I hadn’t thought about Hank Eliot for years. He was part of the first gay storyline on As The World Turns (indeed, the first openly gay man on ANY soap).
I was reminded (as I often am) by a mention on We Love Soaps.
Oh, my. This was even better than I remembered in my memory! And the scene at the end gets me, in the Snyder kitchen. I really miss those people.
I remember Hank (Brian Starcher) coming out to Barbara and Shannon as well. (I wish I could see THOSE scenes!)
The beginning of the story was wonderful. There was some very realistic reactions from Paul and Andy.
It got weird at some point, with Hank’s path somehow crossing James Stenbeck, if I recall.
Hank’s arc on ATWT was one that defines the word “abrupt ending.” It was all very CLICK BOOM BYE. He was gone, quick as a flash, and almost never mentioned again….after nearly 18 months of us seeing him onscreen nearly every day.
Here’s a link to an interview with the late Douglas Marland and his writing team about this story.
A | THOUSAND | OTHER | WORLDS 