Ryan's Hope Discussion Thread

[victoria foxton]

Ryan's Hope (July 5, 1988) | partial

[DRW50]

Regis isn't bad in this. 

 

I just don't really love this Frank - he's missing the charisma. 

 

It does my heart good to see more of Diana van der Vlis. 

 

I think this is one of the episodes Freeflyur didn't upload because it aired during the strike. 

[Faulkner]

I haven’t seen a lot of Regis as an actor (aside from occasionally pretending to tolerate Kathie Lee) so I was surprised he was actually pretty credible there.

[DRW50]

I was just watching this number from Henry, Sweet Henry, and someone pointed out that Ilene Kristen is in the burgundy coat. Neat. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lyv67Peo4w

[amybrickwallace]

 

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[Sean]

The same Facebook account that has been posting episodes of Loving recently shared an episode of RH that originally aired on December 28, 1984: https://www.facebook.com/DaytimeTVPreservationSociety/videos/550670625576817/.

 

This is from the tail-end of Pat Falken Smith's stint as headwriter, right before ABC moved her to General Hospital. This episode shows the set-up for two stories that would dominate the first half of 1985: the Maggie/Dave/Katie triangle and Sydney Price's death, which segues into Max Dubujak being put on trial for murder. It also features the climax of a brief arc in which Siobhan tracks down the Street Santa Slasher, which from reading the SOD recaps didn't have any real impact. 

 

As a side note, this is the first episode I'm seeing with Lee Godart (previously on EON and AMC) in the guest role of Andre St. Pierre, who (I believe) is one of Sydney's former associates from her days as Max's mistress in Paris. Also, Scott Holmes' Dave performs an early iteration of "Right from the Heart," which Johnny Mathis is then shown recording in April/May 1985.

 

From all I've seen, 1984/1985 strikes me as RH at its nadir, but it's good to see new episodes online, particularly from periods of the show not already in circulation on YouTube. I've been revisiting a number of episode from throughout the show's run recently, and it's always so nice to return to it.

[DRW50]

Thanks @Sean I never even knew Lee Godart was on RH.

[Paul Raven]

March 1977 Cast photo

 

[Chris 2]

Now that is a great cast. Hardly a weak link in the bunch. If they had had Daniel Hugh Kelly at the time, instead of Andrew Robinson, it would have been perfect.

 

Unfortunately, by the time DHK arrived, it was early 1978, which saw all kinds of other damaging cast changes and recasts.

[Paul Raven]

Jillian and the various franks

Michael Hawkins . Originally hired for f/back scenes only? Was going to be killed off but ABC demanded Frank recover so he was kept on. Had trouble remembering his lines and was generally unreliable.

 

Andrew Robinson. Wasn't accepted by viewers as he was associated with his psycho role in Dirty Harry.

 

Daniel Hugh Kelly.most popular Frank but left at the end of his contract

 

Geoffrey Pierson.

 

 

John Sanderford

 

[Khan]

Daniel Hugh Kelly was the best Frank by far.  It's just a shame TPTB couldn't hold onto him.

[Chris 2]

DHK  was an up-and-comer and they managed to keep him for nearly four years, so I think they did OK. In contrast, Kate Mulgrew only stayed for two and a half years, and Catherine Hicks was there for just 18 months.

 

I didn’t like Geoff Pierson - his Frank seemed a little pompous. I did like John Sanderford a lot, but the show was losing focus by the time he showed up.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Chris 2

[applcin]

I liked AR more so in relation to being a Ryan than in being Frank, if that makes any sense. In other words, I liked his camaraderie with the other family members and thought his chemistry with Kate as brother/sister was terrific. (From what I read they have remained friends. He's also godfather to one of Nana Visitor's sons, although I think that's more from the DS9 friendship than RH.) The relationships with Jill and Delia, on the other hand, didn't have that chemistry. No fault of Andrew's, really. I just enjoyed him more as Frank, the brother, or Frank, the lawyer than as Frank, the lover or triangle focal point.

I know DHK is the definitive Frank but my first impressions of him from my school-age intermittent viewing was as Rae's boy-toy and that kind of put me off him and the character. At the time I hadn't experienced AR and MH.

It's hard to believe Kate was on so short a time...they crammed in a lot of story for her that makes it seem considerably longer.

[Sean]

Sign me up as another fan of DHK, though the show got lucky with its Franks (at least post-Michael Hawkins).

 

Geoff Pierson definitely imbued Frank with a good amount of pompousness and smugness, but in some ways I think that complements the idea of Frank as a driven political animal. That's the one area in which I never completely bought DHK, whereas Pierson I can see being the kind of guy confident enough to think that he can run for office over and over again despite the huge amounts of personal and political baggage that dog him. It's unfortunate that he was playing Frank at a time when the new regime decided to have Frank and Jill at each other's throats for the better part of 1984 and 1985, to the point that when I picture him during that period I just see him snarling at Nancy Addison about Maggie or Max.

 

John Sanderford's characterization of Frank strikes me as being the closest to DHK. He imbued Frank with a warmth and charisma that was needed to make the part work, and he and Nancy Addison also had great chemistry. In hindsight, it's strange how the show seemed to make Frank more of an ensemble player around late 1986, though this is also around the time they made him a grandfather at age 34.

 

Speaking of which, I've been using all this newfound time to revisit RH on YouTube, mostly picking and choosing episodes from different eras. I just finished re-watching a string of episodes from February through April 1988 (including those involving Johnny's hospitalization after a heart attack), and it was such a pleasure being reminded just how good Claire Labine's final run at the show was.

 

Granted, the latter portion of Tom King and Millee Taggart's tenure brought some welcome developments like Delia's return and the set-up for Max Dubujak's merciful departure, but their run seems rather choppy and inconsistent, with lots of narrative islands that never entirely mesh into anything cohesive.  Within a matter of months, Labine and her team had the show looking like its old self. Whereas the new generation (John Reid, Lizzie, Ben, Nancy Don, Ryan, etc.) could have easily consumed the show under a different writer, there's a lot of care to ensure that they're presented as part of the show's core families and their community. In some ways, this iteration of Riverside feels the most real and authentic. I'm trying to think of another soap that went out in such great shape, and I'm drawing a blank.

[DRW50]

 

I don't think Andrew and Nana were on at the same time. I do wonder if the lack of chemistry was more of a factor than Dirty Harry. I have a hard time believing daytime viewers were that big on the film to the point where they couldn't accept him. 

 

Geoff Pierson was very hot, but otherwise DHK is the only Frank I could really accept. I thought he embodied every facet of the role. The only thing missing was chemistry with Faith, but no one had chemistry with KMG's Faith, so I can't say I am surprised.