Paul Raven

Robert Parucha (Matt Miller Y&R) auditioned for Jeff Hartman on Loving and Jamie Frame and Grant Harrison on AW.

Joanna Lee,I think.

Never seen Jackie Zeman as Lana before.

Not many pics around of Claire Malis as Dorian

In light of Catherine Bach joining Y&R

Alice Barrett (Frankie/Anne AW) tested for the role of Ellen on Port Charles that went to Debbi Morgan.

Arlene and Edouard

Lewin had big shoes to fill,but was she really given a chance? Maybe Vicky needed to be supporting for a few months after all the Jake/Marley/Vicky stuff and give the actress and audience a chance to adapt. Same with Lauri Landry as Nicole. Instead they were dropped. I remember Whitsell saying that by the end of 86 only a half dozen or so actors remained from the start of that year.Hardly a testament to the writers and producers forward planning.

I read about Pam's return way before Iris arrived. The mention of Rex brings another lame story to mind.DePriest recycled hokey Days stories.Instead of Cass coming back estranged from Kathleen (maybe he couldn't cope with her being more successful) and seeking solace from another woman,they go with the presumed death and doppelganger stories. Then we had Nicole return completely different from previous incarnations.And the horrible Jason Frame character.

Pam was Rachel's half sister from the somerset days.SOD mentioned a possible return. Having her return as a rival to Rachel would have been great.Perhaps jealous and trying to worm her way into the Cory family.so many possibilities. Agree with your assessment of the Loves.That family had potential. Originally DePriest said AW would be about the Corys,Loves and McKinnons and each family would have an identity.But all they did was write most of them off within 1 or 2 years. BTW hated Felicia and Mitch. Another character not used was Ada's niece Susannah.Have Cory Ewing come to town as a new teen. I would have resurrected the Matthews earlier too,

The MJ story was completely out of left field.Maybe it would have worked for Nicole Love. The DePriest/Whitsell revamp promised a lot but it all fell apart. Killing off Maisie and Quinn,who because of the constant cast changes, were vets by this time.Have Maisie and Vince become a new tentpole working class couple.Bring back Ben. The Nicole and Vicky recast and later the terrible Donna recast.I consider Jamie (Laurence Lau) a bad recast as was making him a doctor. Reg had the potential to be an Alan Spaulding/Victor Newman type but was wasted. Getting rid of Nancy,a legacy character with tons of story to tell. The proposed return of Pam that never happened.

Matt McAllister was (I think) a lawyer and sidekick to Dorian,He was played by Vance Jeffries and returned in 79 for a short time. Karen was described as Jenny's younger sister,but was that changed/ignored when Judith and later Brynn were in the roles?

Whatever happened to Eileen? Did she die,leave town or just vanish?

In a January 81 SOD article,Allen Fawcett,then playing Kelly on EON said he had a 10 week holding option at Y&rR while they waited to see if a particular actor would depart.he didn't and Fawcett then tested for Edge. I can't think of a role that Fawcett would have been right for at that time at Y&R.

From The Soap Opera Book Ryan's Hope (now almost two years old) is said by those in the television industry to be the most ambitious of the newer soaps. It may also be the happiest soap. The show is written and produced by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, who formerly wrote forLove of Life. Like All My Children and The Young and the Restless, Ryan's Hope attracts a young audience. In fact, when the show first came out, the Nielsen's went up and down, sometimes by as much as 7 points, depending on whether the kids were in or out of school. Part of this appeal may come from the show's newcomer status; this is a soap nobody's parents watched. Equally important is the ambience and attitude conveyed. As the title suggests, this is supposed to be an optimistic show. Claire Labine likes to say that it is "the opposite of defeatism." There is a belief that characters can cope; that the human condition should be celebrated rather than merely endured. The mood is established by the theme music and logo; we see a young version of Mother and "Da" Ryan dance joyfully with an infant son, holding him to heaven at the end. Ryan's Hope is a home-and-family show and to some extent a doctor-lawyer show. But it differs from others in that it is set in an identifiable place. It's New York City—the place referred to with such horror on the other shows. Since this is New York, and not Oakdale or Rosehill, people of different ethnic backgrounds can be realistically portrayed. The Ryans are not Unspecified Protestants, as are their many counterparts. They are Irish Catholics who frequently refer to their Church, their beliefs, and their traditions. They operate an Irish pub (called "Ryans") in which one has to make excuses for ordering English mustard. Characters from outside the family are also drawn and developed with attention to ethnic background. There are Italian-Americans who call each other "paisano" and attend the Gennaro Social Club. And when an Assistant District Attorney appears, he is identifiably Jewish. Other shows will occasionally throw in an ethnic-sounding name (usually Italian), but Ryan's Hope is unique in its use of ethnicity to explain character and behavior. This is a show in which there is much happy romanticizing about family life. Maeve Ryan is the archetypical mother: warm, supportive, wise, and humorous. "There are some women who can't have too many children," says one character in recognition of her motherly interest in virtually all who set foot in "Ryans." Other members of the family partake of her strength. The Ryans believe in themselves and say so often. Characteristic of the show are two-person scenes in which family trust is exchanged. Upon important occasions, characters say things like, "I want to thank you for a lifetime of love and understanding," or "You're a Ryan and the Ryans are proud of you and are behind you always." Particularly strong are the mother-daughter scenes between Maeve and Mary. (Most of these are written by Claire Labine, who volunteers that she has a very good relationship with her mother.) Characters who do not have families, or are missing a parent, tend to be confused or evil. Everyone understands this. For example, whenever Jack Fenelli so much as frowns, characters begin harping on his lack of family. In order to put across this romantic sense of family, Labine and Mayer have created a whole mythology of the old Ryans in Ireland, and younger Ryans in childhood. Hardly a day goes by without Mary or Frank relating some long and charming anecdote from childhood—or without Maeve and Johnny describing the wedding party, the potato stews, and the first hard, happy years. Babies and children—mothering and fathering—are shown to be the greatest source of joy. Whole situations (and even arguments) are constructed to reveal the need for family continuity. Some viewers find this soap "preachy," or at least heavy-handed in its family values; others find the Ryans and their familial intensity deeply satisfying. Storylines are smart, strong, and rather less predictable than those on other soaps. Lost parent fantasies and amnesia are avoided—but divorce, accidents, unplanned pregnancies and unresolvable romantic triangles are always going around. The difference is that here, amidst all the problems, is humor. The Ryans have their troubles, but they also have their fun—rowdy, noisy fun, full of good- natured and bad-natured kidding. Family holiday scenes are staged with a skill that any dramatist would admire; they manage to show a large family enjoying itself, while one or two characters in its midst reach the height of a personal crisis. Love scenes manage to be intimate and playful (something often achieved in life, but seldom, it seems, on the soaps). How successful Ryan's Hope will be is not yet clear. Stars like Nancy Addison (Jill Coleridge), Kate Mulgrew (Mary Ryan), John Gabriel (Seneca Beaulac), and Ilene Kristen (Delia Ryan) have already attracted large fan followings. Nielsen ratings are only a point or two below those of All My Children, which now follows Ryan's Hope on most line-ups. As Labine and Mayer like to point out, that's higher than the first year ratings for The Young and the Restless.

SOD Dec 89Max and Gabrielle spend the night locked in the costume room, just talking. But when Megan enters, she overreacts, insisting, "It's over, Max. I swear it this time. I can't stand the pain of loving you when I know you'll never be completely mine." Later, Prince Raymond charms Megan into being his US tour guide. Kaboom! At the groundbreaking of Buchanan City, Megan and Raymond arrive. Megan confides in Viki that she and Max are finished. Suddenly, a vengeful Taggart blows up the saloon, trapping them inside. Clint manages to save Viki, but Megan's still trapped in the saloon. Having followed Megan to Arizona, Max shows up, and he and Raymond rush in to save Megan, but not before a beam falls, knocking Raymond unconscious. He's rushed to the hospital. Megan assures a disappointed Max that they are finished. Although Raymond is hemorrhaging internally, the doctor has orders from the King of Mendorra — no blood transfusions. He's sending a private supply of blood. Megan doesn't consider herself an "unknown" donor and offers her 0-negative type blood. Later, when Klaus, the minister of state, arrives, he's appalled that Megan — a commoner — gave blood. The prince, however, is very grateful. Meanwhile, Viki comforts Clint among the rubble of Buchanan City and begs him to return to Llanview. Pondering his decision, dint's attacked by Taggart, but is able to overpower him. He's close to killing Taggart, but Julia stops him. She convinces Clint to give Buchanan City another try and he tells Viki that he's not walking away from his dream. Refusing to stay with him, Viki angrily leaves. Hidden Feelings Brenda and Larry reset their wedding date to New Year's Day. Later, Brenda asks an ecstatic Michael to be Steven's godfather. But Michael's hopes are quickly dashed when he learns about Brenda and Larry's wedding. Baby Stealers When Cord suggests an in-depth interview of Lord Love the Children's Serena and Ambrose, they're wary. Renee and Asa enter, asking to adopt. Asa lays it on thick that he's more than willing to compensate the Wymans for young Sandy. But Ambrose smoothly insists that although Sandy is spoken for, he'll keep their application. Later, Ambrose tells Serena that the Buchanans were too eager. When Ambrose tells Tina he wants to make her his "special" assistant, she senses that he's coming on to her. Later, Tina breaks into Ambrose's personal files, but he catches her. Tina insists that she was trying to help Renee and Asa speed the adoption process. Meanwhile, Cord questions Jon on LLC, and Russell confides that he's heard that the Wymans have pressured young women to give up their babies for adoption, but refuses to reveal his source. Later, when Jon brings up the subject of the adoption of Audrey's child to her, she refuses to talk about it. Cord and Tina sneak into the clinic to take Sandy, but she's gone. The Muellers picked her up sooner than expected. The next day, Tina holds off Ambrose's play for her with the promise that she can provide LLC with a newborn baby. She lies that her friend, Gabrielle, is pregnant. Tina convinces a furious Gabrielle to play along and Ambrose is pleased that Gabrielle's willing to give her baby to LLC. Suddenly, she panics when a doctor enters to give her a pre-natal exam. Tina covers by insisting Gabrielle see her own doctor. Later, Tina explains to Dan the situation at LLC and implores him to forge medical records. Dan admits it seemed a big coincidence that LLC moved in as soon as Miriam was kicked out. He decides to help, and she later hands the records to Ambrose. Ambrose insists that Tina should be rewarded and unbuttons Tina's blouse, kissing her. When he swears to share all the secrets of LLC, Tina forces herself to respond. But suddenly, Serena and Cord storm in. Furious, Cord belts Ambrose. While Tina pleads with Cord, Ambrose begs Serena for forgiveness and she insists he fire Tina. They can't hold on to Gabrielle without Tina, Ambrose argues. Max and Gabrielle share a close moment at Max's Place. He comes close to kissing her, but stops himself, explaining that he was using her to forget Megan. Kiss And Tell Roger pleads to Viki that he wants to be with her, to make her happy. She can't give up on Clint now, Viki says. But Roger pulls her into a kiss, and Viki responds. Later, Viki calls Clint, leaving a message on the answering machine, asking him to return home, but Julia erases the message. Later, Viki tells Megan, "I'm afraid his silence is a very clear message: he's turned his back on our marriage." A Princely Problem A dizzy Raymond insists he check out of the hospital and return to Mendorra where his father's fallen ill. While he and Megan drive to Klaus's hotel room, Raymond suddenly goes blind. They crash, but aren't injured. Worried that his father will find out, Raymond asks Megan to help trick Klaus. Their ruse works and Klaus returns to Mendorra. Having Max's Baby Ambrose admits to Gabrielle that he assumes Michael Grande is the father. He'll need his permission to proceed with the adoption. Gabrielle insists he's not the dad. Max Holden is. She convinces a reluctant Max to play along. Dan learns that Kelly's moved to LA. He's also hurt that Brenda asked Michael to be Steven's godfather, not him.

The Donovan family

Intense = George Reinholt Hearthrob = Lee Paterson

Jonathan and Sacha

Ben in prison.

Thanks a million for those 1973/74 articles Carl. Never knew before why Robert Loggia stepped in as Tony. Loggia started off in the movies in the 50's and was offered a Columbia contract but tuned it down because he didn't want to become part of the Hollywood machine.Parts dried up and he went to TV.By the early 70's he was drinking heavily and his career was going nowhere.Guess that why he took on Search. He credits meeting his now wife around that time who supported him and got things back on track for him personally and professionally.He related this at a showing of his movie The Garment Jungle.