13 minutes ago, Tisy-Lish said:

I believe you are correct. There was no plane crash, and only one Gregory died (in a car accident, as you said). All the others just moved away from Bay City. And didn't one Gregory remain on the show for a significant time, after the others had left? I'm assuming that may have been Ernest, because of his involvement with Janet Matthews.

I'd love to know how the "plane crash" myth got started. But I've heard it repeated -- even on talk shows with soap opera guests -- and very often Another World is not mentioned, just the "fact" that one soap opera killed-off an entire family in a plane crash. And when that comes up, I always know they are talking about Another World and the Gregorys.

Ernest, who was the first member of the family to be introduced in 1964 was also the last to go. He remained in Bay City after everyone else had left (or, in the case of his brother, died). When his romance with Janet Matthews fizzled, he also left town.

According to the AWHP

Alex Gregory

First Appearance:July 2, 1965
Last Appearance:October 27, 1965

He died in a car crash

Ernest Gregory

First Appearance: September 8, 1964
Last Appearance: December 7, 1965

Karen Gregory

First Appearance: July 2, 1965
Last Appearance: November 9, 1965

The parents were recurring players with a few appearances

The Baxters stayed on till Sept 65, so most of Lipton's run.

Lipton was there March -November 65

1965
Intro-7: Katherine Corning, Fred Douglas, Tony Douglas, Alex Gregory, Karen Gregory, Helen Moore, Peggy Harris Nolan
Recast-2: Alex Canaan as Tony Douglas, Ellen Madison as Karen Gregory
Visit-1: Russ Matthews
Character Departures-4: Ken Baxter, Laura Baxter, Ernest Gregory, Karen Gregory
Actor Departures-2: Michael Walker as Tony Douglas, Ellen Weston as Karen Gregory
Death-1: Alex Gregory
Wedding: John and Pat
Divorce/Dissolution/Annulment-1: Alex and Karen
Head Writer Team-3: Irna Phillips and William Bell, James Lipton, and Agnes Nixon

All of the characters bar Helen and Katherine (and possibly Fred)were brought in under Lipton.

According to the AWHP

15 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

Alex Gregory

First Appearance:July 2, 1965
Last Appearance:October 27, 1965

He died in a car crash

Ernest Gregory

First Appearance: September 8, 1964
Last Appearance: December 7, 1965

Karen Gregory

First Appearance: July 2, 1965
Last Appearance: November 9, 1965

The parents were recurring players with a few appearances

The Baxters stayed on till Sept 65, so most of Lipton's run.

Lipton was there March -November 65

1965
Intro-7: Katherine Corning, Fred Douglas, Tony Douglas, Alex Gregory, Karen Gregory, Helen Moore, Peggy Harris Nolan
Recast-2: Alex Canaan as Tony Douglas, Ellen Madison as Karen Gregory
Visit-1: Russ Matthews
Character Departures-4: Ken Baxter, Laura Baxter, Ernest Gregory, Karen Gregory
Actor Departures-2: Michael Walker as Tony Douglas, Ellen Weston as Karen Gregory
Death-1: Alex Gregory
Wedding: John and Pat
Divorce/Dissolution/Annulment-1: Alex and Karen
Head Writer Team-3: Irna Phillips and William Bell, James Lipton, and Agnes Nixon

All of the characters bar Helen and Katherine (and possibly Fred)were brought in under Lipton.

So you're saying Lipton created Peggy? Well, at least he did something good. Peggy was wonderful.

19 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

Ernest, who was the first member of the family to be introduced in 1964 was also the last to go. He remained in Bay City after everyone else had left (or, in the case of his brother, died). When his romance with Janet Matthews fizzled, he also left town.

Here's a way back question for very long-term fans of AW -- I have a vague memory of Mark Lenard returning to Another World for a few episodes early in the Lemay era (sometime between 1971 and 1975). I do not remember the name of the character, but he was treated like a returning character. His character was friendly with John and Pat Randolph, and had scenes in their home. And I believe he also had scenes with Jim and Mary Matthews. He was not involved in any plots, and was treated like an old friend who returned to town for a few days. The only reason I remember is because I recognized Mark Lenard from Star Trek. At that time (early-1970s), I was not aware that Lenard had previously played Ernest Gregory on the show.

So, does anyone else remember this? And is it possible Lenard returned as Ernest Gregory for a couple of days? Maybe Mark Lenard was in New York performing in a play or something, and Paul Rauch got him back to AW for a few days, hoping to boost the ratings?? Did he return as Ernest Gregory? I have no idea. But he was treated by the other characters as if he had returned to town.

I've discussed this with Eddie Drueding a few times, and he has been unable to find any evidence in scripts or synopses to support my memory of Lenard's brief return. Just thought I would ask the question here, and see if anyone has any memory of this??

It appears that the Gregory parents were recast during their short runs on the show. The second actor to play Bert Gregory was House Jameson, who would have a memorable stint as Nathan Bunker on The Doctors a few years later. The second actress to play Cora was Florence Williams, who would later play Althea’s mother Edna Hamilton on The Doctors. I knew that Ellen Weston had played the role of Karen, but was never aware that Ellen Madison had replaced Weston about a month before the character was phased out. Does anyone know why the role was recast?

Is the rumor true that ABC expressed interest in taking over the show after NBC cancelled it? I wonder if that had come true, where on their schedule would they have put it...mornings?

I felt like by the end the show had gone a bit off the rails, but I was so sad to see it go off the air.

19 minutes ago, 1974mdp said:

Is the rumor true that ABC expressed interest in taking over the show after NBC cancelled it? I wonder if that had come true, where on their schedule would they have put it...mornings?

I felt like by the end the show had gone a bit off the rails, but I was so sad to see it go off the air.

Yes- ABC did express interest in AW and when that didn’t happen, they wanted to get characters from the show. That didn’t happen either. I’ve always thought that Disney wanted the show to place on Soapnet, which would debut 6 months- January 2000- after AW’s cancellation.