In honor of AW's 45th anniversary,I thought I'd start this thread and perhaps all future posts concerning this show could be in one place.at present there are several threads.

Here's a description from Irna Phillips at the time of debut.

"What I want to say is that none of us can face reality 24 hours a day. We must have private 'worlds', made up of our down dreams and pleasures and emotions, into which to retreat. Otherwise, it would be simply too much!"

The story follows the lives of the families of two brothers, William and James Matthews, in a suburban university town. It opens with the death of William, then shows how the sad events affects the widow and their children and the other brother and his family. Grandma Matthews gets into the action, to. The writer promises to relate to contemporary problems; two of them she mentioned are school dropouts and illegitimacy.

2 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

What was going on during Brown's time at the show? Just in general, I mean.  I was watching then, but there were so many head writers in the 80s, I couldn't tell you who wrote what.  

Wanting Russ out the way Jason went to European lady pimp Isa. Isa arranged for a hit man to plant a bomb in Jason's car. But it was Tracy the object of Jason'a affections. Who was blown to kingdom come. When she got in the car. Alice Frame came back to town. Ada's husband Charlie died of natural causes in his sleep. Charlie's sons Leigh and Denny hit Bay City. Both brothers were involved with Sally Frame. Rachel who faced prison for Mitch's murder. Went on the run and found Mitch. Mac 's son Sandy arrived in Bay City. A now widow Russ dated Olivia. Noting came out of that. Months and months after Tracy's death. Russ found out about Jason causing Tracy's death. Quinn Harding arrived in Bay City. Quinn hired Denny for her mysterious boss Edward Black. When Jordan Scott was murdered Blaine became the prime suspect. Blaine was put on trial. The DA prosecuting Blaine was the killer. Rachel left Mac and embarked on a relationship with Mitch Blake. That's all i can remember from the top of my head. Brown wasn't perfect but she was way better than King and Jacker. Out of King we got Janice and Mitch's plot to kill Mac for his money. Which was really good. Everything else was BORING. Out of Jacker we got Cass. And some much need diversity. But the rest of the show was all over the place. 

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by victoria foxton

43 minutes ago, Efulton said:

Also, Steve, Alice, Sally, Louise and Brooks returned.  If the show had done a better job recasting Alice I think they may have had more success with the return of Steve and Alice.

 

The 1st Alice recast in 1981 was pretty good but was replaced by someone insipid later that year.

38 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

I thought Corinne Jacker brought Steve and Alice back.

No it was L. Virginia Browne. 

7 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

 

The 1st Alice recast in 1981 was pretty good but was replaced by someone insipid later that year.

 

Interesting you feel that way, because I have the opposite opinion.  Vana Tribbey (the first 1981 recast) was wrong for the role.  She was too harsh and too sexual.  The second 1981 recast, Linda Borgeson, was much closer to Jackie Courtney's interpretation of the role, so I liked her much better.  But you can't revive a love triangle with two of the three characters recast.  It probably would have worked, if either George Reinholt or Jackie Courtney would have returned to work with Vicky Wyndham.  And it would have blown-off the roof, if they'd both returned.  

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by Neil Johnson

6 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

 

The 1st Alice recast in 1981 was pretty good but was replaced by someone insipid later that year.

Vanna Tribbey was a good actress.  She played Alice as very strong which was refreshing but may have been why she was replaced..

40 minutes ago, victoria foxton said:

Wanting Russ out the way Jason went to European lady pimp Isa. Isa arranged for a hit man to plant a bomb in Jason's car. But it was Tracy the object of Jason'a affections. Who was blown to kingdom come. When she got in the car. Alice Frame came back to town. Ada's husband Charlie died of natural causes in his sleep. Charlie's sons Leigh and Denny hit Bay City. Both brothers were involved with Sally Frame. Rachel who faced prison for Mitch's murder. Went on the run and found Mitch. Mac 's son Sandy arrived in Bay City. A now widow Russ dated Olivia. Noting came out of that. Months and months after Tracy's death. Russ found out about Jason causing Tracy's death. Quinn Harding arrived in Bay City. Quinn hired Denny for her mysterious boss Edward Black. When Jordan Scott was murdered Blaine became the prime suspect. Blaine was put on trial. The DA prosecuting Blaine was the killer. Rachel left Mac and embarked on a relationship with Mitch Blake. That's all i can remember from the top of my head. Brown wasn't perfect but she was way better than King and Jacker. Out of King we got Janice and Mitch's plot to kill Mac for his money. Which was really good. Everything else was BORING. Out of Jacker we got Cass. And some much need diversity. But the rest of the show was all over the place. 

 

Ahh, I see all that mob nonsense was still running.  Tom King started that about a month after he replaced Lemay.  It was badly written, unconvincing, and didn't belong on Another World anyway.  And I see Browne and Jacker continued it.  Neither of them wrote the mob storylines any better than King.  Another big problem during this era: the cast was in a constant state of turn-over from King's arrival, all the way until Felicia Gallant and Donna Love were introduced, when some of the new characters finally began to stick around longer than a year.  

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by Neil Johnson

The arrangement of the early 80's theme when Steve returns is beautiful...

 

 

I think it was Brown that also brought back Marianne Randolph.

She teased Mitch and Alice, which would have been interesting.

1 hour ago, BetterForgotten said:

The arrangement of the early 80's theme when Steve returns is beautiful...

 

That is pretty. I'd never heard it. I didn't realize Vera Moore was still on at this point. I guess she was passing the torch to the next black actress, as the show so often did...I didn't know Jim was still around either. 

 

This Alice looks so old. 

1 hour ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

Ahh, I see all that mob nonsense was still running.  Tom King started that about a month after he replaced Lemay.  It was badly written, unconvincing, and didn't belong on Another World anyway.  And I see Browne and Jacker continued it.  Neither of them wrote the mob storylines any better than King.  Another big problem during this era: the cast was in a constant state of turn-over from King's arrival, all the way until Felicia Gallant and Donna Love were introduced, when some of the new characters finally began to stick around longer than a year.  

 

I first read about the mob story on AWHP, and so much of it, especially Jason's last words, read as genuinely gripping. It doesn't seem to be as gripping onscreen, sadly. 

7 hours ago, DRW50 said:

 

That is pretty. I'd never heard it. I didn't realize Vera Moore was still on at this point. I guess she was passing the torch to the next black actress, as the show so often did...I didn't know Jim was still around either. 

 

This Alice looks so old. 

 

I first read about the mob story on AWHP, and so much of it, especially Jason's last words, read as genuinely gripping. It doesn't seem to be as gripping onscreen, sadly. 

 

Yes, Vera Moore (Linda Metcalf) made appearances at the same time Quinn Harding was on the show, sadly the two never had scenes together. But this is VERY late in Vera's run.  She's out the door soon.  What puzzles me is, why is Vera listed with the contract actors?  Surely she wasn't still on-contact at that time, since she appeared only when they needed a nurse, and hadn't had even a hint of a storyline since 1975.  But in this episode, she is listed several names before Linda Borgeson, and I know Borgeson was on-contract.  During this era, the cast was listed in order of seniority, except VW and DW (who had billing at the top of the credits) and the non-contact players were always listed at the end.

 

The mob stories seemed to go on and on forever.  At least 2 or 3 years.  I'm confident they contributed to the show's staying low in the ratings throughout the early-80s.  AW viewers didn't want a crime-drama.  We wanted family drama and class-conflict.   Every soap can do a crime/mob story once in a while, but not one after another after another.  AW wasn't Edge of Night.

 

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by Neil Johnson

9 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

Interesting you feel that way, because I have the opposite opinion.  Vana Tribbey (the first 1981 recast) was wrong for the role.  She was too harsh and too sexual.  The second 1981 recast, Linda Borgeson, was much closer to Jackie Courtney's interpretation of the role, so I liked her much better.  But you can't revive a love triangle with two of the three characters recast.  It probably would have worked, if either George Reinholt or Jackie Courtney would have returned to work with Vicky Wyndham.  And it would have blown-off the roof, if they'd both returned.  

 

This is so true- this triangle was doomed from the start because you had two recasts instead of Reinholt and Courtney.  Paul Rauch's ego was probably too big to even contact them to see if they were interested in returning.  If the show had waited until 1984 to do this triangle once Courtney had already returned and rehired Reinholt, I believe would have been successful.  Rauch was long gone by then, so his dislike of both of them would have not have  an issue.  I wonder if they ever considered rehiring Reinholt in 1989 after he appeared in the 25th anniversary episodes after Douglass Watson died.  You could have even incorporated it into the red swan mystery storyline- Mac  really left town because he discovered the real Steve Frame was alive with amnesia and that Edward Black (David Canary) was an imposter who assumed his identity.  Mac placed this information into the red swan and sent it to Rachel before he passed away.

Edited May 3, 20205 yr by watson71

18 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

Yes, Vera Moore (Linda Metcalf) made appearances at the same time Quinn Harding was on the show, sadly the two never had scenes together. But this is VERY late in Vera's run.  She's out the door soon.  What puzzles me is, why is Vera listed with the contract actors?  Surely she wasn't still on-contact at that time, since she appeared only when they needed a nurse, and hadn't had even a hint of a storyline since 1975.  But in this episode, she is listed several names before Linda Borgeson, and I know Borgeson was on-contract.  During this era, the cast was listed in order of seniority, except VW and DW (who had billing at the top of the credits) and the non-contact players were always listed at the end.

 

The mob stories seemed to go on and on forever.  At least 2 or 3 years.  I'm confident they contributed to the show's staying low in the ratings throughout the early-80s.  AW viewers didn't want a crime-drama.  We wanted family drama and class-conflict.   Every soap can do a crime/mob story once in a while, but not one after another after another.  AW wasn't Edge of Night.

 

 

Thanks for the explanation about the credits. That is definitely interesting about Moore.

 

It seems that the crime stories which involved more traditionally "soapy" (much as I hate that term) characters like Cecile, or later, Carl, were more popular. Did they ever try to put Cecile in with the mob stories of this period? 

9 hours ago, BetterForgotten said:

The arrangement of the early 80's theme when Steve returns is beautiful...

 

 

 

AW would use this theme from time to time when the show was running short and utilized a longer closing credit sequence, sometimes running 3+ minutes.  A portion of this version of the theme was used in 1986-87 when Bill Wolff introduced that day's sponsor at the beginning of the second commercial break rather than being incorporated into the opening credits.  

 

An example of this starts at 9:27 in the video below:

 

 

1 hour ago, watson71 said:

 

This is so true- this triangle was doomed from the start because you had two recasts instead of Reinholt and Courtney.  Paul Rauch's ego was probably too big to even contact them to see if they were interested in returning.  If the show had waited until 1984 to do this triangle once Courtney had already returned and rehired Reinholt, I believe would have been successful.  Rauch was long gone by then, so his dislike of both of them would have not have  an issue.  I wonder if they ever considered rehiring Reinholt in 1989 after he appeared in the 25th anniversary episodes after Douglass Watson died.  You could have even incorporated it into the red swan mystery storyline- Mac  really left town because he discovered the real Steve Frame was alive with amnesia and that Edward Black (David Canary) was an imposter who assumed his identity.  Mac placed this information into the red swan and sent it to Rachel before he passed away.

 

 

A year or so ago, I read an interview with Rauch.  He said that in 1981, he asked George Reinholt to lunch to discuss the possibility of returning to AW.  He said the meeting was pleasant, and that George was a great talent.  But he could tell George still wanted to "be the writer" (which caused most of the trouble in 1975), and he couldn't take chances on bringing that type of toxic behavior back into the studio.  So he hired David Canary instead.   

I think Jacquie Courtney would have been great with David Canary.  Although I didn't like Canary's interpretation of Steve Frame, it really wasn't his fault.  He obviously knew nothing of Steve's history or Steve's personality. He played Steve as loud and happy, while the character had always been rather quiet and brooding.  Canary just needed some direction, and I'm sure he would have been very good as Steve.  

7 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

 

A year or so ago, I read an interview with Rauch.  He said that in 1981, he asked George Reinholt to lunch to discuss the possibility of returning to AW.  He said the meeting was pleasant, and that George was a great talent.  But he could tell George still wanted to "be the writer" (which caused most of the trouble in 1975), and he couldn't take chances on bringing that type of toxic behavior back into the studio.  So he hired David Canary instead.   

I think Jacquie Courtney would have been great with David Canary.  Although I didn't like Canary's interpretation of Steve Frame, it really wasn't his fault.  He obviously knew nothing of Steve's history or Steve's personality. He played Steve as loud and happy, while the character had always been rather quiet and brooding.  Canary just needed some direction, and I'm sure he would have been very good as Steve.  

 

Interesting that Rauch would even entertain talking to Reinholt in 1981.  His dislike of Courtney  continued well into the 90s- remember when he made a disparaging comment about her in the soap press and she responded in a letter to the editor to tell her version of the story to set the record straight.