Will Daniel Get Your Vote?

Rona Barrett's Daytimers, September 1978

by William Irvine

When Daniel Hugh-Kelly came to New York City in June of 1977 he had no job, no idea what direction his life was going to take - or where his acting career would lead. He'd just finished a year in repertory at the Acting Theatre of Louisville. Before that, he had done other regional theatre in Cahoes, New York, and Washington, D.C. as well as having been in a national tour for a year with Catholic University. He decided that he had reached the point in his career when "it was time to hit the big city." The decision to make the move was probably a bit easier for Dan than for many other actors; he had been raised just across the river in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Things began pretty well for him in New York. He got a role in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Miss Margarita's Way, with Estelle Parsons. The play did so well that it lasted for five weeks off-Broadway, instead of the planned twelve performances and then moved to Broadway!

Although Danny had done well with the play off-Broadway, it was decided that he was too big for the part of the young student in a Broadway theatre. He was replaced and that left Danny on the unemployment lines. He had earned very little money doing the show but he had earned the excellent credit of doing a show for the New York Shakespeare Festival.

Unlike most actors, Dan refused to do anything but act. That was the profession he had chosen after graduating from St. Vincent College, and that was the profession he was going to stay with now. It wasn't very difficult for him to maintain that posture while he was collecting unemployment, but that soon ran out leaving Dan with no income at all. Life in New York became very difficult and often depressing for him. Even then, he refused to do anything except seek work as an actor. He continued making his daily rounds to agents, auditions, and interviews.

Perhaps as much because of his persistence and dedication as his good looks and credits, agents began submitting him for more and more parts. He found that the more exposure he got, the more people started liking him and the work he did. One day, Danny recalled, "I was sent up for a part on General Hospital. They auditioned me and then they kept calling me back. It was as if they were eliminating people. ....Anyway, they had me do a taped screen test--which I had never done before."

"It was really weird walking around in front of a camera, let alone having a microphone following me around. Apparently they really liked the test because they called me right back to the control room and asked me if I'd ever done a tape for Ryan's Hope. I said, 'no', They seemed very excited and told me they were going to arrange one for me. Within a week I did two tapes!"

Danny was clearly caught-up in the excitement of reliving that experience as he was telling the story. Still, he paused, his eyes brightened and a broad, dimpled smile appeared on his face. It took a moment to understand why. He'd done the tapes in early December and a couple of weeks had gone by. Christmas Day arrived and Dan was still out of work and in debt.

The excitement and smiles were still with Danny as he continued to tell how he received a call from ABC that was to make Christmas of 1977 a very special day for him and even his arduous struggle in New York. They wanted Danny for the part of Frank Ryan! He shared the news with his family and girlfriend, Catherine Ruscio. His holidays turned into festive times filled with excitement and anticipation. Dan had received a vote of confidence that would happily affect his life.

The big day to begin work finally arrived. Much to his surprise, it was much rougher than he thought it would be. "It's like opening night every day," he said. Then added, "the pressure is incredible!" Now that he's gotten into it and adjusted to the difference he says he "loves the soap a lot." And, "I have a lot of respect for anyone doing this - it's wild!"

Dan noted that he did not have the chance to develop and refine his character on television the way he did in theatre. Nevertheless, he has moved skillfully into the part of Frank Ryan. It's possible the similarities both Dan and Frank share are responsible for this! They are both urban, Irish-Catholics, and both have siblings of one brother and three sisters. It's interesting, too, that Dan's father is a policeman and Frank is an ex-policeman.

Even though his new part may have been rougher than he thought it would be, it has been a blessing for Dan. Listening to him talk about his life since he began work on the show, he sounds like he is still in transition between the pauper status of being a struggling actor and the princely status of a daytime television star. He has paid all of his debts and has acquired two new oriental rugs for his sparsely furnished apartment. He also went to the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and Belmont races, and rented a summer place on the Jersey shore with a couple of other guys - but he still doesn't feel the effects of his new-found, steady income.

He illustrated that with a story about his weekend trip to Louisville of the Derby. After arriving at the airport he started walking out to the highway to hitch-hike into town. He got halfway to the highway before he remembered that he could afford to rent a car! He walked back to the airport and rented a car for the first time in his life. He thought that was "pretty cool."

He was also overwhelmed when he found out that his ABC pass admitted him into a private room that overlooked the entire track and that there he was in the company of people like Bob Hope, Jacqueline Smith, Billy Carter and "everybody."

John Gabriel:

His Life is a Soap Opera -

He's As Perfect as a Daytime Dad

Daytimers Magazine, February 1982

by Gini Sike

Beyond the perimeters of the soap opera world, the name John Gabriel (Seneca, Ryan's Hope) is not a household word. Nor is it, however, among the legions of names belonging to forgotten actors. Recently starring in the film, The Fan, and the host of Soap Spot, a syndicated news feature, John lies somewhere between anonymity and stardom. Not a bad position.

John's 11-year-old daughter Melissa wouldn't mind swapping places with papa. Not long ago the dark-haired youngster informed him at the dinner table of what she wanted to be when she grew up. "I want to be famous. Not like Elizabeth Taylor. But someone who some people know and some don't. Someone like you, Daddy."

Flattering to a father, of course. But for a protective dad like John, also reason for concern. Both Melissa and Andrea, 8, display a knack for performing. They often delight their parents with plays they star in, write and direct. Yet John says, "Both my wife Sandy and I prefer they don't go into the dramatic arts. If they do, we'll naturally do everything we can to help them. But acting is so full of rejection and hurt. All fields have a certain amount, but in show biz, the rejection isn't aimed at a dress you've designed or a clock you've fixed, it's directed toward you as a person."

"Even everyday strains seem tougher. Divorce and separation are common. I consider myself to be one of the few fortunate actors I know able to combine a full career with a happy family life."

The atmosphere of the Gabriel homestead is warm. In fact, the clan seems almost as cozy as a perfect soap opera family. Sandy, who left her role as Edna Thornton on All My Children, cares for the children seeking acting opportunities during her free time. (She and John have a television project in the works that they'll announce soon). When John is not two or three blocks from home at the ABC studio, he's in the living room of his apartment romping with the girls and sharing in domestic duties.

The household wasn't always so blissful. As People Magazine reported, John used to act almost as domineering as his RH character. Melissa once boldly rebelled shouting, "Stop controlling me! I'm not a robot."

A trip to a shrink made John examine his behavior. Now with five years of analysis behind him, he's quick to sing its praise. It's helped him accept the pressure of acting without taking his frustration out on his family. Yet he stresses if his children want to go into the business, he can't present a candy-coated image of the way it operates.

"When I come home with a headache and try explaining Daddy's tired from work, they think, what work? Daddy's in front of a camera pretending. He has fun all day. To some extent, they're right. I do have fun. But for the most part it's demanding work."

"Melissa and Andrea are starting to realize this. It's important kids understand parents can't always be cheerful. We have our moods. If parents don't show their bad side, they paint an unrealistic picture of life for their children, who will then think the world is going to be without ups and downs."

My behavior will reflect whether or not something bothers me. My kids must learn to accept this. Of course, too much moodiness and the kids can become frightened and nervous. But in a loving relationship, a certain number of arguments and things that have to be worked out are necessary to teach children how to handle conflicts."

Part of explaining the real world to Melissa and Andrea includes forbidding them to act like show biz brats. They are made to understand being born children to celebrities doesn't warrant special treatment. "Sandy and I downplay our careers." John says. "We're Mommy and Daddy first. Some of their playmates watched the show during last summer and my kids became something of a novelty. But I believe that period's over."

"A couple of years ago there was a problem. Andrea said a girl liked her because her parents were on TV. I asked her if she liked this girl. She said no. I told her this girl wasn't anyone with whom she'd like to spend a lot of time. Anyone who would be attracted to her for that reason wasn't her kind of person. She's a wonderful individual in her own right and doesn't need my work as a means to make friends. She's bright. She understood."

"What I or Sandy does shouldn't build my kids' self-esteem. They make friends on their own. Both have strong egos and a good sense of themselves."

According to John, actor fathers and mothers face situations unknown to parents who aren't in show biz. Performers must teach their children to keep fame or success in perspective. But, acting can also lend certain advantages to rearing offspring. Says John ,"Your imagination as an actor is constantly being given a workout. If through playing a role, you learn why people behave as they do, you can apply this to your kids. "You can discover what their fears are, what excites them, and what motivates them. Acting explores the human condition. What better use to put it than with your children?"

Without having to say anything Melissa and Andrea couldn't agree more. After all, they're getting along famously with their pop. And while he may not be a super celebrity, in the girls' eyes, John's a star.

Louise Shaffer playing Serena on Edge of Night

Louise Shaffer:
"I Took a Year Off to Do a Play"
TV Day Gossip Magazine, November 1975
by Marilyn T. Ross

When a woman as comely as Louise Shaffer tells you: "I took a year off to play," it conjures up visions of exciting parties and a succession of equally exciting escorts. But when a woman as career-oriented as Louise Shaffer talks about playing, she's not alluding to her social life at all. What she's talking about is the fact that she chose not to hold down a steady job - on TV or on stage - for a period of approximately twelve months, and that she chose instead to involve herself in study - study related to her craft, of course (she couldn't get that far off base). What she did during her year of play was learn to sing opera!

This was not a whim. Louise has always sung - and not merely as a hobby. In fact, during the two years between her last serial, the departed Where the Heart Is (on which she played Allison) and her current serial, The Edge of Night (on which she plays Serena Faraday), she toured as one of the two singing leads in Joseph Papp's musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona.

"It was a bus and a truck tour that took me as far west as Tucson, as far south as St. Petersburg and up to Toronto," Louise elaborated the evening she invited me to coffee, cake, and chitchat at her West side Manhattan apartment. "It was really trouping - almost all one-night stands. I would not have missed it for anything in the world - and I'd never do it again!"

That's not the way she feels about singing, however.

"When I returned from the tour, I felt I was entitled to some relaxation - so I decided to indulge myself and study opera. In Verona I sang mild rock. But I do have a legitimate lyric-coloratura and I've always wanted to develop it. That's what I did for the next year."

"It's the most frivolous time of my life although it required real nerve to take out the time - and the money. Oh, I did an occasional TV commercial - that helped. But I didn't even try for anything else."

"I took a singing lesson every day and worked with opera coaches," Louise elaborated. "I even took a Juillard opera class and got to sing the part of Musetta in La Boheme. I sang it in a workshop production at the school. I think my mother and about two other people saw the performance, but I was delighted. I sang it more or less accurately."

"I call what I did for that year 'playing' because I'm aware I have no future in opera. I got interested in it too late. To do anything concrete I'd have to spend the next twenty years studying - learning languages and roles. I don't feel I have that kind of dedication. And I know I don't have that much time to mess around. But I don't regret my year of self-indulgence. It was an exhilarating experience and I came back to my real work refreshed."

Most of Louise's acting career has centered around TV serials. At this point, she has come full circle. Her first sudser was The Edge of Night and now she's back on it. In the 60's, she played a gull moll.

"I was the tough chick who slipped a mickey into Tony Ponzini's drink," the actress revealed. (When Ponzini recovered, he went on to play Vince Wolek, his current role on One Life to Live).

After Edge, Louise appeared on Search For Tomorrow and the short-lived Hidden Faces, but she's probably best remembered for her villainous characterization of Allison on Where The Heart Is.

Unlike some actresses who work on soaps until "something better" comes along, Louise feels daytime drama is the best there is.

"They give me a tremendous amount of pleasure. They always have," she revealed. "I have to force myself to try out for other things - and I do because I know to have a good career an actress should work in all theatrical mediums. But I find TV serials particularly satisfying."

"The situations are farfetched but realistic. Look at Charles Dickens' writing. He had some pretty farfetched situations, too. But within their framework, they were handled with style and naturalism. He dealt with personal relations - love, hate, jealousy. What's better than good old-fashioned melodrama? That's what soap opera is all about."

"I love cameras," said the actress. (Her expressive and lovely face is shown off to such good advantage on the home screen, it's obvious that cameras love her, too).

"There are so many technical things you don't have to worry about doing TV because the camera takes care of them. You're always in the picture and you can play a scene with another person as if you really mean it - without worrying whether or not you're being seen or heard. The stage is different. Those hundreds of people sitting out there are a force. You find yourself playing to them as much as to the other actors on stage."

"Don't misunderstand. I like stage work too - and I want to do more of it," Louise said emphatically. "But TV is more relaxing for me. Of course The Edge of Night is still done 'live' and there is that extra pressure of knowing you can't shoot a scene over again. But it's not that much different from other serials, since they rarely stop the tape once it starts rolling."

In any event, performing 'live' doesn't pose too much of a problem for Louise, whose acting career began in the theater.

Born in Woodbridge, Connecticut in (a suburb of New Haven), Louise one of four children, is the only member of her family who ever showed an interest in show business. And she showed it at an early age.


"I wanted to be an actress by the time I was three or four, but I didn't make a serious commitment until I was five."

Louise studied drama at Yale and Northwestern University, before making her acting debut in 1963 at the Gian-Carlo Menotti Festival in Spoleto, Italy. After settling in New York, she stood by for Shirley Knight in the Broadway production of I'll Always Live In The Castle, then spent a season with the Hartford Stage Company. Before touring with Two Gentlemen of Verona, Louise had a three-month run in the Broadway revival of The Women.

In addition to stage and video serial appearances, she has guested on prime-time TV series and had a role in the prestigious NET presentation of Autumn Garden (which starred Margaret Leighton, Teresa Wright and James Daly).

It was while studying drama at Yale that Louise met the man who was to become her future (and subsequently ex-) husband. She was married to actor Toby Tompkins from 1967 to 1970. Both the marriage and the divorce were amicable.

"We were both too career-conscious to ever get completely caught up in marriage," Louise confessed, "I still care about my career - in a way, I'm dedicated. But I feel a lot less driven. Now I'll take time off to do other things."

Like studying opera?


"Like studying opera. That's not all, though. I'm allowing myself more of a personal life. I'm beginning to realize that you can go just so far in a career and if you don't have good supportive relationships with people who are very special to you, you get to the point where you feel you have nothing more to give to your work."

There is a man at present who's very special to Louise but she refuses to talk about him. "I think he would be upset if I discussed our relationship for publication."

The stunning, statuesque actress contends, however, that you can't give all your love and devotion to the one big romance in your life.

"It's normal to wish for the one perfect person and to dream how ideal life would be if you could ride off into the sunset with him on his white charger," said Louise thoughtfully. "But when you wake up, you realize there are other types of love that must fill your life too - love of family and friends."

"You have to give yourself friends and give yourself to your friends. And in the end, the real relationships you have are better than one perfect one you fantasize about because they are real, and because in life you rarely get what you dream about."

"I'm basically a positive person. And I consider myself very lucky," she continued. "I love my work - and when I think of the millions of people who hate what they're doing but who spend hours of every day doing it, I feel incredibly blessed."

"At times, living alone gets lonely. But it's good for growth. Besides, I'm not really alone; there's always Agnes."

Agnes is Louise's silver poodle, a dog that loves everybody - but particularly mother, Louise.

"I have another reason to be happy I'm back on a serial," Agnes' "mom" confided. "Now I'm sure Agnes can live in the manner to which she has become accustomed. I have to work to keep her in kibble!"

For Louise the year of 'playing' has ended. But the vocalizing goes on and on.....P.S. She has very understanding neighbors!

Louise Shaffer:

The Feminist is a Lady!

Afternoon TV Magazine, October 1978

by Merrill Cherlin

Article Provided By Wanda

When we visited Louise Shaffer at her gorgeous Manhattan apartment at 7:00 P.M. one evening recently, she informed us it was nearly her bedtime! This lady is a real day person and in order to get up at 5:00 A.M., which she likes to do, she must get to bed at about 9:00 the night before.

In keeping with this Spartan lifestyle, Louise is a super hard worker. In addition to being one of daytime’s busiest actresses, she writes television screenplays! When we talked with her, she was working on one about the problems of contemporary marriages and we had quite a spirited discussion on the subject. Of course, Louise is somewhat of an authority on this herself.

She was married to a fellow actor several years ago, and is now divorced. She says it was one of the friendlier divorces she’s heard of, but it still shows how difficult it is for two actors to hold a marriage together.

Louise was born in a small town near New Haven, Connecticut, 30-odd years ago, to a family with two other girls and one boy. After high school, she attended Connecticut College for Women, then Yale Drama School. But all of the Shaffer kids were career-oriented. One of Louise’s sisters is a psychiatric social worker; the other runs an exchange program among networks of schools in Massachusetts; and her brother is now in Chicago getting his PhD. degree.

“As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to act,” she says. I never wanted to do anything else. My parents always felt obligated to pay lip service to the saying, “Acting is a difficult life,’ but they were proud of me for doing it.

"Last year, I was on the Norman Lear show, All That Glitters. That was as close to expecting to be in a hit as anything I can think of, but, of course, it wasn’t. Before that, there was a play in the Chelsea Theater, a year of touring with Two Gentlemen of Verona, and a year on Broadway in The Women. Before that, I was on Where the Heart Is, which, incidentially, was written by the writers of Ryan’s Hope - that’s how they know me. I took a year off to do opera and actually appeared in La Boheme. I loved it, but I decided I was really an actress. I do love it, though, and am still quite serious about it.”

“I love to sing. I always seem to get involved with something I don’t know how to do. Right now, it’s writing. I’ve never done it and I like to learn to do things. It’s very time-consuming though, and I work an awful lot.”

How did she get into writing? “Good actors tend to fill in the gaps in their characters, and I always wanted to write, so in seven weeks I wrote my first screenplay. The people I sent it to liked it and wanted to see further work on contemporary women.”

Louise doesn’t know if any of her screenplays will actually wind up on TV, but the subject of contemporary women is one she’s very interested in. A staunch feminist, she’s still trying to work out the mixed feelings she has about being aggressive and feminine at the same time.

“Women in their mid-20’s now,” she says, “expect to have careers, but there’s a huge generation gap between them and women now in their mid-30’s. I feel ashamed about being ambitious, yet at the same time I’m ashamed because I’m not ambitious enough. You apologize for being militant, unladylike.”

“The woman’s movement has the unfortunate image of being anti-homemaker - that’s a pity. There’s a whole new set of options now in terms of how people set up their lives.”

But she can’t help wondering, “How will families work out with all these new choices? Now, one person in a relationship has the job of making it work. She’s supportive, aware, sensitive. What happens when two people need support and concern at the end of a long, hard day? What does happen in two-career families? Who makes sacrifices? I guess if you decide it’s going to work, it will.”

She feels the career she has picked is probably one of the most arduous. “I wonder how many ladies who stay home and clean house would want to get up at dawn, memorize lines and schlep into a studio? Or spend months being unemployed? The pressure! The strain! You gotta be a little nuts to do what I do. I love it, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a relaxing profession.” But despite the hassles and the heavy workload on Ryan’s Hope, Louise says she’ll soon begin auditioning for theater work as well.

Is Louise Shaffer like Rae Woodard? The answer is, maybe - just a little. They’re both strong, excting women. But Louise in real life is younger looking, less pushy, and generally nicer. In discussing her role, she says, “I’ll stay on Ryan’s Hope for

as long as they want me. It’s the one soap I’d want to be on. I’ve had some speeches that are of theatre caliber, better than nighttime TV or even movies. The cast is smashing!

Rae Woodard is a wonderful role and I’m having a lot of fun with her. The problem is I enjoy being her, walking onto that million dollar set wearing gorgeous clothes. I guess she’s a 'bad guy,' but she’s very competent and feels she can organize everyone else’s life better than they can.

“She has problems but I don’t see them. I see her as a golden girl. I have to remind myself she’s manipulative and selfish. She doesn’t have the ambivalences I do in real life.

“I can walk onto that set and feel that I, as Rae, would be a far better partner for a young, ambitious politician than anyone else around. Rae’s perfect for him! The bad part about her is she doesn’t stop to think about other people. But then, there isn’t a very clear committment betwen Jill and Frank.

“I myself wouldn’t do what she does, but I can relate to her.

“I like doing soaps. If you only do films, they’re shot in two and three line takes, out of order, and you can never sustain a character. It’s bad for your head. Soaps keep your concentration tuned.”

“And where else can women get good roles these days, anyway? There’s Julia and the Turning Point - wow! four entire roles - and only 45 million actresses!"

“Soap opera is a women’s medium. On nighttime TV you get to play a rape victim, the mother of a disturbed child, or possibly the girlfriend of Starsky or Hutch!”

Besides soaps, though, Louise does have some other goals, although she says she’s had so many ambitions she’s learned to rest a bit and not have so many.

“The best things that have happened to me, I’ve never conceived of. And those I’ve really worked at getting, I’ve later thought, ‘why did I do this?’ Being a major star is not something I’d be terribly comfortable with. Doing public relations tours, I found out I’m shy, or at least reserved.”

“I have my dreams, though”, she laughs. “To be an opera singer who writes Emmy Award-winning teleplays and stars in Hedda Gabler on Broadway! But, realistically, I’d like to keep writing, do a musical, and use my singing voice.”

We have a feeling Louise will be able to do it all.

Louise Shaffer

Rae's Not in Control of

Anyone, Including Herself

Rona Barrett's Daytimers, June 1981

by Seli Grooves

Rae Woodard (Ryan's Hope) is one of the most fascinating females on daytime television. An avowed manipulator of men, she, curiously enough, gets loads of mail from male viewers who find themselves absolutely captivated. Women, too, write in, but unlike men who address mail to Ms. Rae, the ladies write directly to the blonde, beautiful and talented Louise Shaffer who plays Rae Woodard.

“I admit I was surprised,” Louise said “when I first looked at the mail. Apparently, while you and I and most women might agree that what Rae does may not be quite the thing to do in polite society, the men react quite differently. You’d think they would be the ones who would get angry about someone like her.”

“Our women viewers are intrigued by her and tell me so. They’ll also tell me why they defend her, or why they think that ‘this time,’ perhaps, she’s gone too far. They’ll also discuss her relationships with other characters, particularly with Kimberly, her sometimes difficult-to-deal-with daughter. But the men” Louise beamed, “many of them say they wouldn’t mind it one bit to be Rae’s next ‘object.’ Still, in spite of everything that’s said about her in a negative way, I find she’s probably more to be pitied than censored. She’s rather a tragic figure.”

Louise smiled at her husband Roger Crews. “One nice thing that’s happening for her these days thought,” she said, “is the relationship with a younger man. Roger is younger than I am and we’re quite happy about our so-called situation. There are people who still tend to look at a younger man and older woman relationship, whether it’s in marriage or not, as somewhat risky or not quite conventional, but fewer people who are involved in those situations bother to even defend their reasons for choosing their mates or lovers. Rae certainly wouldn’t defend herself, and so far as Roger and I are concerned, we know we’re the luckiest people in the world, involved in the happiest marriage in the world, and because we both care, everything will be even better and happier for us in the future."

“Age is no excuse for a marriage or affair that goes sour, nor is it an explanation for one that works. It’s simply one more factor in a very complex situation: a human relationship."

At that point Roger spoke: “There’s this to be said about Rae”, he smiled. “While you don’t have to agree with what she does, you have to admire the fact that she does what she believes in."

Even, Louise asked, “if it’s going to hurt her at the end? It always winds up hurting her!”

“Well,” he answered, “that’s one of the tragic aspects of her life. She’s that vulnerable.”

“Vulnerable? She’s more than vulnerable,” Louise reacted. “She’s sad. She’s bright, she’s intelligent, talented, full of ideas and energy. She can be just about anything she wants to be. Instead, she pours everything into a man giving him the benefit of her intelligence and brilliance. She gives him money and cars. She’ll send him to the finest tailors and pay his bills. Finally, he becomes what she wants him to be. For her, it’s important to wield power though that seems to be a powerful man. Maybe if things had been different in her past, she wouldn’t feel she has to manipulate others now. She’d be in control of herself.”

“Somewhere in her past,” Louise speculates, “perhaps with her mother, Rae learned to distrust men and she’s never been able to control this feeling, so it’s important for her to be in control of men. How better to do that than to create them. The implied threat that keeps them in line is there: the creator almost always has the power to destroy the creation.”

Why would an otherwise intelligent man with talents and ambition of his own become an object that Rae can shape to her own design?

“Because, Roger said, “those men may be more ambitious than talented. What they want is to reach the goal. If they can get there without going through the normal route, like taking risks, making some hard decisions, suffering setbacks and picking themselves up again - why not? If they’re not as talented or equipped for the position they want, someone like Rae can make it easy for them to bypass the tests other men must pass. For every Rae who stands ready to create a person, there’s a man willing to be the clay in her hands.”

“Seriously,” Louise said, “there are many women like Rae who don’t trust their own talents or who feel they must work through others. Perhaps they feel safer. If they don’t present a target, they’re less likely to be hurt.”

But she’s always going to be hurt nonetheless?

“Of course. These are always no-win situations. She knows that even when she starts, but for some reason she feels she can’t - or won’t - change the direction her life has taken. Her daughter, Kimberly, whom she saw only a few times during the girl’s growing years, is also a manipulator who plays games with men’s emotions. It’s enough to make one think that perhaps behavior is inherited!”

We can understand what make some women do what they do. Women have long been the ‘victims’ of society But what makes a man want to be ‘controlled’?

Roger spoke, “Some believe the end justifies the means. In otherwords, so long as they reach their goals, they don’t care how they got there. Besides, they don’t really believe they can be controlled by a woman. There’s still that macho attitude that a man is the superior creature regardless of a woman’s social, economic, or business position.”

"Many men might even come to see a woman like Rae as simply doing her duty - supporting, helping, building, giving with no assurance that they get anything in return."

Roger nodded. “I know a lot of women write to Louise and discuss Rae. I’d like to tell them that although she does one helluva great job playing Rae, she’s nothing like her.”

“I’m too ambitious,” Louise said. “And I’m too proud. I want my name on what I do. I want someone to point to me and say,’there she is, the woman who did this or did that.’ I could never hide behind someone and simply pull strings.”

The men whom Rae creates might be called her puppets, but they don’t believe that.

“Many men,” Louise said, “tend to believe that whatever rules a woman might make, men are the ones who will decide whether they follow them or not. Well, just consider Rae’s past. Marriage means entering into a situation with a certain set of rules. From what we know of her father, he didn’t play the game honorably. He simply walked out when he felt it was time to go. A lot of men think like that. And that’s why a lot of women like Rae distrust men even when they apparently don’t have any reason to.”

So that’s really what it’s all about then: distrust, fear of being hurt, a desperate need to control the situation to prevent or minimize the expected pain.

Louise and Roger nodded. “That’s how it seems to me” she said “Somewhere these people - both the men and the women - have forgotten that it’s perfectly right, proper, and natural to use people. We do use each other. Roger helps me, I help him. We have friends who use us, and we use them.” However, she said, “what isn’t right is to exploit people.”

The moral of the story then?

“Let’s be grateful for the fact,” Louise said, “that most of us can give freely and take gracefully. It’s a gift we tend to take for granted. But without it, we’d have many more Raes and many more men waiting to be rae-ded!”

Michael Corbett

"You Are Responsible for Everything!"

Rona Barrett's Daytimers, June 1981

by Patricia Kearney

Michael Pavel is creating quite a stir on Ryan's Hope. As a very enterprising young man, he is not only learning how to make his way to the top in the business world, but is bedding his teacher, too. He could be playing a dangerous game, though, because while Rae is happy to accommodate her prize pupil in and out of bed, her newly arrived nymphet daughter, Kim, has found this young, handsome man equally exciting. Just what type of fireworks will ignite when mother, daughter and lover uncover the facts about each other will have to wait.

Pavel is a totally delightful adventurous young man, and the same can be said about his creator, Michael Corbett. However, while Pavel is hungry for quick success, Michael is willing to gather his step by step, building a strong foundation.

"Acting sort of picked me," states Michael about his very successful career thus far. When I was in high school (he was an honor student) for some reason I was always doing the leads in the musicals. I had always wanted to sing. When I went to college, I went to The University of Pennsylvania to become an International Relations major. That's political science. I wanted to be an ambassador or diplomat, because I thought that would be a way to help mold the direction of society. Realizing that was pretty useless - I was getting frustrated because I'm the kind of person who really likes to accomplish things and see things accomplished--I left it and went to a theater school, Boston Conservatory."

That Michael turned to politics at first is not unusual. His father, Victor, was the chief of collection for the IRS before he retired. He then became a manager of political candidates.

His parents, however were not thrilled about Michael's change in major. In fact, they hated it! He says with a smile and a lot of affection. "My father kept saying 'get a job. When are you going to get a real job?' I moved to New York and I really did well. I worked from the third day I was here. I got my first job on Love of Life and about a month later I got my first Broadway show. I'll never forget this. The day we opened this Broadway bomb called Nefretiti (which starred former daytimers Andrea Marcovicci and Michael Nouri), that morning my father called me at my hotel room and said, 'okay, you've been in a Broadway show. Why don't you go back and get a real job now?' I couldn't believe it!"

Still not daunted in his acting dreams, Michael continued to pursue his career. "I did a lot of work for a year, and I'd saved up. And if for no other reason than to make my parents happy, I bought a house near their home as an investment. I thought this will prove to them I'm doing well! Still, they gave me a lot of flack."

"Even when I starred in a huge pilot for CBS," Michael recalled with a chuckle, "which was another huge bomb called CoEd Fever (I had signed a long contract with lots and lots of money), even then they weren't real happy! But they're happy now! They like Ryan's Hope because they can see me every day. My mother calls me up every now and then and says, 'You know, you're losing weight. Your hair's too long.' So they sort of feel a little closer to me."

As a Gemini on the cusp of Cancer, Michael describes his sign(s) as the 'traveler-adventurer and the person who likes a home. I definitely have a dichotomy. I definitely have strong passions. Pick almost any subject and I have very strong feelings both ways and they're both very valid at particular times."

"I'm very strong in my opinions but I usually have two of them" he laughed. "I like to argue about morality - society's effect on morality; society and the way people are sort of forced into things; monetary values; whether they're good or bad; career values, and things like that."

Asked whether his opinions have ever gotten him in trouble, Michael responded "not in trouble, but into a lot of arguments! If for no other reason that an argument's sake, I like matching of the wits, so to speak. And not many people have the time, energy, or the wits to do it. When you finally settle into doing that, its a great challenge and I enjoy it a lot!"

One challenge, however, that has Michael down a bit, is his lack of social life since beginning the show. He had been engaged to a young woman but, "I really ended up not having enough time for it. You feel like you're cheating the other person, and she's too good for that. So we decided to break it off."

"I'm very career oriented, and I always have been, especially since I've been out of college. That's where a dichotomy is. I like security and I like really pushing myself. Yet sometimes there is nothing I would rather do than be on a farm just working my rear end off plowing or something like that. Totally away from all the manipulation, etc. that goes on in Manhattan. But I love what I'm doing!'

Pushing himself in his career may be Michael's way of staying on top of things, but others might feel that fate had a hand it it, too. After all, it's a bit unusual for a young actor to arrive in New York and find himself employed in just three days. With all his confidence about his abilities, however Michael does admit he did play it way safe upon his arrival.

"I've always been very determined and all that," he began, "and I think I knew that I was going to do well. But you know you have some doubts, and you're a little scared, so when I first moved here, I said to myself, 'I'm going to do it, period. I'm going to be successful and that's it.' And that very first day I applied as a waiter, got hired, and they told me to come in on Thursday. By then I had gotten my first job, so I never, thank God, had to be a waiter!

"That just reminds me of a personal value that is important to me," Michael continued. "I really believe that when you decide something for yourself, you do it. There's really very little you can't accomplish if you want it badly enough, against all odds. I think if you set yourself that goal, disregarding everything else, you'll get it. If you have that attitude, you'll go much further. I think the moment you start limiting yourself, you'll get to your limit and that's it."

"I think you have to set your ultimate goal and specific goals along the way. And each time you meet one goal, you still have

another one past that. But you know you're going to meet each goal, eventually. You just have to keep working at it.

"There's a specific line of thinking that says you are really totally responsible for everything that happens to you, and every

circumstance in which you find yourself. You can't blame anyone else. You have to say, 'all right, I'm here because I said to

myself at some point I allowed this to happen.' So you have no one else to blame but yourself. If you're ever in a bad

circumstance, it's nice to have a scapegoat, but you really can't. You're responsible for it!"

Michael came upon this philosophy through reading and talking "with a lot of people whom I respect. I guess it's basically a

really positive attitude that whatever you want, you can get, but you've got to work for it. No one is going to give it to you."

"You know, sometimes everybody has self-doubts. I do. You go through those anxiety attacks, but then you think this is ridiculous! If anything, you can look back on your own track record. You're proving things to yourself, too, as you accomplish things. You have to develop and have a lot of self-confidence, because you can be so easily shot down."

At this point in his life, it won't be easy for anybody to 'shoot down' Michael. While Michael Pavel is being noticed by the residents of Ryan's Hope, Michael Corbett is definitely making himself noticed in the theater world!

DAYTIME TV

April 1978

YOU THE VIEWER

What happened to Pat on Ryan's Hope was inevitable, being married to a dizzy dame like Delia.

Florence - Duluth, Mich

If somebody doesn't stop Delia, she's going to give me a nervous breakdown!

Mrs. K Brewer - Oakdale, Ma

When are they going to put Delia in the nuthouse, where she belongs.

Mrs. Royce - Los Gatos, Calif

Claire Labine and Paul Mayer

Can a Soap Opera Find Happiness in Brooklyn?

The New York Times, April 11, 1978

by Judy Klemesrud

It is 12:30 PM, and many people on Berkeley Place in Brooklyn are tuning in the soap opera "Ryan's Hope." It's a favorite in this brownstone-lined neighborhood in Park Slope because many of its residents have appeared on the television serial as extras. A 3-year-old boy-next-door named Jadrien Steele has a continuing role. And some of the soap's characters are based on local characters.

There is a reason: "Ryan's Hope," which won four Emmy awards last year, is turned out in a brownstone at Berkeley Place. Its creators are 43-year-old Claire Labine, who lives in the brownstone with her husband and three children, and her partner, Paul Avila Mayer, 49, who drives over every morning from Manhattan.

The writing couple spends much of the day - with a half-hour lunch break at 12:30 to watch "Ryan's Hope" - sitting on brown leather couches in the brownstone's study and thrashing out the future trials and tribulations of the Ryans, a fictional Irish family that owns a bar across from a city hospital on the Upper West Side.

Do the partners ever fight while creating? "Yes, loudly," Mrs. Labine replied. "But it's never personal. It's always about story differences or what the characters should do. Sometimes I burst into tears of rage, and Paul leaves for the day."

"Yes, we do seem to ventilate something," Mr. Mayer added with a smile.

The two partners, who are also the serial's executive producers, said they got their plot ideas from various sources, including friends, relatives, neighbors, and newspapers. ("We'll steal from anybody," Mrs. Labine said lightly.) One regular source is her mother, 79-year-old Madeleine Wood, who lives with the Labines in their 13-room brownstone, which was once an Irish boardinghouse.

'Diabolical Imaginations'

"All I can say is that Paul and Claire have diabolical imaginations," Mrs. Wood said the other day. She was wearing pink plastic curlers in her silver hair as she and the family watched an episode of "Ryan's Hope" in which Delia Ryan, the serial's "bad girl," was feigning blindness in an attempt to keep her straying husband's interest.

As soon as the episode ended, the telephone rang. It was Mr. Mayer's 14-year-old daughter, Ruth, calling from Manhattan. "Is Tom Desmond really dead?" she asked, referring to a character on the serial who may or may not be dead. "He's the only cute character you've got!"

"I can't tell you, tune in tomorrow," her father told her, grinning devilishly.

Mrs. Labine and Mr. Mayer have been writing together since 1971, when they met as dialogue writers on the old soap opera "Where the Heart Is." She was a tall, dark-haired young actress out of the University of Kentucky when she found that parts for six-foot-tall ingenues were a bit hard to come by. He was a Harvard-educated son of a film-writing father and had never wanted to do anything but write.

They later wrote for "Love of Life" and "City Hospital," and then one day officials of ABC asked them to create a soap of their own. They decided to set it in New York, rather than in the usual tranquil town in the Middle West, and to use realistic dialogue and, they said, "true-to-life" stories. "Ryan's Hope" went on the air July 7, 1975.

The serial, which is now also syndicated in Australia and Canada, has always been "very pro New York," Mr. Mayer said. "We don't bad-mouth the city, and we don't let any characters on the show bad-mouth the city - unless, of course, it involves the Mets' prospects."

The partners, who jointly gross more than $250,000 a year, outline the plot and write many of the episodes for "Ryan's Hope." Additional dialogue is written by Mary Munisteri, who also lives in Park Slope, and Judith Pinsker. The serial is taped at an ABC studio on West 53rd Street, which the partners say they visit once a week "just to keep in touch with everybody."

But the heavy creative work is done in the Brooklyn brownstone because Mrs. Labine and Mr. Mayer said they felt it was best to "keep a certain distance" from the other members of the highly competitive soap opera industry, and because Mrs. Labine likes doing the cooking and shopping for her family.

Her husband is R.A. (Clem) Labine, who edits The Old House Journal in a back room of the 95-year-old brownstone. The Journal, which has a monthly circulation of 22,000, is devoted to the preservation and restoration of old houses.

The writing arrangement generally works out well, Mr. Mayer said, except that his wife, the actress Sasha Von Scherter, sometimes complain that he is spending too much time with Mrs. Labine. "She mentions it about once a day," he said with a grin. "It's hard on her, it's hard on my kids. But, at the same time, I keep saying, 'But Claire's taller than I am!'"

[FYI: This article contains a misnomer: City Hospital was the working title for Ryan's Hope, not an actual show for which Labine, Mayer, or anyone else worked.]

Head Writer Claire Labine

Celebrates Ryan's Hope

Daytimers, 1981

The writing career of Ryan’s Hope co-creator and headwriter, Claire Labine, began in New York City—New York that is, via Jacksonville, Florida and Louisville, Kentucky. “I was born in Jacksonville but grew up all over the midwest and went to high school and began college in Louisville,” Labine says, her large hazel-green eyes wide with animation. In fact, after a year and a half as a journalism major at the University of Kentucky, the writer discovered her real love was the theater and took off for New York’s Columbia University’s School of Dramatic Arts, where, she recalls whimsically: “It took me about 20 minutes to realize that the market for six foot ingénues—that’s me—was severely limited.”

Not one to be discouraged, though, Labine changed her major to playwriting and the rest is one huge success story.

Each weekday, Claire Labine, through those wonderful “Ryans” enters the homes and hearts of nearly six million Americans. The responsibility accompanying that realization is, for the writer, an awesome one. “I am very aware of the responsibility,” she says soberly. “I do try to touch my audience.” With storylines that steer away from the sensational, Ryan’s Hope has become synonymous with the family with its generational conflicts. “All those things about families—parents and children—those are the parts of the show that I love the best; things about compassion and love and what it can do to you in good ways and in bad ways.”

Ryan’s Hope, Labine says with a nurturing pride, is about a set of characters who celebrate the human condition. “We have not always been able to remain true to that,” she explains, “because relentless celebration is not dramatic.” But she is quick to point out that her characters do not whine. “Even ‘Delia’ at her most upset does not whine, and none of them wring their hands and say, ‘Oh dear, what am I going to do?’”

Her women, particularly, are strong, vital, functioning human beings in their own right. Do they perhaps overshadow the male characters in the show? “I’m told that they do,” Labine says. “But it’s not deliberate and I’m sorry if they do.” At that moment, the writer flashes a Brontesque smile. “You see, I think it’s pretty hard to overshadow Michael Levin (“Jack Fenelli”). He’s really my Heathcliff!”

Would “Maeve Ryan” vote for ERA? Labine does not hesitate to reply: “Oh sure she would, because I don’t really think ERA is against the home and I don’t know what all the fuss about it is.” The truth of this statement is nowhere better seen than in Claire Labine herself. Married to editor-publisher Clem Labine since 1958, Claire unabashedly admits: “What I wanted to do was to have my babies, raise them by myself and be with them when they were little and then write whenever I could write. And I wouldn’t have done it any differently.” Her marriage and her children, she emphasizes, had a tremendous influence on what Claire Labine, the writer, was to become, and on what she is still in the process of becoming. “I still haven’t grown up,” she laughs.

Although most of her experience has been in soaps, Labine plunged into feature films in 1979, writing and producing a re-telling of the medieval classic, Tristan and Isolde, starring Richard Burton and Kate Mulgrew, whom audiences will remember as the original “Mary Ryan” on RH. Shot on location in Ireland, the film is due to go into general release this year.

Not bad for a lady whose professional writing career began in 1966 as a script writer for none other than Captain Kangaroo! Noting the inherent humor in the assignment, Labine relates that her agent called one morning inquiring whether she had ever heard of the popular kiddie program. “Well, I almost fell on the floor laughing,” she says, trying to remain serious but breaking up regardless. “I said, ‘Yes, I have; as a matter of fact, we just turned it off about an hour ago!’” Well, before she could say “Peter Rabbit,” Labine’s was the proud pen behind the beloved voices of “Moose” and “Bunny Rabbit.” Eleanor, her middle child, she teases, used to write jokes for the show. “She had a real grasp of the material,” the writer laughs.

After a year and a half with the Captain, Labine was fired. “I have no idea why. But a lot of people were fired and I was so sad…I did not want to leave my ‘Moose’ and my ‘Bunny Rabbit’!” Parenthetically, she adds, “I also hate rejection!”

But almost immediately, Claire Labine made her debut in soap opera. With an ingeniousness so typical of her, she says, “The only one I’d ever watched was Love of Life, which I’d turn on while I sat down to nurse a baby.” Nonetheless, Labine proved such a quick study that she was hired to write a CBS soaper called Where the Heart Is. It was there the now famous Labine-Mayer partner ship was born. They continued until the show’s demise in 1973. The team moved to Love of Life as headwriters and stayed until 1975, when Ryan’s Hope was born.

“We started the development of Ryan’s Hope right after the writer’s strike in ’73, after which it went on the air—to my astonishment!” Labine confides. In fact, for the first few years, both Labine and Mayer were walking a figurative tightrope. “We were so afraid it was going to be cancelled.” Claire Labine pauses, no doubt reflecting on the show’s subsequent accolades: the Emmys, the universal acclaim, the expectations.

Indeed, for Labine, Ryan’s Hope has been a labor of love. About the characters, the writer says: “I love every one of them. I love the old ones more than the new ones because I’ve lived with them longer.” Are the characters based on real-life people? “Partly,” Claire admits, “’Maeve’ is part my mother, part my grandmother (who used to sing her all the Irish revolutionary songs), and part everybody’s mother. ‘Johnny’ is a combination of many people. ‘Mary Ryan’ (the show’s original heroine) was named after my best friend in the whole world, Mary Ryan Munisteri, who is one of our dialogue writers as well as the show’s creative consultant. ‘Delia’ is based on one of the most stunning neurotics I’ve ever known in my life, who must remain nameless…I could go on and on,” she beams, like a proud parent, showing off her child’s report card. “When I leave it, I want to feel I’ve left it in good hands.”

That Ryan’s Hope has always stressed the nuclear family is no accident. As Labine sees it, the family unit provides the human psyche with the great need to survive. “I think mutual support within a family is one of the great gifts of life and that’s why it’s a part of the show.” Indeed, when the time comes, it will be very difficult for Claire Labine to leave her made-up family.

When asked what broke up the Labine-Mayer partnership, the writer replies, “Time. Paul wanted to do other things. He really didn’t want to wait. We’re still friends, though,” she stresses. That Labine chose to remain with the show until her contract expires in 1983 is hardly surprising. Not one to let go of anything easily, Clair (sic) observes: “I wasn’t ready to leave Ryan’s Hope yet. I felt as if there was still a lot to do and the torch was not in very good shape to be passed.” She pauses reflectively.

Observing that Ryan’s Hope is the most different of the TV soaps, the writer comments that it is the quality of the acting, the writing, and the dedication and aspirations of all those involved with the show that take it beyond the label, “soap opera.”

“The term soap opera doesn’t bother me,” Labine states emphatically. But, she points out, “I hate and I resent the terrible suppositions being made about the quality of the work based on the form.” For the first time during the interview, her eyes flash indignation. “It makes me madder than hell because no one in that studio does one easy thing. There is nothing glib. Our writers do not write a script in a day.”

To wit, Labine’s own dedication is nothing short of amazing. Usually getting by with three to five hours of sleep a night, she not only devises the show’s storyline, but with two associate writers, outlines each day’s episode and usually writes on script herself per week.

How does she do it? “I love it,” she says very genuinely, as though somehow that should explain everything. Strangely enough, with Claire Labine, it does.

Love and celebration—they are the theme, the emotion, the experience, the keywords in the script of her world. They are Ryan’s Hope.

Tom MacGreevy

Mystery Man From Ireland

Soap Opera Digest, August 1978

by Geri Jefferson

Article Provided By Wanda

He's tall, suave and handsome with an intriguing lock of gray hair at the nape of his neck. He's the epitome of the strong, silent type with a mystifying undercurrent apparent in his conversation and demeanor.

He is Tom MacGreevy. He is Tom Desmond. Both men hail from Ireland. Both men have somewhat unhappy past lives and both men are former boxing champs. Both men enjoy the poetry of Yeats and both men are wonderfully charming.

"'Mother, I've got to do this. I've just got to try theatre.' She didn't like that, but I tried it and I knew when I went into drama school that (acting) was what I'd been looking for all those years."

In his early twenties, Tom embarked on his new life as an actor, leaving behind, for the most part, the world of professional boxing.

From Boxing To Acting:

In a strange way, Tom thinks, the two professions are related. "I think boxing is theatre in its most physical sense.....There is the audience....you are up on a dais....I find it has a sort of appeal for me. It's not as spiritual as acting, but I believe it is theatre in its most physical form."

As a teenager, Tom found boxing to be a tremendous form of expresson. He started at the age of fifteen and was Irish middle-weight boxing champion in international competition at the age of eighteen!

Does he (as do so many) consider boxing to be a violent sport? "No, certainly not." Tom explained that people who don't understand the sport might consider it violent, but he feels that it requires a lot of skill and a lot of intelligence. As a youth, boxing also had a therapeutic effect on Tom. "It gave me an identity that I never had for years.....it meant I was worth something...I felt a sense of importance I'd never felt before in my life."

Alone But Not Lonely:

Tom's mother is still in Ireland; his father and brother are in London. So Tom is living alone in New York, but with his continued interest in boxing and his work on Ryan's Hope, there is more than enough to take up his time. Althought he did live with a woman some time ago....he is currently back to his single living status. During that period of his life, his 'struggling actor' days, he was, he felt, ill-prepared to make the marital vows his friend seemed to require. Although very much a believer in marriage, he didn't feel he was ready for it at the time.

When asked what kind of woman he might look for in a wife, Tom had a ready answer. "She would, I imagine, have to be physically attractive to me. I also want a certain amount of intelligence. I'd like....someone who is strong, who you can count on with a certain amount of strength, sensitivity and gentleness......Tom was asked what his reaction would be if he encountered a domineering woman. "I think it's a problem in every relationship. Sometimes I think that somebody has to take the upper hand. I imagine I would like to take the upper hand." When it was suggested that Tom's was a typically male attitude he answered that perhaps it was, but that one person has to be more dominant in different areas. He did concede, however, that since he's had no real experience in the matter, he was perhaps not the authority figure he was beginning to sound like.

When Does One Tom Plus One Tom Equal One Tom?

There are so many similarities between Tom MacGreevy and Tom Desmond that I felt compelled to comment. Tom agreed and said, "well, they wrote the part for me, so I'm sure they put a lot of Tom MacGreevy in the part. In fact, the Ryan's Hope scene in which Tom Desmond laid one yellow rose on the bed for Faith and whispered luscious poetry in her ear seemed more of a part of Tom MacGreevy than one might imagine. Tom had to agree. "I think with honesty I can say I'm a romantic. I am certainly into poetry. I just love the things they write for me."....

I also detected that somewhere under the surface was the same intensity and anger in Tom MacGreevy that exists in Tom Desmond.

And so there we are...back to the mystery. He is intelligent and appears to be loving. He seems warm and open and giving. He is introspective and secretive. It would seem that he has his own private and loved haunts. Is he Tom Desmond? Is he Tom MacGreevy? Is he really a mystery?

Sensuous Gourmet of the Month

Malcolm Groome - Pat Ryan - Ryan's Hope

Afternoon TV Magazine, January 1984

In the mood for something exotic? Try India. From the Taj Mahal to the Himalayas, it's a land of mystery - and contrasts. Most of us will never get any closer to the sub-continent than Nirvana, which is pretty close to heaven itself. Nirvana, a dreamlike state, is also the name of a New York restaurant which offers a panoramic view of Central Park from its rooftop location. Here, a meal is an adventure, a mini-excursion into another culture.

As you enter, you're enveloped in the soothing, yet strangely stimulating scent of a potpourri of pungent Eastern fragrances. The decor, rich with colorful tapestries, is a feast for the eyes. The palate is intrigued, for this cuisine inspires curiosity. We are challenged to explore, and then rewarded by the discovery that Indian food goes far beyond curry. That's only one of an abundance of spices available to the creative chef. Simple ingredients can be enhanced by these magic powders, until you have a meal fit for a maharajah. Subtle or spicy, the choice is yours.

Malcolm Groome felt quite at ease in these surroundings. He made his own journey to India in 1971, a time when many of the world's young people were following The Beatles to India, in search of a spiritual direction. For some, the pilgrimage resulted in nirvana, the goal of inner peace.

Malcolm lived for three months in an ashram (retreat) in Hardwar, studying meditation. As he recalls, "it's the beginning of my looking for truth in life. It set me on a certain path. The meditation was a period of a lot of growth for me...a clearing away of a lot of concepts and conditioning I'd had since childhood. It was re-evaluation of what had been values for me."

"I was very touched by the humanity there, the way people really made contact with you. I remember looking into a lot of eyes, and seeing into a lot of souls, because the people in that part of the world are very in touch with that."

"For the past several years now, I've been doing 'Actualism'. It's something my wife, Rebekah teaches. In fact, we met when she was my teacher. It involves working with medicine and the holistic approach to health - mind and body. It deals with the power of healing, and the laying on of hands."

Rebekah, who joined us at Nirvana, explained the extent of her connection with Actualism. "I teach classes, and do lots of counseling...I also do body work, somewhat similar to Rolfing, but not as 'heavy.' What I'm actually doing is working to bring out human potential, emotional stability, and better health."

Now that Malcolm is back from California, being a Ryan's a full time job. Nine months ago, he returned to the role of Patrick Ryan, which he originated in 1975. Now, Malcolm finally looks old enough to a doctor. He is quite excited by the arrival of Joe Hardy, RH's new executive producer.

"Joe's changing the whole look of the show. There's new lighting, sets, casting, and even wardrobe changes. Joe's background is theater," Malcolm notes, "and he's got wonderful tastes. Our ratings dropped when the story got away from the core family. Now we're going back to the Ryans."

And Malcolm's glad to be back 'home.' When we inquire, however, as to who does the cooking in the Groome household (where vegetables, chicken and fish - no meat - are the staples), Rebekah replies, "Nobody! We're never home." Then, her husband adds, "But when we are there, we share all of our duties."

Indeed, Malcolm and Rebekah seem to have achieved a blissful partnership, which is, at the same time, very much in the real world. Love, respect and understanding radiate from this couple, along with an inner glow. They find supporting each other to be a privilege, not a burden. There are definitely two stars in this marriage!

From #ryanshope on Instagram

I've always wondered what children think of their actor parents

John Blazo's (Pat #2) daughter Eve's hashtags for a RH photo of her father

https://instagram.com/p/ckYbr1wzes/?tagged=ryanshope

Edited May 10, 201510 yr by safe

Thanks for finding all that for us. I used to enjoy Ryan's Bar. I miss the little fandom that Soapnet helped create, although after it was taken off the network I lost interest, as most of those who were left were in some weird fiefdom.

From #ryanshope on Instagram

I've always wondered what children think of their actor parents

John Blazo's (Pat #2) daughter Eve's hashtags for a RH photo of her father

https://instagram.com/p/ckYbr1wzes/?tagged=ryanshope

I think that may be an article I scanned...

From #ryanshope on Instagram

I've always wondered what children think of their actor parents

John Blazo's (Pat #2) daughter Eve's hashtags for a RH photo of her father

 

 

I think that may be an article I scanned...

Carl, I thought the same thing when I saw the picture she used... that it was probably from the article you posted here.

Great articles, Safe. I had always meant to go back and read them on RB Online, too bad it's gone...

I'm going to try and find Louise Schaeffer's first EON role.

Who knew Michael Corbett was on Love of Life?

I had a blank next to Michael Hawkins on my SFT list...Steve Haskins, I wonder if he had scenes with Douglass Watson, Walter Haskins...

That was cute, Eve Blazo's hashtags.