Courtney has said in interviews that she liked Wyndham a lot, and that Victoria was very much into her character. Wyndham has also been quoted as saying she liked Courtney and Reinholt, although back in 1975 she wondered if it was a good idea for Reinholt to join OLTL after leaving AW, because he seemed unhappy working within the soap opera medium. Considering how much Reinholt later badmouthed OLTL, claiming its writers were even worse than AW's (!!!), and how Reinholt ranted his way out the door of the ABC soap, Wyndham was probably right. Using a huge knife to stab into a cake at the OLTL anniversary party one year, producer Joseph Stuart joked about the cake being George Reinholt's heart, LOL.

 

I have a letter to the editor of Afternoon TV Stars from Reinholt, published soon after he was fired by AW's Paul Pauch, in which he says that both he and Courtney had originally felt Wyndham was miscast as the third part of the Alice/Steven/Rachel triangle. Courtney made a comment once about the cast being miffed about all the new, aggressive actresses coming aboard AW and getting attention for their work that perhaps others, like Robin Strasser, deserved more. This was before Wyndham arrived, however, and it sounded like she was referring to Susan Sullivan.

 

I tend to believe Courtney and Wyndham got along fairly well. It was just Reinholt who could be prickly, based on so many other actors' comments. At this point, however, 40+ years later, we'll never really know. Heck, even Paul Rauch, who was so critical of Reinholt and Courtney back in the 1970s, praised Courtney when she passed away a few years ago, calling her a "great gal" who always gave first-rate performances. 

Sometimes you have to read in between the lines of interviews and comments by actors, producers etc...I remember reading over the years that several people from AW and OLTL said Reinholt was his own worst enemy. He wound up pissing a lot of people off and nobody would hire him. He was living in a converted garage and supported himself as an escort. Someone posted that he later came out and had profiles on same sex dating sites. 

 

Sometimes you have to read in between the lines of interviews and comments by actors, producers etc...I remember reading over the years that several people from AW and OLTL said Reinholt was his own worst enemy. He wound up pissing a lot of people off and nobody would hire him. He was living in a converted garage and supported himself as an escort. Someone posted that he later came out and had profiles on same sex dating sites. 

Yes, Reinholt had certain issues while working on both AW and OLTL...and I don't think we even had to read through the lines to see it. His problems were pretty overt. Whether or not his loud, public complaints about the shows' writing and producing were justified (and in certain key areas, I  agreed with his criticisms), by all accounts he must have been a handful. He later spoke about working as an escort, claiming that he went out on platonic dates with fans who wanted to spend time in his company.

 

As a viewer, my principle concern was what he brought to my TV screen, however, and for most of his tenure on AW, he gave complex, mesmerizing performances, and had great on-screen chemistry with Jacqueline Courtney, Robin Strasser, and even Victoria Wyndham.

 

Sometimes you have to read in between the lines of interviews and comments by actors, producers etc...I remember reading over the years that several people from AW and OLTL said Reinholt was his own worst enemy. He wound up pissing a lot of people off and nobody would hire him. He was living in a converted garage and supported himself as an escort. Someone posted that he later came out and had profiles on same sex dating sites. 

Yes, Reinholt had certain issues while working on both AW and OLTL...and I don't think we even had to read through the lines to see it. His problems were pretty overt. Whether or not his loud, public complaints about the shows' writing and producing were justified (and in certain key areas, I  agreed with his criticisms), by all accounts he must have been a handful. He later spoke about working as an escort, claiming that he went out on platonic dates with fans who wanted to spend time in his company.

 

As a viewer, my principle concern was what he brought to my TV screen, however, and for most of his tenure on AW, he gave complex, mesmerizing performances, and had great on-screen chemistry with Jacqueline Courtney, Robin Strasser, and even Victoria Wyndham.

I agree he was a great performer from the material I have seen. His ego just got the better of him. In the 90's he went on Sally Jesse and complained about Soap Opera Digest listing him # 1 on their list of most difficult soap stars. He saw it at the super market check out.

 

I agree he was a great performer from the material I have seen. His ego just got the better of him. In the 90's he went on Sally Jesse and complained about Soap Opera Digest listing him # 1 on their list of most difficult soap stars. He saw it at the super market check out.

Yes, that SJR clip is available on youtube, and to be fair, SOD labeled Reinholt difficult, but we all know he had had to deal with Harding Lemay and Paul Rauch on AW, neither of whom were fragile, retiring flowers, themselves. Lemay's haughtiness and hubris are evidenced in his own autobiography, as well as in many press interviews he has granted over the years, and Paul Rauch was...well, Paul Rauch, not known for always treating people with respect or decency. Had Reinholt been working with another writer and producer, would he have become so abrasive? Who knows? But I find it hard to believe that with Lemay and Rauch in the mix, 100% of the conflict arose from Reinholt.

James Douglas, who was the first actor cast in the role of Mr. Carrington, has passed away.

 

I've been watching those 1994 clips, belatedly, mainly for Carmen Duncan's last hurrah as Iris. As I've often bemoaned on this board, I never understood what TPTB were thinking, shipping a veteran character off to prison never to be heard from again. After seeing a good deal of the storyline again now, I have a new theory: Could AW have been in negotiations with Beverlee McKinsey to make a cameo appearance as Iris to wrap up the story sometime after Duncan left?

 

I think the timing works…BM came out of retirement to appear in a couple of episodes of GH just a few months after CD left AW, and McKinsey was quoted as saying that she only did that because she needed a TV credit to maintain her union's health insurance. She was living in LA at that time, but she could have flown to NY for a month or two to usher Iris off the show permanently, in a manner more becoming the character. Maybe the show was even toying with killing Iris off, i.e., taking a bullet after teaming up with Carl and Rachel to bring Evan down or whatever.

 

Whether Duncan left of her own volition or the show wanted to write the character out to save money, I'm still inclined to believe that this was not meant to be the end for Iris's character. Even though she was partially responsible for Carl's shooting and arguably deserved to go to jail, a 15-year sentence (handed down right after the jury read the verdict!) was so over-the-top — especially when Carl had fully recovered — and Evan was still being positioned as the villain at this point. Iris going on the lam or something would have actually been a more expedient exit, and less messy if Evan's "redemption" was already planned. The only dramatic reason I can think of for rushing Iris off to prison like they did was to up the stakes when she returned, presumably for Evan's downfall.

 

What I could never figure out, though, was how another Iris recast would have fit into the canvas. It doesn't see like AW was all that invested in the character at that point. Whereas a short-term McKinsey return might have generated some buzz, which AW could have used at the time, and by all accounts she wouldn't have wanted to stay long. Obviously no deal was finalized by the time CD left, and the GH role came along for BM — at which point she would have had no reason to come back to NY, likely for a longer commitment than GH wanted. Meanwhile, I believe CD left the country. All of which would have left the character of Iris in limbo.

 

Can anyone recall speculation along these lines back in 1994, or anytime in the 20-plus years since? What, if any, impact do folks think such a stunt would have had for AW at that point?

Edited March 20, 20169 yr by DeliaIrisFan

 

I've been watching those 1994 clips, belatedly, mainly for Carmen Duncan's last hurrah as Iris. As I've often bemoaned on this board, I never understood what TPTB were thinking, shipping a veteran character off to prison never to be heard from again. After seeing a good deal of the storyline again now, I have a new theory: Could AW have been in negotiations with Beverlee McKinsey to make a cameo appearance as Iris to wrap up the story sometime after Duncan left?

 

I think the timing works…BM came out of retirement to appear in a couple of episodes of GH just a few months after CD left AW, and McKinsey was quoted as saying that she only did that because she needed a TV credit to maintain her union's health insurance. She was living in LA at that time, but she could have flown to NY for a month or two to usher Iris off the show permanently, in a manner more becoming the character. Maybe the show was even toying with killing Iris off, i.e., taking a bullet after teaming up with Carl and Rachel to bring Evan down or whatever.

 

Whether Duncan left of her own volition or the show wanted to write the character out to save money, I'm still inclined to believe that this was not meant to be the end for Iris's character. Even though she was partially responsible for Carl's shooting and arguably deserved to go to jail, a 15-year sentence (handed down right after the jury read the verdict!) was so over-the-top — especially when Carl had fully recovered — and Evan was still being positioned as the villain at this point. Iris going on the lam or something would have actually been a more expedient exit, and less messy if Evan's "redemption" was already planned. The only dramatic reason I can think of for rushing Iris off to prison like they did was to up the stakes when she returned, presumably for Evan's downfall.

 

What I could never figure out, though, was how another Iris recast would have fit into the canvas. It doesn't see like AW was all that invested in the character at that point. Whereas a short-term McKinsey return might have generated some buzz, which AW could have used at the time, and by all accounts she wouldn't have wanted to stay long. Obviously no deal was finalized by the time CD left, and the GH role came along for BM — at which point she would have had no reason to come back to NY, likely for a longer commitment than GH wanted. Meanwhile, I believe CD left the country. All of which would have left the character of Iris in limbo.

 

Can anyone recall speculation along these lines back in 1994, or anytime in the 20-plus years since? What, if any, impact do folks think such a stunt would have had for AW at that point?

It has been documented that AW's last executive producer, Chris Goutman, tried to lure Beverlee McKinsey out of retirement for a short story arc to jumpstart the show.  For a number of reasons this never happened in late 1998-99.  In my opinion, this story arc was probably being the "Chief" behind the Lumina Corporation.  Remember how disjointed and illogical that story was.  If Iris was the chief, Jordan Stark would have been her henchman like Evan was when she tried to take over Cory Publishing in 1989.  Iris could have been there to stir up trouble for a few months, then leave Jordan in Bay City as she left town.

 

I also think AW missed a big opportunity in its last episode.  When Grant turned up alive in Tanquir, think what a treat it would have been if Grant was plotting against the citizens of Bay City with McKinsey's Iris and Nancy Frangione's Cecile as they toast to "revenge."  AW did not have a lot of time to wrap up, but that would have been a treat to long time fans of the show if three of AW's greatest villains appeared in the last episode plotting their revenge.

Anna Stuart (Donna Love Hudon) has started appearing as lab technician Toni Ferra in Retro TV's episodes of The Doctors that are currently airing from February, 1971.

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3yn45u_hope-memorial-thur-feb-4-mon-feb-8-1971-premmpted-feb-5-for-apollo-14-moonwalk_tv

 

 

 

It has been documented that AW's last executive producer, Chris Goutman, tried to lure Beverlee McKinsey out of retirement for a short story arc to jumpstart the show.  For a number of reasons this never happened in late 1998-99.  In my opinion, this story arc was probably being the "Chief" behind the Lumina Corporation.  Remember how disjointed and illogical that story was.  If Iris was the chief, Jordan Stark would have been her henchman like Evan was when she tried to take over Cory Publishing in 1989.  Iris could have been there to stir up trouble for a few months, then leave Jordan in Bay City as she left town.

Interesting... I had heard that BM (and I believe CD as well) were approached about returning for the finale, but I didn't know that even a short-term return before the show was actually canceled was ever under consideration. It definitely would have been a better story than what ended up playing out with Jordan Stark, et al. I still am curious, though, as to whether an appearance by McKinsey immediately after Duncan departed might have been in the cards at some point — and whether that explains why so many loose ends were left hanging when Iris left Bay City that seemingly could not have been resolved in a logical or dramatically satisfying way without her returning.

 

 

In both cases, I'm still trying to imagine what kind of attention, if any, a BM/Iris return would have garnered at the time, and whether it would have been in time to stop (let alone reverse) the ratings decline...

 

I've been watching those 1994 clips, belatedly, mainly for Carmen Duncan's last hurrah as Iris. As I've often bemoaned on this board, I never understood what TPTB were thinking, shipping a veteran character off to prison never to be heard from again. After seeing a good deal of the storyline again now, I have a new theory: Could AW have been in negotiations with Beverlee McKinsey to make a cameo appearance as Iris to wrap up the story sometime after Duncan left?

 

I think the timing works…BM came out of retirement to appear in a couple of episodes of GH just a few months after CD left AW, and McKinsey was quoted as saying that she only did that because she needed a TV credit to maintain her union's health insurance. She was living in LA at that time, but she could have flown to NY for a month or two to usher Iris off the show permanently, in a manner more becoming the character. Maybe the show was even toying with killing Iris off, i.e., taking a bullet after teaming up with Carl and Rachel to bring Evan down or whatever.

 

Whether Duncan left of her own volition or the show wanted to write the character out to save money, I'm still inclined to believe that this was not meant to be the end for Iris's character. Even though she was partially responsible for Carl's shooting and arguably deserved to go to jail, a 15-year sentence (handed down right after the jury read the verdict!) was so over-the-top — especially when Carl had fully recovered — and Evan was still being positioned as the villain at this point. Iris going on the lam or something would have actually been a more expedient exit, and less messy if Evan's "redemption" was already planned. The only dramatic reason I can think of for rushing Iris off to prison like they did was to up the stakes when she returned, presumably for Evan's downfall.

 

What I could never figure out, though, was how another Iris recast would have fit into the canvas. It doesn't see like AW was all that invested in the character at that point. Whereas a short-term McKinsey return might have generated some buzz, which AW could have used at the time, and by all accounts she wouldn't have wanted to stay long. Obviously no deal was finalized by the time CD left, and the GH role came along for BM — at which point she would have had no reason to come back to NY, likely for a longer commitment than GH wanted. Meanwhile, I believe CD left the country. All of which would have left the character of Iris in limbo.

 

Can anyone recall speculation along these lines back in 1994, or anytime in the 20-plus years since? What, if any, impact do folks think such a stunt would have had for AW at that point?

I highly doubt that BM was being considered coming back.  She was also very aged at this point. Remember her role was casted as a younger person..  BM at this point was well into her 60's I think.  It would have been great to bring CD back for the last episode.  At that point, the role was really hers and not sure if the ratings would have changed bringing BM back since most of the audience had either left or there was a new a new audience

 

I've been watching those 1994 clips, belatedly, mainly for Carmen Duncan's last hurrah as Iris. As I've often bemoaned on this board, I never understood what TPTB were thinking, shipping a veteran character off to prison never to be heard from again. After seeing a good deal of the storyline again now, I have a new theory: Could AW have been in negotiations with Beverlee McKinsey to make a cameo appearance as Iris to wrap up the story sometime after Duncan left?

 

I think the timing works…BM came out of retirement to appear in a couple of episodes of GH just a few months after CD left AW, and McKinsey was quoted as saying that she only did that because she needed a TV credit to maintain her union's health insurance. She was living in LA at that time, but she could have flown to NY for a month or two to usher Iris off the show permanently, in a manner more becoming the character. Maybe the show was even toying with killing Iris off, i.e., taking a bullet after teaming up with Carl and Rachel to bring Evan down or whatever.

 

Whether Duncan left of her own volition or the show wanted to write the character out to save money, I'm still inclined to believe that this was not meant to be the end for Iris's character. Even though she was partially responsible for Carl's shooting and arguably deserved to go to jail, a 15-year sentence (handed down right after the jury read the verdict!) was so over-the-top — especially when Carl had fully recovered — and Evan was still being positioned as the villain at this point. Iris going on the lam or something would have actually been a more expedient exit, and less messy if Evan's "redemption" was already planned. The only dramatic reason I can think of for rushing Iris off to prison like they did was to up the stakes when she returned, presumably for Evan's downfall.

 

What I could never figure out, though, was how another Iris recast would have fit into the canvas. It doesn't see like AW was all that invested in the character at that point. Whereas a short-term McKinsey return might have generated some buzz, which AW could have used at the time, and by all accounts she wouldn't have wanted to stay long. Obviously no deal was finalized by the time CD left, and the GH role came along for BM — at which point she would have had no reason to come back to NY, likely for a longer commitment than GH wanted. Meanwhile, I believe CD left the country. All of which would have left the character of Iris in limbo.

 

Can anyone recall speculation along these lines back in 1994, or anytime in the 20-plus years since? What, if any, impact do folks think such a stunt would have had for AW at that point?

I highly doubt that BM was being considered coming back.  She was also very aged at this point. Remember her role was casted as a younger person..  BM at this point was well into her 60's I think.  It would have been great to bring CD back for the last episode. At that point, the role was really hers and not sure if the ratings would have changed bringing BM back since most of the audience had either left or there was a new a new audience

There was hardly a huge age difference between Bev and Carmen. At the time of the cancellation, Bev was 64. Carmen was 57. 

 

 

 

I also think AW missed a big opportunity in its last episode.  When Grant turned up alive in Tanquir, think what a treat it would have been if Grant was plotting against the citizens of Bay City with McKinsey's Iris and Nancy Frangione's Cecile as they toast to "revenge."  AW did not have a lot of time to wrap up, but that would have been a treat to long time fans of the show if three of AW's greatest villains appeared in the last episode plotting their revenge.

 

 

Chris Goutman and P&G were simply stupid and incompetent, and no one in charge had any clue abouthow to handle AW or even ATWT. Watching the final episodes of both serials was painful. Goutman brought back fan favorite Sam Groom (ex-Russ Matthews) for AW's finale, but to what conceivable purpose? Just to play an anonymous, irrelevant nobody and not the patriarch of the Matthews family, the show's original core family? So were were treated to a gorilla, but not any returning Matthews or other longtime fan favorites? So frustrating!

 

Completely agree that if they went to the bother to get Sam Groom to appear in the last episode, then it should have been as Russ Matthews.   It would have been nice to see Irene Dailey's Liz Matthews one more time as well.  Dailey appeared at the 1999 Daytime Emmys during the Best Actor/Actress segment.  I'm sure she would have returned to AW if she was asked.

 

While Carolyn the Gorilla ( named after longtime AW writer Carolyn Culliton) was a nod to how Cass and Felicia originally met Wallingford in 1984- this could have been handled earlier in the last week of episodes.   More time should have been spent on Carl regaining his memory with flashbacks galore- much like Victoria Wyndham's 25th anniversary episode.  That would have made more sense with Rachel's sweep of the Cory living room looking at pictures and saying good bye to all the past characters on the show.  It also would have been nice to hear a voice over of Mac's (Douglass Watson) "I am grateful for the awareness of the sheer munificence of life..." speech one last time before they showed his freeze frame toasting the audience.

 

All and all, the AW ending was head and shoulders above the ATWT ending considering the fact that AW had about 6 weeks to wrap up production, while ATWT had about 8 months from its cancellation announcement til it left the air.  ATWT treated some of its vets terribly, especially Eileen Fulton (Lisa) who was treated like a day player in the final episode.  At least AW had the good sense to put Rachel front and center in the last scene of the program. 

Edited March 28, 20169 yr by watson71

I think that Cass' wedding should've been done earlier in the final week and the final episode should've focused heavily on the Cory, Matthews, and Frame clans. 

 

I agree that Sam Groom should've been brought back as Russ, who decided to return to Bay City and take over at Bay City General Hospital. They should've reached out and brought Jacqueline Courtney back too. 

 

This show should've went back to basics and respected the show's history. While I don't hate the show's final episode, it could've been better. The only thing that appeased me was the final scene with Rachel, which I wish was longer and consisted of more pics of AW's great characters. 

Of the P&G shows, only GL seemed to go to any effort to bring back former castmates for the finale. In a way,that almost became the final insult to faithful viewers.I remember Ellen Wheeler saying various people were back because they had a place in people's hearts etc yet in saying that they hadn't bothered with these characters previously. If that's who viewers wanted to see then why weren't they already onscreen?

James Noble, who appeared on Another World as well as As the World Turns, The Doctors, and A World Apart, has passed away at the age of 94.

He is also remembered as the Governor on the ABC comedy series Benson.