The show Ryan's Hope was created and owned (originally) by Claire Labine and Paul Avilla Mayer.    They previously had written for Where the Heart Is (which featured Clarice Blackburn) and, after that show had been cancelled, Love of Life.

ABC asked them to create a show for them.    The working title was called A Rage to Live, but it was changed to Ryan's Hope.

They used the same studio as Dark Shadows.    Lela Swift was the original director of the show, and Sy Tomashoff, Tom McCue, Ramsey Mosteller, and Terry Ross were some of the people who worked on the early Ryan's Hope that had also worked eariler on Dark Shadows.

George Lefferts, one of the original producer, left the show after several months.    Robert Costello became his replacement.

A few weeks ago, there were two epiosdes aired (just before the wedding of  Mary Ryan and Jack Fenelli) with featured Craig Slocum.

Ruth Livingston (the wife of Leslie Barrett) had appeared a few episodes earlier.

And now, Nancy Barrett has joined the cast as Dr. Faith Coleridge.

There was a scene in which the character of Nick Szabo (Michael Fairman) gave Delia Reid Ryan (Ilene Kristen) a music box.    The music box was the same one that had been used on Dark Shadows, and it even played Josette's Theme!

Also, ocassionally, there are props and parts of sets that can be recognized as having been on Dark Shadows earlier.

I think that one reason why Mr.  Lacy may have not been used so much is that I think that he did not have a contract with the show - or, at least, he did not have a contract during all the time that he began playing Tony and the time of the show's cancellation.

During part of the time that Dark Shadows was running, Mr. Lacy played Simon Gilbey on As the World Turns.     Also, I have read that he had a very brief role on The Secret Storm, and that may have been during the time that Dark Shadows was running.   (I am sure about the As the World Turns role being during the time that he was on Dark Shadows, but I am not sure about the role on The Secret Storm.)

It was during the time that the Parallel Time was airing that Mr. Lacy was playing Simon Gilbey.


(By the way, Clarice Blackburn played Mary Lou Northcoate on The Secret Storm during her time on Dark Shadows.    It was during Parallel Time, and, after her role had ended on The Secret Storm, she played Mrs. Johnson in the 1995 storyline.   Also, John Karlen played a major role on Love Is a Many Splendored Thing during the time that Willie was supposed to be in the mental hospital.)

I was going to mention that Ms. Cooper had a small role on The Edge of Night about ten years after she had the role on Dark Shadows.

And, I was going to mention that she had been best friends with the late Arlene Francis.