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.

1 hour ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

Somebody must have convinced Nic to limit the Another World information in his book.  They probably told him it took place too long ago and nobody would care about it.   With all the crap that was happening in that studio in the mid-1970s, it's ridiculous that Nic didn't discuss it in his book. Another World was on fire in the ratings and it had critical acclaim, all while the cast and crew were being booed, screwed, tattooed, and barbecued by Paul Rauch and Harding Lemay.   Santa Barbara got an entire chapter, even though SB never got the ratings AW had -- even while SB was running.  And of course SB never even got close to number 2 in the ratings, where Another World spent most of the 1970s (while Nic was there).   I don't mean to be critical of Santa Barbara, but it was certainly not a more important soap opera than Another World.

Yeah I guess it is possible that an editor took out the AW stuff. In terms of the soaps, I agree with you that AW was more iconic then SB, but in terms of Nic Coster, I think the role of Lionel Lockridge was more his defining role as an actor then Robert Delaney or Eduardo Grimaldi was.

Edited May 20, 20214 yr by AbcNbc247

10 minutes ago, FrenchBug82 said:

 

Yes.
However Santa Barbara has an active fandom still today.
70s Another World, particularly since noone will ever get to watch it anymore, is more or less forgotten but for the most hardcore of fans.

 

Perhaps, but if books contain only the things people remember anyway, then why write books?   Especially biographies and autobiographies.   90 percent of the stuff in Nic's book is remembered only by him.  Yet he recorded it for posterity.   That's one of the most important purposes of books, in my opinion.   

Didn't Lemay all but name Coster as the actor he counted as a friend who had a problem learning lines due to alcohol, and that contributed to his exit from AW? Coster tells a different story in his (excellent) WLS interview, but it's understandable that he might, nor is Lemay's word sacrosanct.

 

I've loved Nicholas Coster in so much TV and film - he was always a credit to anything he appeared in.

Edited May 20, 20214 yr by Vee

9 minutes ago, Vee said:

Didn't Lemay all but name Coster as the actor he counted as a friend who had a problem learning lines due to alcohol, and that contributed to his exit from AW? Coster tells a different story in his (excellent) WLS interview, but it's understandable that he might, nor is Lemay's word sacrosanct.

I don't think he was the one with the drinking problem. In his book, Lemay said that Nic Coster chose not to learn his lines and relied on Beverlee McKinsey to get them through their scenes and that's why he was fired.

12 minutes ago, Vee said:

Didn't Lemay all but name Coster as the actor he counted as a friend who had a problem learning lines due to alcohol, and that contributed to his exit from AW? Coster tells a different story in his (excellent) WLS interview, but it's understandable that he might, nor is Lemay's word sacrosanct.

 

I've loved Nicholas Coster in so much TV and film - he was always a credit to anything he appeared in.

 

Yes, most fans of Lemay's book speculate that actor was Coster.  And Lemay's statements about Nic's problem learning lines may have been influenced by complaints from Beverly McKenzie.   The "problem" didn't seem to come up, until Nic was working opposite her.  

Edited May 20, 20214 yr by Neil Johnson

8 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

Yes, most fans of Lemay's book speculate that actor was Coster. 

I always thought John Fitzpatrick was the one with the drinking problem.

I thought Fitzpatrick had other problems - maybe the same ones, but the actor Lemay references re: their past friendship, his place on the show, etc. was very specific and was also not named, unlike Fitzpatrick.

32 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

I always thought John Fitzpatrick was the one with the drinking problem.

 

It's been about a decade since I re-read the book, but wasn't there one actor with a drinking problem (Fitzpatrick), and another actor who had trouble with his lines exacerbated by drinking (Coster)??  Not sure about the details, but I believe Coster had trouble with lines (and maybe drinking), and Fitzpatrick had a drinking problem.   It's all really speculation, however.   

49 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

The "problem" didn't seem to come up, until Nic was working opposite her.  

 

Well, the fact other actors weren't bothered by it doesn't mean the fact she was wasn't legitimate. Some people are more indulgent with what others count as unprofessionalism  but that doesn't mean it is not unprofessionalism.
Not that I know what the truth is obviously.

 

1 hour ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

Perhaps, but if books contain only the things people remember anyway, then why write books?   Especially biographies and autobiographies.   90 percent of the stuff in Nic's book is remembered only by him.  Yet he recorded it for posterity.   That's one of the most important purposes of books, in my opinion.   

Oh I agree with you. I was simply pointing out why it would make sense from the point of view of an editor trying to sell books to focus a whole chapter on SB despite the show not ever having been as important or good as AW was.

15 hours ago, Neil Johnson said:

 

It's been about a decade since I re-read the book, but wasn't there one actor with a drinking problem (Fitzpatrick), and another actor who had trouble with his lines exacerbated by drinking (Coster)??  Not sure about the details, but I believe Coster had trouble with lines (and maybe drinking), and Fitzpatrick had a drinking problem.   It's all really speculation, however.   

Yeah. There were two different actors. In the book, Lemay didn't say who was who though, but in an interview that Eddie Drueding has posted on YT page, Lemay said that it was Nic Coster who chose not to memorize his lines. He doesn't refer to him by name though but as "the actor who played Iris' husband." But NC gives a completely different reason in his We Love Soaps interview

 

As for the actor who had the drinking problem, I just assumed it was John Fitzpatrick because he was the only other actor who was let go around the same time, I think

Edited May 20, 20214 yr by AbcNbc247

21 hours ago, AbcNbc247 said:

Yeah I guess it is possible that an editor took out the AW stuff. In terms of the soaps, I agree with you that AW was more iconic then SB, but in terms of Nic Coster, I think the role of Lionel Lockridge was more his defining role as an actor then Robert Delaney or Eduardo Grimaldi was.

I certainly don't disagree with AW being more iconic and far better soap than SB could ever be but Nic Costner has made it clear many times his most memorable and favorite soap he ever worked on was SB.  I recall him winning the award for his character on SB back in the 80's or early 90's.  I never watched the show.  Was it Lionel?  I clearly remember him stating when accepting the award that SB was the best show he ever worked on.  Im thinking this is his emphasis.  I don't he cared to much too much spend a lot of time talking about AW as it was just dust like many of the other early soaps he worked on..

11 minutes ago, denzo30 said:

I certainly don't disagree with AW being more iconic and far better soap than SB could ever be but Nic Costner has made it clear many times his most memorable and favorite soap he ever worked on was SB.  I recall him winning the award for his character on SB back in the 80's or early 90's.  I never watched the show.  Was it Lionel?  I clearly remember him stating when accepting the award that SB was the best show he ever worked on.  Im thinking this is his emphasis.  I don't he cared to much too much spend a lot of time talking about AW as it was just dust like many of the other early soaps he worked on..

 

Another World and Santa Barbara were two completely different soaps in my eyes.

15 minutes ago, denzo30 said:

I certainly don't disagree with AW being more iconic and far better soap than SB could ever be but Nic Costner has made it clear many times his most memorable and favorite soap he ever worked on was SB.  I recall him winning the award for his character on SB back in the 80's or early 90's.  I never watched the show.  Was it Lionel?  I clearly remember him stating when accepting the award that SB was the best show he ever worked on.  Im thinking this is his emphasis.  I don't he cared to much too much spend a lot of time talking about AW as it was just dust like many of the other early soaps he worked on..

I just checked.

 

He won a Soap Digest Award for Supporting Actor for Lionel. He was also nominated for an Emmy a few times but he never won.

 

Although for the most part I was done with AW by the time they ended, I was never really that invested in the character of Lila.  She was no Vicky or Cecile, although I understand having Lisa Peluso was an attempt I am guessing on bringing new eyes to the show.  Another "bi$%h that goes from conniving to a heroine is always a good plot line, but I guess I wasn't invested by this point.