WEDNESDAY WISH-CRAFT - A TRIFECTA FOR DR. MATT HARMON

Today's soap opera spotlight is on Dr. Matt Harmon, formerly a surgeon at General Hospital in Port Charles, NY.  I was looking for information on an actor who was playing blind in a TV show and I was curious as to whether or not he was blind in real life.  That quest led me to this entry in TV Tropes:

Actor Mitch Longley was paralyzed in a car accident his senior year in high school. Despite this, he went on to be a very successful actor, with roles on several TV shows and soap operas, including one where he played a physician. He was written as "normally" as possible. Any difficulties in mobility were also incorporated into the show—a narrow-minded supervisor was reluctant to let him participate in a surgical rotation, and he was given a groundbreaking storyline in which his character embarked on a romance with another—it was made clear that his injuries had not affected his sexual abilities.

"My disability is a huge thing to some people, but to me it's just a personal characteristic like hair color. I'm hoping that in a few years, it won't even be an issue for me as an actor because it will be so commonplace."

From Wikipedia:
Mitch Longley (born June 23, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his role of Matt Harmon on the soap opera 'Port Charles' (1997-2000).

On March 13, 1983, after attending a Senior class party, Mitch was involved in a serious car accident in which he fell asleep at the wheel of his car a few blocks from home wrecking his car by plowing into a wall. He was 17 and a half years old when he learned he suffered a spinal cord injury and would be a paraplegic. 

That did not deter Longley from his childhood dreams of becoming an actor.  After graduating from Northeastern, he moved back home to Rowayton, Ct., and became a model for Ralph Lauren.  From that he was discovered by 'Another World' and landed the role of Byron Pierce, a lawyer at Cass Winthrop's firm. 

But as much as a breeding ground for crossovers as that show was, it is his next role, as Dr. Matt Harmon, which interests me as a crossoverist.  (That, and the fact that Longley is from my home state.)

'Port Charles' was one of two spin-offs from 'General Hospital', one of the few soap operas still in production.  As Dr. Matt Harmon, Longley appeared not only as a regular on 'Port Charles' but in four episodes of the mothership as well.  That puts him 2/3s of the way to membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.  And I'd like to see him get that final credit to gain entry into the Hall.  It would be nice to have more Connecticut members to hang out with.  (Yes, I'm a member as well!)

Here's how Dr. Harmon's storylines kicked off:

Matt:
"I feel that I am not being trained as aggressively as the rest of the interns on rotation."

Dr. Boardman:
"Given your physical limitations, there are only so many ways that I can use you effectively in the O.R."

Dr. Boardman was only concerned with the bottom line, fearing malpractice suits; he didn't give a damn about Matt's future and his dreams to be a surgeon.  But that all changed when Matt was able to save Boardman's life in surgery after he was attacked by a psychotic resident at the hospital.  And so Dr. Harmon got to work in the O.R. with Dr. Monica Quartermaine, herself newly minted as a member of the Hall of Fame.

I would love for Dr. Matt Harmon to get that chance to join as well.  He only needs one more credit but it would be a tough sell.  Ardent soap opera fans have deep memories, but it has been quite a while since Mitch Longley has assayed the role.  And ABC only has one soap opera left on their schedule, 'General Hospital', and it's already "been there, done that" for Dr. Harmon.

Mitch Longley walked away from 'Port Charles' on his own terms after his three-year contract was up, with his last storyline being about Dr. Harmon's trials using the new technology of the Parastep-I, a microcomputer-controlled, neuromuscular electrical stimulation system that enables individuals with paraplegia to stand and walk short distances.  So when I said he walked away from the show, I wasn't being flippant.

His career certainly didn't suffer.  He was one of the stars of 'Las Vegas', had a regular role on 'Joan of Arcadia', and a recurring role in 'Judging Amy'.  He appeared in guest spots on shows like 'Bones', 'Weeds', 'Law & Order', 'NCIS: Los Angeles', and a great scene facing off against Gaby in an episode of 'Desperate Housewives'.

But even so, I would love to see some other show, even if it's not a soap opera, even if it's not on ABC, bring Mitch Longley in for an episode as Dr. Mark Harmon.  'Grey's Anatomy' would be a logical choice.

Will it ever happen?  Not likely.  But 'tis devoutly to be wished by this curator of the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.

Until next time....