Another World Discussion Thread

[DRW50]

 

The other problem with Brittany was she was not only introduced as deaf, but her deafness was caused from a flood that killed the child she had with Catlin. (I think Catlin had assumed she was also dead, or something). On paper, such a heavy backstory makes sense for turning a character "bad," but it can easily just feel exploitive and crass. Then they seemed to start a lighter romance with her old EON partner Chris Holder as Peter, only to replace him and have Peter become an [!@#$%^&*]. 

[RavenWhitney]

Why was P&G determined to keep Gillian Spencer as a co-headwriter? She was paired with Sam Radcliffe, then David Cherrill, then finally Sam Hall all within a few months. Not sure if it was hack Shenkel who hired her; he had no business as a soap EP.  He went over to AMC as EP for a short run (I think he developed cancer and had to quit) and he hired Spencer as a story consultant on that show.  Sharon Gabet mentioned that Spencer created the Brittney character. What a mess.  But Whitesell and DePriest did even more damage. Whitesell was a good director period. Spencer was a good actress and good script writer period.  End of story, P&G often overlooked the veterans on the production staff for EP roles.  When I watch episodes from 82- to early 85 I'm struck by how good the show was; it had stabilized especially under Potter/Soderberg/Purser and they gave the show legs again. It felt more like a more up to date Lemay version without all Lemay's boring scenes and awful dialog. Casting was stellar. Sets, costumes. It all worked. I suspect NBC kept interfering as Days became more popular and cultish and outlandish.  

[tune_in_tomorrow]

Watson, your memory of 1985 AW pretty much matches mine! The only thing I remember a little differently is that Brittany regained her hearing before becoming a villain. I might be wrong - obviously it's been a long time - but my recollection was that she was still deemed to be "good" or a victim for her first several months on the show, both to other characters as well as the audience. Her character and that of Peter were all over the place later in '85 and into '86. No wonder Gabet was unhappy... nobody knew who Brittany was supposed to be.

 

Watson's description of Carl explains why I found Rachel's marriage to him offensive when I tuned back in for the final couple of weeks after not watching for a decade. He was not an antihero or a misunderstood character, but an out-and-out villain. It makes no sense that Rachel would forgive him, let alone marry him, after what he did to her and her family. It really soured the ending IMO. I didn't watch any of the story of his redemption so when I read about the propping of Ben on DAYS, I just think it's been done before. Unfortunately, I think soap viewers are more likely to enjoy what they see if they have short memories.

Edited August 14, 2020 by tune_in_tomorrow

[AbcNbc247]

Nothing will ever be as bad as Ben's redemption lol.

 

I think Kevin was the only character that was sacrificed in order to prop Carl, but he was always written as a little unscrupulous so I don't think it was much of a surprise when he was written out as a part of Carl's redemption. I will admit though that AW did take it to the extreme by having a woman fall in love with the man who tried to kill her, more than once. But everybody's performances in the storyline made it worth watching.

[watson71]

 

From the Alma Rudder murder mystery in 1983 to the end of 1984, AW was great and must see TV.  While the ratings the show got improved, AW was never able to raise their ratings from #8 or #9.   I suspect had the ratings risen higher, Allen Potter would have stayed on as EP.  Originally, P&G was going to transfer Mary Ellis Bunim from ATWT to AW, but she went to Santa Barbara instead.  Not sure where P&G found Stephen Schenkel, but he was not a good EP and did AW no favors.  

[victoria foxton]

 

  

 

[Efulton]

As bad as Schenkel was Bunim would have been a disaster! 

[robbwolff]

 

Does anyone know what the situation was with Linda Elstad? Soap Opera Digest announced in early 1984 that she appointed head writer of Another World. While she wrote for the show that year, I don't think she was ever credited as head writer. Soap Opera Digest featured a brief interview with her where she previewed one storyline involving Donna Love seeking to break down gender lines by joining an all male club.

[BetterForgotten]

Didn’t Potter retire due to ill health? I know by the time he passed away, one of the press clippings said he had fought a long battle with cancer.

 

It did seem strange after being EP of GL for years, P&G sent him back to AW and he only stayed for like a year.

[Efulton]

According to We Love Soaps he did not die until 1995 but it is possible he fought a long battle with cancer as you stated.

 

https://www.welovesoaps.net/2012/06/historyjune5.html?m=1

[Xanthe]

 

Since we have been discussing 1985 I spent too long trying to understand how little Kevin Thatcher had been sacrificed before I figured out it was adult Kevin Anderson referred to here. I thought it was too bad that Alice and Liz took Kevin Thatcher offscreen and he was never relevant again.

 

 

It was not a flood but a boat trip to Alaska. Catlin and Brittany and their young son Evan all went overboard and were separated from each other. He believed that both Brittany and Evan had died (bodies had been recovered and buried). I don't know if there was ever any clear explanation for why after Zane rescued her they were unable to find Catlin. On the one hand she only knew him as Josh Peterson. On the other he was still using the name Josh Peterson when he came to Bay City, so there could have been a trail?

 

I don't think they intended Brittany to be a villain initially. She was stubborn and single-minded about getting Catlin back, though, which made her treat Sally callously. I think Kevin was the only person she was ever kind to -- all of her other relationships seemed to be focused on getting what *she* wanted (which was always (1) Catlin and then later (2) baby Peter Reginald (secretly called Catlin behind Peter's back)). If they had wanted her to be sympathetic they could have had her support another character instead of always being about herself. I don't know whether it was Sharon Gabet who decided to lean into being unsympathetic or the writers who didn't think there was any reason to shade her character, but they wound up in a really uncomfortable place where Brittany was being abused and threatened by Peter and it seemed close to being a fair punishment for her treatment of him as well as a ploy to make her sympathetic as a victim. Reading through the summary of 1985 I was thinking what it could have been like if instead of Sally, deaf Brittany had been elevated as the Le Soleil Woman and had some interest and conflict unrelated to Catlin and Sally.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Does anyone know the name of the British actor originally hired to play Reginald Love?  According to John Considine's autobiography (and a few other sources too, I think), AW hired a well known British actor for the role of Reginald, and that actor worked in the studio for one day.  At the end of the day, he quit -- unable to bear the pace of daytime tv.  It was then they called Considine (who had auditioned for the role), and asked him to come to work asap.   

 

Someone must know the name of the British actor.  Any idea who it was?  

[watson71]

 

Potter stayed at AW a little over a year and a half.  You have to give him his due that he did clean up the mess that Paul Rauch and Corrine Jacker made of the show rather quickly and got the show on the right track.  The only fault I can find with Potter's tenure was that they brought back Jacqueline Courtney's Alice with a lot of fanfare for the 20th Anniversary, but gave her little to do but be a supporting character in Sally's storyline.

[Efulton]

I’ve read a lot of complaints about how Jacqueline Courtney was wasted but when I rewatched 1984-85 on YouTube I didn’t agree.  Yes she was there to support Sally but she also had a romance with Mark and was a mentor to Thomasina.  I thought her reintroduction was effectively done. 

[ScottyBman]

Anna Stuart!!!!  She looks great!  All of them look great and I loved that she and Kale have maintained a friendship throughout the years!  I also loved how Kale mentioned the 4th Vicky!  What a great side note.  Alicia Coppola's commentary was also hilarious.  The best episode of this web interview series.  :-)