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Post by THE BLUE ROBE on Jan 27, 2023 21:11:13 GMT -8
I couldn't find if this had already been posted on the board so I apologize in advance if this is redundant, but according to IMDB Michael Hawkins who played the original and greatest Frank Ryan, the model for all Frank Ryans who followed, died November 14, 2022 of cancer. I could not find an obituary. His Wikipedia page has not been updated to reflect this information.
Compared to the original, I consider all the subsequent Franks as "the lesser Franks" and I think he of all of them had the best chemistry with Dee, who drove him crazy, and with Jill, who drove him crazy in the other way. He was a very loose and natural actor, and if improvising and embellishing his lines half the time was the only alternative to being "Frank the Plank" then I think they did the show a disservice when they fired him. He would have been perfect for a Woody Allen movie. He's hilarious in Trucker's Woman.
Here he is interviewed a few years ago.
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Post by safeandsound on Jan 29, 2023 9:42:24 GMT -8
Thanks for letting us know about Michael Hawkins. I haven't seen anything about his passing, either. Will keep an eye for any further info. There were times he really seemed to try and other times he just seemed lost. I certainly got used to him after many viewings. RIP
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Post by THE BLUE ROBE on Jan 29, 2023 10:59:06 GMT -8
You bet. Hawkins was a crucial component of the Ryan's Hope story and he tends to get overlooked. It seems like he had the most flubs when he was reciting dialogue that didn't advance the plot but was recapping things that viewers who had missed a few days needed to know. Sometimes on Ryan's Hope that kind of dialogue was the weakest and most unnatural and it needed some life breathed into it for it to not sound like a litany. Swift, Mayer, Labine, & Munisteri were probably so protective of the material that they treated it as if it was from the quill of The Bard, which is a mistake when it comes to that kind of mechanical stuff. One of the most painful examples to listen to is when Mulgrew is talking to either Jack or Frank and they fade to commercial as she is basically reciting a list of all the cast members and how they are all related. It's like a list of begats, "..and father of Little John Ryan, and brother to Patrick and Kathleen and Siobahn and Mary Ryan, and son of Maeve and Johnny Ryan, and best friend of Bob Reid, and husband of Delia Reid Ryan.." and on and on. Nobody talks like that. Really revolting stuff to have to regurgitate when it's put so redundantly and unimaginatively. No wonder he didn't feel like memorizing the stuff when it was his turn.
Everybody should watch Trucker's Woman to see Hawkins in his natural habitat.
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Post by THE BLUE ROBE on Jan 31, 2023 15:24:23 GMT -8
The Lion of Riverside:www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/thomas-slater-obituary?id=38640120THOMAS SLATER OBITUARY December 26, 1938 - November 14, 2022 Thomas Knight Slater, 83, of Los Angeles, California, succumbed to cancer on November 14, 2022. Thomas is survived by his son Christian (Brittany), brothers Stu (Patti) and Bill, and grandchildren Jaden, Eliana, and Lena. He is predeceased by his parents and his brother Steve. Thomas worked as an actor, originating the role of Frank Ryan on Ryan's Hope and appearing in multiple Broadway productions. However, he was forced to give up the career he loved due to a severe decline in his mental health. He was estranged from his family and caused them considerable heartache; it is our hope that he finds the peace in death that cruelly eluded him in life. A special thank you to the social workers, hospice workers, nurses and caregivers who provided him with loving care and support during his final months. Per his wishes, Thomas's ashes will be scattered "between Shakespeare and O'Neill," which we understand to mean the Atlantic Ocean.
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Post by safeandsound on Feb 1, 2023 5:48:32 GMT -8
Thanks, again. Prayers to his family and friends...
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