safe

Yes! Thank you! Fun to see Helen in a commercial. By the time she was on Ryan's Hope, Helen said she would love to do commercials but they never hire her.

So sad to hear of John Gabriel's passing. One of my favorite descriptions of Seneca, on the show, was from Siobhan. While she was checking in on sick little Edmund at the hospital, she met Seneca for the first time - she then went back home and told Maeve, Johnny, and Mary that "he's a cuddle". Of course, they did not see him that way - but I thought it was adorable. ______________________________________________________________________________________ Newspaper piece from May 28, 1976 After 3½ years of playing "scheming inconsequential opportunists " on daytime television, John Gabriel has become a good guy. Gabriel wanted to portray a character "with whom I could identify with and admire" and has fulfilled that desire by taking the role of Seneca Beaulac, a superstar researcher on the daytime series "Ryan's Hope seen Monday through Friday, 1 to 1:30 pm on ABC-TV. "Seneca", according to Gabriel, "is a dark slightly-graying handsome man, is a person who has confidence and doesn't need to impress anyone, has a sense of humor about himself, is dedicated to his profession, and is extremely moral." He is a far cry from Teddy Holmes in General Hospital and Link Morrison in Love of Life, whom Gabriel portrayed. "Both these men used their appeal for selfish gains", he said. "They were womanizers with a long line of women as their victims." "But that didn't that bother me as much as they were inconsequential. They were men of little substance. If I'm going to be a bad guy, I'd like to be a bad guy like Iago." Gabriel wasn't the only one to dislike the characters. Teddy Holmes, for example, received a great deal of hate mail.

This is from June 2020 and a commentary written by MacKenzie Allen (Jim Speed) -who spent some time in law enforcement after acting. The Sante Fe New Mexican newspaper https://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/emphasize-the-peace-for-officers/article_bf0cd672-b256-11ea-9754-2b6ff2665193.html ************************************************************************* Emphasize the 'peace' for officers By MacKenzie Allen Jun 20, 2020 I’ve seen racism acted out by fellow cops. It was rare but it was ugly. Racism and brutality by law enforcement is inexcusable. Period. This country is being convulsed by the horrible events of the past few weeks, finally so unavoidably exposed as to defy being ignored. I can barely begin to imagine the pent-up rage and frustration of African Americans and other minorities after suffering generations of abuse and violence at the hands of those sworn to protect us all. The problems are so immensely complex that they cannot be addressed fully here, but I would like offer some insights. The concept of “community policing” was much-promoted beginning in the 1990s, and most cops were highly skeptical. I was the first deputy in my agency to be assigned as community officer. We began in a district I had worked for years, our most troublesome area. The population was comprised of every race and ethnicity you could think of, each with its gang(s). White, Black, Pacific Islander, Native American, Southeast Asian … you name it. The only people who supported us were the older white folks. Everyone else either feared, hated or mistrusted us. Clearly, this had to change. We began by holding community meetings with residents of “the projects,” subsidized housing that was rife with crime. We were able to convey to them that we truly cared about the community, but that we needed their help, welcomed their input, wanted to address their fears and work with them to provide a more peaceful neighborhood. I opened a “storefront” office smack in the middle of the drug and gang-infested, run-down commercial area. Residents could walk in at any time to discuss concerns. We distributed a monthly newsletter to the community detailing our efforts and successes and projects on which we were working. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. We organized a community walkabout. A couple of hundred residents met with 10 deputies and the precinct brass at the Boys & Girls Clubs, then walked together for a couple of miles through the streets. People came out to cheer and greet us, people who previously would hide from us, especially those refugees from the Cambodian “killing fields” and the horrors of Vietnam who trusted no one in uniform. We ran citizens academies and encouraged ride-alongs with patrol to help people understand our work. But most of all, we talked. More importantly, we listened. It will take a lot of talk, a great deal more listening and a vast opening of minds on all sides to mend this terrible shredding of our society. But it can be done. To not try is to abdicate and to watch ourselves become a failed state. Changing an outdated view of the mission for police officers will require true leadership, and that comes from the top. The entire command staff of an agency must embrace and actually model the desired behavior. That means spending some time out of the office and on the streets with patrol troops. Cops won’t respect any admin person who A) has no street experience and hides out at headquarters. Overloaded with work as they may be, administrators must find time to interact with patrol and the public on calls for service. Some police departments are already good at this. Some are light years behind. Make no mistake. There will always be a “warrior” element in police work. But we need to put a far greater emphasis on the “peace” part of peace officer. MacKenzie Allen, who lives in Santa Fe, was a deputy sheriff in both Seattle and Los Angeles. ***************************************************************

Ana Alicia's (Alicia Nieves, Ryan's Hope) bad Puerto Rican accent. Didn't learn until one of the later SOAPnet rebroadcasts, after reading an old 1985 AA interview, that it was a last minute change. Ana spoke about it again in a 2013 Hill Place blog interview - Once she started working on "Ryan's Hope," Ana Alicia encountered some initial challenges with her role, "The weird thing that happened when I read for the role, I didn't read with any accent at all, and I was never told that I would have to have any accent. When I got there, the director took one look at me and said to the producer, 'She's got to have an accent. She doesn't look Puerto Rican.' So they asked, 'Can you do an accent?' and I said 'I don't know' because we were about to shoot! But I was feeling so grateful to be there and too un-knowledgeable to say 'Hey, you know what? I don't feel comfortable. It doesn't feel right to me, I didn't prepare this.' So I just did it. I just jumped into it. And it was so awkward for me because it wasn't natural and I felt so bad about that, about the whole situation. So, gradually, throughout the year they let me drop the accent. (laugh) And it had to be, like, really gradual, you know, and so after a year I left with barely any accent left!"

Some of the quick notes I jotted down- Michael Corbett said he was hired for 3 days and then offered a contract It looked like Michael was getting a family but Joan Loring (Michael’s mother- Anna Paval) couldn’t remember her lines. Louise thought she was going to be written out until she met Kelli and then told her husband her job was safe. Nice how much Louise taught Kelli. I recall on the Soapnet forum Rose Alaio (Rose) said the show offered Kelli no help. Michael didn’t really answer if anyone helped him. Michael said he was disappointed when he was written out. Kelli said she was devastated when she was written out. The Ryans were not thrilled with the addition of them to the show. Helen Gallagher (Maeve) told the writers to rewrite scenes where Maeve was to speak with Michael because she said Maeve would never speak to MP. This disappointed Michael as he was a HG fan. Instead Maeve's dialog was given to Delia. He said Randall Edwards (Delia #3) was lovely. Kelli and Michael were hired to be the show's answer to Luke & Laura and bring in a younger audience. Louise said Kelli and Michael were charismatic performers and the audience responded to them. Kelli said they first considered Kim seducing Frank Ryan. She called John Gabriel (Seneca) a trooper for being stuck with the Lolita s/l She also said John was not the jealous type. All 3 gave their story for why they became actors. Louise hated writing for soaps because she wanted to tell her own stories. After he was fired, the shows wardrobe person secretly gave Michael all of MP’s clothes to take home. She gave Kelli some of Kim’s clothes. Louise loved Edge o Night and that was because of co-stars Ann Flood and Lois Kibbee. That role taught her how not to take the work home because she drove herself a little crazy with the s/l. ________________________________________________________________________ I enjoyed the affection they have of each other. I was thinking of one of the reports that Michael had been fired because of backstage jealousy - I always thought that it was a male co-star's jealousy but maybe it was a female. I recall that a blogradio interview ( had to be over 10 years ago) where Louise said there was a clique on the show and she wasn’t part of it – and in this YouTube reunion it really sounded like they were together by themselves on and off screen. Also in the blogradio interview, Louise said was a team player and the show would send her out to do press because they knew she would be positive – even during the Merit Karah s/l. So it would be interesting to hear her speak even more about everything 40 years later

Prince Albert started right away in the new year (198O) and he abducted her mid-March. Crystal Palace opened mid-May. Barry's was run down in late September. Roger pulled a "Frank Ryan" and threw her out after he caught her with Dan Fox. After he had slept with Rae first, which led Dee to be vulnerable to Dan. Roger didn't care that Dan "forced " her to continue the affair, just like Frank didn't care that Roger "forced" her during the Frank/Delia marriage . (Although Frank and Delia's marriage was in a better place at that time, Delia did admit to Father McShane that she was continuing the affair and giving in to Roger's "blackmail" to keep Roger around as a back-up just in case Frank still left her) .After hearing how Labine and Mayer thought it was natural for Delia to go after Frank again in 1983, I imagine they saw this also as some natural old pattern, too, of looking for safety and protection from the Ryan's and Frank after the break-up with Barry and the hit-and-run.

Here is the entire article Soap Opera Digest July 19, 1983 "Ryan's Hope" : Long Awaited Return to Familiar Faces, Familiar Dreams By Nerissa Radell In 1974, while they were still writing for "Love of Life," Paul Avila Mayer and Claire Labine began work on another soap opera. "Ryan's Hope," as it was called, was different right from the very start. In 1975, when the show premiered on ABC, most soap operas were situated in fictional American cities. "Ryan's Hope," however, was one of a kind. The Irish Catholic Ryan family, headed by Maeve and Johnny Ryan (expertly played by Helen Gallagher and Bernard Barrow) ran a neighborhood bar - not in everyman's town but in New York City. Maeve and Johnny didn't own a house or have a luxurious apartment. They lived right upstairs from their bar with their four children, whom they unabashedly loved. In fact, "Ryan's Hope" was all about that love and the various forms it took within that close family. Sounds simple? Well, it was... From 1975 to 1980, Paul and Claire produced, packaged and wrote their show very successfully for ABC. But in 1980, for financial reasons, Claire and Paul sold "Ryan's Hope" to the network. During that time, the series won 11 Emmys, including two awards for Best Show and four awards for Best Writing. "We were probably the lowest paid writers in daytime when we were winning all those awards," Paul smiles. "In fact, I know we were. We paid ourselves the absolute minimum so all the money could go back into the show. As soon as there was extra money, the actors got it. We were constantly over budget." Once ABC owned the show, "Ryan's Hope", began to change. "There was a difference in opinions as to which direction the show should take," Paul reflects. "The network wanted a new family on the show," Claire says. "All I have to say this in all justice -- philosophically, it was a viable decision. We had worked the veins of the Ryan's at this point! ABC have breathed new life into 'One Life to Live' by bringing in a new family in. But the problem here was that Paul and I had been doing this show for seven years and we were making up a new family on demand. We didn't feel the need for it." Nevertheless, because they relinquished creative control by selling the show, Paul and Claire created the Kirklands, a wealthy, power-monger family. Hollis Kirkland was played by veteran star Peter Haskell. Hollis fairly burst onto the "Ryan 's Hope" stage and his plotline, which linked him to the show's other reigning power-monger, Rae Woodard, soon consumed the whole serial. It was the end of "Ryanness" as the new emphasis on glitz, intrigue and heavy plotting took over. Viewers who had known and loved "Ryan's Hope" for it's done-to-earth storylines didn't know what to make of it, and ratings dropped to an all-time low. "We got a little off track," says Michael Levin who, as Jack Fenelli, has intrigued fans for eight years with his role as a crusading newspaper columnist. " When we were good, we really did good work and it wasn't about millionaires and gangsters and mystery and adventure. " (Once ABC owned the show, the plots began to focus on way out storylines a la "General Hospital.") The good work was just about human beings trying to love one another or not to love one another. The whole idea of 'Ryan's Hope' is that it's a hope for love and for trust...and that's not easy," he adds. Yet, despite their commitment to "Ryan's Hope," Paul and Claire left the show fifteen months after they sold it to ABC. "We were fired," Claire says matter-of-factly. I went back to work in February of 1982 without Paul to find there were various changes in personnel. " "We'd gotten into trouble when the scenes the network wanted written weren't the kind of scenes Claire wanted to write or were written for performers who couldn't fill them," adds Paul. " "The result was, the scenes didn't work. When we wrote scenes for the Ryan's, the scenes worked." So several months later, Claire left the show again. But in January of 1983, ABC approached both Paul and Claire about returning. Needless to say, there was some major overhauling to be done. Some of these "steps" included rather drastic moves, such as the releasing of nine characters from the show (including the entire Kirkland family). Plots were dropped right in the middle of their action lines. Several primary roles were recast. Says Paul, "It wasn't the performers' fault, but if you look at those characters, they were all nasty people grubbing for money. We write a very sentimental show, about love and sex, things we're interested in. We wanted to go back and build the stories around the family which meant we had to lose some of the Kirklands." There were other compromises both the writers and the network reached. " We came back to the show with the understanding that we could get our original casting director, Shirley Rich, back," Claire explains. " Shirley had found all our other wonderful original cast members and we wanted another Frank Ryan for the show. (Daniel Hugh-Kelly, who was the last actor to play the part, left in 1981. ) We also wanted to have Malcolm Groome, the original Pat Ryan, come back because he's great and because his presence on the set brings such joy to everyone who works with him. There was a perfectly lovely actor, James Clark, who was playing the role, " Claire admits, " but he wasn't Malcolm. In order for us to come back, we wanted Malcolm back, too." Malcolm Groome, who'd left the series in 1978, is thrilled to be back in New York and on the show. "Ryan's Hope" is a great working situation, " he exclaims. " The fact that I am back and that the whole show is going back to it's original thrust should make a difference. The Ryan's and the Coleridge were getting to be strangers on their own show...Paul and Claire's return will make a big difference, we're already starting to see that. We're all very excited." For Malcolm, the reclaiming of his role Pat Ryan was a natural process. "As an actor, you bring part of yourself to a part. When I decided to come back, I thought through Pat as I had left him, how he would have grown since then, etc. Actually, I came right in at the peak of Jimmy Clark's storyline. I literally Jumped in and brought my understanding of Pat as I had always known him to that situation." Ilene Kristen, another "Ryan's Hope " original, had left her role as Delia Reed Ryan Coleridge after three and half years of creating a character who alternatively amused and infuriated audiences. As Delia, Ilene stopped at nothing, including a bout with blindness, to get what she wanted- usually attention from a man. When Randall Edwards - who'd been playing the role of Delia - decided to leave the show, ABC approached Ilene about coming back. Although Claire and Paul have established their interest in keeping as much of the original cast as possible, Randall Edward's Delia was someone they could write for. When Ilene left the show in 1979, it was hard to replace her, " Claire sums up. " But what Randall did was astonishing. She managed to continue the line of the character, to be her own Delia, and still be a Delia Paul and I enjoyed writing for." Unlike Groome, Ilene had a harder time resuming her role after another actress had played the part. "It was totally different, " Ilene says of Randall's characterization. "As Dee, I suddenly had this restaurant with which I didn't know what to do. I had to dress up in elegant clothes. Dee is a real street fighter in a way, and the story had become very opulent - so had the show. I kept wondering what happened to those simple souls. I mean they'd gone Hollywood!" Nancy Addison, another original cast member, had several problems with her character during the Kirkland reign. " I like Jill," Nancy says of her character, Jill Coleridge, one of daytime's first liberated women. "The year and a half while we were waiting to find another Frank Ryan for me was excruciating! The focus went to an entirely different thing, and none of the old people were being used. Viewers were used to these good family people who owned a bar and their good friends, the Coleridges, who had money. They were used to the love, the conflict, the children. All of a sudden we were trying to be something we weren't, and we couldn't make it there. I was feeling down about the show for a while, " Nancy admits. "But these changes have given me - all of us - a lift. Geoffrey Pierson is Frank Ryan. I feel like an actress again!" Now that Paul and Claire have returned to "Ryan 's Hope, " the show seems to be headed right back where it belongs. Needless to say, there will be various problems to overcome- not the least of which is a heavy, rich "past" to contend with. " One of the problems with refocusing on the Ryan family is that there have been so many interrelationships." Claire comments. " We have to avoid playing what we've already done." For example, one of its hottest stories in the late 70's was the love triangle between Jill-Frank-Dee. For a while, it seemed as though this same situation was brewing. Comments Paul, " The outlines were ten days ahead of taping, and we really thought that in all honesty Dee, who' d had everything taken away from her, would go after Frank when he came home again. Having written this for ten years, we used up a lot of our fantasies. It's sometimes hard to find things that are fresh." Of particular interest over the years have been the romances between the Coleridge sisters (Jill and Faith) and the Ryan brothers, Frank and Pat. "I'd like to see Jill and Frank get married," says Claire - no doubt speaking for the hundreds of viewers who agree with her - " and have the most loving, the most trying relationship in the world of soap opera marriages. That is what we've promised the audience." As for the Pat and Faith romance, which seems to be headed for a triangle-type twist not unlike the Dee-Pat-Faith story of the late 70's." This is where we're in danger of being on worn ground, " Claire admits. "But there is a difference between Amanda (the third part of the triangle) and Dee. Pat's response to both of them will be clearly drawn - Amanda is mad, curably mad. What is fun to play Pat and Faith trying to be responsible to one another and then to this person, Amanda, who's in this emotional mess." Another compelling storyline will be the tempestuous romance between Jack Fenelli and Leigh Kirkland (played by Felicity LaFortune). Viewers who remember the emotional relationship between Jack Fenelli and his first wife Mary Ryan (originally played by the incomparable Kate Mulgrew), will watch as Jack once again puts aside his fears of being loved and once again makes himself vulnerable to a woman. "We're going to do this in a very challenging way," smiles Michael Levin. " I hope the audience is ready for Jack to fall in love again." Yes, "Ryan's Hope " is back where it belongs. " I hated to see it battered and bloodied, " Claire says. "We have the best dialogue writers in daytime: Nancy Ford, Judith Pinsker, and Mary Munisteri. One of the most you touching things anyone's ever said to me about the show is something Mary said once - ' I would rather be part of a contributing popular myth than Proust.' " Paul adds, "Contributing is the operative word here. In order to do this, we have to invest a certain passion and caring. We know 'Ryan's Hope' is going to work again."

Had to search through my old magazines to find this - I recalled this from a Labine/Mayer interview where Soap Opera Digest said they created the Kirklands July 19, 1983 issue "Ryan's Hope" : Long Awaited Return to Familiar Faces, Familiar Dreams Once ABC owned the show, "Ryan's Hope", began to change. "There was a difference in opinions as to which direction the show should take," Paul reflects. "The network wanted a new family on the show," Claire says. "All I have to say this in all justice -- philosophically, it was a viable decision. We had worked the veins of the Ryan's at this point! ABC have breathed new life into 'One Life to Live' by bringing in a new family in. But the problem here was that Paul and I had been doing this show for seven years and we were making up a new family on demand. We didn't feel the need for it." Nevertheless, because they relinquished creative control by selling the show, Paul and Claire created the Kirklands, a wealthy, power-monger family. Hollis Kirkland was played by veteran star Peter Haskell. Hollis fairly burst onto the "Ryan 's Hope" stage and his plotline, which linked him to the show's other reigning power-monger, Rae Woodard, soon consumed the whole serial. It was the end of "Ryanness" as the new emphasis on glitz, intrigue and heavy plotting took over. Viewers who had known and loved "Ryan's Hope" for it's done-to-earth storylines didn't know what to make of it, and ratings dropped to an all-time low.

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

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

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.

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.

. 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

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.

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

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. You're welcome!

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.