From an October 8, 1988 Digest article on happy soap sets.

Concurs RYAN'S HOPE's Bernie Barrow (Johnny), "It's a tremendously nice feeling to be on a long-running soap with people who have hung in there with you and with whom you've developed close friendships. It adds a whole other dimension to acting and your job - making us feel like we all really are a family; that it's not just acting, but very natural feelings that come from your heart."

Off the set, Barrow is very close friends with Nancy Addison (ex-Jill). The bond between the two extends to other long-running RH cast members, including Ron Hale (Roger), Helen Gallagher (Maeve) and Michael Levin (Jack) and "all the actors who have ever played my sons," says Barrow. "We're all very close and have a mutual-admiration society for each other. We get together a lot and Helen [Gallagher] must have this mind game-type thing because it never fails that they both show up in the same color dress. Like minds and all that."

The year, 1971. The place, a makeup room at the Manhattan studios shared by cast members from SECRET STORM and GUIDING LIGHT. He was a veteran in the soap industry, a swashbuckling kind of guy with a quick smile and roguish charm. She, a soap neophyte, just another pretty face in a crowded room crammed with TV stars scurrying about at a frenzied pace. For her, it was "infatuation at first sight." For him, a vague remembrance of a young girl with a sweet smile.

Four years later, they would meet again backstage, this time as major players on a new soap called RYAN'S HOPE. It was a reunion of sorts, the kind of tongue-tied situation that typically occurs when a teenager now grown up encounters the object of her girlhood crush. Nonetheless, it was familiar and friendly, laying the foundation for what would fast evolve into a consummate and lasting friendship.

For thirteen years, Bernie Barrow (Johnny) and Nancy Addison (ex-Jill) captured the public's attention with their incongruously amicable father-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship between the crotchety Ryan patriarch/barkeeper and the headstrong, sophisticated female attorney. Offscreen, the duo and their spouses are best of friends. The foursome shares annual vacations, hits the tennis courts for mixed doubles on weekends at homes they own nearby each other in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and gets together as often as possible.

"I just remember showing up for work on the brand new soap and there was this girl who now was an established young leading lady, who I'd bumped into a bunch of times in our makeup room," reflects Barrow. "I didn't really remember much else about her, except that we'd said hello a bunch of times. But apparently I had made a vivid impression on her - she says she had a girlhood crush on me. So, it was kind of a fun reunion joining the new show together."

In the years that would follow, Barrow and Addison would become really close friends. The kind that accept each other for what they really are; laugh at the same things; who truly care for each other. It is a relationship that offered a haven from stress - both on the job and off. "Whenever I was having a bad day at work, Nancy was there to bring comfort or make me laugh. There just were no bad times when she was around. After a couple of years as our friendship grew, all four of us became great friends and we started taking vacations together. As a matter of fact, we just got back from a tennis resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, and this time we added a third wheel to the group - [Nancy]'s new puppy," laughs Barrow.

Good friends are a treasure and so it was no surprise when the RH cast gathered to say farewell to Addison (who moved out to the West Coast with her husband, Daniel Goldfarb) that Barrow would shed a collective tear for the group and extend good luck wishes through a poem he penned. Moments before the good-bye cake (and "the umbilical cord") was cut, Barrow read the poem on the studio floor. Here is part of what it said:

"Here's hoping you make it out

West,

colors flying with every screen

test!

[Actress] Tovah Feldsuh will drool,

that day when you'll

get your Oscar for being The Best

What we want are some eloquent

lines now

How can we make our good-byes

now?

Wish you God-speeding,

when we're still needing

that miracle drug of your eyes now!

But there'll still be a place in our

cast,

when Hollywood's glamour has

passed.

Until you return,

Irish candles will burn,

And we'll keep Daniel tied to the mast!"

Edited November 15, 201015 yr by CarlD2

I think Faith and Delia - as played by Faith Catlin and IK - are two of the most excruciatingly real portrayals of people that I've seen on soaps. It's just fascinating stuff and frankly I didn't know Ilene Kristen had this in her given the fact that Roxy on OLTL is often limited to broad comedy. Her work here is chilling and riveting, you can't take your eyes off her. I know people like this Delia. And Faith - well, the machinery is always working.

There's a very real, rough quality to Delia in the first year or so of the show, she isn't really the scheming villainess, or the annoying family burden, she's a real menace, yet she's also a vulnerable victim. You can see her weaving her spell on everyone around her. The scenes where she worked overtime to put Mary on the defensive after Mary yelled at her were just brilliant, and her scenes running Jill through the emotional woodchipper are everything soap should be.

I remember watching the first year on SoapNet and I agree about Delia. Such a different character. Such a force. Loved it.

I think Faith and Delia - as played by Faith Catlin and IK - are two of the most excruciatingly real portrayals of people that I've seen on soaps. It's just fascinating stuff and frankly I didn't know Ilene Kristen had this in her given the fact that Roxy on OLTL is often limited to broad comedy. Her work here is chilling and riveting, you can't take your eyes off her. I know people like this Delia. And Faith - well, the machinery is always working.

IMO, to follow RYAN'S HOPE at all, you had to have an extraordinary amount of patience, 1) because their characters, although understandable and real, were not always what you'd call "likable"; and 2) they truly emphasized exploring characters and relationships at the expense of traditional, soap-y plots. Of course, in retrospect, it's no surprise that RH was doomed for ultimate failure: it just was too damned good for daytime. However, I'll always applaud Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer for attempting to change the way soaps are written and produced.

Edited November 17, 201015 yr by Khan

The character who actually surprised me the most (as someone who saw parts of RH as a kid here and there when it was first broadcast) the first time I saw/revisited the show on SN was Jack. The only thing I knew/remembered of Jack from decades-old viewing was as a widower who deeply missed his wife and adored his daughter, and who was basically a stand-up guy. I was surprised to see what a real jerk he was soon after the start of the show.

In one way, I could see how complex a character he was, that here was someone who had abandonment issues so much so that he, while honest enough to say things like he had no intentions of getting married, he didn't want kids, etc., fell so hard for someone that was really not like most of the women he'd been with. I mean, Mary was a lot younger than he was, she hadn't been around, she was still childlike in certain ways as far as basically being a happy person who idolized her brother and hadn't had any significant relationships. As much as I enjoyed their chemistry, and ML and KM had it in spades, there was also something scary about Jack's almost immediate intensity about Mary...like, how could this child/woman make an emotional wreck (from his own doing, not hers) out of this sophisticated, jaded, older man? Then again...I suppose such a story is as old as time!

Anyway, it was really something to see a character whom I had thought was like a benchmark of intelligence, honesty, solidity, be someone who went to such emotional extremes within himself that he caused so much emotional pain to someone he loved.

Edited November 19, 201015 yr by applcin

From the August 1976 TV Mirror (The Macfadden Group, Inc).

"At school, my students, most of them, are absolutely committed to Ryan's Hope. They really watch it. You know, I've just received my full professorship and it's a vindication to me because it proves what I've always said - 'You can live two lives at the same time.' It took longer, of course, to obtain and if I weren't a professional actor, I would have gotten it ten years ago. But, that wasn't as important to me as leading the kind of life that I felt I had to lead. I couldn't do without acting and I couldn't do without teaching. When it all did happen, the timing was right and it made me feel that: A) I deserved it, and B ) that I would really try desperately, because the board members at school had enough faith in me to promote me, to be a better teacher than I ever was. I guess somebody else would say, 'O.K., now you can relax.' But it's like somebody turned a spotlight on and said, 'O.K., now let's see how good you are.'

We interrupted Bernie at this point to find out exactly what courses he teaches.

"My courses vary," he answered. "I'm in the Theater Department so I teach acting and directing on the graduate level. I teach a basic undergraduate course called 'Introduction to the Theater.' This is a course people take as a culture course. They take Art History. A History of Music and then this course. I also teach Theater History. I received my Doctorate in that. This year, I'm teaching American Theater History and I took my class to see Louise Shaffer (Edge of Night) in an early twentieth century play called The Boss. She was absolutely fantastic. I worked with Louise on Where the Heart Is but I left Edge of Night just before she joined the cast. That young lady really has it all. And, it pleases me more, because she's on a soap opera."

Now Joan cuts in and reminds Bernie to tell us about the fact that he is doing a play, Hamlet, with Rip Torn, and going to be doing a film with Richard Dreyfuss called Close Encounter.

"We're already in rehearsal for Hamlet at the Circle in the Square and I play Claudius to Rip Torn's Hamlet. It's a role I've always wanted to play. I've never seen it played well and I've always felt that I could make some statement as Claudius that nobody else has ever made before. So, when asked, I said yes.

"As for the film, well, it's being directed by Stephen Spielberg, who directed Jaws. It's a Columbia release. I met Stephen when he was casting Jaws, but I wasn't right for any of the roles. Now, he says that I'm right for the role of the doctor in this science-fiction film."

Poking around a little more into Bernie's background, we discovered that at one point in his teaching-acting career, he taught youngsters.

"I worked for four to five years for Gloria Landes who started a performing arts school in Westchester. The ages ranged from eight to fourteen.

"One day, I was doing a Ryan's Hope episode and a young man came over to me and said, 'I have to say hello to you. You were my teacher ten years ago in Mamaroneck and I'm in the theater now and performing.' A short time later he sent me his picture and a letter. His name if John Gould Rubin and, to date he's a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and he's done a lot of theater. One portion of that letter was all the reward I need. He wrote, 'You see, you made me feel that acting was not only gratifying superficially as a star (my image) but that the real gratification was internal in the end. You helped me to grow in spite of myself and it was sad when you left.'

"I'm very proud of so many of my students and so many of them are now close friends. When they're students, they're students and you're like a parent. Later on, they become friends, and in my case, many are now my contemporaries. I've been teaching for twenty-five years and it doesn't matter if all of them go on to become pros. Jordan Charney (One Life to Live) was one of my better students and now he is a very close friend.

Because there is so much talk about the different schools of acting, we ask Bernie which school he follows.

"I think the best way to start people - kids especially - is with a kind of basic, 'How would you react to this situation - show us - give us something of yourself - be honest - be real - don't think of acting as make-believe.' That's what 'the method' is good for. It creates honesty and makes you available for the moment-to-moment stimuli which occurs. The lines are secondary - first is the feeling, the freedom. I learned that and I teach that but after the student is at a certain level, then I want to take them further and have them try Shakespeare, Moliere, find out the techniques, the physical movements, the vocal requirements. It leads them to specialized fields.

"I think acting is a gift. You get to enjoy it once you're earning money working at it. As a theater historian, I keep reading material written by actors about themselves and you find that one fine thread where they all say they lose themselves in the characters. I really think that has to happen .I have no idea how it happens, but it does. Part of it is tremendous audacity - at a certain point you have to let go and jump into the deep water. It's the old sink-or-swim theory."

Well, whatever the theory is or whatever the method is, a talented kid from Yorkville grew up to be one of the most talented performers in the business. Bernard Barrow is always employed at his craft and his phone is constantly ringing for him to undertake new assignments. IF there were sixty hours in a day, he'd be working all the time. HE loves every moment of his life and his work - and lucky for him, his wife shares his feelings.

Has Justin Deas ever talked about his RH days? I wonder why he had no story for like his last year and a half on the show.

Carl, I don't know much, except that when Justin Deas was on As the World Turns, he said he asked to be released from his second Ryan's Hope contract. He was very anxious to leave.

That tidbit came from the poster that had the magazine articles that I moved over here for safe keeping.

Thanks. I wonder if that's because they never gave him anything to do or if they never gave him anything to do because they thought he wanted to leave. Either way, what a waste.

Here is a little more that she said was in the same interview - Justin said Ryan's Hope was thinking about pairing Bucky with the new arrival, Siobhan. He thought it could have been interesting - but it still wasn't enough to make him want to stay. He also said that Ryan's Hope had been through so many cast changes that it didn't feel like the same show to him, anymore.

That's interesting -- I guess I can see what he means. He probably also knew Malcolm was leaving, and Catherine Hicks was going, and Ilene Kristen was about to go.

I think I would have really enjoyed Bucky/Siobhan, even if I loved her with Jack.

So did he ever say why they gave him NO story for basically two years?

ETA: I couldn't find anything that Rachel said, that Justin said, about his lack of story. I know she hopes to type up some more interviews, so maybe we'll find out before Soapnet goes off the air/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Soapnet poster, Rachel, with the magazines, had typed up this little list of some things Rose Alaio (Rose Pearse Melina) said when she was a poster on that forum - it was during Soapnet's first Ryan's Hope rebroadcast. I wasn't around there at that time, but everyone said she was super-nice and very straight forward.

These are a few things that actress Rose Alaio (Rose) shared with us when she visited the MB during SOAPnet's first run.

Rose was complimentary to the cast. She really liked Michael Levin (Jack), Tom Aldredge (Matthew), Michael Corbett (Michael), and Ann Gillespie (Siobhan #2).

She liked Kelli Maroney (Kimberly) and thought the show didn’t give Kelli enough help or encouragement as an actress. Rose would watch her rehearse and question Kelli about her acting choices and motivations.

Rose preferred her Guiding Light experience over that of RH. She said the atmosphere at GL was light and fun; the atmosphere on the RH set was serious (for the most part).

RH taped scenes in sequence and that was h-ard on the actors.

She said the CBS soaps treated their actors better than they did over at RH.

Helena (Guiding Light) was her favorite soap character and Douglas Marland was her favorite soap writer. She adored Douglas Marland and said he was a beautiful person.

Sometime between 11/3/80 and 11/6/80, ABC became sole owners of RH. (Rose got this date off some old script she had - I heard ABC became owners earlier - but this was what Rose said - SAFE)

ABC wanted Joe, Siobhan, and gangsters brought back. They were also responsible for Rose’s storyline with the mob and her daughter.

She said Claire Labine was notorious for getting scripts late to the actors.

It only got worse once ABC purchased the show. Rose felt Claire was doing it vindictively. She said the actors and crew suffered because of it.

Rose did not like producer, Ellen Barrett. She thought she was unduly tough on the actors and abused her power all the time.

ABC made Sarah Felder (Siobhan#1) cut her hair and then let her go a few months later.

She said acting is not an easy vocation.

Edited November 25, 201015 yr by safe

Thanks for telling me about this. I loved her work as Rose. I'm sorry it didn't work out. I wonder if she ever said why she left. Was she fired or did she want to go?

I think Claire Labine said she didn't handle the situation with ABC very well, but I don't know if she would have intentionally sent scripts late.

It really does suck when you watch the episodes and see when ABC starts interfering. I kind of think it happened even earlier, around the time of Kimberly.

I can see why she preferred GL (she was so much fun as Helena) but I wish she could have worked things out at RH.

That's interesting what she says about Kelli.

I wonder if she has ever talked about her small roles on OLTL and AW.

Good article on Bernie Barrow.

Saw he made reference to Michael Hawkins' situation at the time...seems like the cast liked MH, he was part of "the family".