Ryan's Hope

Ryan's Hope (RH) was a soap opera which aired for fourteen years on ABC, from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989. It was created, owned, and originally written by Claire Labine and Paul Avila Mayer, who had previously written Where the Heart Is and Love of Life. The show aired a total of 3515 30-minute episodes.

Creative Zenith

The series was about a large Irish-American family living in the Riverside district of New York City. The patriarch, Johnny Ryan (Bernard Barrow) owned a bar, Ryan's, which was across from Riverside Hospital. His wife, Maeve (Helen Gallagher), would help in the bar's upkeep, as would their children. The Ryans and the wealthy Coleridges were the original core families of the daytime drama.

Related Topics:
Irish-American - Bernard Barrow - Helen Gallagher

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When it premiered in 1975, it originally aired in the 1:00PM time slot, immediately after All My Children. Labine and Mayer also served as the executive producers of the show at this point, with George Lefferts as the producer. Lefferts would soon be replaced by Robert Costello, who remained with the show until 1978. After Costello, the role was occupied by Ellen Barrett (1978-1982) and Felicia Minei Behr (1982-1988).

Related Topics:
All My Children - George Lefferts - Robert Costello - Ellen Barrett - Felicia Minei Behr

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The original cast consisted of Nancy Addison Altman, Bernard Barrow, Faith Catlin, Justin Deas, Michael Fairman, John Gabriel, Helen Gallagher, Malcolm Groome, Rosalinda Guerra, Michael Hawkins, Earl Hindman, Ilene Kristen, Frank Latimore, Michael Levin, Kate Mulgrew, Hannibal Penney, Jr., and Diana van der Vlis.

Related Topics:
Nancy Addison Altman - Faith Catlin - Justin Deas - Michael Fairman - John Gabriel - Malcolm Groome - Rosalinda Guerra - Michael Hawkins - Earl Hindman - Ilene Kristen - Frank Latimore - Michael Levin - Kate Mulgrew - Hannibal Penney, Jr. - Diana van der Vlis

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At first, the show experienced low ratings and was ranked dead last among all the soaps during its first season. However, by its second season, the show's ratings had jumped, and it was now in the middle of the daytime ratings pack. It would continue to have steady ratings until 1982.

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As the seventies progressed, numerous actors and actresses appeared in various roles. One of the most noteworthy was Louise Shaffer (1977-1984) was the conniving Rae Woodard. Two others included Sarah Felder as Siobhan Ryan Novak and Richard Munez as Joe Novak.

Related Topics:
Louise Shaffer - Sarah Felder - Richard Munez

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