Ryan's Hope Discussion Thread

[vetsoapfan]

DeliaIrisfan, your assessment of the series was perfectly expressed and quite perceptive. I agree 100% with virtually everything you wrote. I was going to try putting the exact same sentiments into words, but you did so quite eloquently, thereby saving me the trouble. Good job.

 

Now I want to go a rewatch a few dozen RH eps on youtube. 

[DeliaIrisFan]

Awww...thanks Vetsoapfan.

 

As far as ratings, I actually think the fact that RH was one of the only soap to debut after 1973 to achieve even modestly successful ratings, relative to other soaps (for a few years there, at least) is a testament to its strengths. By the time RH premiered, women coming of age were not necessarily planning to be at home during the day, meaning the typical audience for a soap opera was already disappearing. From that point forward, most soaps were losing viewers, gradually but consistently. The only major variance in that trend, of course, was when a few shows in the early '80s attracted teen viewers for a relatively short time (and probably just as many other shows hastened their demise by trying unsuccessfully to copy that formula, RH arguably among them).

 

By and large, the soaps that survived the last quarter of the twentieth century (and into the current one) were the ones that already had a strong base of viewers before that shift began. RH was trying to build an audience when more women than ever before in American history were entering the (paid) workforce, and I don't know that anything could have made finding an audience when viewers increasingly were not home any less of an uphill battle. The only daytime soap that premiered after women started entering the workforce en masse to ever attain what might be considered commercial success long-term was B&B. And, from what I understand, it only first really achieved what one might call blockbuster ratings during a crossover storyline with its "sister show," Y&R, involving some of that show's most popular characters. I think it's fair to say that, if AMC's Jenny and Greg had ended up at Ryan's Bar when they ran away to New York City in the early '80s, RH's history might be very different — although I don't know that it would have been better in the long run.

 

RH's initial vision remained mostly intact, and the desperation that set in throughout the field when viewers really started dropping off in recent decades makes the various attempts that the network made to "fix" RH in its day pale by comparison. RH also went off at a time when the return of a soap's creators could fully restore the show to its former glory, at least in terms of quality, and I certainly cherish the episodes I've seen of YouTube from the last (two) returns of Labine and/or Mayer. Not to mention, the industry was still strong enough immediately after RH went off the air to provide work for more of its cast and crew than likely any soap that was canceled later on.

[Paul Raven]

Frank Latimore and Diana Van Der Vlis

August 20, 1975. VLIS

August 20, 1975| Credit: ABC Photo Archives

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EMBED

LICENCE

[danfling]

Wasn't it Jesse and Jenny who ran away to New York from Pine Valley?

[vetsoapfan]

Another insightful, eloquent post, DeliaIrisFan.

 

From what I recall, RH had a surge in ratings when Jill's baby perished, and for a while there, the ratings were quite respectable. Had the show maintained its quality in writing and acting, I believe the ratings would have remained solid enough to keep the show on the air, although that was never good enough for the suits at the network, who have always had to justify their existence by tinkering with the soaps, even when the shows' writers and producers already knew much, much more about how to please the daytime audience than any of the suits ever would. With folks like Claire Labine, William J. Bell, Agnes Nixon, and a few select other master writers, the best thing TPTB could ever do is...leave them alone to do their work. The network's tinkering, on RH and virtually every other soap ever produced, kept hurting the finished product more than helping it. 

 

I believe that the alterations imposed on RH over the years, to improve its so-so ratings, were not as drastic as the slaughtering...excuse me, the alterations...we witnessed on some other series, and this was fortunate, because it allowed Claire Labine to weave her magic once more when she returned as headwriter, particularly the last time before the show's cancellation. The core of RH was never completely destroyed, which cannot be said about AW, TGL, SFT, TEON, ATWT, and so many other once-fine dramas whose essence was gutted by incompetent PTB along the way.

 

Although I was never as emotionally invested in RH as I was in TGL, ATWT, AW, OLTL, and some other series, even "mediocre" RH was far, far superior to anything the audience is being served today.

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Edited October 5, 2023 by safe

[safe]

T

 

 

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LYME, N.H. – While the rest of New Hampshire argues over Rubio versus Trump versus Cruz versus Kasich, this Connecticut River hamlet thinks mostly in blue.

Hillary or Bernie? That’s the question most of Lyme’s 1,200 or so voters will mull as they stand in the ballot box.

Whoever the Democratic nominee is, it’s a sure bet that they’ll win Lyme come November. Judging by the 2012 election results, Lyme is the bluest town in New Hampshire. President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney with a whopping 76 percent of the vote here four years ago.

Faith Catlin, 67, a therapist and social worker in town, proudly cast her ballot for Bernie Sanders. If he were president, she said, she wouldn’t be so embarrassed to travel abroad.

“He’s sane,’’ she explained. “He’s actually sane.’’


 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by safe

[safe]

 

While Carl has shared many Soap Opera Digest recaps on  the Soap Opera Network forum -- someone is putting some on Tumblr. So far, November 1975 through November 1982 are up.

 

http://classicsodrh.tumblr.com/archive

 

 

[DRW50]

Thanks. 

 

Not surprised about Faith and Bernie...

[DRW50]

Hated this story:

 

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[safe]

Trailer for Faith Catlin's (Faith #1) upcoming web series

 

 

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[safe]

Sorry if this was  already posted on the main board

 

Entertainment Weekly Community

 

http://community.ew.com/2016/07/12/sister-v-sister-love-triangles/

 

7 sisters: Soaps’ top sister vs. sister love triangles

Ryan’s Hope

Faith always felt inferior to her beautiful sister, Jill. We knew Faith was the less attractive of the Coleridge sisters because … um … her hair was less bouncy? Mostly it was because everyone kept saying so. Kind of like the way Katie keeps saying she’s the less attractive sister on B&B, leaving the audience to go, “Okay … I guess.” The assertion became even more ridiculous as Faith kept getting recast with more and more glamorous actresses, until she was finally played by Karen Morris-Gowdy, a former America’s Junior Miss. But, yeah, sure, she’s absolutely hideous. Which was the excuse Faith used when Frank left her for Jill. This, despite the fact that ultimately, Frank left all women for Jill, no matter what they looked like.

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2016 by safe

[DRW50]

They got the Jill/Frank/Faith story and the way the show talked about Faith's character totally wrong (and they certainly stopped pushing her as the less attractive sister after Faith Catlin left the role). Why am I not surprised with that trash site.

[NothinButAttitude]

Also don't forget the writer who wrote it, Alina Adam, who wrote that dreadful Guiding Light fan-fiction.

[DRW50]

I was going to leave a negative comment but when I saw her name I decided not to bother.