1985/1986

Coming

April 9, 1985

Tipoff

Marisa Pavan has joined the cast of Ryan's Hope as Madame Chantal Dubujak, mother of Max, the tycoon and accused murderer. Miss Pavan won an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress in 1955 for her role in The Rose Tatoo with Anna Magnani and Burt Lancaster. In recent years she has been in semi-retirement, raising two sons and being the wife of French actor Jean-Pierre Aumont.

Coming

May 11, 1985

Tipoff

On CBN'S Another Life, Susan Scannell played an aspiring singer who cheated behind her husband's back, then dumped him entirely. (Truth was nicer than fiction; she wound up marrying Chris Rowland, who played her long suffering husband.) Now after stints as Kristen on Search For Tomorrow and Nicole on Dynasty, she's moving to Ryan's Hope as a mysterious French woman – also named Nicole

.

Going

June 27, 1985

Tipoff

John Gabriel and Felicity La Fortune are leaving Ryan’s Hope. Felicity's character, Leigh Kirkland, faded out as a love interest for Jack Fenelli many moons ago. And original cast member, John, who plays Seneca Beaulac, has been on the plot back-burner for so long most viewers forgot he was still around.

Coming

September 13, 1985

Channel Chatter

Pretty brunette Betty Alley, a newcomer to the soap opera business, joins the cast of Ryan's Hope this week. She plays Betty Sherman, a young and feisty ambulance dispatcher at the hospital who crosses paths with Jack Fenelli. Look for romantic sparks to fly between the two in the near future.

Going/Coming

September 30, 1985

Tipoff

Geoffrey Pierson has decided to throw in the towel as Frank Ryan on Ryan's Hope. The actor playing the role is John Sanderford. Increasingly in recent months, the show has focused on it's newer, jet-set characters and moved away from the Ryan family circle

.

Comings

October 13, 1985

Soap Opera Scenes

Two new actors have joined the cast of “Ryan's Hope.” Christopher Durham, the more familiar of the two, will play Johnny's long lost son who is also wanted by the law. Durham joins Ryan's Hope after a stint as Matt McCandless on “Capitol.” The other actors, John Sanderford, steps in as the latest in the long line of performers to play Frank Ryan.

Going

December 14, 1985

Tipoff

Marg Helgenberger, who plays Siobhan on Ryan's Hope, has decided not to renew her contract with the program in order to pursue a theatrical career. Undecided at this point if the role will be recast with another actress.

Coming

January 26, 1986

Soap Opera Scenes

“Ryan's Hope” welcomes Leslie Easterbrook to the cast of the show. Easterbrook, who makes her first appearance Jan. 20, play mystery woman Devlin Kowalsky with ties to Max Dubujak, and may have a romantic future with Jack Fenelli (played by Michael Levin). Easterbrook might be best remembered as the buxom neighbor who inspired to be an actress in the final season of "Laverne and Shirley".

Going

February 9, 1986

Tune In Tomorrow

Soap opera roles can come and go without fanfare, as proved by David Sederholm being quietly and unceremoniously written out of “Ryan's Hope” as Bill Hyde. Police officer Hyde was a pivotal part of the soap just a few short months ago, appearing in every scene for months on end

Coming

June 11, 1986

Tipoff

Carrell Myers is joining Ryan's Hope June 20 as Siobhan Ryan Dubujak. Carrell, a native California girl, is also a Wilhelmina model. She has guest roles on The A-Team, MacGuyver and The Love Boat to her credit.

1986/1987

Coming

August 8, 1986

Tipoff

Ryan's Hope will be bringing back the character of Delia Reid Ryan Ryan Coleridge Crane(Whew!) on Sept. 5. Reprising the role for the third time will be Ilene Kristen, the original Delia when the show premiered in 1975. She later returned in 1982 to play Delia for another year. Other Delias have been Robyn Milan and Randall Edwards.

Coming

September 8, 1986

Tipoff

A newcomer to daytime TV is Jason H. Adams, who joined the cast of Ryan's Hope as Frank Ryan's son, Johnno. When Johnno was written on the show three years ago he was about eight years old. When Johnno returned about two weeks ago, however, he was 19 years old with an infant son, Owney.

Comings

October 7, 1986

Soap Opera Scene

“Ryan's Hope” welcomes two new cast members to the show. Starring as Kurt, a henchman of Max, is actor Walt Willey. Fans may remember Walt as another daytime bad guy when he appeared as LaRusso on “Another World.” In addition, pretty Cathy Larson will play Lizzie Ramson, who is the mother of Johnno's baby Owney

Coming

March 9, 1987

Tipoff

Tichine Arnold is the newcomer who portrays Zena, a young street kid on Ryan's hope. Zena's path has already crossed with that of Jack Fenelli (played by Michael Levin) since both characters are undergoing therapy at the local hospital. Tichine was seen the feature film Little Shop of Horrors.

**** This should read Tichina – not Tichine

Going

May 1, 1987

Nancy M. Reichardt

Nancy Valen will be exiting “Ryan's Hope” and her role of Melinda Ryan this week when her characters succumbs to cancer caused by crop dusting

Going

June 28, 1987

Tipoff

The first week of July will mark the end of Leslie Easterbrook's run as Devlin Kowalaski on Ryan's Hope. By mutual agreement with producers, Leslie – who appears in Police Academy IV – has decided to end her stint on the show. Although she was give a fair amount of story line when she first joined the show, of late Leslie's character has been relegated to less than back-burner story. There are no plans to recast the role.

Coming/Going

August 1, 1987

Nancy Reichardt

Another soap newcomer, Brian McGovern, will be creating the role of financial whiz kid Charles Saybrooke on “Ryan's Hope” beginning Tuesday if there are no pre-emptions due to the Iran/Contra hearings.

We have learned that “RH” super hunk Grant Show is planning to leave his role of Rick Hyde sometime in September when his contract with the show comes to an end. Word is Grant plans to go to England to continue his acting studies.

With Grant's upcoming exit from “RH” it's highly likely that Brian's character could become a romantic interests for “RH's” heroine (Yasmine Bleeth) who is currently married to Rick.

Going

September 27, 1987

Soap Scene

Nancy Addison, who is an original cast member of “Ryan's Hope” will be leaving the show and her role of Jillian Ryan in early December.

After 12 years with the soap, Nancy will accompany her writer-husband, Daniel Goldfarb (who has worked on such television shows as 20/20) to California where they will both be looking for new projects to work on.

Although no definite decision has been made at press time about just how Nancy's character will leave the storyline, it is possible that Jillian, who is currently pregnant, and her baby will be sent off to Australia to visit her long-lost mother.

So far there has been no word on just how Nancy's exit will affect the storyline of her “RH” co-star, John Sanderford, who portrays her on-screen hubby, Frank. Since John recently signed a new contract with ”RH”, it seems the show intends to keep Frank active.

1988

Going

February 10, 1988

Soap Bubbles

Ryan's Hope experiences yet another major cast departure around the end of March.

After eight roles in the year of Pat Ryan, Malcolm Groome is leaving, apparently dismayed with the fact that his character simply hasn't had very much to do.

******************************************************************************************************

Malcolm Groome had threatened to walk the year before.

******************************************************************************************************

Daytime Magazine

April 1987

Will Malcolm Groome leave Ryan's Hope when his contract expires in March?

It sure looks that way. Malcolm makes no secret of the fact that he's been very disappointed with his storyline – or lack of it. “I feel like I've matured, but the character hasn't”, Malcolm declares.

Coming

March 17, 1988

Prinz on 'Ryan's Hope'

“Ryan's Hope” is thrilled that they have signed former daytime actress Rosemary Prinz to play the contract role of Sister Mary Joel.

Longtime viewers of the soap will remember that Sister Mary Joel had a profound influence on irascible newspaper reporter Jack Fenelli (played by Michael Levin), who spent his informative years in an orphanage.

Rosemary was a favorite of “As the World Turns” when she played the unforgettable Penny Hughes from 1956 to 1968 (she reprised the role briefly in 1985)

Coming

September 9, 1988

Soap Box Updates

The character of Siobhan returned last month to the daytime drama Ryan's Hope. Siobhan will be portrayed by newcomer Barbara Blackburn.

Blackburn has recently been seen in the NBC movie Born Beautiful, the PBS mini-series Moving Right Along, and commercial

Coming

September 2, 1988

Now that the writer strike is over, Ryan's Hope is in the process of bringing back several old-time characters. And in some cases the original actor who portrayed them.

First return on 'RH', Roscoe Born, the second actor who played the role of Joe Novak (1981-1983). Of the three actors who played Joe, Born was the one who caught and held the audiences attention. When he left the role five years ago, the audience was clamoring to have him back. But Joe was written off in 1984.

The second returnee to 'RH' is Daniel Plion who reated the role of Max Dubujak in 1984. Pilon left the show two years ago when his character supposedly died. But since Max's body was never recovered, everyone suspected he would resurface someday, ready to commit more evil deeds.

Pilon's first air date was August 31. If you've been watching Guiding Light lately, you know that Pilon is substituting for ailing Chris Bernau, who plays Alan Spaulding. In order to get Pilon back, 'RH' has agreed to let him continue on 'GL' until Bernau returns. It seems Pilon has his work cut out for him the next few weeks since he will be splitting his time between 'RH” and 'GL'.

I didn't realize Pilon went back to Ryan's Hope.

Who was this ambulance driver Jack was involved with? Clearly that didn't last long.

This is what I've heard on the Soapnet board - Roscoe Born and Daniel Pilon were brought back so they could kill Joe off for good (Joe killed Max and Max planted a bomb that a very short time later killed Joe as he potected Siobhan from the explosion)- and free Siobhan up for new love interests. However, the show was cancelled a few weeks before it aired - and the storyline leading up to Joe's death was already in motion on screen.

I don't know anything about Betty and Jack except that she was written off a few months later. They then paried Jack up with Leslie Easterbrooke's character for a time.

Edited May 23, 201114 yr by safe

Word is Grant [show] plans to go to England to continue his acting studies.

Judging from the quality of his performances, those plans fell through.

Ellen Barrett later went to SFT as producer. Was Michael still on at that time?

Yes, they both would have been working together again on Search For Tomorrow.

This says Michael Corbett began on SFT around July of 1982.

Soap Opera Scene/July 16, 1982

Balance these leavings with, however, with the latest arrival: Michael Corbett as Warren Carter. Corbett is a familiar face from the past, best remembered as beefcake Michael Pavel on “Ryan's Hope.” Corbett was popular as the womanizing Pavel and his sudden murder took everyone by surprise. Corbett is betting he can regain his following on “Search for Tomorrow”...

In the same news archives Soap Opera Scene Channel Chatter that told of Pat Falken-Smith decision to end Karen Morris-Gowdy's role on RH also had a item that Ellen Barrett had just taken over on SFT.

Soap Opera Scene/December 24, 1983

The aggressive Joanna Lee, who revitalized a dying “Search for Tomorrow" in her short reign as producer has departed the show for other projects while former “Ryan's Hope" producer Ellen Barrett steps in.

Edited May 30, 201114 yr by safe

Jody Catlin - Mrs. Justin Deas at the time - began today as Delia's lawyer Anne Burney.

Here is Jody's website -

Jody Catlin

- The Mari Kara story was presumably supposed to lead to a reconciliation between them but KMG's general lack of warmth and the hypocrisy of this character made me completely unsympathetic to her. The only way I ever bought KMG was as a total bitch, and the show was too scared to go down that road. The only interesting story Faith had in 1981 was her counseling of a teenage punk alcoholic, but this must have been a strike story, as it was dropped very quickly.

The soapnet reruns are getting close to when Catherine Hicks takes over as Faith. Just wondering if CH had a lack of warmth as Faith, too.

I noticed FC played Faith like a shy, awkward girl.. that NB played Faith as more grown-up but still a little unsure... and that KMB was a bitch. So how did CH play the part?

Catherine played Faith as more of the all-American type, a sorority sister, upbeat, but also decisive and strong. Basically, nothing like Faith.

safe posted the text of this some months ago. I'm posting this mostly for the photos. Daily TV Serials, February 1977.

February 1977 Soaps and Serials.

November 1976 Day TV.

Hope" set sparkles with good-natured joking, impetuous hugs, and the sharing of each other's experiences.

After acknowledging how great it is to be a member of the "Ryan's Hope" clan, Ron escorted me to the privacy of his dressing room. Friendly and outspoken; Ron revealed many things about himself. It was like putting my ear to an audio kaleidoscope, as Ron communicated image after image of his perceptions of life. Thanks to my strategically placed tape recorder, you're all invited to eavesdrop on our interesting tete-a-tete!

Since structural changes in the family unit have had such an impact on society, I was anxious to hear Ron's views on this subject. Married four years ago to a divorcee with three children, Ron appears to enjoy an excellent family life. Was it difficult for this newly-formed family to adjust to each other and become a cohesive unit?

"Most of the time, I'm overly concerned with the needs of my family," Ron smiled. "Of course, any man or woman going into a ready-made family is going to find it difficult. It's even harder when you've never been a parent before. You feel torn. You want the children to love you, but you know that they can only have one mother and father. They love the natural parent as a parent. Going into such a situation can be emotionally tring, because you crave some of the recognition and love that the parent is getting. There's no way you can compete, or should compete, with a child's real parent. It puts the kids in a terrible position. Their loyalties are torn. You have to communicate to the kids that as you get to know each other better, hopefully love will grow between you. Trust also has to develop gradually. When you get to know kids, they become a part of you," Ron says matter-of-factly. He's such a genuinely loving man that the thought of a step-parent being unresponsive to a child seems never to have crossed his mind. A look of amusement appears as Ron recalls his first year as a stepfather. "Every time a kid whimpered, I'd be up and halfway to their bedroom. Then I began to worry about things I'd never even thought about before, like education."

Before discussing some of the problems he's encountered as a parent, Ron Conveys the feeling that his choice of a family was a most fortunate one. "My wife Dood is really a marvelous mother. She's done such a good job of raising the kids that they're all extremely well-adjusted. All kids like to play 'head' games though. They try you out. They'll pit a father against a stepfather. It so happens that their father is a terrific guy. We get along very well. When the kids constantly draw unfavorable comparisons between you and their natural father, you have to try not to let the tinges of jealousy get to you. Sometimes that's hard, like when you're hearing day after day how much better things were with their real father. I think the most important thing is to be natural. Just be honest wit h the kids and be yourself. Then it's not such a hassle."

Do Ron and Dood plan to have a child of their own? I've always loved kids, but it's never been important to me to have my own child. It's not the kind of thing where I'd be jumping up and down, passing out cigars. I've always felt that if I deeply loved someone, creating a child would be a natural and beautiful thing for us. When you've got three kids, ranging from 10 to 14 years old, I don't think it would be fair for me to expect Dood to have another. Kids take up a lot of time. To have a baby now would mean locking up my lady for another ten or twelve years."

If Dood were to become pregnant, would Ron find abortion a viable alternative? "Every woman in this world should have the freedom to do what she wants to do. Any female should be able to have an abortion if she wants one. There are many reasons why people may choose not to have a child. The option to have or not have a child should always be open. People should be able to decide for themselves what they want to do. Personally, I think people who live only for their children are making a big mistake. Parents have an enormous obligation to their kids, but they also have a responsibility to each other and to themselves. It's sad for the couple whose last child moves out, if they find they can't communicate with each other anymore. The children have had an enormous input into the parents' lives. If communication between parents hinges on the children, one day that poor couple will end up just sitting and staring at each other."

How have Ron and Dood established such an obviously rewarding relationship? "If Dood's needs weren't of the utmost importance to me, we wouldn't have a relationship," Ron says earnestly. "I mean, a relationship in which a person is only interested in having his own needs met is totally self-centered. In making Dood happy, and being a part of her, I'm fulfilled. It isn't a conscious thing. I don't say to myself, 'I'm going to do something nice today because it will make Dood feel good.' Sure, sometimes I'll do something a little off the wall because I think Dood will get a kick out of it. What I'm really talking about, though, is having a mutually supportive relationship. If I get home from work first, I'll greet her at the door with a martini. If she's home first, she'll do the same for me.

"Dood's a very liberated lady. She was a buyer for a department store for many years. She got into something new about three years ago, when a good friend of hers gave her carte blanche to design and decorate his new auto parts store. He felt the time had come for auto parts stores to stop looking like grease pits. Well, Dood designed the store, and I built it. We worked together for about eighteen hours a day for two months.

Then Dood stayed on as a manager for quite some time. Her job entailed driving a truck, selling auto parts to mechanics, and dealing in a position most women never encounter. She's also been a race car driver, and she's won lots of trophies. Dood's really a rebel. She's a toughie." Ron winks with unabashed pride. As he speaks, I become aware of what a healthy ego he must have. It takes a mighty secure man to be thrilled, rather than feeling threatened, by such an assertive woman.

Since Ron and Dood both seem uncommonly progressive in their thinking, and their actions indicate considerable self-assurance, why would they choose to do anything as conventional as getting married?

"Dood and I did live together for a while before we were married," Ron assured me. "I'm glad Western civilization is finally beginning to accept the fact that people have sex, and need to have sex, and that it's a positive thing. Most people enter into marriage while they're still very young - before they've had a chance to grow up. It's important not only to know, but to 'taste' a lot of people before you commit yourself to someone in marriage. As they get older, these people realize that they've cut themselves off from a lot of people and experiences. That creates many problems. If the man hasn't sown his wild oats, so to speak, or the woman has only experienced one or two men, it can lead to serious trouble. 'It's you, babe. For the rest of my life, it's you.' That's what you're really saying when you get married."

In lieu of Ron's devout liberalism, I asked him to confirm my suspicion that he's in favor of banning all television taboos where sex is the issue. "I believe that if you want to see an x-rated movie on television, you ought to have that right," Ron began. "Let's face it. We all use four-letter words. We've all heard them. If you're offended by four-letter words, you can't pretend they don't exist just by not allowing them on television. If you don't want your children to see an x-rated movie, or hear four-letter words, you have the right not to expose them to it. I mean, commercials use sex to sell their products. They may not spell it out, but we all know what the implications of their slogans are. It's these outmoded standards that just drive me up the wall. This censorship is crazy.

"Daytime programs are catching up with the times a little, but not enough. We can do a bedroom scene, like between 'Roger' and 'Delia' (Ilene Kristen), where there's the specific implication that we're both stark naked in bed together after making love. In the next scene, when 'Delia' is rushing around trying to get her things on , we're not allowed to show her bra alongside the bed. Now where does that thinking come from? I really cannot understand the reasoning behind it."

To those who wonder if Ron practices what he preaches, by allowing his kids to view so-called 'adult entertainment,' the answer is emphatically affirmative. "My kids are really together, very secure," Ron beams. "Dood and I take them to almost every play I'm in. The only one we didn't take them to was one in which I played a real butch-type homosexual. We didn't take them only because it wasn't a good play. If it had been, we certainly would have wanted them to see it."

Ron is somewhat less enthusiastic about the prospect of working with professional kids. His own children, he says, don't have stars in their eyes. "They view acting as 'this is what Ron does.' They're too realistic about the business to have any illusions of being "discovered" while standing on Hollywood and Vine.

"As for working with kids, it's generally very hard. I've only done it a few times, and from what I've seen, most professional children tend to be a pain in the butt. First of all, kids have an immediate advantage. When a cute kid comes on, quite naturally he's going to capture everyone's attention. That's something you have to expect. What irks me is that some of these kids quite deliberately do things to upstage the adults. You just want to tell them to straighten up and not be that way. When you stop to think about it though, it's usually not the kid's fault. The blame lies with the pushy parents who make their children the way they are."

The unyielding courage of this declaration can best be appreciated by those who, like Ron, know that I am also a stage-mother. Ron's inescapable candor is a quality you either love or loathe. For a few speechless moments, I wasn't sure which emotion was going to surface. After I'd wiped the blood off my back, and mentally conceded that his observations were all too accurate, we became involved in a serious discussion about acting.

Ron first admitted that while he adores his castmates, as a rule not many of his closest personal friends are actors. "I like people who go out and do things. Most actors just sit around and talk about acting. That can be very fulfilling, perhaps helpful to them, but there's so much more to being a complete person. There are some actors who are technically very good, and they're working steadily, but I don't think they'll ever be great actors. It's because these actors don't know how to give of themselves. An actor has to be open to new experiences and observations. He has to know what makes people tick. Why people do certain things, or why some people go to extremes, really interests me. Acting is the easiest job, and also the most difficult. To be a good actor, you have to be in touch with your own emotions. That's why kids can be intuitive actors. When you grow up, you take on so many acts - this is how a daddy talks, a man mustn't cry - all of these images have to be broken down in order for you to be a really good actor.

"I'm not an actor because it's an ego-trip. I've had to fight my looks all my life. People think that because I'm attractive looking, I have everything easy. To some extent, I guess that's true. It also has its drawbacks. You might be very sincere about wanting to do something but, if you're attractive, people will automatically assume that you're just quenching the old ego-thirst.

"For myself, I've always wanted to be a good actor. The best. When I found out that I have this need to act, being a fairly intelligent person. I devoted a lot of thought to the decision of whether or not I should become a professional actor. It can be a very lonely business. There are a lot of nights when an actor is alone in some flea-bag hotel, without much money, and it can be very rough. I stuck it out because somewhere, in the back of my mind, I've always known that I could be more than just a good-looking man. As an actor, I have the chance to do something most people want to do but can't do.

"Of course, there are some actors who seem to press their invisible self-destruct buttons when success finally does hit them. I think that's because actors spend so much time, and invest so much of themselves,, in courting success. When all of the dreams start to come true, it can be very scary. An actor is always striving to reach the top. When you get to the top, you realize how many people are trying to knock you off. That's scary. It brings up all your insecurities. You start to worry about whether you'll be able to sustain this level, or if you'll be able to move on to the next plateau. That's when you have to have faith in all the years of preparation that came before. They say even an 'overnight success' is about twenty years in the making. You have to know how to pace yourself. Actors have something special, something very precious. You see, the average worker can do a job for many years. He punches that time-clock every day until the night of his retirement dinner, when someone gives him a watch or whatever. An actor can get that recognition every night.

"Actors are generally emotionally mature individuals because they have to face up to their insecurities, and understand their emotions very early on. Directors are constantly breaking actors down. To this day, I've seen directors reduce grown men and women to tears with their criticism. In fact, a short time ago a director tried to pull that bologna on me. He thought he'd break me down as an example to the others. This was in example to the others. This was in a showcase, no less! A freebie! Our contract stipulated that no actor could leave after the first five days, so I gave the director a choice. I'd either bust his nose, or he'd let me leave." Ron smiled at at the reminiscence, adding, "I left."

"I won't tolerate temper tantrums regardless of who the director is, or how much I'm getting paid. Actors allow themselves to be treated like garbage because they're so anxious to work, and the jobs just aren't available. This was the first time I've ever walked out on a director, and I still feel good."

It's great to exercise one's right with such assurance, but i wondered what Ron would do if he were suddenly dismissed from "Ryan's Hope." Ron responded without hesitation. "I'd only been off the streets for four months when I got on this show. A year ago I was pumping gas and doing a showcase. I haven't gotten accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. For me, this is like having three grand in the bank instead of the usual thirty bucks. When you're fired from a soap, I think anyone's immediate reaction is total shock. Once that initial shock wears off, you have two ways to go. You can jump out of a window, but that's nonsense. The other alternative, what i would do, is to say 'What the heck? That's how the business goes." You just do the best you can.

"An actor has to realize that he can't take the rejections personally. When I speak to college groups, I tell these drama students not to lose faith in themselves. The reason I go to the campuses is because I believe these young actors should be wise to how the business works. It's seldom a lack of talent that keeps an actor back. You're either not the right type physically, or the role has been pre-cast, or some other such thing. This has nothing to do with talent, or a lack of talent. There are many talented people in all walks of life who could have become actors if they'd only given themselves a fair chance. You can't become discouraged to the point of doubting yourself, or quitting the business, just because you're turned down for a part. That's the essence of my message."

Ron seems to have so much going for him - a happy home life, an enviable job, an d a refreshing sense of aliveness - that I'm curious as to whether he considers himself successful.

"I consider myself to be not too far above or below what I thought I'd be at my age," he said reasonably. "On the whole, I think I'm doing fine. What makes me happy is being fulfilled, and fulfilling someone else, emotionally and physically. I'm doing what I love to do - acting. The greatest thing in the world for an actor is to be paid for acting. Just being able to pay the bills and feed a family of five and two dogs is something of an accomplishment," he laughs.

Catherine played Faith as more of the all-American type, a sorority sister, upbeat, but also decisive and strong. Basically, nothing like Faith.

Awww, I wouldn't say that. I think she played the concept of Faith as she was originally written, but after she had crashed and burnt and then healed and come out of it a stronger person. I guess it was a very '70s idea that a few months of therapy could really repair a person who was that damaged so completely, but it was "hopeful" (no pun intended) and I think where the character came from was always incorporated into her stories. Plus, maybe in part because she reminded me physically of Sandy Dennis, I always thought a little bit of the repressed crazy was still there, somewhat beneath the surface. Also, Faith stayed remarkably down-to-earth and mousy considering they cast an actress who would go on to play Marilyn. I could totally buy that Pat should have gone for Faith and he'd have been very happy, but he got bored - whereas Delia walking around the Ryan household in various states of undress throwing herself at him made him completely horny and her pretending that she couldn't cope without him gratified his male ego. (I'm not saying this was pretty, but it was believable.) CH's Faith was just about the only one of Delia's rivals whom I genuinely felt sorry for (Jill and Mary could be so self-righteous and hypocritical). But not too sorry, because I knew that Faith was together enough that she didn't need Pat or any man, and as heartbroken as she was, she knew that she didn't, as well.

Incidentally, I've just started watching this (presumably last) go-round of Ryan's Hope on SoapNet, and I'm really glad that I'm getting to see CH's run as Faith one last time. While I had every intention of tuning back into OLTL and maybe even AMC until the end, and I do feel very sad that those shows are going off the air, the idea that these 35 year-old episodes of RH that I've already seen at least once will never air again on TV after this year actually has had at least more of an immediate impact on me. Incidentally, I can't quite believe that it's been over 10 years since I saw these episodes the first time SN rebroadcast them, but I'm enthralled all over again.

Incidentally, thanks for posting these articles. All very interesting - even Michael Hawkins, who was pretty sexy when he wasn't fumbling over his lines.