Jump to content

Somerset/ A World Apart /The Best of Eveything debut


Paul Raven

Recommended Posts

  • Members

28 years ago on this date 3 new soaps appeared.

Somerset on NBC was a spin off of Another World.Four characters moved from Bay City to the nearby town of Somerset.The show lasted 6 years.

ABC debuted The Best of Everything at noon followed by A World Apart at 12.30

The former was a ratings disaster and lasted only a few months while AWA struggled for a almost 2 years before getting the axe.

At the same time AMC which had debuted a few months earlier began to show significant ratings growth.

Anyone have any memories of these long lost shows?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 13
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

Thanks to its late-afternoon time period, I was able to watch Somerset from its first episode to its last. Even though I was just a kid at the time, it was one of the first soaps that made me conscious of the writers, because its quality took such huge up-and-down swings, depending on who was in charge at any given time. Roy Winsor, and Henry Slesar were by far the best scribes to contribute to the series, while its creator, Robert Cenedella, turned out to be one of the worst, along with the dread Robert J. Shaw and Winifred Wolfe. It also didn't help that every new writing regime made vast structural changes to the cast, tone, and theme of the show, making it feel "jerky" and inconsistent. But when it was good, it was very good. They had some wonderful couples like Eve and Julian, Steve and Carrie, Heather and Jerry, who had good chemistry, and helped make even poor scripts work.

I still have a scrapbook I made for the show, way back in the 1970s, with story synopses, wedding pictures (i.e., Tony and Ginger), etc. I can't believe I've actually kept it (along with similar scrapbooks from the same time period on Y&R, AW, How To Survive A Marriage, OLTL, etc.) I was a weird kid. I remember more about the goings-on in Somerset, Genoa City, Salem, Oakdale, Springfield, and Bay City than I do about the history and algebra I studied in school, LOL!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Now these are the shows I want to see on Soapnet, dammit, and the shows that Soapnet SHOULD be showing! I want to see Somerset, The Doctors, Secret Storm, Peyton Place, Return to Peyton Place, and so many other wonderful old chestnuts. Not endless One Tree Hill and 90210 reruns! I can dream, I guess. My mom was a rabid AW fan in the 70s, and she watched Somerset as well, though not with the same passion. I remember Marie Wallace, who had been on Dark Shadows, doing a wonderful job as India Delaney. From what I remember and from I've read subsequently, the show started out as a companion to AW, with pretty much the same classic traditional soap structure that AW had employed. There were even some crossovers. At some point, I guess because ratings stunk, the show evolved into a mystery serial, a la Edge of Night. I suppose Slesar was involved with the show at that point. I would love to see some episodes. I don't think any Somersets have ever been posted to youtube.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...
  • Members

I loved Somerset. I saw just about every episode of it. I used to have to run home from school just so I could see it.

My faves were Heather, Carrie, Steve, Julian, Eve, and Victoria.

I still correspond with Veleka Gray some via the Internet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I know I must have seen Somerset at least a few times but I can't really remember anything but the cool opening theme, with the town-scape coming into being before our very eyes.

And I have no memory of when Someerset and Another World were called Another World: Somerset" and "Another World: Bay City" respectively, but even after they discontinued it, the apellation still lingered for a few years afterward as people would refer to AW as Bay City.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I'd kill to see some of Somerset when it was at its most gothic--that story about the clown slowly poisining a character, etc... Was that when the wrter of Edge of Nigth was writing it?

I've seen one episode of A World Apart, which showed a sorta hippy wedding--WOST poste dit. It was interesting actually... Otherwise all I know was it was loosely based on Irna Phillips life--at least at first.

Wasn't Best of EVerything created by the supremely egotistical and as a soap (and Broadway) writer supremely untalented James Lipton of Inside the Actos' Studio fame (yes, I loathe the man--I admit)? I still dunno how that man was hired over and over again to write soap operas (twice nearly destorying Guiding Light alone). His constant rehiring proves that the current trend of hiring unsuccessful soap scribes from one show to a new one isn't just a modern trend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...
  • Members

Did Gwen Mitchell do any soaps after this? The soaps had some interesting black actors in the 70s who disappeared.

I love that photo of Patty/Gale/Geraldine. What a cast! What they could have been. Apparently that was taken during a break from rehearsal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 years later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • Thanks @Paul Raven  That Grainger story always reads like hog-wild melodrama, not very similar to the more subtle stories for Rita in her last few years. I wonder how Lenore played the material.
    • More from 1976 Lynn, apparently making every effort to overcome her alcoholism, accepts a baby-sitting job. However, when the baby starts crying, Lynn begins to get nervous and takes one drink, then another. By the time Bruce and Van arrive home, Lynn is on the floor, ineffectually trying to find the doctor’s number, sure the baby is ill. When the mother arrives; she vows to let everyone know what goes on in the mayor’s house.Bruce insists that Lynn has to go, but Van, learning that Lynn can’t remember drinking the cooking sherry, calls Joe to report Lynn’s blackouts. Joe wants her institutionalized but gives in to Van’ s pleas that Lynn needs loving attention. Eddie has sent some of Felicia’s work to a New |York gallery owner and reports to Charles that Lisa Cooper wants to exhibit Felicia’s work. Charles refuses to tell her this and later admits he feels he has “cowed”her attention because of his being confined to a wheelchair. What Charles doesn’t say is: that he’s plagued with fears she’ll leave him for another man. Felicia is exuberant as she starts painting again. She tells Charles how she feels about it, but, jealous of anyone or anything that takes attention from him, Charles tries to undermine her confidence. Eddie finally professes his love for her. He will be happy to step forward if she will only let Be and admit that they belong together. Charles tries to stop Felicia’s ‘trip to New York by making her doubt her own work, and when that fails, he finds business reasons at his bookshop to keep Di, his ex-wife, who is running it for him, from accompanying her. Felicia finally decides it’s not going to work and tells Eddie they might as well call it off. Instead, he arranges for Lisa Cooper to come to Rosehill. Charles is rude and insulting to Lisa when she arrives at the house to view Felicia’s work, and his derogatory remarks about shady gallery dealings prompt Lisa to tell Eddie that living in such an atmosphere could permanently stunt an artist’s development; if Felicia is subjected to this indefinitely, it’s not even worth Lisa’s while to take her on as a client. Felicia finally decides she can’t be torn apart any longer and must accede to Charles’s demands. She tells Eddie her career is over and she won’t paint any more, breaks down in his arms, crying bitterly, then pulls away, unwilling to acknowledge that her feelings for him are deeper than she dare face. Charles is delighted when she prepares to dispose of her art supplies, insisting everything will be fine once she has accepted that this part of her life is over. But she cannot do it. She promises him that he can set the limits and terms, but she must paint. Arlene discovers that her mother is planning to avoid the surgery she needs, and the accompanying medical bills, by leaving Rosehill and moving in with her sister Dorothy out west. Arlene manages to prevent this by calling her aunt and telling her the truth about Carrie’s condition. Dr. Tom Crawford has been footing the costs of Carrie’s presurgery tests, but Arlene knows that Carrie won’t like this. So she tells Carrie that David Hart, the son of Meg’s late husband, the former mayor, has heard about their plight and forwarded the money as a gesture of friendship, to be repaid when possible. To convince Carrie that she does indeed have the money, Arlene asks Ray to just lend it to her for a few hours, so she can convince Carrie and then immediately return it. Ray instructs her to get dressed for a night on the town and takes her, out implying that the money will be waiting at the end of the evening. When Ian Russell happens to join them, Arlene doesn’t suspect anything is afoot, but when e Ray suddenly leaves, she becomes furious, realizing what he’s done. But she finds Mr: Russell a distinguished and cultured man, and decides there’s no harm in having a drink. After cocktails and stimulating conversation, Ian suggests that they go to his place, and Arlene agrees. But when they get there, Ian matter of factly suggests that they skip the preliminaries and get on with it. Ian is embarrassed and annoyed to discover that Arlene is not a professional call girl and that Ray didn’t explain to her the purpose of their |meeting. He is apologetic and solicitous, until Arlene, explaining why Ray felt he could pull this on her, mentions her sick mother in need of an operation. Ian starts to laugh at this overworked standard line, and a livid Arlene storms out of his apartment. Thinking it over, Ian decides he’s more intrigued with Arlene than he is annoyed at Ray, and calls Ray for her telephone number. But Arlene is not delighted to hear from him, and he has to use a good deal of soothing charm before she agrees to have dinner with him at one of the better local restaurants.During dinner Ian again apologizes for his mistake, and he gives Arlene a diamond pendant as a token of his gratitude for her forgiving him. Ray arrives to interrupt an otherwise enjoyable evening with a business matter, and quietly reminds Arlene that Ian is his customer and she’s not to cut herself in with him. At home, Arlene examines the pendant and is convinced that it’s genuine. She hides it in her dresser drawer, unable to bring herself to show it to her mother.
    • LOL!! That's funny.  I actually thought he got a little better.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Oh God, she's back? I thought those first scenes were well-intentioned but hysterical.
    • More Guiding Light 1976 At dinner the next evening, Grainger tells Rita he still can’t understand why she inherited from his father and he’s hired a lawyer to help him discover what her role was in his father’s death. Telling her he knows she lied to him, he again warns that he will destroy her reputation in this town. As Rita insists she’s done nothing wrong, Grainger, growing even more angry, lashes out, “Ill see you charged with m—”. Suddenly he clutches his head and collapses to the floor. As people rush to help him, Rita quickly slips out of the restaurant. Grainger is rushed to Cedars and treated for stroke. Rita is even more frightened and upset when it appears that he’s going to recover under the excellent treatment and care of Ed, who is assigned as his attending physician, and Peggy, who is a fine specialty nurse. Rita, drawn by an unseen force to his door, is further shaken when Peggy, seeing her, presses her into temporarily spelling her so she can take a short break. Ed is determined to come to Rita’s aid, as she did his, and brings a big steak for dinner to her apartment. But Rita is too unnerved and shaky to even be with Ed, and disappoints him by asking him to leave before dinner, explaining that she’s extremely tired. Ed knows it’s more than that, and is doubly determined to help her out of this depression, but when she starts to cry, he leaves her, as she wishes. Roger, remembering how Grainger fired him from the oil fields for- being a friend of Rita’s, is disappointed to learn that Grainger has come out of his coma and that Ed feels Grainger’s paralysis and inability to talk may just be temporary. Rita is pressed to assist Tim with a spinal tap on Grainger, and is frightened when her presence causes Malcolm’s pulse rate to rise rapidly. His doctors are unable to understand his rapid pulse changes. Rita tells Roger why Grainger is so hateful toward her. While she was his father’s special nurse, Malcolm made physical advances toward her and she fought him off. His father noticed her bruises~and instantly guessed his son had manhandled her. The old man then swore to her he’d never forgive Malcolm for this cruelty. Roger again warns Rita that nobody is to know about his connection with her and with the Graingers. He fears that if Peggy learns about it, she will leave him.  Ed continues to press his concern and support on Rita, and while it helps to a certain degree and she’s grateful, Rita can’t bring herself to tell him what the source of her worry is. Each day, as Grainger rallies a bit more, her fear and tension increase. Finally, Grainger is able to barely murmur, “Lie... father ... Rita,” to Peggy and manages to crudely letter “RITA S” on a pad of paper. Peggy, assuming that Rita has somehow managed to get Grainger to respond, summons her to the hospital in the hope that she can further stimulate him and thus hasten his recovery. But a major catastrophe, a train derailment, - has immobilized the entire area, and Cedars, as well as all local hospitals, is being overrun with patients. Even though she’s off duty, having served her full shift, Rita is pressed into distributing the patients’ medication. Peggy, explaining that Grainger has already had an accidental delay of medication, which could have caused a major setback, must receive his dosage exactly on schedule. The sight of Rita again agitates Grainger, but she finishes her extra duty and returns home, drained and oversensitive as well as exhausted. When the regular nurse does her usual check, she finds Grainger lying over the side of his bed, unconscious. She issues a “Code Blue” call for the emergency team, and Steve, there almost immediately, starts resuscitation and then gives adrenalin, right into the heart, but Grainger is dead. As soon as he hears, Ed rushes to Cedars in amazement. This is all impossible to him, as he saw Grainger’s recovery as a certainty. He immediately institutes an investigation to determine the cause of death. Roger, told by Peggy what has happened, notifies a stunned Rita just before Ed arrives to question her about everything she can remember about the last time she was in Grainger’s room. Rita, unable to understand what’s happening around her, breaks down in tears, crying that she could be responsible for his death. Ed comforts her, assuring her that he’s not blaming her, just trying to find out what happened.    
    • Carly, considering Robin's daughter as a possible daughter-in-law .... I think the technical term for it would be "plotz"! Or to put it another way, the top of her head would explode!  

      Please register in order to view this content

    • What AW stories do you think of as DOOLish? I mean AW, in a very positive way was KNOWN for its comedic elements. From Iris's maid, Vivian, to the naming of plants, to highjinks with Cass, Felicia, Wally & even Lily, plus remember Dee Evans & Tony the Tuna? In a way at one time DAYS had similar with Caliope & Eugene. 
    • Were those reasons to do with having younger children on set? Other shows seem to manage. The ageing up of the kids has been one of the mistakes the show has made.
    • I agree.  Lemay was supposed to start in early 88 and we saw some of the writing on the wall with character reference from the past.  Notably, the core families Frames, Cory, Matthews.  The stupid Reginald Love was wrapped up.  Not even a year later Mary was written out of the show along with Vince and the McKinnons who came and left .  The previous writers tried to introduce a new family that never aspired with the viewers.  1988 was focused on the 25th anniversary of show in 1989 and suspect why Lemay was asked to come back in 88.  Prior to 1988, the storylines were so DOOL stupid.
    • That's true. He may have ended up keeping her on a recurring basis, like Dr. Michaels on ATWT. I'm trying to remember if GL had a similar long-running therapist.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy