of General Hospital’s 40+ Greatest Characters of All Time, commenting that "Steve Hardy’s stalwart right-hand woman was the all-time most-tortured soap-opera martyr. Emily McLaughlin’s dedicated nurse never ceased to volunteer her big heart for breaking."[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Emily McLaughlin; 28 Years on 'General Hospital'". Los Angeles Times. 1991-04-27. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  2. ^ Shaw, Jessica (1994-04-01). "'Hospital' Birth". Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  3. ^ Reed, Jon-Michael (1977-02-03). "Actress Does A 'Double Take'". Ocala Star-Banner. pp. 9A. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  4. ^ Rorke, Robert (December 31, 1995). "Retro : Before 'ER,' There Was 'General Hospital'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
  5. Soaps She Knows
    . Retrieved 17 July 2023.

External Reading

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