Another World Discussion Thread

[Efulton]

I enjoyed Gary Tomlin & Richard Culliton's stint and would have liked for them to have stayed for at least another year.

Edited February 11, 2024 by Efulton

[Contessa Donatella]

Personally I wonder what a collaboration between Pete Lemay & Donna Swajeski might have brought about. 

[watson71]

Once Rauch left in early 1983, Allen Potter and writers Dorothy Ann Purser and Robert Soderberg cleaned up the mess Rauch left pretty quickly.  Potter continued with Gary Tomlin and Richard Culliton as writers in 1984 and the show was good.  Had Potter not retired at the end of 1984, we would not have had all the nonsense with EP Stephen Schenkel in 1985 - Rachel’s amnesia, Larry and the Miami Vice storyline, La Soliel, the Egyptian treasure, the urn with the poison dust, etc.

[Efulton]

I agree with all of this!

[Olive Randolph]

Total agreement!

[Contessa Donatella]

Hey! Long time, no see. Nice to see. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Aside from the show's creators, I would list the following as Another World's most influential head-writers:  

#1 Harding Lemay (both eras).  In his first stint, Lemay tightened the show's focus on social-class differences and created Iris, Mac, Clarice, the Frame siblings (aside from Steve), and many other long running characters.  He also paired Rachel with Mac (AW's longest running love story).  During Lemay's second period as head-writer, he brought back Iris and Vivien, is given credit for the return of Sharlene, Josie, and Russ, and made Felicia a believable living, breathing human (rather than a cartoon character).  So Lemay changed AW forever two different times.

#2 Agnes Nixon. Nixon gave Another World it's first real success in the ratings, while creating Ada, Rachel, Sam and Lahoma, the adult Russ Matthews, Steve Frame, and Lenore Curtain among others.  She did all this while still keeping the Matthews family firmly at the center of the show.  She continued the tortured romance of Bill and Missy (AW's first super-couple), and created AW's blockbuster romantic triangle -- Alice/Steve/Rachel.   Nixon changed Another World forever.   

#3 (Writer's name unknown to me) Whichever head-writer created Cass Winthrop, Felicia Gallant, and Donna Love. The period from 1979 (post-Lemay) to 1983 saw dozens of new characters come and go, yet none of them had any staying power (with the possible exception of Sandy Cory).  That bad karma ended with three new characters who lasted until the end -- Cass, Felicia, and Donna. So this head-writer changed AW forever.  And if Cass, Felicia, and Donna were not all created by the same head-writer, then I will give this credit to whichever writer created two out of the three characters.  

My opinions only.  

[AbcNbc247]

@Mona Kane Croft

Cass was created by Corinne Jacker, Felicia and Donna were created by Robert Soderbergh

[Mona Kane Croft]

Thank you.  Okay then, Robert Soderbergh would be my #3 most influential head-writer.   

[Paul Raven]

Cass came on in July 82 when Corinne Jacker was headwriter

Felicia and Donna appeared Jan 83 the Robert Soderberg/Dorothy Ann Purser era.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Very interesting to me. Irna Phillips, two proteges, two soaps marked for early cancellation, two saved soaps. Agnes Nixon saved Another World. Bill Bell saved Days of Our Lives.

[Khan]

IIRC, Robert Soderberg was also co-HW with Tom King during the climax of the Mac/Rachel/Janice/Mitch storyline, which I think was the last time AW was really good (at least for awhile).

[BetterForgotten]

And both for NBC, but I guess one could say Nixon really cut her teeth at GL and Bell at ATWT first. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, and I think CBS beckoned to Bill Bell to return! 

Agnes needed to go away from both NBC & CBS to find somewhere she was appreciated enough to do her own stuff! 

[BetterForgotten]

For Felicia alone I’d give them the edge. Poor Linda Dano also seemed to single-handedly carry the morale of the whole show in those final years as well.