Another World Discussion Thread

[teplin]

John and Felicia were a controversial couple for AW viewers. To me, they made no sense together -- even though they did try to establish John as a big-time doctor at the time, so he fit more naturally into Felicia's social circle (except it never felt natural if you were a long-time viewer). I also never believed that Felicia, even if she would have fallen in love with John, would hurt Sharlene by going after him.

That said, the story brought some wonderful, meaty material for Linda Dano, David Forsyth and especially Anna Holbrook to play. I remember a few confrontations between Dano and Holbrook that were just thrilling.

[Melroser]

I never thought John and Felicia were a viable couple and the show was just trying to find story for Linda Dano. I did like the Felicia/Sharlene rivalry but I wish it hadn't been from Felicia going after John.

Of course, I never liked the Carl/Rachel pairing either. I thought that this made no sense whatsoever on Rachel's part after all of Carl's doings in the past. I know it provided a lot of story for her kids to not approve of the relationship...but for it to go on as long as it did just makes me shake my head. This isn't to say that Vicky and Charles didn't have great chemistry because they did but I'd rather have seen them have a flirtatious rivalry than full-on relationship. It seemed the show never really tried a third in a triangle for Rachel which is a shame because I'm sure there were plenty of "known" actors who could have come on and worked well with them.

[denzo30]

I am not a big denise alexander fan. She stayed up until feb of 1989 but I think she wanted out of her contract by then. I am sure Lemay would have chose the Frames over Mckinnons. In fact, he introduced the character Evan Frame into the show and was responsible for bringing Iris and Vivian back. I did hear that Harding was very fond of Anne Heche. Ironically, the Jamie love triangle was already in play when Lemay came back but interesting since he was wrote on the steve alice and rachael triangle

Red Swan story was so stupid and the new downfall to AW

[Melroser]

I still don't think I understand the Red Swan story It was mainly to introduce Paulina as Mac's daughter, correct?

They could have done it so much easier by having the Cory family gathered for a reading of Mac's will and then this mysterious blonde comes in just in time for the surprise that Mac announced in his will he had a daughter no one knew about. Leave her part of Cory Publishing and *poof* instant rivalry with Iris and Amanda. Cali Timmins could have rocked that Alexis Carrington style.

[SoapDope]

Vicki Wyndham adopted that fake british accent when she paired up with Charles Keating. I saw that VW 25th special and to see her old way of acting in the flashbacks and the way she was acting/speaking in the current storyline was jarring.

[Paul Raven]

Re Denise Alexander. I think she wanted out once her contract was up as she is an LA girl at heart.

Also, the role of Mary never lived up to potential or created the kind of buzz as did her roles as Lesley on GH or Susan on DOOL.

As for the McKinnons,all the children had been dropped - MJ,Kathleen and Cheryl and Ben had never been brought back so Vince and Mary were parents of absentee children,thus limiting their relevance on the canvas. Only Jake was around as a surrogate child.

I think Lemay would have gone back to the Frames and Matthews as the Loves and McKinnons,supposedly the next core families had not been nurtured.

There were a lot of previous characters that had potential to return and the next generation for story possibilities.

Evan Frame was an example of that.

[amybrickwallace]

I also wonder how Lemay would have handled Doug Watson/Mac Cory's passing and its aftermath had he still been writing the show in 1989. From reading his book and interviews from over the years, I know he was very fond of Mr. Watson.

[slick jones]

Does anyone know much about Susan Harney[ex-Alice]? I saw a blurb in an old column that said she appeared on Secret Storm, Edge of Night and How to Survive a Marriage prior to her role on AW. If anyone knows anything about her earlier appearance, please fill me in.

[amybrickwallace]

All I know from reading several articles on Google News Archives and a few other random sites is that Susan Harney is a Tennessee native, born 2/1/1946, making her nearly 8 months older than Jacquie Courtney. She left AW (and New York) in 1979 along with her co-star/boyfriend Barry Jenner (who had played Evan Webster) and married him in California in 1980. Susan's AW replacement was the infamous "What's A" Wesley Ann Pfenning.

Per imdb (and take that with a grain of salt), Barry Jenner has since remarried. I read somewhere else that Jay Leno was Barry's best man, but I don't know if it was at his wedding to Susan or his current wife's. Barry Jenner is best-known to the "kids" of my generation as Lt. Murtaugh, Carl Winslow's superior, on Family Matters. He was always and forever hitting on Rachel (Telma Hopkins), only to be shot down each and every time!

As far as I could find out, Susan Harney is back living in her hometown of Murfreesboro, TN. Per imdb, her last screen credit was in 1994.

[slick jones]

I guess Harney was probably an under five or background person on those shows. Jenner is best known to nighttime soap fans as Dr. Jerry Kenderson on Dallas, and Knots Landing as Jeff Cunningham, Donna Mills' Abby's ex husband.

[cnathanielrichardson]

http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/blog/136/entry-9464-another-world-186-jake-confronts-michele/

AND...Jack and Vicky reconnect on their friendship; Rachel warns Paulina

[amybrickwallace]

Vintage treasure - Laurie Heinemann's acceptance speech for the Best Actress Emmy in 1978, for playing the first Sharlene Frame. Ironically, the actor presenting the award had spent many years on AW as Walter Curtin - Val Dufour (who was then starring on SFT). It's audio only, and starts at about the 52:35 mark:

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Edited November 30, 2014 by amybrickwallace

[Bright Eyes]

One of the first major upsets in Daytime Emmy history.

[DRW50]

I think there were rumors that she and Irene Dailey won in part because the panels did not like Beverlee McKinsey and Victoria Wyndham personally so they showed it via voting. Not sure if it's true or not, as they did get nominated.

I have a scan somewhere of Laurie from about 15 years ago, talking about the whole thing. She had to buy two reels from the network, as she was long off the show by this point - I think it was a therapy session, and Sharlene saying goodbye to Emma. I think she borrowed her dress from wardrobe maybe.

Didn't she become a therapist?

[KateW]

1978 Lead Actress race: Mary Fickett, Susan Lucci (her first nomination), Laurie Heineman (winner), Beverlee McKinsey, Victoria Wyndham, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Jennifer Harmon

1979 Lead Actress race: Irene Dailey (winner), Beverlee McKinsey, Victoria Wyndham, Susan Seaforth Hayes, Nancy Addison, Helen Gallagher

Beverlee McKinsey also Lead Actress nominations in 1977 and 1980 (losing to Helen Gallagher and Judith Light, respectively), but she was never nominated for her work on Guiding Light. Victoria Wyndham wasn't nominated again after 1979.