Another World Discussion Thread

[BetterForgotten]

If a remember correctly, one of the big internet rumours had been P&G wanted to keep Linda Dano and move Felicia Gallant to GL when AW ended. At the same time, ABC apparently wanted to buy the rights to the Felicia Gallant character but P&G wouldn't sell it to them, so they had to drudge up that forgotten Grethel 'Rae' Cummings character Dano had played almost 20 years before when she inked a deal with them. 

 

It's amazing that an older actress like Dano was in such hot demand on daytime after AW wrapped. That's unheard of today. 

 

I also wonder how Felicia would have faired on Paul Rauch's GL (he's the one that hired Dano at AW) had she stayed in the P&G family. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by BetterForgotten

[danfling]

The Edge of Night mentioned Somerset when Laurie Ann was in hiding.  I do not remember references to Oakdale.  (This was several years prior to the premiere of Another World: Somerset )

 

I think Ms. Dano was better  playing Gretel than she was at playing Felicia.  I was very sorry when One Life to Live developed an Asa-Gretel-Max-Roxanne quadrangle and then Ms. Dano had to leave for health reasons.

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by danfling

[Paul Raven]

AW (Bay City) was connected to Springfield (GL) as Michael Bauer existed in both towns.

Also to Somerset b/c of characters existing in both towns and Pt Clair (L&F/FRFP) for the same reasons

Bay City had links to Oakdale thru Mitchell Dru existing in both and later Donna/Cass/Vicky/Jake etc visiting/living there.

Also b/c Mitchell Dru was on Brighter Day 3 Rivers(?) was part of that universe.

I recall mention of the signpost that showing Oakdale and or Springfield being connected to Monticello (EON) and as Danfling stated Somerset (and by extension Bay City) were referenced on EON.

That leaves Henderson (SFT) out of the picture.

 

Oakdale was connected to Genoa City (Y&R) as Allison Stewart was connected to both.

 

Rosehill (LOL) and Nortchross (WTHI) were connected.

 

All of the ABC shows existed in the same universe and real settings NY (RH) and SF (LIAMST) connect all soap towns.

[BetterForgotten]

Cass also appeared on GL in 2002 as Tony Santos's lawyer. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by BetterForgotten

[j swift]

Which begs the question - When did Cass become a lawyer? 

 

He came to town working for a rival publisher and trying to sign Felicia Gallant away from Cory Publishing.  Then he helped run Nicole's fashion business and a coffeehouse.  However, when was he first established as a lawyer, and what was his first case?

[watson71]

This week marks the 30th Anniversary of the passing of Mac Cory on AW, after the real life passing of Douglass Watson.  There were so many outstanding performances during this week as the actors mourned Watson's death when Mac died.   His unexpected passing was a tremendous loss to AW.

 

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[Faulkner]

I was going to (mistakenly) post that I had no idea that Chris Bernau (Alan, GL) and Doug Watson passed so close together, but Douglass the actor passed in early May and Mac Cory the character passed in mid-June. (Bernau died IRL June 14.) Still, two premature deaths of iconic P&G stars in a short period.

 

Such spectacular performances in those episodes, made even more bittersweet by the relatively recent passing of Carmen Duncan.

[AbcNbc247]

How did the ratings for AW not skyrocket in the spring and summer of 1989? The episodes from Felicia’s trial to Mac’s death and funeral were amazing.

[Xanthe]

 

Cass was always a lawyer from day 1. He arrived in July 1982. According to the synopses on the Another World Home Page, he came to town to work for Cory Publishing and within a few weeks he had agreed to represent Cecile in her divorce. He didn't think of poaching Felicia until January 1983.

[Melroser]

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I can't believe that Tuesday makes 20 years since ANOTHER WORLD left the air. I miss this show dearly at times and especially my fave, Cecile! I invested so much in this show when I was growing up and always wished I could live in Bay City with Cecile, Cass, Felicia, Wally, et al.  

[NothinButAttitude]

 

I will say this until I am blue in the face, but I always felt that the cancellation of Another World was the beginning of the end of this genre. 

 

Another World was the head, Guiding Light was the heart, and As the World Turns was the soul. Once all 3 of them went back to back to back, this genre became a hollow shell of itself. 

[watson71]

 

I agree with you that when Another World left the air, it was the beginning of the end of the soap genre, because AW was truly an innovator in the genre.  When it began, AW was not like the other P&G soaps.  The first major story on the show penned by Irna Phillips and Bill Bell was Pat's abortion and her murdering Tom Baxter.  This was truly a controversial subject for a 1964 soap opera.  While Agnes Nixon was writing the show, she created the first cross-network crossover, with the character of Mike Bauer coming from Springfield to Bay City.  Producer Paul Rauch and writer Harding Lemay turned AW into a critical and commercial success winning Emmys and high ratings.  These high ratings were no easy feat considering that CBS aired reruns of prime time's number 1 show, All in the Family, and moved The Price is Right from the morning to compete with AW when it was the first soap to expand to one hour in 1975.  AW was the first soap to launch two spin-offs Somerset in 1970 and Texas in 1980, as well as an indirect one, Lovers and Friends in 1977, which would be renamed For Richer, For Poorer. Another World was also the second soap opera, besides The Young and the Restless, with a theme song to chart on the Billboard record charts.  All true innovations that no other soap can ever say they did while they were on the air.

 

AW's  trouble would begin when NBC expanded the show to ninety minutes in 1979, and then back to an hour in 1980.  The expansion of the series to 90 minutes moved AW out of its 3 PM timeslot for the first time in its 15 year history with a 2:30 PM start time.  Adding an additional 30 minutes of time to the series required AW to add more characters to an already crowded  show,  then when the decision was made to spin the character of Iris off on her own soap Texas required an additional influx of characters who would appear on Texas.  NBC should have placed Texas in the 2 PM timeslot following Days of our Lives and moved AW back to its 3 PM timeslot.  AW was in far better shape to compete with General Hospital and Guiding Light.  After Texas was cancelled, AW waited 7 years to bring Iris back to AW played by a different actress.  From 1980-99, AW would never regain its footing at the top of the daytime ratings, despite the work of many producers and writers.   The show had many flashes of brilliance during this time- reuniting Mac and Rachel, introducing  characters like Cass, Felicia,  Carl, and Wallingford, the love stories of Sally and Catlin and Kathleen and Cass, the Marley/ Jake/ Vicky triangle, the introduction of Grant and Ryan Harrison, and Felicia's alcoholism- and when the show was firing on all cylinders during this time, it was the best on daytime and did not warrant the low ratings it was receiving.  But one can safely say that for 35 years, Another World was an innovative program and its last episode 20 years ago today was truly the start of the end of the daytime soap genre.

 

 

 

 

 

[BetterForgotten]

I was never that enthused about the Donna Swajeski era and found it to be pretty generic and run of the mill soap (for the most part) when most of it reran on SoapNet. I personally would hardly call it the best show on daytime at that point when so many shows were probably on their last truly great era and much higher rated.

 

It’s too bad we never really got that second stint from Lemay - but then, over the longterm, who knows if lightning would have struck twice (it rarely does).

[AbcNbc247]

Can't believe it's been 20 years since Another World went off the air. It was actually one of the first soap operas I watched with my Mom and Grandma. My mom had watched from the early 70's and she got practically everybody in my family hooked on it. I was only 4 years old when I started watching, but I have so many clear memories from 1996-1999, (which I now know was not one of the best times in the show's history). When SoapNet started airing reruns in 2003, I watched again and was introduced to Mac, Ada, the Mckinnons and so many other awesome characters that I had missed out on. Thanks to YouTube, the Another World Home Page, and various other websites, I've seen and learned so much about the show, and feel it was definitely one of the best soaps that ever existed.

[teplin]

 

True -- but the few weeks he was actually in charge were pretty great.