safe

On 1/16/2021 at 4:09 PM, dc11786 said:

 Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the initial projections called for Faith to be paired with Seneca, which would have made more sense given Faith's backstory involving her college professor.

 

 

Not Faith & Seneca - but they had a Faith & Jack pairing.  TotallyKate, webmaster of TotallyKate! The Official Website of Kate Mulgrew., had bought some notes on the A Rage To Love bible .

------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the old Soapnet forum

by TotallyKate

A few years ago I happened to acquire from eBay notes about the original casting and storyline for Ryan's Hope. I had forgotten what was in it until I came across it last week when I was looking for something else.

In the original bible for 'A Rage to Love', Mary has gone to the police academy to follow in the footsteps of her big brother, Frank. Frank is still a policeman and he and his partner, Saul, are involved in a case with mob connections. Saul dies and then Frank is found at the bottom of the hospital steps. Frank eventually dies and Bob Clancey (last name was changed to Reid) and Mary investigate his death as they don't believe it was an accident. Mary "quits" the police force and goes undercover taking a job at the hospital. Jack does not agree with Mary risking her life by going undercover and this breaks up the relationship that has already developed between them. Jack then starts a relationship with Faith, although both he and Mary love each other. Faith was involved with Pat but that relationship broke up after Faith wanted marriage and Pat didn't. Jack's relationship with Faith of course is wonderful for the widow Delia who wants Pat back. So everyone seems to be without the person they really love which makes for many hours of wanting them to get back to the one they love.

Of course many aspects of the storyline changed drastically by the time "Ryan's Hope" made it on the air. It's interesting to note though that a lot of these original storyline ideas either ended up as backstory for the characters or as future storylines, such as the police academy and Siobhan.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 1/18/2021 at 3:27 PM, DeliaIrisFan said:

Wasn't the rumor that Faith was supposed to be paired with Clem Moultrie, but the network balked at any interracial couple?

Danfling was one who has said that about Faith and Clem.

7 hours ago, j swift said:

I think the disconnect for Dakota's introduction was the de-evolution of the character of Jill.  Jill had a bout of amnesia when she met Dakota, which in typical soap style caused her to change her hair and wardrobe, rather than seek medical intervention.  A later version of the same plot was attempted on GH when Felicia hooked up with Decker Moss.  The result was that both women looked foolish to fans.  Jill was a sophisticated Manhattan attorney, why would she suddenly wish to run around with a perm and ripped jeans? 

 

The idea that a professional woman fantasizes about escaping her work responsibilities by living on a boat in the Hudson River was not appealing then or now; and seems a little anti-feminist in retrospect.

In one of Nancy's final RH interviews  (Having Portrayed RYAN'S HOPE'S Jillian Ryan For Over a Decade, Nancy Addison Says Good-Bye / Soap Opera Digest/  December 15, 1987 ) -- Nancy said her favorites were Jill's bout with amnesia and the morphine addiction storylines.

I wonder if it Nancy liked the amnesia because it gave her something different to play

1 hour ago, Chris 2 said:

 

 

And wow - was Kathleen Tolan horrible as Mary! Even in the scenes where she’s not botching her lines, she’s so wooden and unnatural. How she ever got the job is beyond me.

Kathleen Tolan and Helen Gallagher(Maeve) were friends. Helen had Kathleen come in to audition for the role of Siobhan and they hired her to play Mary.  According to another message board,  Kathleen had a serious problem with nerves and would get physically ill before taping but it was said Claire Labine really liked her. 

Wonderful reunion- very pleasant interviews.

Was looking for some holiday decor in the actors homes but didn't see any.

I had forgotten that Roy Poole (later Neil MacCurtain)  was up for the role of Johnny until  Ilene said she was sure Roy was going to get the part of Da

In an old James Wlcek  (Ben) blog radio interview, he had said that he had been involved with Catherine Larson (Lizzie)  off camera (and involved with Maria Pitllio [Nancy Don], too, - also said he would never get involved with a co-star ever again after those two)

John Gabriel (Seneca) telling Geoff Pieson that he was hired to save the ratings - boy, not much pressure there 

Speaking of saving the show - 

Looking at an old March 26, 1983 issue of Soap Opera Digest, it printed there was a rumor Ryan's Hope might be cancelled to make room for the new Agnes Nixon-Douglas Marland soap. 

Liked all the Franks except for Michael Hawkins - and I even got used to him after watching the show over and over multiple times. DHK my favorite. Charming and seemed really made for the good life Rae was offering him (the only Frank born to wear a tuxedo a lot).

Andrew Robinson was the most like the son of working class parents like Johnny and Maeve and a good story teller. I wonder how the Rae story would have played out if he had continued in the role. Only seen parts of the others -- Geoff Pierson seemed the most masculine Frank. John Sanderford--a little more goofy maybe. 

Other than Michael Hawkins, the other Franks have all had very long acting careers.

I recall that about 10 years ago,  in a blog radio interview,  Helen Gallagher (Maeve) said Geoff Pierson was her favorite Frank. 

On the old Soapnet forum - Nancy Addison's husband posted, when he was finishing up his book on Nancy (I guess the book never got published) - had taken questions from the posters and he said Andrew Robinson was the Frank that Nancy enjoyed working with the most.

23 hours ago, Sean said:

I got lost down a Google wormhole recently, and I was surprised to come across this blurb about a possible Kim recast in a Jon-Michael Reed column from March 1982:

 

JOINING “RYAN’S HOPE” as money mogul Hollis Kirkland is actor Peter Haskell, who enjoyed a short-lived success in the nighttime soap, “Bracken’s World,” several years ago. Kelli Maroney returns to the role she originated, Kim Beaulac, on the same show. Kelli was dropped from the cast last summer. Since then ABC has auditioned a score of actresses with “more maturity” than acting neophyte Maroney. Obviously, none of them was considered as acceptable as the original performer. There may be something to be learned from this “return of events,” however bizarre it seems.

 

 

 

 

Probably having a columnist, still describing an actor who had been front burner for two years as a neophytes, didn't do Kelli any favors.  Rose Alaio (Rose) said the show didn't give Kelli help or encouragement as an actress. Ellen Barrett was unduly hard on her.

I thought they would have had Kim land a role on The Proud and The Passionate. 

On 7/21/2020 at 4:33 PM, DRW50 said:

Karen Morris Gowdy at the start of this.

 

 

. 

Thanks, Carl!

I had put this in the Ryan's Hope thread in September -  Ilene Kristen (Delia #1, Ryan's Hope/ Georgina, One Life to Live/ Norma, Loving/Madeline, Another World/Roxie, One Life to Live) makes a guest appearance as a rock star client of Jeff's. Aired March 17, 1980.

Ilene can be seen at approx.12:08, 20:14, and 37:52

12 hours ago, antmunoz said:

Catherine Dent was the judge on HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER last night. I don’t think I’ve seen her in over 30 years since she played Lizzie. 

I didn't realize Catherine Dent was on RH. When was that and what was her Lizzie story? I am only (a little) familiar with Catherine Larson's Lizzie.

On 9/10/2019 at 9:20 AM, DRW50 said:

Is this Faith Catlin in the Mr. Clean ad around 2 minutes in?

 

Very similar,   but I don't think so. The chin looks different to me

On 9/7/2019 at 12:43 PM, Chris 2 said:

We used to watch “Family” when I was younger, and it fascinates me to this today, because virtually every character, with the exception of Buddy (Kristy McNichol) was unlikeable.

 

This episode confuses me for two reasons: I don’t understand why ex-son-in-law Jeff is hanging around the family years after he divorced daughter Nancy (who doesn’t seem to be in this episode). And Kate Lawrence isn’t exactly the type that a young man would have a crush on.

I had already started my own family when the show first began and didn't watch the original airing. I do recall catching a couple episodes when it went into reruns. Never saw this one.

I don't know about Jeff but I agree about Kate. I was hoping Michael J. Fox would have had a scene - or just a few words - with Meredith Baxter. In some mixed up TV universe, Kate would be Alex P. Keaton's grandmother.

While watching Ilene, I kept thinking how much this was not anything close to her dream of prime time comedy success that she left Ryan's Hope to find. Not even her character's weird name.

Ilene Kristen's (Delia #1) guest appearance as Jeff's rock star client on Family. Aired March 17, 1980.

Ilene can be seen at approx. 12:08, 20:14, and 37:52
 

In the early 2000's, Mary Carney's (Mary #2) husband, Mike Houlihan, sued Malachy McCourt (Kevin) and his brother

‘TIS THE MCCOURT BROTHERS’ LIFE STORY, JUDGE RULES
By Keith J. Kelly 

August 5, 2002

Frank and Malachy McCourt – this is your life.

A federal district court judge in Chicago has tossed out a legal challenge by a Chicago-based actor, playwright and theater producer who claimed he was owed 40 percent of the profits from the Irish brothers’ bestselling books and a movie.

Frank McCourt’s 1997 Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes” – which was made into a movie of the same name – has sold more than 4 million copies and spawned a bestselling sequel, “‘Tis.” Younger brother Malachy’s memoir, “A Monk Swimming,” about life in Ireland and the United States, also hit bestseller lists when it appeared in 1998.

At the center of the dispute was a two-man play, “A Couple of Blaguards” in which the two brothers acted out scenes of growing up dirt poor in Ireland and sang songs from their hard-scrabble youth – laughing through all their anguish.

The brothers first staged the show on their own in New York in the early 1980s. In 1984, they signed an agreement with Michael Houlihan, a Chicago-based playwright and producer, who raised $20,750 and put the play on for about a year in that city.

Houlihan’s suit claimed an agreement signed at that time gave him rights to royalties from the play and any “subsidiary” works for 15 years. Since the books drew on the same boyhood memories as the play, he felt he was entitled to the royalties from the books, which have earned millions.

But Chicago federal district court judge Ronald Guzman thought otherwise.

“This court cannot endorse the idea that granting rights to one incarnation of part of a life story automatically grants away rights to all conceivable tellings of that life story,” ruled Judge Guzman in a 15-page decision handed down last week.

Said Malachy McCourt, “I feel that Abraham Lincoln did not die in vain and the 13th amendment to the Constitution is fully effective. Greed is on the way out.”

Houlihan could not be reached. His Chicago-based attorney, Ed Scanlon, could not be reached by press time.

At the time the brothers first mounted the play, Frank was a school teacher at Stuyvesant High, and Malachy was an actor and owner of the Bells of Hell pub in Greenwich Village.

Frank McCourt is now a full-time writer. Malachy, who is still acting, has been frequently called on to play an Irish priest in soaps and in the movie, “The Devil’s Own.”

The play was rarely performed between the mid-1980s and the arrival of the McCourts on the literary forefront in the late 1990s.
 

This was posted on Sitcoms Online in 2003 -  before they decided to rewind back to 1975 for the first time

1981-1689 - Maeve worries about Faith; Rae refuses to fire Jane.

1982-1690 - Ari gains control of the Smith museum; Seneca agrees to help Jane in her plan against Barbara.

1982-1691 - Joe makes an agreement with Ari; Mendenhall traps Faith in the shrine room.

1982-1692 - Seneca baits Barbara in a trap; Faith is terrified by the shrine.

1982-1693 - Seneca catches Barbara on her feet; Jill alerts police to Faith's disappearance.

1982-1694 - Joe calls Jim with a report; Roger proposes a deal to Barbara.

1982-1695 - Faith is found; Ari prepares to meet his queen.

1982-1696 - Faith and Ari argue about Joe; Delia learns the Jane cleared Roger.

1982-1697 - Jane learns that Ox is dead; Jack learns the story of the Meritkara.

1982-1698 - Jane agrees to have dinner with Roger; Jack sets out to learn the truth between Joe and Ari. 

1982-1699 - Delia confesses to Maeve that she is in love with Roger; Joe learns that Siobhan has left town.

1982-1700 - Ari and Faith share in their feelings for one another; Joe wins Maeve's sympathy.

1982-1701 - Faith awakens in Ari's bed; Rose accepts a job in Hong Kong.

1982-1702 - Delia vandalizes Roger's car; Jim checks up on Joe.

1982-1703 - Maeve scolds Delia about her behavior; Roger discovers a listening device planted at the beach house.

982-1704 - Delia plans to spy on Jane; Maeve and Matt cheer one another up.

1982-1705 - Ari is threatened with being exposed; Delia learns that Jane has been in prison.

1982-1706 - Orson delivers a report on Ari; Joe offers to find Jane's old cellmate. 

982-1707 - The shrine is opened; Delia learns more about Jane.

1982-1708 - Joe demands information from Jim; Everyone learns that Jane went to reformed school.

1982-1709 - Ari changes the combination to Spencer's safe; Maeve collapses and lies unconscious.

1982-1710 - Maeve's heart reacts to massive infection; Ari tells Faith what she means to him.

1982-1711 - Maeve receives last rites; Roger contemplates marriage.

1982-1712 - Jill learns that she is Ed's natural daughter; Matt visits Maeve in the middle of the night.

1982-1713 - Wes sets out to get the Meritkara story; Faith rejects Jill as her half-sister.

1982-1714 - Yvonne makes a move; Delia arranges for Matt to get more information about Jane.

1982-1715 - Yvonne zeroes in on Joe; Ari removes second seal from safe.

1982-1716 - Roger proposes to Jane; Joe learns more about the Meritkara treasure.

1982-1717 - Jane tells Rae about her upcoming marriage; Delia learns that Jane and Ox were married.

1982-1718 - Delia has a favor to ask Roger; Charley pays a visit to Jane.

1982-1719 - Maeve gives Jill more information about her mother; the second seal is opened.

1982-1720 - Jack gives Jane some professional advice; Yve drugs Faith's drink.

1982-1721 - Jane learns that Ox is alive; Yve tries to learn more about the river of gold.

1982-1722 - Jane fails at telling Roger the truth; Joe calls Roger with news that Faith is missing.

1982-1723 - Jane tries to tell Maeve the truth about Ox; Faith is found.

1982-1724 - Faith tells Ari all that she remembers; Ox makes another appeal to Jane.

1982-1725 - Roger asks Jane to marry him as soon as possible; Ari asks Mendenhall to guard Meritkara.

1982-1726 - Joe forces an explanation from Ari; Delia learns about Roger's accelerated wedding date.

1982-1727 - Ari and Faith plan to leave town immediately; Joe prepares for a fight.


 

On 8/10/2019 at 12:12 PM, adrnyc said:

 

Got it - thanks!

You're welcome!

1 hour ago, adrnyc said:

First, thanks to the person who posted all the above articles - those were a fascinating read.

 

Second, I need some help and don’t know where else to go to ask. Is there any book and/or online site that can help fill in the gaps between what is posted of Ryan’s Hope 1983 to the end? I’ve been watching 1983 this year and there are now some significant gaps in the story. (I found further back in this thread the Soap Opera Digest recaps of 1982 and early 1983 which were a HUGE help to get me up to speed with the beginning of ‘83.). I got to July and it’s missing. As is Sept - Nov, I think?)  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 All that is here are some of the Soap Opera Digest that you mentioned and the weekly newspaper recaps for 1982, 1983, and 1984 that are on page 20 of this thread.

I sent you a PM. Let me know if you received it

Ana Alicia (Alicia)

They were looking for an Alicia Nieves for 6 months -  they started looking in September of 1976!?  I guess that means there were some other storyline ideas they had for Alicia since Delia didn't have her miscarriage and meet her until March of 1977 - if they were looking to bring the character on the show that much earlier.

Oh, and there were a lot of actresses who auditioned for the role of Alicia, too

____________________________________________________________________
Part of a October 1982 interview

"When I graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, I got several scholarships to law school but I decided to come out to Hollywood just to try it out." Ana arrived in Hollywood with a $1,000 in her pockets. She didn't know anybody, "I moved in behind the Chinese Theatre in an incredibly seedy area of town, but I didn't know any better. It was very exciting. I got the trade papers and checked out the agents without any pictures or resumes, which was really hysterical. I would walk in and they would say 'Who are you?' and I would say 'I'm from El Paso, Texas, and I'm considering you as my agent.' They would go crazy but I guess some of them thought I had a lot of guts, because I ended up getting agents and work immediately." 

Four months after Ana's arrival in Hollywood, she auditioned for a part in a soap opera called "Ryan's  Hope." It was Ana's first screen test and competition for the part was heavy. The casting director had auditions both in Hollywood and New York for six months, looking for the right person to play the part of Alicia Nieves. Ana Alicia got the part, and a week later on two days' notice was on her way to New York. "I loved New York," she says. "All I remember is calling my mom and saying, 'Well I think I found my city. You always said I walk too fast, talk too fast well, everyone does here.' I took cabs everywhere in New York. I was tipping $50-$100 because the money I was going to be making was more money than I ever dreamed of making. But then I never realized New York costs more than you'd ever dream of spending," she laughs.

After a year in the city, Ana returned to Los Angeles, planning to resume her law school goal. But instead, she was contracted by Universal Studios, and acted in television movies and guest slots for several series. Some of her credits include a guest role in "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" and starring roles in the TV movies "The Ordeal of Bill Carney" with Ray Sharkey and "Coward of the County" with Kenny Rogers. Her one feature film credit is "Halloween II." "My life got to the point where I was flying to Tucson for six weeks to do a TV movie, and then flying back to Los Angeles to take exams for law school. Even though I was doing well, I had to make up my mind," Ana says. She decided on acting, but pursues other interests in business and real estate.

"I do have certain goals that will always exist. And I will always do the best that I can and live during the moment." "Later on, I would definitely love to do more stage work, whether in New York or England or wherever." She looks back on her acting career and personal decisions with no regrets. "Its a real rough business. It's been good to me. When it has it lows, they're real low. And the highs are exceptionally high. Its like any dream."

MacKenzie Allen (Jim Speed, Ryan's Hope)  was up for the role of Tom Bergman on Search For Tomorrow when ABC offered him a contract to play Jim.

Maybe MacKenzie Allen would have been better off taking the Tom Bergman role

July 29, 1981


"RYAN'S HOPE" HAS signed Mackenzie Allen, another daytime newcomer, to portray police investigator Jim Speed. Watch Jim "race" to make time with one of the show's leading ladies in the weeks ahead. 
 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

April 2, 1982


For MacKenzie Allen soap stardom came in a rush. There he was trying to decide what would be the best project for him to try next when both CBS and ABC came knocking on his door. It was a Thursday when CBS decided they wanted to him to screen test for the part of Tom Bergman on Search For Tomorrow" but ABC slipped a contract offer to him on that Friday for the part of Jim Speed on "Ryan's Hope." Although the character of Jim Speed has not been written in that heavily for some weeks, in the next few weeks Jim will resurface in the storyline as the character of Joe is put in a sticky predicament by crime boss Vartova. Despite his recent inactivity, MacKenzie is an enthusiastic soap actor,"Soap acting in fabulous if you can work under pressure," he says, "I think that if you can work successfully in soaps you can work anywhere. It's a great training ground." Most of the credit for his success rests in his own hands however. Allen realizes that show business is, after all, a business like any other and has avoided some of the pitfalls that his fellow actors have fallen into. "I see some other performers floundering around like lost kids," he observes. "They fail to recognize that for all it's art, the bottom line is that show business, is very much a business.'' As for what's ahead MacKenzie is content with soap work and would perhaps like to do film and stage work in the future. Until then let's hope we see more of Jim Speed as he searches out the more unsavory element on Ryan's Hope.

 

2 Michael Levin (Jack) pieces

Michael's feeling about soap opera didn't change over the years.

In the second piece- I didn't realize that after RH ended,  he did try to find work in Hollywood. It sounded like he gave it a year. While some RH actors had found work in L.A. quickly, I think most needed to give it longer than 1 year.
 

February 19, 1989

COMING CLEAN ABOUT SOAPS 

Michael Levin's soap bubble burst in January when "Ryan's Hope" went off the air after 13 1/2 years. Levin had played investigative reporter Jack Fenelli for the entire time. Levin, who lives in Bedford, started off as a theater actor. He performed Shakespeare in Stratford, Conn., and worked at the prestigious Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. He also performed on Broadway in The Royal Hunt of the Sun.  All that was before he became a soap star and, in some ways, a prisoner of daytime drama. Soap opera actors, it turns out, make tubs full of money. But acting out people's everyday problems every day is not the kind of work that keeps an actor's instrument tuned. Levin feels he traded security for quality. And now that "Ryan's Hope" has succumbed to low ratings, he's wondering if his Faustian bargain was worth the price he paid. 

During a recent interview, Levin talked about the choices he's made and the consequences he's faced.

Did you like performing on "Ryan's Hope"? 
Best job in the world, not a very good career. I was used to the stage, where you'd work for weeks in rehearsal to prepare, you have an opening night when everything has to be as good as it can be. Your adrenaline is pumping and you go out and do it. When you do a soap opera, you have to do it all in one day for a camera. If you treat it like an opening night, you'd die. You couldn't survive more than two or three days. It will never encompass that kind of energy or commitment.

Tell me some of the things that went on behind the scenes on the "Ryan's Hope" set. 
A lot of things happened but they were sexual, (and) you can't print it! You change lines. You monkey around. You make fun of the script. I remember a scene when a baby cried all the time. Finally, we just filmed it. He's crying, I'm talking. 

Overall, what do you think about soap operas? 
I don't like soap operas. I don't watch them. I think they're not relevant. I don't think they're intelligent. I think they can be good. At their best, which we were at times, they can be close to true, exciting and revealing of human nature. But that's about it.

Why is there so much "I didn't," "You did," "I didn't" arguing in soap operas? 
What you're talking about is filler. You have to do a show a day. If you were to write a scene for the theater or film, the playwright may write five pages, then they start to distill it and they end up with half a page. In a movie, you can write 10 pages and all they end up with is a shot.  With soap operas, it's the opposite. We've got to fill up a half hour every day. The scene may be as simple as, "I'm tired of telling you to bring home the coffee." And you say, "OK."   But if it's a soap opera, it's "Look, I'm tired of telling you. . ." "Yeah, I'm sure you're tired." "Well, I am," "So, I am, too." You go back and forth and back and forth. 

That must be difficult to play. 
You're right. In watching the scenes I've done recently, I thought I got worse, which really bothered me. 

Do you think the audience knows the difference between filler and substance? 
Soaps are no different than any other television. Most television isn't very good. But that's what the audience watches. "Ryan's Hope," and I'm going back 10 years, was totally different when it came on the air.  No soap ever had an Irish Catholic family. All soaps used to be in Glennwood USA, and if people were religious, they just went to "church.” No soap ever took place in New York City. 

What happened to force the show off the air? 
You keep doing it and doing it. The writers run out of steam. You run out of stories.

Do you think you're a better or worse actor than 13 years ago? 
If I had left the show eight years ago, I would have been a better actor. I think the show was wonderful for me, and I got to do an awful lot. But for an actor to be on a soap for more than five years. . . I'm not saying it's bad. But if you want to be as good an actor then five years is more than enough. Three years is more than enough. I was much hotter eight years ago than I am now. 

Why didn't you leave earlier? 
Money. I was raising a family. I lived in Scarsdale. For an actor to have a job that's regular, where they pay you every week, and you know when you're going to go to work, and you can have a home, and you don't have to fly to California, are you kidding? Do you have any idea how many actors there are? Do you know how many make a living? Do you know what the average union actor makes a year? It used to be $2,000 a year. If I had the courage, I would have left. I didn't.  

Why didn't you have the courage? 
You're talking about confidence. You'd have to feel inside that you're going to make it no matter what.

Do you feel that now?
I'm different now. I don't have to make it. I'm much wiser. Making it is a bubble. Celebrity is a bubble. You can't eat it. All it means is opportunity. I'm not saying I don't want fame or success. I want all those things. But it isn't that important anymore. I'm not good enough, and the world's too tough. You've got to be a genius. 

Did you watch the last show? 
Yes. I was with my wife. There were so many mixed emotions. I was very moved by it. There were so many people I had worked with for so long. So you cry. And you go on.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

May 27, 1990

The Tempest" Principal players: Michael Levin, Mana Barney, Thomas Delventhal. Director Gillette Elvgren, for the Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival. Where: Stephen Foster Memorial Theatre, Oakland. When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; and 2 p.m. Sundays. Performances run through June

Michael Levin stars in "The Tempest." His biggest obstacle was line memorization. Out of panic, he worked hard in New York and came to the first reading with all his lines down. The role of Prospero fascinates Levin. "People say there's some of Shakespeare himself in Prospero. Part of his brilliance is Shakespeare reaches so deep, his plays are still modern. We've learned things are not in our control in this world. And that power is double-edged. Someone says to Prospero, 'You have one day to solve all your problems and set your life right. Avoid it and you'll regret it.'” 

"And to achieve his ends, Prospero must give up his power. He must accept death. 'The Tempest' is very sad; you laugh and cry at the same time." A native of Minneapolis, Levin says Pittsburgh reminds him of his hometown. His son went to Carnegie Mellon for a degree in architecture. "To leave New York is an eye-opener and a pleasure. When I came through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, I couldn't believe it. It was stunning." 

Overshadowed by his 13 years of work in the soap opera "Ryan's Hope" as Jack Fenelli. "I had never done or seen a soap." recalls Levin. "I never cared about them. They made me sign a three-year rather than two-year contract I had no intention of staying. Famous last words," he says, grinning. Despite having done Shakespeare with Jessica Tandy and Zoe Caldwell at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis in its first season and having worked on the Broadway production of Peter Shaffer's "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" with Christopher Plummer. Levin says "Ryan's Hope" was fun at first. "It was the only show with ethnic characters as leads. The creators put themselves out on a limb to get their own show and they took risks. It was very exciting and very successful. The other soaps looked over their shoulder at us." So despite glamour on the stage, Levin found his notoriety in soaps. "Eight months into the show, I was doing interviews and there were all these stories. I thought 'What the hell's going on here?' Then you realize it isn't Shakespeare and you settle in." Thirteen years of steady income and work was hard to walk away from. "It's the only steady job in New York for actors. I didn't have the courage to leave - or I had the sense to stay. It was a mistake career-wise because all you did was tread water.”

"There were no risks, no challenge. It's terribly comfortable. I thought it was time to go after the third year, but they offered more money. And how could I leave with a wife and two children.”

Freed up when the show was canceled in January 1989, Levin went to Hollywood to find work in television. He didn't succeed, so he came back to New York and now does off-Broadway shows and TV here and there. That's the way it'll be unless I go on another soap opera." When the Shakespeare Festival called, Levin had not done Shakespeare in years. How did he feel? "It was scary but very exciting. I was as excited as I had been in at least 10 years. Doing Shakespeare is the greatest challenge anyone can do. To do contemporary plays is the most satisfying, but Shakespeare is the hardest"  
 

On 7/28/2019 at 8:13 AM, Chris 2 said:

LOL - was Ken George Jones really a “rock singer”, with those wimpy little ditties?

 

Well, he was "rocker" enough to hang around with Mick and the Stones.   On the SN board, most there saw him more like a John Denver type.

On 7/28/2019 at 2:57 PM, danfling said:

I never knew before now that the contract of Sarah Felder (Siobhan #1) was not renewed.   I think that show made a grave error in not renewing it.

.

Yes,  while there were many issues with Sarah - there were issues with other actors, too, and  they weren't let go like Sarah.

Sean, the webmaster at the Ryan's Hope Memory Book  fan site and he posted on SON years ago,  told us on the old Soapnet message board that Sarah was also asking for a hefty raise. He knew that there were castmates who were not sorry to see here go. He said the network didn't like how she would speak out negatively about the show. We were told by another poster that she was vocal about the show suddenly dropping the Pat/Nancy inter-faith s/l.

Someone who claimed to know Sarah said that Sarah found out they were looking for a another Siobhan when she came to work one day and saw Siobhan actresses lined up in the hallway.

6 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Soap opera history buffs who wish to read the complete histories of their favorite series may want to check out "Vetsoapfan's Treasure Trove," here in SON's Cancelled Soaps section.

 

 

Thank you!

52 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Helen Gallagher just turned 93 on July 19. Is she the oldest of the surviving soap icons?

I don't know but it's wonderful that she is still so active and on the ball at 93

1 hour ago, safe said:

 

 

Kathryn Dowling has taken over the role of Lilly Darnell on "RH" from Christine Ebersol. who's starring in Richard Burton's "Camelot" revival, which is gearing up for a national tour.

 

 

Kathryn Dowling had a connection to Claire Labine. She had a role in the motion picture Lovespell that Claire produced and wrote (and it starred Kate Mulgrew). While the movie is listed as 1981 -- it was actually filmed in the summer of 1979. 
Diana Van der Vlis (Nell)  and John Scanlon (J.P. the original bartender) were in the movie, too.

The Guthrie Theater is in Minneapolis and not Milwaukee. 

August 14, 1980

OVER AT "Ryan's Hope," cast newcomers, include Kaye deLancey as Amy Morris, Ryan's babysitter, who is slowly being revealed to be one of those mentally unbalanced sorts who can cause all kinds of grief and woe. Kaye won the role after she was recommended for an audition by her pal Kelli Moraney (Kim Beaulac). Kaye and Kelli have been best friends since they began their careers at the Guthrie Theater in Milwaukee.

Kathryn Dowling has taken over the role of Lilly Darnell on "RH" from Christine Ebersol. who's starring in Richard Burton's "Camelot" revival, which is gearing up for a national tour.

Another relatively new "RH" cast member, Trent Jones ( who plays rock singer Ken George Jones), caught on fast to what makes soap operas tick. When asked how long he  expected to be on "RH," Trent quipped, "Well, my character has a tumor. If the audience likes the guy he'll probably have a miracle cure. If not, Ken will go off to rock heaven right quick." On other "RH" fronts, watch for lady detective Rose Melina (played by Rose Alaio) to pick up the romantic pieces in Jack Fenelli's life, now that his wife is dead and his sister-in-law has moved out of town

May 31, 1980

Tune in Tomorrow

Two 'RH' Brights Go Poof By JON-MICHAEL REED NEW YORK -There's good news and bad news from the set of 'Ryan's Hope' this week. The bad news is that two of the show's most potent performers have dropped by the wayside, so to speak, Richard Muenz and Sarah Felder as  Joe and Siobhan Novak. Last week Joe disappeared, the apparent victim of a gangland slaying, although his body wasn't found, and in the weeks to come, Siobhan will leave the Ryan hearth to get her head together after losing the man she loved but who turned out to be the heir apparent of a "Godfather" type. Both performer’s contracts were not renewed. Richard had mildly bellyached for several months about his character turning into a mild-mannered milquetoast. Reports also filtered off the set that he felt stifled by the strong-willed, domineering Miss Felder who also raised ire among several of her other co-workers. Despite the troubles, both Muenz and Felder were dynamic presences whose absence will surely dismay "RH" audiences. Muenz, incidentally, immediately began rehearsals for the Broadway revival of the musical, "Camelot." He will play Lancelot to Richard Burton's King Arthur.

The good news back on the soap is that the producers and writers are "gung-ho"  over newcomer Trent Jones who portrays a singer, Ken George Jones, who's slated to attract Jill Coleridge's eye. The show is also hoping to sign Christine Ebersole to a contract as Lilly, the bimbo who has appeared several times as a potential romantic interest for Dr. Roger Coleridge. Christine just happens to be the real-life wife of Peter Bergman, who plays Cliff Werner on "All My Children."

Jose Aleman (Angel Nieves, Ryan's Hope) is an attorney in New York City.