Yes! Thank you! Fun to see Helen in a commercial. By the time she was on Ryan's Hope, Helen said she would love to do commercials but they never hire her.

22 hours ago, safe said:

By the time she was on Ryan's Hope, Helen said she would love to do commercials but they never hire her.

I don't get that. HG had become one of the signature matriarchs on daytime by that point. You'd think the people who were casting commercials then would have jumped at the chance to book Helen. The mind boggles!

Yes, Seneca was a controlling husband; and yes, John Gabriel was charming and sexy as hell in the role.  I completely bought both Nell and Jill getting involved with him against their better judgment.  I draw the line at his involvement with Kim—her judgment or lack thereof notwithstanding, that pairing made no sense—although I appreciate KM's heartfelt, self-effacing post.

Agreed that Nell and Seneca were a high point in the show's first year, likely at least in part because their story were the least affected by the change in plans vis-a-vis Frank dying - but also because they were both so talented and worked well together.  They were supposed to last longer (DvD left for medical reasons) and I could have seen them being a tempestuous but tentpole couple on the hospital side of the show, a la Alan and Monica Quartermaine.  But the euthanasia story was a stellar ending.

Anyway, RIP to a terrific actor.

32 minutes ago, DeliaIrisFan said:

They were supposed to last longer (DvD left for medical reasons) and I could have seen them being a tempestuous but tentpole couple on the hospital side of the show, a la Alan and Monica Quartermaine.  

It was nice to see DvdB back in the show's final months in a different role. To see her get with Seneca as the show was ending was a nice way to bring it all full circle.

With the show due to debut July 7 1975, as of June 12 the roles of Johnny and Pat Ryan and Seneca yet to be cast .

Variety reported 9 roles had been cast at that point.

Mary,Delia, Maeve, Roger, Faith, Bob, Frank, Ed and Ramona.

Didn't Bernard Barrow audition for Seneca?

5 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

With the show due to debut July 7 1975, as of June 12 the roles of Johnny and Pat Ryan and Seneca yet to be cast .

Variety reported 9 roles had been cast at that point.

Mary,Delia, Maeve, Roger, Faith, Bob, Frank, Ed and Ramona.

Didn't Bernard Barrow audition for Seneca?

Yes, he auditioned for Seneca. Nancy Addison had originally auditioned for Faith. Malcolm Groome said it took him a little while to accept their role offer because he didn't want to do a soap opera - so, maybe, they were just waiting for him to say yes.

14 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Didn't Bernard Barrow audition for Seneca?

He did, and according to Ilene Kristen in the RH episode of The Locher Room, Roy Poole almost got the role of Johnny. He would play Neil MacCurtain nearly a decade later.

Edited August 27, 20214 yr by amybrickwallace

It was mentioned in Variety that Pauline Flanagan was a cert for the role of Maeve. She got the role of Maeve's sister.

Maybe Helen Gallagher came along and changed their minds.

I know that Jada Rowland was considered for the role of Dr. Faith Coleridge, but it was decided that she was too old for the role.  (Faith is said to have been written with Ms. Rowland in mind)

 

I have often wondered if Justin Dees may have auditioned for the Dr. Pat Ryan role but was cast as Nell's nephew instead.

While joining TD in September 1976 was the best move for Jada Rowland, it still might have been fun to see her and Nancy Addison as sisters.

2 hours ago, danfling said:

I know that Jada Rowland was considered for the role of Dr. Faith Coleridge, but it was decided that she was too old for the role.  (Faith is said to have been written with Ms. Rowland in mind)

 

 

Another Faith inspiration - Tracy Brooks Swope (Where the Heart Is) said they created Faith with her in mind.

On 8/27/2021 at 7:03 PM, Paul Raven said:

It was mentioned in Variety that Pauline Flanagan was a cert for the role of Maeve. She got the role of Maeve's sister.

Maybe Helen Gallagher came along and changed their minds.

After playing Maeve's sister,  Pauline was also a Sister Mary Joel

Tracy Brooks Swope is a wonderful actress.    (I am thinking that one of her relatives is the photographer who takes a whole lot of pictures from the theatre.)

Claire Labine and Paul Avilla Mayer worked with Tracy Brooks Swope on Where the Heart Is.   The actor who played her love interest, Gregory Ables, was cast in the role of the son-in-law of Maeve and Johnny Ryan (Art Thompson), Diana van der Vlis played Dr. Nell Boulac (and the other character toward the end of the show), and it was said that Robyn Millan was the inspiration for the Delia character.    Ilene Kristen, who was cast as Delia, was told to watch tapes of Ms. Millan on Where the Heart Is, and Robyn Millan was Delia #3 on the show (although, supriseingly, she was terrible in the role of Delia).

25 minutes ago, danfling said:

Tracy Brooks Swope is a wonderful actress.    (I am thinking that one of her relatives is the photographer who takes a whole lot of pictures from the theatre.)

Claire Labine and Paul Avilla Mayer worked with Tracy Brooks Swope on Where the Heart Is.   The actor who played her love interest, Gregory Ables, was cast in the role of the son-in-law of Maeve and Johnny Ryan (Art Thompson), Diana van der Vlis played Dr. Nell Boulac (and the other character toward the end of the show), and it was said that Robyn Millan was the inspiration for the Delia character.    Ilene Kristen, who was cast as Delia, was told to watch tapes of Ms. Millan on Where the Heart Is, and Robyn Millan was Delia #3 on the show (although, supriseingly, she was terrible in the role of Delia).

I think the only thing I saw Ms. Swope in was an episode of Starsky & Hutch as Starsky's ill-fated girlfriend.

2 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

I think the only thing I saw Ms. Swope in was an episode of Starsky & Hutch as Starsky's ill-fated girlfriend.

There's a little bit of her AW stint available on Youtube.

3 hours ago, safe said:

After playing Maeve's sister,  Pauline was also a Sister Mary Joel

Really? When was that?