Another World Discussion Thread

[AbcNbc247]

Whew! That was article was funny.

Corinne Jacker was watching from Day 1? Then can someone explain to me why she wrote out Pat, a character that was there from Day 1, so easily? And why she didn’t seem to have any understanding of soap opera pacing?

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As for contemporary issues, it seems she learned the hard way that union corruption is not good soap drama, just sayin lol 

And considering that she was also quoted in saying that she hated her tenure, I wonder what was really going on behind the scenes at that time. 

 

[Soaplovers]

The thing people forget is that soap opera writing is vastly different than writing a play.

Harding Lemay had the benefit of learning the ins and outs of soap opera writing from Irna Phillips so he knew what he could change and what needed to be maintained in order to successfully write AW.

It sounds as though Corrinne had some great ideas, she just needed to be mentored by an established soap opera that could have helped her adapt her ideas to the soap opera format.  Perhaps she could have co-headwritten with L Virginia Browne (who had head-wrote the show for most of 1981 and helped to stabilize the show in some respects that year).

Also, on OLTL.. Michael Malone struggled his first months as headwriter because he didn't understand the machanics of writing a soap until he was paired with Josh Griffiths.

[Contessa Donatella]

From Eddie's page:

Corinne Jacker and Robert Cenedella, November 9, 1981 - December 1981
(In 1981, with Barbara Hamilton Bauer, Myra Sofronksi, Jeffrey Sweet, and Peter Swet)

Corinne Jacker, December 1981 - November 1982
(In 1982, with Barbara Hamilton Bauer, Robert Cenedella, Myra Sofronski, Jeffrey Sweet, and Peter Swet)
(In 1982, with Barbara Hamilton Bauer, Edward Clinton, Lloyd Gold, Leslie Lee, Jeffrey Sweet, and Peter Swet. Dorothy Ann Purser as Story Editor)

Cass 1st appearance Jul 1982, so she created Cass. That's all I got. Does that jog anything? 

[j swift]

The Corrinne Jacker article is giving very Ron-C-I've-always-been-a-fan vibes.

Perhaps the lesson learned is that the audience often rejects fanfic.

Both writers tend to focus on how they could undo events of the past, as opposed to presenting a contemporary vision for their soap in the present.

Edited December 1, 2023 by j swift

[Mona Kane Croft]

Interesting writing partners:

Cenedella had followed Agnes Nixon as headwriter, and was in the position for a couple of years.  He had been quite successful at continuing Nixon's vision for AW.  Surprised he did not do a better job of advising Jacker.  

Peter Swet had been an assistant writer during Lemay's years at headwriter.  So again, I'm surprised Swet wasn't able to keep Jacker on course.

Also surprising that Jacker had been a fan since day-one, but decided to write off Pat, and had Steve drop Alice in favor of Rachel.  She must not have been a fan of the Matthews family.  LOL.  

[Contessa Donatella]

Am I the only one cynical enough to question whether that statement is true?! 

[j swift]

Controversially, I was never a fan of the Matthews either.  Pat was the only one I ever liked, and arguably she became more of a Randolph by the early 1980s.  Because she had fewer scenes with her siblings and was more focused on her twins.

Given Steve Frame and John Randolph's turbulent relationship, I would be interested to know if Steve ever referenced him to Quinn, who played a similar part in his company when he was resurrected. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by j swift

[Mona Kane Croft]

I was watching Steve pretty carefully during this period, just to see how and if he referenced his past.  I'm certain he never mentioned John Randolph, and pretty certain he never referenced any of his siblings by name. It seemed especially odd he never mentioned Willis, since Steve had just returned from Australia, and that is where Willis and Gwen also lived at the time. It would have made more sense plot-wise, if Willis had been instrumental in finding Steve in Australia, and getting him back to Bay City.  But that's not how Jacker rolled. Steve may have mentioned coming from a big family or something like that, but I don't remember him even doing that.

[DRW50]

I wonder how much of that was her choice.

[Xanthe]

In 1982 we seem to have the introductions of Bob, Henrietta, R.J., Roy, Ed, Thomasina, Louis St George, Alma Rudder, Julia Shearer, and Stacey Winthrop. Plus that was the year of Jamie's roman à clef being made into a movie. Cass was the longest-running character of these but his BFF Felicia wasn't added until 1983 under Robert Soderberg. 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

And Cecile was already there, back like 1978 maybe. 

[AbcNbc247]

I guess.

Its possible that Pat was a victim of the youth moment at the time, but someone posted an article on here a while back about Beverly Penberthy’s firing and I remember the article made it seem like her firing was all on Corinne Jacker. Apparently, she told BP that there was no story for her.

As for this most recent article, something about it seems really fishy, as though CJ wasn’t being entirely truthful and just telling the interviewer what they wanted to hear. 

Edited December 1, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[j swift]

Given the discussion on the classic Y&R thread about how even William Bell was often not consulted on the firing of actors, I often wonder if we mistake the power of writers on the casting decisions of soap productions?

For example, Harding Lemay stated his distaste for the characterization of certain actors, but he was clear in his memoir that the decision of hiring/firing was ultimately on the producer.

Edited December 2, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

I recall pointing this out last week. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Hmm. If Jacker was head writer when Julia Shearer was introduced, then it must have been Jacker who officially put Bay City in Illinois.  In one of Julia's early scenes, she mentioned she was on her way to Bay City, Illinois.  That was the first scripted mention of Illinois as AW's location.  Another of Jacker's bad decisions.  

Edited December 2, 2023 by Mona Kane Croft