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.

Here's a nice picture of Susan Harney with Ted Shackelford, courtesy of AWHP:

3 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Doug Watson came on as Mac in August 74. 

Mac and Rachel married in Feb 75, so the courtship was brief (in soap terms).

Robert and Lenore were married about a year March 74-June 75.  Not sure how much time they were a couple before that -most 73?

I don't consider either of those romantic arcs (or Steve and Alice's) to have ended or begun with the first marriage.   They began typically at the time each couple met, and continued in all cases until at least one of the actors in the couple left the show.  

I think the only type of story that Harding Lemay wasn't capable of writing was a YOUNG love story.  Lemay himself once said that he found it difficult to write for younger actors, because they didn't have the life experience that their older colleagues had to draw on (although, he did cite Ray Liotta (ex-Joey) as a notable exception).

3 minutes ago, Khan said:

I think the only type of story that Harding Lemay wasn't capable of writing was a YOUNG love story.  Lemay himself once said that he found it difficult to write for younger actors, because they didn't have the life experience that their older colleagues had to draw on (although, he did cite Ray Liotta (ex-Joey) as a notable exception).

I wonder if that's a reason why he ultimately hired his son onto his writing staffs.

6 minutes ago, amybrickwallace said:

I wonder if that's a reason why he ultimately hired his son onto his writing staffs.

That's why I always laugh when I read that passage from Lemay's book where his son says to him, "Dad, you're pissing your life away on this stuff." Just a few short years later, he was pissing right along with him. 😂

Most of the time, Lemay didn't even try to write plots.  He wrote wonderful characters and put them in conflicts and situations, but seldom were there really identifiable plots/storylines -- at least not in the typical soap opera fashion.   I remember being completely hooked on AW for all of Lemay's run as head-writer.  But I often complained, "Nothing ever happens on this show!"  What I didn't realize at the time was, I had fallen in love with the characters. They were almost like real people, experiencing believable problems.  Lemay's Another World was so plotless, it could almost be considered an experimental soap opera.  The show during that era is hard for me to describe in a way someone who hasn't seen it would understand.   But seriously, characters just ran into one another and talked. Worked together and talked. Visited one another's homes and talked. Scene after scene after scene.  The plots were nearly all extremely weak and at times almost non-existant.  

Which is why the Sven Peterson storyline fascinates me to this day.  Lemay wasn't known for writing melodrama, but when he did, it seemed to be very effective with the audience.

1 minute ago, Khan said:

Which is why the Sven Peterson storyline fascinates me to this day.  Lemay wasn't known for writing melodrama, but when he did, it seemed to be very effective with the audience.

I agree.  But I believe he has said that nearly anytime he wrote a strong plot on the show, it was because he was forced to by the network and P&G.   

15 minutes ago, Neil Johnson said:

Most of the time, Lemay didn't even try to write plots.  He wrote wonderful characters and put them in conflicts and situations, but seldom were there really identifiable plots/storylines -- at least not in the typical soap opera fashion.   I remember being completely hooked on AW for all of Lemay's run as head-writer.  But I often complained, "Nothing ever happens on this show!"  What I didn't realize at the time was, I had fallen in love with the characters. They were almost like real people, experiencing believable problems.  Lemay's Another World was so plotless, it could almost be considered an experimental soap opera.  The show during that era is hard for me to describe in a way someone who hasn't seen it would understand.   But seriously, characters just ran into one another and talked. Worked together and talked. Visited one another's homes and talked. Scene after scene after scene.  The plots were nearly all extremely weak and at times almost non-existant.  

I think early  As the World Turns under Irma Phillips and the writin into the mid 70s was like this.  You really didn’t need a plot but could just watch characters interact

54 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

That's why I always laugh when I read that passage from Lemay's book where his son says to him, "Dad, you're pissing your life away on this stuff." Just a few short years later, he was pissing right along with him. 😂

Always watch what you say!! 🤣😂

Lemay could write characters having realistic conversations while the plot always seemed to organically happen like real life.  Conversations flowed naturally and realistically 

Contrast that with Marland, who could balance and juggle plots like no one else...but man the dialogue and conversations were stilted,unrealistic and way too wordy.

All writers have their strengths.  Didn't have Lemay also say he wasn't strong with writing mysteries?

2 hours ago, Khan said:

I think the only type of story that Harding Lemay wasn't capable of writing was a YOUNG love story.  Lemay himself once said that he found it difficult to write for younger actors, because they didn't have the life experience that their older colleagues had to draw on (although, he did cite Ray Liotta (ex-Joey) as a notable exception).

In contrast Marland said he enjoyed writing 'Young Love' stories because that very lack of life experience would lead them to make less wise, but forgiveable choices. 

Also, that kept the plot bubbling along.

Older viewers would tut, tut and muse on the folly of youth while younger viewers would eat it up.

Here is an early Christmas present I found on YouTube- 16 minutes of late 1960s Another World that is good quality.

 

 

I know the wedding material had been around, in lower quality, but I hadn't seen the apartment scenes before. That's a period I've read a great deal about but always wanted to see more of - Lee, isolated in the city, meeting new people. Agnes Nixon testing the formula she would make a success on OLTL and AMC. Lahoma was such a revolutionary character for soaps. I'm really glad to get to see more of her early days with Sam, another character who was not the usual type for soaps at this time. 

Lee is such a tragic character. I can see the seeds of Janice Hughes in her. 

4 hours ago, watson71 said:

Here is an early Christmas present I found on YouTube- 16 minutes of late 1960s Another World that is good quality.

 

 

It’s always a present when “new” footage is rediscovered. Thank you for posting this! But I’m curious about who’s wedding they’re talking about in the first clip? Bill and Missy’s? I thought it was Walter and Lenore’s at first as well, but then I looked it up and Lefty Burns was already dead by the time they were married  

Edited December 24, 20213 yr by AbcNbc247