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, watson71 said:

I wish they could have found a way to keep Kathleen on the show in 1991.  Once the show knew that they were going to go with the Cass/Frankie pairing, they could have used Kathleen in other storylines.  She was a link to AW's past, and the character was charismatic enough to be tied to other storylines.  A whole storyline alone could have been what happened to Kathleen while she was in the witness protection program.

Donna Swajeski had a storyline that moved Kathleen into Grant’s orbit.  However, Julie had already extended her contract once and wanted to get back to her life in the west coast.  

5 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

I think it was Harding Lemay who fleshed out Felicia's past, although it had been begun under previous head-writers and continued under Swajeski.  Lemay always used the past of his major characters.  Sometimes that past already existed -- Pat Randolph, Rachel, John Hudson, and Lenore Curtain Delany, for example.  And other times, Lemay created a history -- Steven Frame, Mac Cory, Sharlene Frame, and Iris, for example.  Nearly all of Lemay's major characters (whether Lemay created the characters or inherited them) had an achilles heel or a shameful secret from their past that drove them and influenced all their decisions.  That was just the way Lemay wrote.   So no one should be surprised he added to Felicia's history and made it important to her life in the present.

I wasn't sure exactly which HW was the target of the Culliton shade. And of course flesh doesn't have to be in the form of tragedy, which I thought was part of Culliton's point. I haven't followed the Cullitons to other shows so I don't know how this has played out in practice, but it sounded like Culliton saying that his intention is to respect the history of existing families and characters and not go wild introducing too many new ones. He didn't comment on anything to do with recasts for example where playing to the strengths of a new actor might shift things though.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Efulton said:

Donna Swajeski had a storyline that moved Kathleen into Grant’s orbit.  However, Julie had already extended her contract once and wanted to get back to her life in the west coast.  

Only imagine if TPTB had been able to come up with a sweetheart deal such as Jensen Buchanan or Sandra Ferguson got that could have persuaded her to change her mind, though.

I don't remember the timing, but wasn't there a whole storyline where Grant was Kathleen's secret source (with some kind of code name) and it would have put someone in danger if/when Carl found out?

Here is some terrible news:   the multi-talented Micki Grant (Peggy) has passed away.

35 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

I think it was Harding Lemay who fleshed out Felicia's past, although it had been begun under previous head-writers and continued under Swajeski.  Lemay always used the past of his major characters.  Sometimes that past already existed -- Pat Randolph, Rachel, John Hudson, and Lenore Curtain Delany, for example.  And other times, Lemay created a history -- Steven Frame, Mac Cory, Sharlene Frame, and Iris, for example.  Nearly all of Lemay's major characters (whether Lemay created the characters or inherited them) had an achilles heel or a shameful secret from their past that drove them and influenced all their decisions.  That was just the way Lemay wrote.   So no one should be surprised he added to Felicia's history and made it important to her life in the present.

Harding Lemay fleshed out Felicia's past as Fanny Grady starting in Fall 1988 when Felicia was hypnotized by magician Oliver Twist played by Dick Cavett.  This continued into 1989 as Felicia was stalked by a stranger who later turned out to be Derek Dane, who it was later revealed killed Felicia's stepfather, Noah Grady in self defense.  Felicia believed that she was the one who had originally killed Noah.  Lemay detested murder mysteries and court trials, so I wonder if his story outline contained the "Who Killed Jason Frame?" storyline with Felicia as the suspect on trial.  Whether he penned this or Donna Swajeski changed it, the murder mystery and subsequent trial was one of Another World's best umbrella storylines because the entire cast was involved - tying Iris is the Chief of Bennett Publishing, Sharlene's prostitution past, the father of Vicky's baby, and Evan was Janice Frame's son all together.  AW was must see TV and on the top of its game in the Spring of 1989.

2 hours ago, watson71 said:

Harding Lemay fleshed out Felicia's past as Fanny Grady starting in Fall 1988 when Felicia was hypnotized by magician Oliver Twist played by Dick Cavett.  This continued into 1989 as Felicia was stalked by a stranger who later turned out to be Derek Dane, who it was later revealed killed Felicia's stepfather, Noah Grady in self defense.  Felicia believed that she was the one who had originally killed Noah.  Lemay detested murder mysteries and court trials, so I wonder if his story outline contained the "Who Killed Jason Frame?" storyline with Felicia as the suspect on trial.  Whether he penned this or Donna Swajeski changed it, the murder mystery and subsequent trial was one of Another World's best umbrella storylines because the entire cast was involved - tying Iris is the Chief of Bennett Publishing, Sharlene's prostitution past, the father of Vicky's baby, and Evan was Janice Frame's son all together.  AW was must see TV and on the top of its game in the Spring of 1989.

I doubt Lemay created the Derrick Dane character (Dane was too cartoonish for Lemay, in my opinion).  But Lemay probably had the skeleton of that storyline, and all the others you mentioned in the plot projection he left behind.  Jason's Frame's death and Felicia's subsequent trial was probably precipitated by Chris Robinson's desire to leave AW and go back to California. And we don't know at what point Robinson expressed his wish to leave the show -- while Lemay was still there, or when Swajeski was head-writer.  I do know Lemay did not like murder trials, but he did write several murders during his first stint as AW's head-writer -- nearly all without trials, however.  

Edited August 22, 20214 yr by Neil Johnson

@slick jones already mentioned this in the obit thread, but Micki Grant, who played groundbreaking Peggy Nolan, has passed away. I'm sorry that just about none of her work in the role seems to exist. 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Micki-Grant-Composer-Playwright-and-Performer-Has-Died-at-Age-80-20210822

Edited August 23, 20214 yr by DRW50

17 hours ago, danfling said:

Here is some terrible news:   the multi-talented Micki Grant (Peggy) has passed away.

Peggy was before my time. But Harding Lemay mentions a fight he had with Irna Phillips over a scene in which a secretary comes across an incriminating letter in Walter Curtin's papers. I suppose the secretary was Peggy? 

Looking Micki Grant up, I learned she (among other accomplishments) wrote Pink Shoelaces.

 

Here is Micki at a reunion for Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope a couple of years ago. Also in the pictures is Marie Thomas Foster (Lauri James Iverson, The Doctors, 1972-75). May Micki RIP. 🙏❤

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by amybrickwallace

On 8/17/2021 at 4:31 AM, Xanthe said:

Thank you! That seems pretty clear that Kerrigan is credited as author of the books and Lemay was overreacting. Based on his description of the event which he jealously attended the fans only cared about the actors anyway. 

So, I bought Another World II from Amazon in 2004 for $4.49 (I searched my order details), I read it and then threw it away a few years later when I moved to a new place.

It is currently going for $125 on Amazon and $98 on E bay.  That's a 2,800% profit wasted !?!  I don't think I could've made a 167% annual return on cryptocurrency in 17 years!

Comparatively I bought Lemay's Eight Years in Another World in 2011 for $74 (I guess I was either treating myself or drunk purchasing).  It currently goes for $126 (free on kindle).  That's a 58% increase in a decade, or a 6% annual return.

I'm not suggesting that Kerrigan gets any money from the secondary market, (unless she is selling her own over runs), but I bet Lemay would be even more pissed off today seeing their relative wroth.

What is driving up the prices on these paperback books that were probably sold at grocery checkout stands?  Is anyone paying the actual price, or is it just that the supply is limited?  Can't we just digitize these books and then supply wouldn't be an issue? 

 

Edited August 24, 20214 yr by j swift

2 hours ago, j swift said:

Can't we just digitize these books and then supply wouldn't be an issue? 

That's probably the best solution. I don't see any other way around it.

2 hours ago, j swift said:

So, I bought Another World II from Amazon in 2004 for $4.49 (I searched my order details), I read it and then threw it away a few years later when I moved to a new place.

It is currently going for $125 on Amazon and $98 on E bay.  That's a 2,800% profit wasted !?!  I don't think I could've made a 167% annual return on cryptocurrency in 17 years!

Comparatively I bought Lemay's Eight Years in Another World in 2011 for $74 (I guess I was either treating myself or drunk purchasing).  It currently goes for $126 (free on kindle).  That's a 58% increase in a decade, or a 6% annual return.

I'm not suggesting that Kerrigan gets any money from the secondary market, (unless she is selling her own over runs), but I bet Lemay would be even more pissed off today seeing their relative wroth.

What is driving up the prices on these paperback books that were probably sold at grocery checkout stands?  Is anyone paying the actual price, or is it just that the supply is limited?  Can't we just digitize these books and then supply wouldn't be an issue? 

 

Those books have been out of print for a long time. I think because they’re so rare, people think they can charge anything for them. As for digitizing them, I guess nobody’s interested. 

It's an interesting phenom. I collect 50/60's suspense paperbacks. Once upon  a few dollars in second hand bookshops, but limited titles available. Then along came the internet and for a few dollars more a fantastic choice. Next thing you know,something that was selling for six dollars was priced at sixty.

Either supply dried up(doesn't seem so) or people got greedy...

16 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Either supply dried up(doesn't seem so) or people got greedy...

You just said it all! 🤑

Edited August 25, 20214 yr by amybrickwallace

micki grant’s ny times obit:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/theater/micki-grant-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Obituaries