Ryan's Hope Discussion Thread

[John]

1984-87

Then Rosemary Prinz Nov 1988-Jan 1989

[DRW50]

I'm watching It Should Happen to You before it leaves Criterion, and it's remarkable how much  Judy Holliday reminds me of Randall Edwards. RH truly did not know what they had with her. 

[safe]

Faith? & Frank- Tracy guest starred on Daniel Hugh-Kelly's Hardcastle & McCormick in 1985 - 

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[amybrickwallace]

Thanks for the screen caps. Didn't John Sanderford also guest on H&M? If so, how fun to see Franks 3 and 5 sharing screen time.

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[safe]

Yes, he did.

 

Just came across this in an old file. Michael Levin(Jack)  talks about the different Mary's and mentions Helen bringing Kathleen in for the role of Siobhan. I don't know what publication and can't recall why I only have these few paragraphs and not the whole article. I don't think this was from one of Carl's magazines, was it? 

They aren't  the clearest to read

 

When Kate Mulgrew left "Ryan's Hope," Michael gave no thought to what adjustments would have to be made with a new actress playing his wife. But, as actress followed actress over the last year and a half, Michael realized there WERE adjustments.

 

"It took me a year to learn how to work with Katey, to learn what a spunky fireball she was. It was very exciting to work with her. You could trust her dynamic, alive and take whatever you threw at her and throw something back."

 

"Mary Carney, Kathleen Dolan, and now Nikki Goulet all had different qualities. As they replace each actress, they try to fill whatever weak spot the one before had.

 

"It was easy with Mary Carney, she had the craft, but it was kind of low-keyed thing after Katey. I didn't spend much time worrying about Mary or how she would change  or change my acting,

 

"Kathy was exciting but was a constant problem in the sense of a new girl breaking into the form. Helen Gallagher brought her in to play the other daughter, Siobhan, but the powers that be cast her as Mary, the bigger part. Kathy herself is anti-establishment, and it was hard to get the old Mary Ryan from her. Especially since Kate had created a Mary that was part child-woman, aggressive, yet a nice person, and a very female person, all that is Mary Ryan and Kate Mulgrew, as well, but Kathy had her own special qualities."

 

Michael feels Mary Ryan as played by Nikki Goulet has a sweeter qualities. "She also has the life and pizzazz of Mary."

 

 

I had led Michael into this discussion and he didn't flinch from the verbal dissection of his various TV wives, any more than the original bluebeard flinched from real dissection.

 

He admits that when Kate was leaving, he felt it would be best to kill the character of Mary rather than try to replace her. he thought it would be interesting, Fenelli left with the baby he hadn't wanted. The powers-that-be on the show disagreed.

 

"With Nikki I've decided- you see, I'm learning - not to try and teach, which I tried to do with the others. It's almost like a good father, letting the person develop and you just watch and once in a while say something or do something when you're sure exactly what you're gonna say

 

 

can and let it happen.

 

"It has been impossible for me to do that on the show for a year and a half now. With a new person you must be conscience of the fact they're new, you must get used to the form. Then you're concerned with how to make it work.

 

"You go through a break-in period first, then you find yourself in a different situation with each of the women. Easy with Mary Caney, electric with Kathy, but a problem I couldn't figure." (Eventually Michael decided it was that the role of Mary was so different from Kathy herself. What gave Kathy her zing was her attitude of having broken away from tradition, yet Mary is tradition bound.)

 

He's learned to relax and enjoy working with Nikki.

Edited August 31, 2021 by safe

[Forever8]

Louise Shaffer (ex Rae Woodward) will be joining Alan Locher again on September 15th at 3 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. PST

 

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[amybrickwallace]

I just hope her internet connection is better this time than it was in the interview with Kelli and Michael!!

[amybrickwallace]

The OGs, 1975:

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[safe]

Here's some of what I recall from Louise Shaffer's Locher Room YouTube interview 

 

 

 

Louise's favorite role was Serena/ Josie on The Edge of Night

 

She had watched Ryan's Hope and wanted to be on it

 

Claire wanted to bring a bitch character on to the show

 

Louise told her she wanted Rae to show no conscience and just go after what she wanted...freedom to not be evil or bad but  just driven

 

She was brought on to screw up Frank and Jill's story and then be gone

 

RH writer Jeffrey Lane came up with the Rae has a daughter, Kim, story that kept her around

 

Louise shared a dressing room with Kelli

 

Louise thought Kelli had charisma and as long as Kelli stayed on the show Louise would always  have a job

 

She said Kelli was 17 or 18 ..guess she doesn't know about Kelli saying she was only 14 when she started on RH

 

Louise felt Michael Corbett and other men on the show didn't get enough appreciation

 

Michael was a smart actor and physically beautiful

 

Talks about when Rae slapped Kim. They rehearsed and was getting late and Kelli said to Louise "just hit me"

 

Said good things about Helen Gallagher and how Helen always played the characters backstory 

 

 

Other things

 

She called taking the role of Stephanie on Search For Tomorrow a the mistake of a lifetime but she needed the job and the money ... and with a character and actress as popular as Stephanie and Maree there should have been more time between when she left and the role was recast

 

She was terrified of Mary Stuart during her first run on SFT...second time she and Mary had more in common including how they both liked writing

 

When Louise was there she felt Lisa Peluso was ready to move on

 

 

She had fun playing Goldie on All My Children

 

She hated writing for daytime

 

She said her favorite soap characters to write for were Kathryn Hays and Martha Byrne's characters on As the World Turns

 

Said James Mitchell (Where the Heart Is) was amazing and he gave her some help for one of her books

 

She'd take the right acting role if it were offered today

 

 

 

Edited September 15, 2021 by safe

[amybrickwallace]

Thank you, @safe! I had forgotten her interview was today. I'll have to check it out.

[DRW50]

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[amybrickwallace]

Were Maggie and Dave really that popular of a couple? I do know that she was much more interesting as a vixen than she was as an ingenue.

[John]

The producers/ABC should have given Mary Carney more time as Mary

[amybrickwallace]

She was clearly the best post-Mulgrew Mary.

[John]

Agreed and if given time could have lasted years and Mary could have survived