The Ethos of Ryan’s Hope

TV Confidential with Ed Robertson

TVC 675.3: Ed’s guests are Emmy Award-winning actress, screenwriter, and novelist Louise Shaffer (Ryan’s Hope, Search for Tomorrow, The Edge of Night, All My Suspects, Talked to Death) and film and television historian Tom Lisanti (Talking Sixties Drive-In Movies, Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense, Trippin’ with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember, Dueling Harlows). Louise is among the four dozen alumni of Ryan’s Hope (ABC, 1975-1989) that Tom interviewed for his latest book, Ryan’s Hope: An Oral History of Daytime’s Groundbreaking Soap, everything you wanted to know about the Emmy Award-winning daytime drama, as told from the perspective of the people who brought you Ryan’s Hope. Topics this segment include why part of the appeal of Ryan’s Hope for viewers and performers alike was that it was very concrete; why series co-creator Claire Labine was such a great writer of dialogue; and why many of the actors on Ryan’s Hope bonded with each other because they shared a background working on the stage.