This is the John Gabriel article.

swapping or, in general, sneaking around in a state of perpetual discontent, John is the picture of contentment and his marriage appears to be a model of marital bliss.

The handsome actor who plays Dr. Seneca Beaulac on ABC's Ryan's Hope instantly knew Sandy was the girl for him the first moment he saw her. Sandy was not equally impressed, but she decided to give this over-eager Lothario a chance. "We met in an agent's office," John begins to reminisce. "She came in with this ugly dog you see lying at my feet right now, and I took one look at Sandy and was smitten. 'What an adorable dog,' I said. 'Want me to hold it while you go in and see the agent?' When she came out I invited her for a cup of coffee, and that's how it all began. I remember calling a friend that night and saying, 'I've met the girl I'm going to marry.' Sandy was a little put off by me for a while because I was coming on so strong, but I was very persistent anyway. She even stood me up on our first date."

A year after their first meeting, John and Sandy were married. Unlike so many couples on the threshold of married life, those two people were not only deeply in love, they were emotionally ready for the commitment and responsibilities of marriage. But John shudders to think what might have been if he and Sandy had walked into that office at an earlier time in their lives. "When I met Sandy I had only recently begun feeling I was in the right emotional posture for marriage," John points out. "Until then I had been dating lovely girls who just weren't right to marry. Luckily, four years earlier I had started analysis, so I was learning that this was a convenient neurotic device for me to keep from making that commitment. By the time I met Sandy, who was one of the healthiest people I had ever met, I was able to respond very strongly to her. The timing was right."

As well as a whole bunch of other things. "Sandy's type is a rarity," says John. "Because I had a very strong sense of my background, I felt it was important to find a girl from a similar background. I also thought an actress would be able to understand the effect the vicissitudes of this business have on a person. But how many actresses from traditional, middle-class Jewish homes are there around? Sandy fit the bill perfectly. Our backgrounds are amazingly similar - both our parents were in the grocery business, we both went to U.C.L.A., we both came from families with three children, but most importantly, Sandy and I are very family-oriented. The family comes first, as far as we're concerned. Our backgrounds and values may be amazingly similar, but there are still enough differences in our personalities and interests to make things exciting."

And things certainly do seem exciting, even after all these years of married life and life as parents of two adorable rambunctious little ones, three-year-old Andrea, and six-year-old Melissa. As Sandy leaves the Gabriels' Manhattan apartment on a donut-buying expedition, John calls after her with a gleam in his eye. "Hey, maybe I should come with you. Don't ya think you look too cute to go out there alone?" Then, turning to this reporter, he adds, "And she's nice, too. Sandy has to e the nicest person I've ever known. Sandy delays her exit long enough to inform me, "John is pretty nice too. Do you know he even walks up to derelicts and asks them if they need money."

Sandy was keeping quite busy in Hollywood doing nighttime television shows - and would have described herself as ambitious - when John came along. Much to John's surprise, she was happy to give up her career for good and devote her time and energy to the husband she adored and the children she hoped would soon be on the way. Sandy was convinced she couldn't do everything well, although John would have been supportive if she tried juggling her acting career with her family responsibilities. But he was delighted with the decision she made. Now, however, the kids have a good, secure start on life, and Sandy suddenly finds herself itching to work again. That's fine with John, too.

"I'm happy Sandy was home full-time with the kids during the first few years," John comments. "We look at kids whose mothers worked, and they seem a little hostile and insecure. At least our kids have a strong emotional base. But Sandy's a very talented lady, and she should have a crack at making it. I've never dictated to her what she should or should not do, yet I have agreed with her decisions in regard to this important subject, and I agree with her latest one to return to work."

Sandy adds, "My working will of necessity be very limited. I would never take anything out of town, and nights are impossible because that's my time with John. That leaves films shooting in town, soaps and commercials. We've very lucky to have my mother living with us for the next year, so that will help the girls make an adjustment to the new situation. At this stage of their life, I actually can't imagine it will be much of a problem. After all, Melissa is in school full-time now and doesn't get home until 4:00, and Andrea will be going to nursery school all morning starting this fall. I really thought I'd never return to work, but I couldn't foresee how tied down I'd feel."

Being the devoted family man that he is, John is particularly happy to work on daytime television because that means he can stay put. (This marks his third outing as a continuing character on a soap, the first being a three-year run as Link Morrison on Love of Life, a couple of years ago, and the second his recent six-month stint as Teddy Holmes on General Hospital. A Partial list of John's credits includes a number of appearances as Mary's boyfriend Andy Rivers on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, featured roles in the Broadway productions of Applause and The Happy Time, and he's currently filming the new Paddy Cheyevsky film, Network, in New York.) He'll travel if he has to, but he'd rather avoid it. "My kids are this age only once, and it would be a shame to miss any of it, because I'm off doing a film in Europe," John explains. "I mean, when you get right down to it, that stuff doesn't mean diddly, does it? It may be exciting when you're doing it, and it may be nice money, but it's a job. This is what it's all about, looking at Andrea's cute little face with chocolate ice cream all over it, and hearing that tiny little child's voice saying, 'Look Daddy, dirty.'

Not being a big star? "You mean a Robert Redford kind of star? No way. Those guys can't even go for a walk. I want to be able to take my wife and kids to the Central Park Zoo and then out to dinner at MacDonalds without beng mobbed. I think a star of that caliber has to sacrifice more than it's worth. I want to be recognized as a star, but in the best sense of the word - as a terrific actor, and someone who doesn't have to audition for things. The other stuff scares me. It's flattering to be recognized, but I much prefer to put on my eyeglasses when I go out and be anonymous."

"To Melissa and Andrea, going to MacDonalds is like what going to Sardi's is for Sandy and I," laughs John. "Nothing makes them happier. Give that up? Never!"

Which is to say John Gabriel gets back what he puts into his marriage and family, and isn't love what life's all about?

By Linda Rosenbaum

Malcolm article.

negative feelings on you which you have to be able to fight off."

To meet with Malcolm Groome is to instantly come to the fast impression that he's a pleasant, likeable guy. The more you know him, the more you realize this is true. It is easy to see how others might take advantage of his kindheartedness and why he feels th e need for more assertion.

During the course of our interview Malcolm talks about a new kind of enlightenment that he is realizing, but it's hard to imagine because truly this daytime actor seems to already be one of the most enlightened people in the business. He has an extreme possession of self, and has very little of the ego thing typical to most actors.

But Malcolm's quest for self-knowledge has been going on for some time. From earlier days which brought him to the far corners of India, to most recently, when he was a participant of EST (an eclectic workshop of self-help), Malcolm has always sought to know just who he is and what he wants.

"In India I found a certain kind of enlightenment, but also some disenchantment. EST was a different kind of tool. I don't believe in prostelitizing, but EST pointed out areas which I feel needed to be worked upon, and I'm now beginning to see the change.

"I have never been involved in the traditional form of therapy. I guess I never really felt the need for such. But I have the feeling, like anything else, that therapy is as good as the amount of work you put into it."

Work, be it for self or career, seems to be an important word for Malcolm. Never satisfied with the existing truths, the actor seems always in search of some greater self-truth. And so it goes with his career, a heavy accent is also placed on work. Doing the soap, while it is rewarding, is not enough, so now Malcolm will soon be starring in a more contemporary musical version of Shakespeare's The Tempest, playing the charming prince, Ferdinand. The musical is called Dream Stuff, and Malcolm is very excited about doing it.

As if this were not enough, the actor is also involved in a creative writing class. His intention, of course, is to do some of his own personal writing, and he looks forward to that experience as well.

Malcolm readily admits that his preoccupation with career almost precludes for the moment any great preoccupation with getting married and having children. "I would like to get married," he says, "but right now I'm much more into my career. I also want children. I can walk down the street and see a mother and her child, and I know that that is neat. Maybe it's just the image...the concept of 'papa' that I like.

"But I feel that if you're going to be a father, you have to be pretty centered and controlled in your own life, if you are going to be guiding someone through his life.

"I have a paternal element in me. I have a much younger brother and I can see how I relate to him. And I used to be a teacher in a daycare center. It was called The Community School For People Under Six and I used to teach dramatics. The operative word in that school was people. Children are people and they must be treated as such."

Malcolm's own childhood was spent travelling around the country, his father being a military man. But he describes his youth as being fairly average and happy. Once the mystical side of his nature sprang forth, he found it necessary and essential that he explore the Eastern philosophies.

"A lot of things happened for me in India, but coming back, I finally learned that it was okay for me to pursue a career of my own...that I could go into acting without becoming less of a person. It was a necessary part of my growth that I did act. What you do reflects growth, and alternately, growth reflects what you are doing."

Malcolm's career has included one film which is due for release shortly, and a good concentration of theater. Most recently, before joining the soap opera, Malcolm appeared in the hit Broadway musical, Grease.

When he was offered the role of Pat Ryan on the soap, he admits he was not all that quick in accepting the part. "I wasn't quite sure of the standards used in soap opera and I didn't want to tie myself down. But now all of that has changed. iI have complete respect for the form and I have learned quite a few things, most especially how to work with the camera.

"The part of Pat has not really been involved in his own storyline, but other people's. I like the role, though I find that he is much more a womanizer than I tend to be in my own personal life."

His personal life is a subject that Malcolm does not really talk about. Sufficient to say that there is a nice relationship that he has going with an actress, but that's all he'll reveal. He lives in a Greenwich Village apartment in what sounds to be a really lovely pad boasting all kinds of textures, such as wood and brick and glass.

One offhand and totally unsolicited comment about the actor seems appropriate in summing up. Told by a young actress who was doing extra work on the daytime show, she explains, "I was new to the show and scared, and there was Malcolm and he made me feel so warm and wanted, and he treated with the utmost kindness. He is so sensitive to others and so humane." Obviously, in his quest for self, Malcolm has not forsaken others.

Now does seem to be a good time for the actor...a time of new outlooks and changed feelings. But there will always be a good time for Malcolm Groome, because as he says it, he is centered, and as others have expressed it, he is so humane.

Edited September 19, 201114 yr by CarlD2

October 1976 TV Mirror

for Act I of Ryan's Hope episode that will be seen on TV screens in three weeks. (The show is always taped at least two weeks ahead of its showing.) There are approximately five "acts" or scenes in each show. This one calls for Frank and Johnny Ryan to ask Delia to cook a Chinese dinner for the family, along with her mysterious friend, "Sheila." It is a difficult scene for Ilene, because she must not let on that "Sheila" is really a man - and her lover! The actress paces the floor of the dimly-lit rehearsal room before making her entrance, pulling on the ends of her long, fringed shawl as she concentrates. There have been no prior rehearsals of any of these acts before this morning.

Bernard Barrow and Michael Hawkins are working with scripts in hand, marking any changes in their lines, and especially, where they are to move or stand or sit as they speak. When Ilene delivers the line: "You like egg rolls, don't you?" Barrow ad-libs, "Only if they're Irish." Everyone likes that line so much that it's added to the script.

Act V, which calls for the same three actors, is rehearsed next, even though it's out of sequence.

8:30 A.M.: There are two or three hurried run-throughs of Acts I and V. Ilene Kristen must now begin to rehearse a "love-hate" scene with Ron Hale. As they stage an embrace, Ron's watch becomes caught in Ilene's shawl. The actors do not allow that to break their concentration, though. There isn't time. Not if they are to tape today's show earlier than the usual 2:30 P.M. taping time. The pressure is on.

9:00 A.M.: A dramatic fight scene involves Ron Hale and John Gabriel (Seneca Beaulac), who has just arrived. "This should be fun!" exclaims Ron. He's in good spirits for someone who's been up since 5:00 A.M. (He commutes to Manhattan all the way from his home on Staten Island.)

There is low-keyed, good-natured kidding about the actors' "fight." Ron tries playing his part as James Cagney, while John pretends to be Marlon Brando. An air-conditioning repairman walks unselfconsciously through the middle of their scene, though, causing assistant director Suellen Goldstein, who has been timing the scene with a stopwatch, to throw up her hands and say, "I don't believe it!" There is some question as to how the scene will be played to achieve maximum dramatic impact.

9:15 A.M.: A scene between Nancy Addison and Ilene Kristen is interrupted by the voice of Stage Manager Dick Briggs over a loudspeaker. He's calling the entire cast into the studio. The actors have been working for two hours already, but the most challenging part of their day has not even begun. They must now face a "technical rehearsal," where they will co-ordinate their lines and actions with the cameras, microphones, sound effects, and props which await them in the studio, two floors below.

9:30 A.M.: Unlike the low-keyed intensity of the rehearsal room, the studio is alive with activity. Dozens of people, each with a specific job to do, are milling busily about. The Ryan's Hope sets - Ryan's Bar, Jillian's office, Roger's apartment - are lined up one after the other across the wide expanse of floor. The temperature feels as if it's down around zero - the air-conditioning is turned up full blast so that the actors will not collapse under the hot, bright lights.

Lela Swift, who directs three Ryan's Hope episodes each week (alternating with Jerry Evans), plans all the camera placements and movements in her head while she reads the script. "I have a viewfinder in my mind," she says. "I mark all the camerawork in advance and the cameramen get 'shot cards' for each scene that tell them where to be."

This rehearsal is for the cameras' benefit, not the actors'. As they play each scene, they are interrupted more than a dozen times y the director, the lighting expert, or the stage manager telling them to move to a different taped mark on the floor, or to tilt their heads in another direction. That they can concentrate at all is a miracle. They are trying to smooth out the rough edges of their performances in the midst of bedlam. And they must do it quickly.

10:15 A.M.: The scene between Ilene Kristen and Ron Hale is now being rehearsed for the cameras, Ilene must remember to stand in the same place behind a big leather couch if the cameras are to record the pleading look she will give Ron. She says she will mark the spot by standing behind the third button in the couch's tufting. But there seems to be something wrong with the way she and Ron are holding hands. To the director, it looks as if they're arm wrestling! The scene is stopped as they practice different ways of holding hands.

10:25 A.M.: "Take five!" yells a voice over the loudspeaker. The cameraman take a moment to relax. The actors cannot.

10:30 A.M: After precisely five minutes, rehearsal for the Ron Hale-John Gabriel "fight" begins. John flings a chair at Ron and narrowly misses a stagehand. Both men seem to be "holding back," as if they must conserve their emotional energy for the taping. But they are taking a gamble - after so much hard work, that kind of energy may not be there.

As soon as the scene is over, a stagehand sprays the table that Ron and John were sitting at wit ha special "dulling" spray, so that its glossy finish will not reflect into the camera.

The scene with Nancy Addison and Ilene Kristen, which has gotten very little rehearsal, has to be stopped again. It's supposed to be "raining" outside during the scene, and Jillian's office is too sunny! It looks as if problems with the lighting and sound effects of the "rain" may cause a delay.

11:15 A.M.: I'm famished!" says Ron Hale, and at that moment, the cry, "Lunch!" comes over the loudspeaker. It's well before twelve, but seems like late afternoon. The actors are "free" until 12:30 P.M., when there will be another rehearsal on the set. At :30, or earlier, there will be a full dress rehearsal, and then the taping.

Few of the actors go out for a big lunch. Nancy Addison, calm and serious, does not eat at all, but relaxes in her dressing room. Bernard Barrow rushes off to an audition. Ilene Kristen brings a sandwich to the studio with her. "I always study my part while I eat," she says. "If there are a lot of food stains on a page, I know I've learned those lines."

In the rehearsal room, Suellen Goldstein, production assistant Nancy Horwich and technical experts are working right through lunch at a semi-weekly "production meeting." "Can we rent a river?" Lela asks, only half-jokingly.

12:30 P.M.: All hope of an early taping is lost. A faulty toilet in the ladies' room has flooded the control room beneath it. The control board, with its bank of TV monitors and all-important video equipment, is covered with sheets of plastic and a big black umbrella, as workmen quickly check to see what damage has been done.

The director, sitting in the control room, cannot head the sound coming in from the studio. She doesn't know whether or not the sound effects of the rain are overwhelming the actors' voices. "I wanted this to be an easy day," she moans. "It's killing my actors!"

12:45 P.M.: The run-through, already late, is slowed by unexpected problems. How much "rain" should beat against the windows of "Ryan's Bar"? How "wet" should Michael Hawkins be when he comes into the bar after being out in the rain? All these details must be settled before the show can continue.

Nancy Addison plays her scene without make-up and with her hair pinned up. She looks beautiful and - just as she was at 7:15 A.M. - completely unruffled.

Ryan's Hope producer Bob Costello is among those waiting in the control room. Like Lela Swift, and many others on the show, he formerly worked on Dark Shadows. "Doing this show is almost like being back in live TV," he says. "The excitement is there. But we have the added advantage of being able to perfect the show by doing a scene over."

1:30 P.M.: "Stand by for dress rehearsal!" comes the call. The day's work must continue. Problems must be overcome. But the director still cannot really hear the actors. Their last chance to perfect their characterizations is drowned out by the discussions going on in the studio and control room about the sound effects.

2:10 P.M.: The cast gathers in the rehearsal room once again to hear the notes on their performances that the director has dictated to Nancy Horwich during the dress rehearsal. John Gabriiel closes his eyes for long moments at a time, as if to steel himself for the right scene that approaches. Ilene Kristen is reminded that Delia Ryan always has ulterior motives. "I know - it's driving me crazy!" Ilene yells, mockingly dropping her head on the tabletop.

2:30 P.M.: "Cast on stage for taping!" After all the efforts to be early, the taping is just barely held on time. Writers Paul Mayer and Claire Labine are now also gathered in the control room. "Folks, this is for real," Suellen Goldstein informs the cast over the loudspeaker. Then, the countdown: "Ten seconds to Act I: 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Fade-in! Music and sound!"

A close-up of the "Ryan's Bar" window fills the scene, with just enough "rain" on it. Hawkins enters, just "wet" enough. The sight and sound of the rain is perfect.

Ron Hale and Ilene Kristen's scene follows. "That's the best job he's done all day," gaps the director of Ron's performance.

Everyone is slightly tense awaiting the next scene - the fight. It begins slowly, then gradually catches fire. People begin to sit slightly forward in their seats, watching it. The scene builds to a strong climax - the actors are releasing the dramatic energy they've kept in reserve all day! The success of the scene is a tribute to their professionalism. The scene between Nancy Addison and Ilene Kristen, and the final scene in Ryan's Bar go off without a hitch.

3:07 P.M.: Suddenly, the show is over, and so is the actors' "day." The usual afternoon rehearsal of the next day's episode has been cancelled so that the cast may rest - but they will have to come in a half-hour earlier the next morning, at 7:00 A.M., in order to catch up.

In the Ryan's Hope lobby, a bevy of young actresses is waiting for Ellen Barrett to audition them for available parts on the show. As I pass by them, dead tired at just watching the actors, I consider telling them how much work an average day at Ryan's Hope really is. But I decide not to. If they're as dedicated as the current cast members, it wouldn't matter to them, anyway.

9/75 TV Radio Mirror

Names being considered for Ryan's Hope were Ed Kemmer (ex-Ben Grant, Somerset) as the chief resident. Con Roche (ex-Rick Ryan, ATWT) was also rumored for a role. Another rumor was that William Gray Espy would join the show after leaving Y&R.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ef61IjgtjY

John Gabriel likes his role

May 28, 1976

After 3½ yeas of playing "scheming inconsequential opportunists“ on daytime television, John Gabriel has become a good guy.

Gabriel wanted to portray “a character with whom I could identify with and admire” and has fulfilled that desire by taking the role of Seneca Beaulac, a ”superstar researcher” on the daytime series "Ryan's Hope,” seen Monday through Friday, 1 to 1:30 pm on ABC-TV.

Seneca, according to Gabriel, a dark slightly-graying handsome man, is a person “who has confidence, and doesn't need to impress anyone, has a sense of humor about himself, is dedicated to his profession, and is extremely moral."

He is a far cry from Teddy Holmes in “General Hospital” and Link Morrison in “Love of Life,” whom Gabriel portrayed. “Both these men used their appeal for selfish gains,” he said. “They were womanizers with a long line of women as their victims.”

“But that didn't that bother me as much as they were inconsequential. They were men of little substance. If I'm going to be a bad guy, I'd like to be a bad guy like Iago.”

Gabriel wasn't the only one to dislike the characters. Teddy Holmes, for example, received a great deal of hate mail.

Thank you so much. It's funny because Seneca was never quite was he described.

April 1977 Daytime TV - photo of Malcolm Groome movie Getting Together, where he "confronts the radical idea of group marriage."

That Malcolm Groome movie was made before he did Ryan's Hope and released a few years later. There was a 2005 documentary on the film maker, David Secter, which I saw on Sundance Channel (or some channel like that) several years ago. Malcolm was very briefly interviewed about the movie for it. He said he had been involved with one of the actressess in the film, Kathleen Seward, at the time of the movie.

Here is one of the quotes, that I mentioned many months ago, from Frank Latimore (Ed).

DAYTIME TV

December 1977

FRANK LATIMORE (Dr. Emmett Scott) : When I was on Ryan's Hope, I played a very introverted character, withdrawn, who had problems communicating with his kids, and that began to influence me because there's probably a tendency in me to be that way. So I like the extroverted nature of Emmett, and I find it's good for me, because I can reach out more to people than I did on Ryan's Hope.

Edited October 22, 201114 yr by safe

Thanks. I know almost nothing about this film. It's great that you knew this.

On paper Ed was what Latimore described, but I never really felt he played the role that way.

That director Sector was an early Canadian indie movie guy who had some success with a 60s gay film Winter Made Us Warm which was controversial as it got Canadian art council funding--I saw it ten or so years back at a Montreal gay film fest and just remember thinking it a sweet but basic early gay love story, but that probably was unfair given its era and the fact that I had to watch a ton of movies that festival for a university paper series I was doing. I had no idea about this film (which apparently was finally released by Troma pictures, no less, and ultimately released in the US as Feelin' Up). The review of it at imdb http://www.imdb.com/...0198512/reviews is pretty hysterical, as is the cover art fot he VHS which makes it look like a Porky's rip off, but I'm a bit more curious now to know the Groome connection.

Edited October 22, 201114 yr by EricMontreal22

September 1979 Daytimers