Ryan's Hope Discussion Thread

[gimmetoo]

I know some fans resent that Rae-Kim-Michael shifted focus from the Ryans...but I'd argue it was a jolt of freshness that RH desperately needed.  By the early 80s, the Ryans had grown stale, we all needed a breather from their sanctimoniousness and the revolving door of actors playing the Ryan brood was inconsistent.

[DRW50]

On paper, I agree with you, but between the poor acting from Kim, my finding Michael repulsive after he helped cause Siobhan to miscarry, and being disappointed at Rae just existing for Kim drama, I could never get into it.

[Chris 2]

The actress who played Kim was one of the most unappealing performers I can recall. And I was never a big fan of Michael Corbett’s either. And I’ve always found Louise Shaffer (Rae) to be one-note.

So it goes without saying that that story was not a particular favorite.

[Sean]

Given just how low the ratings had dropped and the relative dearth of press coverage even as the show’s quality improved, I’m impressed they were able to net 3 acting nominations (and a win) in 1988, though the Emmys do have some history of nominating shows in danger of cancellation. (The Edge of Night also managed to get a few in 1984 before the axe came down.)

The one miss that really surprises me is the failure to get a writing nomination, considering that the show managed to win 4 consecutive WGA awards at the end of its run. I realize those wins were probably helped by Claire Labine’s stature within the WGA—she was even on one of the negotiating committees during the 1988 strike—but to be completely blanked seems strange in retrospect.

Acting-wise, it would have been great to finally see a nomination for Ilene Kristen. Given the way ABC highlighted her in promos, and some renewed attention from the soap press, that seems like it could have been in the realm of possibility. I also would have loved to see Diana van der Vlis recognized for her work as Sherry Rowan—she did some fantastic work during the Richard Rowan murder storyline, though she was hardly a big name at that point.

It doesn’t look like Pat Falken Smith was actually included among the list of nominees for the show in 1984—I’m assuming none of her material was submitted? Still, would have been fascinating to watch Labine and Mayer accept after being forced out for a second time in 18 months!

It’s funny seeing all the disparate reactions to the Rae/Michael/Kim story. There’s a lot of people on the RH Facebook group that swear by the storyline and point to it as the one that got them hooked on the show in the first place. I thought it was fun to watch play out, but certainly not among the show’s best. I’m currently rewatching episodes from September 1979, and I’m wary of Kim’s imminent arrival and her swallowing up of the show.

I appreciate that it gave an excuse for keeping Louise Shaffer around after Rae and Frank’s breakup, but as far as scene partners are concerned Michael Corbett and Kelli Maroney weren’t quite at the same level as Daniel Hugh Kelly and Nancy Addison... to put it mildly. I liked it better after Kim was written out in 1981 and Rae was paired more frequently with Jack and EJ, who served as an infinitely more tolerable substitute for Kim (at least in my opinion! I know EJ wasn’t exactly beloved, either). From reading recaps of 1982, it sounds like the show tried to better integrate Kim into the Ryan-sphere by having her pursue Pat... hard to imagine, but wish we could see that play out (as with all the 1982 material).

[DRW50]

It seems like EJ's backstory and story in general became a huge mess by 1982, but her 1981 material is all I have seen. I think the struggles of the character are down to just how poor the structure of the show was by then. Having her brought in as Barry's sister immediately after Barry left (which makes me wonder just how abrupt his departure was). Throwing her into a romance with Roger, most of which seemed predicated on another round of isn't Delia terrible, poor noble Roger. By that point I hated Roger and I hated the manipulative writing so much that I literally  cannot think of a worse way to introduce a new character. Such a huge waste of Maureen Garrett. 

[danfling]

Why did Richard Baccus leave the show as Barry?    He was really good in the role, and I assumed at the time (and since then) that he had decided to leave and that the show probably would have preferred that he had stayed.

 

[dc11786]

From how it's presented by fans in soap books, Avila Mayer and Labine's prior work was so radically different from "Ryan's Hope." I think the late 1980s was a better blend of the two styles. I'm not always the biggest champion of Millee Taggert, but I do think her stint with Tom King transitioned the show well that Labine was able to really revert back to form. 

I do like seeing how Labine's work tracks among her different shows. I haven't seen all of the Katherine Bell / Ned Ashton / Lois Cerullo story, but it seems like it was pretty much a retelling of the Arlene / Ben / Betsy story with the multiple wives and a rich boy at the center. 

I think part of the issue was that the show was basically a show about one generation of people. All the Ryan and Coleridge kids were basically in the same age so while there stories were different, they fell into same category. It seems in the 1980s, when you had the third generation Ryans and Coleridges (Johnno and Ryan and Maggie and Ben) that there was a better mix of story.  

I do think that Labine and Mayer kept some characters past their best sell by date. Michael Corbett was attractive and charming, but Pavel had been too tied to the mob drama. I wonder if it would have worked better if the show had put someone like Barry Ryan's never before mentioned kid brother in the storyline. This would have added a layer of conflict because the Ryans wouldn't have liked Rae getting her hands on another Ryan male.  

Sherry's confession to Richard Rowan's murder while Emily Hall slowly descends into a state of hysteria is marvelous. For that sequence alone, I would have loved to have seen her nominated. Comparing that moment to any of van der Vlis' work in the show's first showed her range as an actress. It's a shame that no one took advantage of her availability in the 1990s. I'm curious how she would have handled a role like Alexandra Spaulding. 

[slick jones]

Posted by a group member of my FB page

Author Tom Lisanti has announced

"I am happy to report that the book I have been working on for over 5 years, Ryan's Hope Revisited: An Oral History, is completed and will be available in the second half of 2023 from a publisher to be named shortly. This tribute book to the beloved soap is a collection of memories and stories from actors, including original cast members Helen Gallagher, Malcolm Groome, Ron Hale, Ilene Kristen, Michael Levin, and Jadrien Steele, and later cast members such as Jason "Ash" Adams, Rose Alaio, Jose Aleman, Ana Alicia, MacKenzie Allen, Richard Backus, John Blazo, Roscoe Born, Fred Burstein, Michael Corbett, Christopher Durham, Randall Edwards, Ann Gillespie, Catherine Hicks, Trent Jones, Kelli Maroney, Malachy McCourt, Brian McGovern, Ariana Munker, Geoff Pierson, Gerit Quealy, Lois Robbins, Andrew Robinson, Louise Shaffer, Gordon Thomson, Cali Timmins, and James Wlcek; producer Joe Hardy; writers including Millee Taggart and Tom King; crew members; and co-creator Paul Mayer’s daughters, Rachael and Ruth Mayer. Brutally honest, they share the good, the bad, and the outrageous with regard to what went into producing this half-hour soap five days a week for thirteen years. They also remark on other soaps (including All My Children, Another Life, Another World, Bare Essence, Beverly Hills, 90210, The City, Capitol, The Doctors, Dynasty, For Richer, For Poorer/Lovers and Friends, Guiding Light, Loving, One Life to Live, and Search for Tomorrow) that they came from or went to after their departure from Ryan's Hope. Connecting their observations and anecdotes are plot synopses; tales of ABC-TV interference; the General Hospital influence; Emmy Award wins, ratings, and reviews from the time; and why the soap's most hated villain was Agnes Nixon. Illustrated with many never before published behind-the-scenes photos from the private collections of some of the interviewees."

 

 

 

@Vee @DRW50 @safe@applcin @victoria foxton @AbcNbc247 @Soapsuds @beebs@robbwolff @John @amybrickwallace @vetsoapfan @danfling @DeliaIrisFan @dc11786

Edited July 3, 2022 by slick jones

[DRW50]

Thanks for tagging me

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[beebs]

This sounds like a must-read, thanks @slick jonesfor the tag!

[AbcNbc247]

Thanks for the tag! I’ll have to check this out 

[victoria foxton]

@slick jonesThanks for the tag. That's great news.

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[vetsoapfan]

Thanks for tagging me, @slick jones!

[victoria foxton]

May 1988

[Chris 2]

This sounds great. Now, I hate to sound negative but no Kate Mulgrew?