watson71

Anyone have the scoop on Linda Elstad, who wrote for Another World in the mid-80s? I remember Soap Opera Digest announcing in early 1984 that Elstad had been appointed head writer. Elstad previewed her plans a bit in Soap Opera Digest. I recall her saying that one of her big stories involved Donna Love who was going to cause a commotion by joining some kind of an all-men's club in Bay City. That story never materialized, and Elstad never became head writer.

Never heard this before. According to the IMDb, Elstad had extensive primetime credits writing for series like Eight is Enough, Quincy, Secret of Midland Heights, Fantasy Island, Fame, Dallas, One Day at a Time, Call to Glory, Facts of Life, and Falcon Crest.

I'd be interested to see her plans from Soap Opera Digest and to know why she never became headwriter of AW.

26 years ago today, Another World aired the funeral of Mac Cory, just 6 weeks after Douglass Watson sudden passing. Victoria Wyndham, Constance Ford, and Carmen Duncan do outstanding work in this episode.

This is also the last episode of Another World that would feature Jacqueline Courtney as Alice Matthews Frame.

From a June 1967 newsclipping. L to R: Joe Gallison; Bud Kloss (Associate Producer); Beverly Penberthy; Geoffrey Lumb; Val Dufour; Marcella Martin; Michael Ryan; and Carol Roux.

What character did Marcella Martin play on AW?

I finally found the scenes on YouTube where all the citizens of Bay City show up at the Cory Mansion to celebrate Mac's birthday in May, 1987, only to be trapped in the mansion during a thunderstorm with the Sin Stalker:

After re-watching the Alma Rudder episode from May 1983, I have a question that someone may be able to answer- Does anyone have any idea why AW was the only P & G soap at the time not giving an on-air credit to TPTB at P & G? There is no supervising producer / executive in charge of production (Edward Trach) as of this episode. All the other P & G shows had the supervising producer / executive in charge of production credit as far back as the 70s. Any idea why AW was the lone holdout and when did AW start including them in the credits? It seems odd that a large corporation like P & G would not make these on-air credits mandatory for TPTB.

A fire in the Cory mansion is a good idea as well.

Anyone remember during May 1987 Rachel gave Mac a birthday party at the Cory mansion, and everyone in Bay City was at the party. The lights went out during a thunderstorm, and the Sin Stalker was in the mansion and trying to kill characters.

I wish this episode would show up on YouTube.

I would have played out a Towering Inferno scenario trying to keep the storylines from 1998 in tact:

In Fall 1998, Frame Harding architect Roy Bingham (now played by John Amos) returns to Bay City for the dedication of the Lumina Foundation Tower which he designed for owner "Jordan Stark-" whose face has yet to be seen. At 100 stories, it is Bay City's tallest building. Shortly after Bingham's return, an electrical short starts an undetected fire on the 64th floor while Bingham accuses the building's electrical engineer, Zak Wilder, of cutting corners. Stark insists the building is up to current safety standards.

Besides returning for the dedication, Bingham has personal business in Bay City. Bingham has received information from Etta Mae Burrell that his son by Irene Montgomery (played in flashbacks by Petronia Paley) named Tyrone is currently residing in Bay City.

During the high-profile dedication ceremony and costume party, public relations chief Margaret Allen orders all the tower's lights to be turned on to impress the attending guests and dignitaries. The lighting overloads the electrical system and Bingham orders it shut off. Smoke is seen on the 64th floor and the Bay City Fire Department is summoned to the Lumina Tower. Two new BCFD recruits, Cameron Sinclair and Sergei Radzinsky, are part of the first fire unit to arrive on the scene.

Bingham and Margaret Allen go to the 64th floor but fail to prevent a security guard opening a door, leading to a flash fire which burns Allen, whose injuries later prove fatal. Meanwhile hundreds of guests are at a celebration dinner upstairs on the top floor which is a promenade room awaiting the arrival of the mysterious "Jordan Stark". Wilder admits to Bingham that he cut corners to stay under budget.

Bingham reports the fire to a dismissive Stark (wearing a masked costume), who refuses to order an evacuation. The fire department quickly arrives to tackle the blaze, which quickly escalates to a multiple alam fire. BCPD Police Chief Joe Carlino forces Bingham to evacuate the party guests in the Promenade Room on the top floor, directing them to express elevators. Party guests Josie Sinclair, Amanda Cory, Gary Sinclair, and his brother, BCFD recruit Cameron, are stuck on an elevator when Josie goes into labor- hiding the fact that the baby she is about to deliver is Cameron's child not Gary's.

At the party, a sentimental Felicia Gallant falls off the wagon thinking about her past loves Zane, Lucas, and John and best pal Wallingford. She rushes off to her suite in the Lumina Tower only to pass out and to later be rescued by BCFD recruit Sergei Radzinsky.

By this point, the electrical wiring is causing fires to break out all over the Lumina Tower while a full-scale evacuation is underway. Bingham, aided by Bay City Mayor Grant Harrison, directs the elevator evacuation from the Promenade Room until the fire spreads and renders the express elevators unsafe. Not heeding Bingham's directions, one last group takes an elevator to the ground, but are killed when it stops on the fire's floor. The fire traps Vicky McKinnon and her mentally unbalanced sister, Marley Love, in a suite where Marley blames Vicky for her facial disfigurement in a hospital fire earlier that year. Vicky's husband, Jake McKinnon, frantically searches for Vicky. Jake is forced to rescue both battling sisters.

Chief Carlino and Radzinsky rescue Felicia from her suite; however, they are halted by a collapsed stairwell. They must make a perilous climb down the collapsed stairs but fire forces them up to the Promenade Room. With fire suppression efforts rapidly becoming ineffective, the building loses all electrical power.

Meanwhile, Rachel Hutchins has disappeared from the Promenade Room, only to find herself looking for the mysterious "Jordan Stark." When she is confronted by Stark, she rips off his mask and is startled to find that Stark is really Steve Frame (George Reinholt). He explains that he his helicopter never crashed in Australia. He was placed in a witness protection program because of his business dealings with Carl Hutchins. Hutchins had sent "Edward Black/Steve Frame" (David Canary) to Bay City to infiltrate the Cory Family and dig up dirt on Mac Cory. Steve informs Rachel that her current husband, Carl, caused the car accident that killed Edward Black and blinded her.

A rooftop rescue begins, but it results in disaster as guests rush the helicopter, causing it to crash amongst high winds, setting the roof ablaze and rendering further rooftop rescues impossible. Naval rescue teams attach a breeches buoy to the adjacent Cory Publishing Building and rescue a number of guests. The BCFD along with Bingham rigs a gravity brake on the external scenic elevator allowing people, including the mayor's wife, Cindy Harrison, and other guests one trip down to street level. An explosion leaves the elevator cab hanging by a single cable at the 80th floor, where Cindy falls to her death after a glass panel breaks off in the explosion. A helicopter with a winch and some cable saves the rest of the passengers in the elevator.

Wilder arrogantly tells Carlino that he and the others will use the breeches buoy next, and Carlino punches him. As fire reaches the Promenade Room and Wilder forces his way onto the buoy, leading to a struggle with Carlino. Both are killed by an explosion as the breeches buoy comes undone.

Bingham comes up with a plan to explode the million-gallon water tanks atop the Lumina Tower in an effort to extinguish the fire. Knowing it could result in his death, Bingham sets C-4 on the six water tanks on the roof. He returns to the Promenade Room, where the remaining guests tie themselves to heavy objects. Many party-goers survive as thousands of gallons of water rush through the building, eventually extinguishing the flames. Some, including Josie's baby, perish.

On the ground, the citizens of Bay City try to regroup themselves for they learn once again that they do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds as mystery surrounds the return of Steve Frame, heartbreak surrounds Josie and her one night stand with Cameron, choices surround Jake as he must decide between two sisters, romance surrounds Felicia as Sergei helps her rebuild her life, survival surrounds Paulina after Joe's death, and shock surrounds Grant as Cindy will still haunt him from the great beyond.

I wish AW had gone a natural disaster route near the end instead of that dumb "Lumina" plot and Lila's baby being found up in a tree, etc... My opinion, but I think because that storyline was so different than what AW usually did it probably turned people off and the show couldn't have afforded to turn off anymore. A large umbrella story with characters people loved in jeopardy and maybe some odd situations where characters that didn't normally like each other had to band together could have been great! I think it would have at least given AW a fighting chance.

You are absolutely right. The Lumina story changed directions so many times, it made no sense. Instead of using all that money for the Lumina costume party, AW could have put that money to doing a natural disaster and wiping the Bay City slate clean. They didn't even need to do something as elaborate as a plane crash- a blackout, blizzard, hostage situation, etc that put characters that didn't like each other would have worked too.

I don't think Benz is too bad as Sally, although she's a little lifeless. She reminds me a lot of Susan Walters. I wonder if they should have saved her for Julia when Kyra Sedwgick left. (Kyra wasn't on much longer was she?)

Kyra Sedgwick played Julia from January 1982 to June 1983. Jonna Lee played Julia for a few weeks after Sedgwick left. Then, Faith Ford assumed the role from June 1983 to August 1984. In NYC, hitman Ross mugged Julia and Marley and stole a mystery letter from Julia's flight bag. Julia went to the address on the stolen letter and was shocked to see Carl in a huddle with an unidentified woman- who turned out to be Emily Benson- the nurse who killed David Thatcher. Ross later murdered Julia in her hotel room.

Is it me or were they styling "waitress" Alma like Tootsie?

I never thought about that until you just said that, but you are absolutely right- LOL!

You probably already know this, but Eddie Drueding has some material available for download for free (although donations are encouraged). He has two files with 1983 footage - hours of each.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/awvl.html

If nothing else, the 1983 material is worthy of download to see Peg Murray playing Ada while Constance Ford was on a medical leave. No one played Ada like Constance Ford- she was simply the best! How she was never nominated for a supporting actress Emmy is yet another Daytime Emmy mystery?!?

That was the irony of Donna's scheming against Sally - Cecile was far more formidable in "taking" Peter away from her, which she didn't realize until too late.

Donna would offer Cecile big bucks to split up Peter and Sally. Donna then cozied up to Dr. Royal Dunning, whom she suspected had delivered Sally's illegitimate baby. Donna also hired a private eye named Barrows to photograph Royal's file on Sally and to find Sally's child. Donna confronted Sally, who admitted she had given up her son. Donna then told Sally that a couple named David and Jennifer Thatcher have her son, Kevin. (David was played by Lewis Arlt who would later play Ken Jordan on AW and bring Paulina to town; Jennifer was played by Sofia Landon who worked with executive producer Allen Potter at Guiding Light where she played Diane Ballard. Landon would also substitute for Anna Stuart's Donna in the 90s when Stuart was on medical leave.)

At a dinner party hosted by Donna, Sally came face to face with David, the man who fathered her illegitimate son. David warned Sally that Donna will reveal that Kevin is his and Sally's natural son if Sally tries to marry Peter. David also insisted to Sally that he hadn't known that Royal had switched Kevin for Jennifer's baby. Jennifer Kidnapped Kevin after hearing the story of Sally and David's past. Jennifer and Kevin stayed with her friends, the Fords, where she would get drunk and die in an auto accident during a snow storm.

After Donna spilled the beans, Sally had to admit to Peter that she once had an affair with David. Sally would confess to Peter that Kevin is her and David's son. Peter broke off his engagement to Sally because of her lies about her past. When Peter then got close to Cecile, Donna fumed that Cecile tore up the cheque she gave her to split up Peter and Sally, then insisted that she wants Peter, not the money. Cecile would use a tape recording of Donna's plot against Sally that she had against Donna.

Oh wow! What a classic. It feels good to watch a show from start to finish and not wanting to FF through certain parts.

How much longer was left in the story arc before Alma got her comeuppance? And what was bothering Cass? Looks like he might've seen that dead body in the hotel.

In the story, Cecile told Cass that she and Alma had schemed against Blaine. Alma sent a blackmail tape to both Cecile and Sandy. Alma stole Blaine's diary from the Cory mansion, and Larry found Alma's fingerprints in the Cory study. This tipped everyone off that Alma was in Bay City. Alma would don a blonde wig and take a job at Smiley's Diner to keep tabs on Cecile, Blaine, and Sandy.

Cass was seeing Cecile behind Felicia's back, and he conned Felicia into a loan to secretly cover Alma's blackmail demands for Cecile. Alma accepted a partial blackmail payment from Cecile, then threatened to expose Cecile and Cass's affair if she doesn't get more money. Alma also tampered with the brakes on Sandy's car, causing him and Blaine to have a minor accident. Later, Alma later stalked Sandy with a gun. Sandy underwent surgery after she shot him. Cecile was worried that Alma "borrowed" her car after shooting Sandy.

At the end of the posted 1983 episode, Alma was "killed" in her motel room. The police would find Blaine standing over Alma's dead body. Cass had followed Alma to her room to search for Blaine's diary, and he remembered seeing Cecile's car at Alma's motel. That was why he was acting so suspicious in his scenes with Felicia in this episode. Cass would admit to police he had tried to strangle Alma but insisted he didn't kill her. Cass tipped off police, who found a piece of Blaine's burned diary in Cecile's fireplace. Then, Cecile was arrested for Alma's murder, since Cass has an alibi. Cecile admitted she stole Blaine's diary, but she insisted when she found Alma she was already dead. In the conclusion of the story, Blaine and Larry's mother, Jeanne, admitted that Alma had stabbed herself and scratched Jeanne while chasing her around with a knife since she confronted Jeanne since they knew each other in Wyoming. Jeanne suffered from blood poisoning from the scratch and confessed to Blaine and Larry that they had a half-brother, Catlin.

I agree. I feel like the show was starting to head into that strong friendship era, which separated AW from all the other soaps going forward.

This episode was shortly after Allen Potter took over as executive producer of Another World from Paul Rauch. He was AW's first EP when it premiered, went on to produce The Doctors in the current episodes airing on Retro TV, then went on to be EP at Guiding Light for several years where he won two Emmys.

He turned AW around rather quickly in 1983. He quickly had Rachel regain her eyesight when she was blinded in the car accident that killed Steve Frame in early 1983. Mac used an English accent to pose as hospital administrator, John Caldwell to get close to Rachel. The week or week before the posted 1983 episode aired saw Richard Bekins leave the role of Jamie. By the end of the summer, Stephen Yates (Ben from Guiding Light) would show up at the double ceremony that Mac and Rachel and Sandy and Blaine were married.

Potter would stay at AW until he retired at the end of 1984. The only fault I had with his version of AW was the use of Jacqueline Courtney's Alice as a supporting character who was used a a "sympathetic ear" for her daughter Sally, without being given a storyline of her own. I always thought that Alice should have been involved with Carl Hutchins after he broke up with Felicia.

Jason 47's page has DOOL pre-empted a total of 206 times up until 2000,so it would be safe to assume that a lot of those carried over to AW. Still doesn't account for all of them though.

Thanks for the information. Many of those DOOL pre-emptions probably did carry over to AW. Looking over them, it is hard to believe that up until the mid 70s- baseball playoff games and the World Series were played in the middle of the afternoon. Also, the Summer of 73 must have been disruptive for soaps in general given the number of Watergate hearing pre-emotions.

Do you think that it could be b/c of preemptions, Olympic games, the OJ trail, and other events? They may've been a factor in episode count.

That is quite possible. The difference between AW and SFT is 239 episodes at 5 episodes a week- this would equate to almost 48 total weeks of preemptions for AW in 35 years. That just seems like a lot of preemptions...

I have a question for viewers who watched Another World from the first episode- was AW pre-empted a lot during its early years? On May 4, 1999 AW celebrated its 35th Anniversary and ran for approximately 7 more weeks before its final episode which would equate to approximately 35 episodes.

Search for Tomorrow celebrated its 35th Anniversary on September 3, 1986 and ran for approximately approximately 16 more weeks before its final episode which would equate to approximately 80 episodes.

SFT ran for 9,130 episodes and AW aired 8,891 episodes. This is a difference of 239 episodes. Why is there such a big difference between two series that both ran for a little over 35 years?

Below are the two definitive scenes between Carmen Duncan's Iris and Douglass Watson's Mac. In the first scene, Iris tells Mac at the Snowflake Ball "no one will ever love me the way I love them." In the other scene, Iris tells Mac she was "The Chief" behind the takeover of Cory Publishing. This scene aired only weeks before Watson's real-life passing.

When in 1988 did Carmen Duncan join AW?

October 28, 1988- Iris showed up at the door of the Cory mansion. On the Thursday, October 27th, episode you heard her ring the bell, but you did not see her. Rachel answered the door and said in a surprised voice "Iris!" The freeze frame of the episode was on Rachel, so you were left wondering until the October 28th episode who would be playing Iris.

They need to replace or move Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Riflemen, and Emergency.

Replace them with episodes of the P&G soaps:

12:30- Search for Tomorrow

1:00- As the World Turns

2:00- Another World

3:00- Guiding Light

4:00- Texas- in half hour installments- like it aired on TBS

4:30- Edge of Night

Those 1982 clips - I watched them a few years back and they felt so listless and so odd. Wasn't there something about smuggling dogs into America? I can't remember.

The show was all over the place in 1982. The month before Rachel met Nikoli, Mitch had become involved with The Male Panthers, and Matthew was kidnapped. That storyline involved the French Connection-like car chase through the streets of San Diego as Rachel tried to escape from The Male Panthers with Matthew. That sequence had Steve Frame chasing the speeding cars in a helicopter above San Diego, and it include several CHiPs officers as well. It is a wonder that NBC didn't have Officers Ponch and Jon make a guest appearance on AW! At this time, reruns of CHiPs aired after AW on the NBC Daytime schedule from April to September 1982. LOL. Later that summer, Rachel and Steve were involved in that construction collapse. Rachel jumped from one crazy situation to another under Corrine Jacker's writing.

Here are many scenes from Corinne Jacker's headwriting stint in April, 1982, when Rachel gets involved with Russian artist Nikoli Pirenko. Nikoli's wife is played by Elizabeth Franz, who would play wacky Alma Rudder later in 1982. Based on these scenes, the writing is terrible.