Ryan's Hope Discussion Thread

[safe]

I wonder who the actress was they wanted for the new Delia but was snapped up by another soap...

 

May 24 1979

Q: Can you please tell me why the actress who plays Delia on Ryan's Hope quit the show, and also why so many changes in Delia in the past few weeks? J.G., N.J.

 

A: Ilene Kristen, who has a strong Broadway background (starring role In "Grease") and dancing background (she studied with Michael Bennett), wanted to leave the series almost a year before she did. She agreed to stay on only because she liked the people with the show, but felt strongly it was time to look for other kinds of work. Ilene has many interests aside from acting, among them producing and running an art movie house in New York. The theater, the Jean Renoir, lasted only a few months, but Ilene loved the experience and would be willing to do it again, only this time, she said, she would think it out more carefully and have stronger backing to make sure she could keep the project going.

 

As for the change in actresses, producers decided the first substitute, Robin Milan, just wasn't right for the role. The second actress they called said she was already hired to do another soap. The producers, at the end of their rope, decided to have an open call, which meant any petite blonde in New York could come to audition. They are delighted with the job Randall Edwards is doing. If you mean the change in the character of Delia herself, the writers felt she should be allowed to gain a bit of maturity and see what would happen if her dreams of money and power came true. But in the next few months we'll see some of the old Delia surface when she has business dealings with an important member of the Ryan's Hope community.
 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2019 by safe

[DramatistDreamer]

Am I the only one who didn't know that Nell Carter left the cast of the musical Dreamgirls to appear in Ryan's Hope?

[danfling]

I remember Nell Carter on the show.   She should have been allowed to sing!

 

The article above mentions that Robyn Millan played Delia, but the show did not like her in the role.   They called another actress who was not available.   I wonder who the actress was that was called and was unavailable?

[safe]

I don't know if this has already been posted - someone told me that Jose Aleman (Angel) has his own written biography on his IMDB page.  He is an attorney in New York City, and  married with two children. Any idea how long this has been up there?

 

 

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0018016/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

 

Overview (1)

Height5' 6" (1.68 m)

 

Mini Bio (1)

 

 

Jose Aleman was born in Bogota, Colombia arriving in the United States at the age of seven. His mother, single parent, had traveled to the United States in the late 60s. Shortly after his arrival, his mother took him to an open cast call for a CBS television series titled "Popi", starring Hector Elizondo. He made the final calls but was not cast. However, producers at CBS recommended him to an agent, Betty Birbaum, at Associated Talent. She signed him on and soon after he worked on various children's public television shows such as, Infinity Factory, and he guest starred on a PBS televion series, Mundo Real. A few years later, he was cast on the ABC soap opera, Ryan's Hope, as Angel Nieves De la Pena. As a first Latin actor to appear on a major network soap opera, he was invited on the Joe Franklin show. That same year, while under contact to ABC, he was cast for a small bit role in Saturday Night Fever. On the first day of shooting in Brooklyn, the crowds overwhelmed the production which was rescheduled. On the second time around to shoot the scene with John Travolta, Diana Hyland (John Travolta's then girlfriend) died of cancer related complications and production was further postponed. By the third attempt at shooting the scene, ABC would not let Jose Aleman shoot again, as he was under contract. Still, John Badham and the producers decided to honor the Paramount contract and to this day he receives residuals from Paramount. Jose Aleman would later get cast on films like Spike from Bensonhurst and Crocodile Dundee II, as small bit gang member roles. He decided to go to law school. He was being typecast. He graduated from CUNY Law School and is now working as a support attorney in a large law firm in NYC. He now lives happily married in Princeton New Jersey with his wife and two children. Coincidentally, the children are also actors (Brandon and Brianna) and are represented by Barbara Coleman at Innovative Artists in New York and Los Angeles.

 

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Jose Aleman

 

Spouse (1)

 

Dr. Yajaira Mejia

(13 January 2005 - present)

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by safe

[safe]

May 31, 1980

 

Tune in Tomorrow

 

Two 'RH' Brights Go Poof By JON-MICHAEL REED NEW YORK -There's good news and bad news from the set of 'Ryan's Hope' this week. The bad news is that two of the show's most potent performers have dropped by the wayside, so to speak, Richard Muenz and Sarah Felder as  Joe and Siobhan Novak. Last week Joe disappeared, the apparent victim of a gangland slaying, although his body wasn't found, and in the weeks to come, Siobhan will leave the Ryan hearth to get her head together after losing the man she loved but who turned out to be the heir apparent of a "Godfather" type. Both performer’s contracts were not renewed. Richard had mildly bellyached for several months about his character turning into a mild-mannered milquetoast. Reports also filtered off the set that he felt stifled by the strong-willed, domineering Miss Felder who also raised ire among several of her other co-workers. Despite the troubles, both Muenz and Felder were dynamic presences whose absence will surely dismay "RH" audiences. Muenz, incidentally, immediately began rehearsals for the Broadway revival of the musical, "Camelot." He will play Lancelot to Richard Burton's King Arthur.

 

The good news back on the soap is that the producers and writers are "gung-ho"  over newcomer Trent Jones who portrays a singer, Ken George Jones, who's slated to attract Jill Coleridge's eye. The show is also hoping to sign Christine Ebersole to a contract as Lilly, the bimbo who has appeared several times as a potential romantic interest for Dr. Roger Coleridge. Christine just happens to be the real-life wife of Peter Bergman, who plays Cliff Werner on "All My Children."

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by safe

[Franko]

Christine also just happened to be in that production of Camelot.

[safe]

The Guthrie Theater is in Minneapolis and not Milwaukee. 

 

 

August 14, 1980

OVER AT "Ryan's Hope," cast newcomers, include Kaye deLancey as Amy Morris, Ryan's babysitter, who is slowly being revealed to be one of those mentally unbalanced sorts who can cause all kinds of grief and woe. Kaye won the role after she was recommended for an audition by her pal Kelli Moraney (Kim Beaulac). Kaye and Kelli have been best friends since they began their careers at the Guthrie Theater in Milwaukee.

 

Kathryn Dowling has taken over the role of Lilly Darnell on "RH" from Christine Ebersol. who's starring in Richard Burton's "Camelot" revival, which is gearing up for a national tour.

 

Another relatively new "RH" cast member, Trent Jones ( who plays rock singer Ken George Jones), caught on fast to what makes soap operas tick. When asked how long he  expected to be on "RH," Trent quipped, "Well, my character has a tumor. If the audience likes the guy he'll probably have a miracle cure. If not, Ken will go off to rock heaven right quick." On other "RH" fronts, watch for lady detective Rose Melina (played by Rose Alaio) to pick up the romantic pieces in Jack Fenelli's life, now that his wife is dead and his sister-in-law has moved out of town

Edited July 24, 2019 by safe

[Faulkner]

Helen Gallagher just turned 93 on July 19. Is she the oldest of the surviving soap icons?

[safe]

 

 

I don't know but it's wonderful that she is still so active and on the ball at 93

 

 

 

Kathryn Dowling had a connection to Claire Labine. She had a role in the motion picture Lovespell that Claire produced and wrote (and it starred Kate Mulgrew). While the movie is listed as 1981 -- it was actually filmed in the summer of 1979. 
Diana Van der Vlis (Nell)  and John Scanlon (J.P. the original bartender) were in the movie, too.

 

[Khan]

Wait, Kelli Maroney once worked at the Guthrie Theater?  Did she work the concession stand or something?

[vetsoapfan]

Soap opera history buffs who wish to read the complete histories of their favorite series may want to check out "Vetsoapfan's Treasure Trove," here in SON's Cancelled Soaps section.

 

So far, I have shared extensive articles on:

 

All My Children

 

Another World

 

As the World Turns

 

Days of Our Lives

 

The Edge of Night

 

General Hospital

 

The Guiding Light

 

How to Survive a Marriage

 

Love of Life

 

One Live to Live

 

Ryan's Hope

 

Search for Tomorrow

 

The Young and the Restless

[safe]

Thank you!

[Chris 2]

LOL - was Ken George Jones really a “rock singer”, with those wimpy little ditties?

 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Chris 2

[danfling]

I never knew before now that the contract of Sarah Felder (Siobhan #1) was not renewed.   I think that show made a grave error in not renewing it.

 

Jose Aleman later returned to Ryan's Hope in a day role of a young pedestrian.

 

Kaye deLancy's role (Amy) was the type of crazed character that Claire Labine enjoyed adding to the show.  Another one was Kenneth Castle.

 

I had always felt that much of the Ryan's Hope cast was comprised of people who knew Claire Labine and Paul Avilla Mayer (the show's original owners) or who had worked with them on Love of Life and Where the Heart Is.    Both John Scanlon and Diana van der Vlis had appeared on Where the Heart Is.

 

By the way, I saw that production of Camelot in New Orleans.

Edited July 28, 2019 by danfling

[All My Shadows]

One of vetsoapfan's posts got me interested in EON's Teri Keane, and she's going to be turning 94 in October. There might be one or two older than her.