Mona Kane Croft

2 hours ago, watson71 said:

That’s correct- they are posted on Spotify now.  She also updates her instagram account when a new podcast is uploaded.

Is Spotify the only place Linda's podcast is available now?  Why would she suddenly limit it to Spotify after months on several platforms?  I don't have an Instagram account.  Is Spotify free?  I apologize for the seemingly stupid questions.    

9 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

I've never liked the over-the-top sci-fi/fantasy/camp nonsense on soaps, primarily because it's so contradictory to the exploration of the human condition, which is the essence of the genre.

What makes the fantasy elements so much worse, however, is that the budget to produce such stories just isn't there, so all these dumb plots end up looking embarrassing.

Soaps need to go back to their roots. 

Agreed.  Soaps need to go back to their roots.  Compelling human drama is so much cheaper to represent on screen.  It requires no special effects, no location shooting, and minimal sets.  All it really takes is good writing and good acting.  

1 hour ago, te. said:

@JAS0N47 has a complete floor plan for the Horton house from the book "Days of our Lives: A Tour Through Salem" on his website :

 

https://www.jason47.com/days/hortonhousetribute.html

TBH, I can see why they removed that door beyond space saving reasons as it's a bit confusing how the floorplan is laid out at first sight because you'd instinctively think that the den/study would expand to the left due to the front door. It's sort of counterintuitive, especially with the windows by the staircase, plus we so rarely see the outside to clarify how it might be laid out. 

And obviously this is a bit wrong anyway, as I'm sure the "family room" in this was always the dining room? But sets on television shows tend to work like the TARDIS either way. 

Now the front door has been moved closer to the stairs, so the front door is now visible from the couch -- more or less straight in front of the livingroom door.   

3 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Yes, there used to be a door where you mentioned: between the staircase and the front door. At the beginning of the show it led to Tom's office. Later it was a closet. It was a weird change, and I always wondered why no one on the show remembered that lay-out or kept it consistent.

(The same sort of change happened on THE LUCY SHOW, when the section of the set beside the staircase changed without explanation. It's strange when the houses are supposed to be the same, but the walls, rooms and closets just magically come and go, LOL.)

Overall, however, the Horton set has remained FAIRLY unchanged.

I think something similar happened to the Matthews house on Another World.  I believe in the early years, the door in the foyer near the stairs led to another room (a study or something) and was often shown open.  But by the early-1970s, that door was just a closet.  They also had stopped showing the Matthews front porch (the full porch) and kitchen by around 1972.  

Does anyone know why Linda Dano has stopped her podcast?  The last episode seems to be October 23, 2023; an interview with Joe Barbara.  At least that is the last episode available on Amazon Music.   

4 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

Cool! The set in the commercial certainly does look like our favorite family's living room!

Has the Horton set changed a lot over the years?  I know it is basically the same layout, but isn't the foyer smaller now?  Wasn't there originally a closet door between the bottom of the stairs and the front door?  What else has changed on the set, aside from paint color and furniture??  

36 minutes ago, Althea Davis said:

I have no idea how they are doing it, but they are. I actually was chatting with a guy YEEEEEEARS ago... that deranged fan I was talking you about... I knew him as A SUPER FAN of the show and we were in contact because of instagram... and because we were flirting a bit online. When I mentioned to him that I had watched some 80s Bold episodes... he asked me WHERE THE HELL DO YOU HAVE THESE EPISODES from. Me, without knowing better - gave him the private playlist that someone else had shared with me. This fan then... just stopped responding for a while and after a couple of hours they messaged me something in the style of - I have reported the videos for copyright. These people should not have them up. It's not theirs... and you should not share the ones you have! 

He was one step at asking me to DELETE my personal collection.  ALL WHILE I KNEEEEEEW he had all the years of Bold recorded from his personal VHS tapes.

That playlist got down because of him and I was really shocked... that I had unknowingly helped a troll like that.

Then through the years I've seen people comment under videos that they will take them down... again - FANS OF THE SHOWS... 

 

These copyright nazis believe they are doing the Lord's work -- supposedly protecting OTHER peoples' copyrights.  LOL.  They are nuts!!

2 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

You may or may not be aware that my YouTube account was hit repeatedly & initially it seemed that I'd lost everything. The 3rd party company acting on behalf of DAYS challenged everything including AW content, Santa Barbara content, Awards shows & Entertainment Tonight & all of the clips that were clearly covered under Fair Use doctrine. When someone challenges YT apparently just assumes that they are right. During the appeals process, which took months, I was able to get access to about 85% of my files. I've started over with a new YT acct. & except for the AW Bench videos, which are compilations, everything so far is a clip. However, those AW videos are now too long. Something has changed since the time I uploaded them 25 years ago, so now the only way to be able to see them is uploaded on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/soapthegoodthebadtheugly/learning_content/?filter=3118975768237043

You probably know this, Donna, but YouTube will accept a copyright challenge from ANYBODY, without regard to whoever actually owns the copyright.  So there are copyright nazis (living in their parents' basements) who spend their time searching YouTube for anything that might possibly not be public domain. And then they send copyright challenges to YouTube which, as you said, just assumes they are right. Sadly, Wikipedia handles similar challenges the same way -- just assuming the claims are correct.

I completely support the rights of copyright owners. But if the copyright owners don't care, why should someone completely unconnected to the property be able to file a challenge??   I do not understand how that is good for anybody.     

22 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

In terms of consistent outdoor location shooting, wasn't Sunset Beach the only soap to do so? 

The City did consistent location shooting in SoHo throughout its entire run.  In fact, I believe there was only one fake outdoor set used, and it was a small alley corner near a dumpster.  Otherwise, every scene set outdoors was really on location.    

3 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Also, Pete Lemay character creation: Amanda, Sharlene, Josie, Sally, Willis, Sven, Janice, Emma, Iris, Elliot, Dennis, Olive, Brian, Robert, Tracy, Gil, David, Larry, Clarice, Gwen, Louise, Beatrice, Vivienne, Angie, Joey, Rose, Eileen, and Blaine

Who did I miss? 

Are you trying to list every character Lemay created on AW?  That list would be almost endless.  You have many of the important ones here, but still dozens are missing.  I wouldn't even know where to begin.  

24 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Very interesting to me. Irna Phillips, two proteges, two soaps marked for early cancellation, two saved soaps. Agnes Nixon saved Another World. Bill Bell saved Days of Our Lives.

Absolutely correct.  

1 minute ago, AbcNbc247 said:

@Mona Kane Croft

Cass was created by Corinne Jacker, Felicia and Donna were created by Robert Soderbergh

Thank you.  Okay then, Robert Soderbergh would be my #3 most influential head-writer.   

Aside from the show's creators, I would list the following as Another World's most influential head-writers:  

#1 Harding Lemay (both eras).  In his first stint, Lemay tightened the show's focus on social-class differences and created Iris, Mac, Clarice, the Frame siblings (aside from Steve), and many other long running characters.  He also paired Rachel with Mac (AW's longest running love story).  During Lemay's second period as head-writer, he brought back Iris and Vivien, is given credit for the return of Sharlene, Josie, and Russ, and made Felicia a believable living, breathing human (rather than a cartoon character).  So Lemay changed AW forever two different times.

#2 Agnes Nixon. Nixon gave Another World it's first real success in the ratings, while creating Ada, Rachel, Sam and Lahoma, the adult Russ Matthews, Steve Frame, and Lenore Curtain among others.  She did all this while still keeping the Matthews family firmly at the center of the show.  She continued the tortured romance of Bill and Missy (AW's first super-couple), and created AW's blockbuster romantic triangle -- Alice/Steve/Rachel.   Nixon changed Another World forever.   

#3 (Writer's name unknown to me) Whichever head-writer created Cass Winthrop, Felicia Gallant, and Donna Love. The period from 1979 (post-Lemay) to 1983 saw dozens of new characters come and go, yet none of them had any staying power (with the possible exception of Sandy Cory).  That bad karma ended with three new characters who lasted until the end -- Cass, Felicia, and Donna. So this head-writer changed AW forever.  And if Cass, Felicia, and Donna were not all created by the same head-writer, then I will give this credit to whichever writer created two out of the three characters.  

My opinions only.  

6 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

The Anniversary event, more actors have confirmed: 

Janis Young

Christopher Marcantel

Cali Timmons Pierson

Geoffrey Pierson

Marcia McCabe

Alicia Coppola

This is wonderful, but I fear nobody is going to remember who Janis Young is.  Does anyone here even remember the character she played, Bernice Robinson?   I do.  Bernice was a wonderful selfish bitchy character who was murdered on John and Pat Randolph's patio.  Her body was found by Mary Matthews. I'd love to see that episode again!   

Will the audience give any attention to these older actors from 50-plus years ago?   I hope it is a good experience for them.   I can imagine the audience clapping and cheering for folks like Linda Dano and Alicia Coppola, and then dead silence for the older performers they don't recognize.  

Does anyone here remember watching Judith Barcroft when she was playing Lenore Moore Curtain?  How did her portrayal of Lenore differ from Susan Sullivan's take on the role?  I watched for most of Sullivan's time on AW, but saw Barcroft playing Lenore in only a few scenes.   Can anyone compare or contrast the ways the two women portrayed the character?   Thank you.    

12 hours ago, Franko said:

Speaking of Carmen Duncan, I was just thinking about how well she and Victoria Wyndham played this scene.

 

This scene more-or-less revises Mac's original orign story.  This dialogue implies Mac was a self-made businessman, when in his original history, Mac had inherited Cory Publishing and the Cory fortune was, even then, two or three generations old.  Donna Swajeski didn't seem to have much respect for what previous writers had brought to the show.  

I always understood that Peggy Harris Nolan (played by Micki Grant) was the first on-contract African American character on a soap opera (first appearance July 1965).  But I'm sure by 1965 there had been many non-contract short term roles filled by African American actors.   

2 hours ago, Efulton said:

So who here thinks Linda Borgeson was not only the best Alice Matthews but also the best actress to ever appear on Another World?

Believe it or not, I actually believe Borgeson was the second best Alice.  She was the most similar to Courtney in acting style and appearance. And Borgeson could play strong emotion, which at least three of the replacements could not.  If Alice Matthews can't play strong emotion, she's not even Alice in my opinion. So I liked Borgeson.  But the writing and direction was so bad, even David Canary could not succeed at AW.

What was Mary Matthews' maiden name?

What was Aunt Liz's maiden name?

Ada's maiden name was Lucas, but I guess most fans know that.   

We don't know Mac's mother's maiden name, but we know she came from wealth.  Mac told Rachel his parents had an arranged marriage and didn't truly love one another.  

18 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

In the movie NETWORK Faye Dunaway played exec Diana & she was patterned after Lin Bolen NBC Daytime VP who was the one to take Pete Lemay's idea & expand the soaps to an hour.

 

 

I've always heard the character was based on Lin Bolen, but is there any evidence in the movie (or the dialogue) that it is true?  I haven't seen the film.

13 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

It aired from 1964-1966 & Port Charles was not set as the GH location until 1976 or 1977. It makes no sense. 

Oddly, it does make sense, Donna. Although GH's location had not been specifically identified in 1964-66, The Young Marrieds was set in a suburb of GH's "unnamed" city, and the suburb definitely had a name. Although it sounds crazy, the suburb had a name, even though the city did not (at that time).  I know it is weird, but true.

11 minutes ago, Matt said:

The Young Marrieds was a sister show to GH said to be set in a suburb of the the (then) unnamed city of GH.  Several characters on TYM worked at GH & characters on GH were mentioned on TYM.  The TYM IMDB page has episode by episode synopses for the series that are a very interesting read.

Thank you.  That is a great clarification.   Do you recall the name of the suburb from TYMS?   I do believe it was mentioned on GH within the past decade.  Probably just for a lark, but still if it was mentioned, then it matters.    

53 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Thank you for saying so! And, I have never seen any point in doing anything but owning up to the error & moving on. I mean the point is not to be personally "right" but for the information to be so!! Just this week I saw on Wikipedia that they now say THE YOUNG MARRIEDS was a spin-off of GH. I corrected that already on a GH wiki & I guess I'm going to have to do it again! 

Oh boy -- this is another discussion all together. LOL. There was a definite connection between GH and The Young Marrieds.  I don't believe TYMS was a direct spin-off of GH, but there was certainly dialogue that connected both shows, and possibly a cross-over of characters. I researched the connection long ago, but have forgotten the details.  Not literally a spin-off, but certainly in the same "universe", as they say in 2024.  And I believe TYMS' location (city, which I don't recall) was still being mentioned on GH as late as 7-10 years ago.  

Way off-topic for the Another World page, but still worthy of discussion . . .

17 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Aw, shucks. You'll make me blush. But, I love research, so I'm stuck, pleasurably. And that other, well, 99.9% of the time I get people who talk about Beverlee with respect, affection, great appreciation, ... 

I appreciate your research, Donna.  In the past six-months, you have helped dispel several historical myths and inaccurate "firsts." And I have noticed, when you have posted something inaccurate (as we all do on occasion) you are quick to admit it and correct it.   I'm confident TEdgeofNight will be escorted out very soon.   Let's hope so, anyway.   

2 minutes ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Truly a very special time in soaps & ATWT was where it was going on. I am just so thankful that a clip like this exists on YouTube! 

Donna, have you seen the ATWT Christmas episode from the early 1960s?  The entire half-hour is just the Hughes family sitting around talking. Grandpa Hughes is featured, of course.  I don't believe the plot is furthered at all in the entire 30-minutes. Both the music and the conversation are tender.  Perhaps one of the best soap opera Christmas episodes we have available to watch, even though nothing important happens.     

10 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

Lance Jackson who is a personal friend of Rosemary Prinz's and who has a YouTube channel of soap opera organ music found this for me. 

Every moment of every day is endless when you're away

Penny, Penny, I need you here

Days don't begin until you appear

Have I told you when I hold you even heaven seems near

If I lost you Penny what would I do where would I go life would be cruel

Penny hear me always be near me

Penny my world is you

Penny my world is you

The class and poignancy of As The World Turns during this era always amazes me.  The way the organ slowly joins the piano. The acting, of course. Every single thing is perfect.  

In those days, TPTB didn't worry about "chemistry" (whatever that means).  They just wrote a love story for two actors, and expected them to play it.  If two actors have chemistry, it is icing on the cake.  But if the acting is good enough, chemistry is not necessary to play out a successful love story.