The Time Colonel Sanders Showed Up On General Hospital
The long and famed list of guest stars appearing during the soap opera General Hospital's record run includes the likes of George Takei, Chandra Wilson, Carla Hall, and even Elizabeth Taylor. Now General Hospital can add another legend to that list—Colonel Sanders. If you're thinking crispy, crunchy, "finger lickin' good" thoughts, then you are spot on.
Maxie Jones (Kristen Storms) invites friend Lulu Falconeri (Emme Rylan) to her place for some decompressing time over a shared bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. "He's so witty, it's almost exhausting," quips Maxie as she responds to text messages. "Wait, are we talking about The Colonel?" Lulu asks excitedly (via YouTube).
If that wasn't great enough, Maxie has another surprise in store for Lulu, a visit from Maxie's dear friend, the Colonel himself (via TV Guide). The doorbell rings, and Lulu begins, "There's no way that's who's at the..." The door swings open, and Colonel Harland Sanders (George Hamilton) stands clad in his trademark crisp, white suit. His demeanor is jovial despite the serious threat to his life's work he will soon share with the two women (via YouTube).
Why did Colonel Sanders show up on General Hospital?
As consumer tolerance for lengthy commercials has decreased, product placement has been on the rise. Well-integrated product placement generates an advertising value to the tune of about 4 billion dollars (via Syracuse University). Would the Colonel's somewhat bizarre cameo on General Hospital qualify as "well-integrated?" Maybe not, but Maxie and Lulu certainly don't bat an eye at the absurdity of the situation.
Surely, the tweets back and forth between KFC and General Hospital generated some fun buzz about the 2018 episode. Kentucky Fried Chicken began live-tweeting episodes of General Hospital leading up to the premier. General Hospital nudged that "Friday's guest star is so top secret, Spinelli had to encrypt this message."
The Colonel announced that he "will get to live the dream I've always dreamed and appear in the soap opera that captured my heart as a boy" in an episode slated to air on National Fried Chicken Day, of course (via Fox News).
Colonel Sanders needs help protecting his secret recipe
Star-struck but composed, Maxi, Lulu, and the Colonel discuss herb and spice driven espionage. The Syndicate, a vague, but clearly evil, organization of computer hackers, set out to steal the secret recipe. With the help of Maxie and Damien Spinelli (Bradford Anderson), they were able to stave off the threat, but only for a time (via The List). When Lulu, a journalist, urges the Colonel to retell his story on the record, promising to be fair and objective, the Colonel does not doubt her intentions. He reveals, "I was once cursed by a warlock, and amongst other things, I can see right into the soul of a person." A dramatic confession, but okay. "My story stays off the record," he insists (via YouTube).
"Is there a place in this apartment where one can secure valuables... a place no one would think to look?" Colonel Sanders implores. Maxi reveals a false book with a hidden compartment that was actually created for her by Spinelli. Here, the Colonel stashes the secret recipe itself as it seems the Syndicate remains relentless in their pursuit of the renowned 11 herbs and spices (via YouTube).
Duty calls and the Colonel begs his leave in service of fried chicken lovers everywhere, and with a hearty laugh, he declares, "Stay crispy and stay humble" (via YouTube).