On 2/28/2024 at 7:20 AM, Donna L. Bridges said:

This is not strictly AW, so sorry about that, up front. This is more meta. I have an idea for a new discussion thread. It would be named something like this: 
ALL SOAPS ALL Channels Cross Talk & Meta
I think we keep going OT in specific soap threads on discussions that cross over different shows & perhaps we need a thread where this would always be on topic

There's already a thread for that:
"ALL: The "Soapourri" Thread"
https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/65864-all-the-soapourri-thread/

 **** Edit to clarify that that thread has a specific purpose outlined by the person who started it.
It might not be what you want.

Edited March 4, 20241 yr by janea4old

Just now, janea4old said:

There's already a thread for that:
"ALL: The "Soapourri" Thread"
https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/65864-all-the-soapourri-thread/

 

Okay. I never had any idea what "Soapourri" meant in this context. Issue solved. No further discussion necessary. 

But, Mona, I meant it to be a place where these conversations would ideally originate. I agree that moving discussions is problematic.

Going back to a pre 1975 character you would have liked brought back, how about Mitchell Dru? They could have revealed that he was really a lothario, and that he was also Cass Winthrop's true biological father 😂 And of course, being the only old guy in town, they'd finally have to pair him with Ada 😅

Edited February 28, 20241 yr by Jdee43

1 hour ago, Jdee43 said:

Going back to a pre 1975 character you would have liked brought back, how about Mitchell Dru? They could have revealed that he was really a lothario, and that he was also Cass Winthrop's true biological father 😂 And of course, being the only old guy in town, they'd finally have to pair him with Ada 😅

I'm not sure Mitchell Dru liked women.  

5 minutes ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

I'm not sure Mitchell Dru liked women.  

I'm not sure Ada liked men. 

9 hours ago, Mona Kane Croft said:

I think it is unrealistic to expect an end to the occasional discussion the firings of 1975 (Dwyer, Reinholt, and Courtney).  This is after all, an Another World discussion thread.  Those firings were shocking at the time, and very unique decisions in the entire history of daytime.  Fans, especially long-term fans, have strong opinions about something that was very important to them at the time, and we enjoy speculating and revisiting that part of AW's history.  I understand it can seem repetitive, but nearly every topic on this entire message board has been discussed ad infinitum. Frankly, there isn't much new to discuss in the history of cancelled soap operas.  If we criticize every repetitive topic, there won't be much action here in the future.  Of course not every topic is of interest to everyone, that should be expected.  Just my opinion.   

Exactly. Nobody should expect people to stop discussing topics they are bored with. One can always move on, right?

6 hours ago, vetsoapfan said:

What I meant was, that I tried twice to put my participation in the discussion to rest by posting, "...it's true: you have every right to disagree. There is not, nor should there be, forced conformity of opinion." And then later, "Sometimes the wires of communication get tangled. it happens." Both comments were designed to let the issue drop, since agreeing to disagree and then moving on works best when different people have opposing, firmly-held viewpoints.

Perfectly said, from top to bottom. 👏

I daresay that certain debates will rage on forever among internet commentators:

https://neal.fun/lets-settle-this/

For soap fans, in particular, viewers have been rehashing and debating Maureen Bauer's death on TGL for decades. Ditto: "Who was the better Rachel on AW: Strasser or Wyndham?" And, "Do sci-fi and camp elements belong on daytime TV?" Not to mention, "Should ailing, long-suffering soaps just be cancelled and put out of their misery?" 

The list (and the debates!) go on.

You are 100% right when you point out that not every subject will be of interest to every person. But that's just the way message boards work.🤷‍♂️

Exactly. 

6 hours ago, Efulton said:

Or you could scroll past any conversation you do not want to take part in like the rest of us do.

Well said!

❤️

5 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

@Efulton @Mona Kane Croft @robbwolff @vetsoapfan @j swift @Paul Raven @Xanthe @Althea Davis @danfling @asafi @Sapounopera @Aragorn @ranger1rg @FrenchFan @MichaelGL @Dr Neil Curtis @DramatistDreamer @kalbir @DRW50 @AbcNbc247 @janea4old @carolineg @soapfan770 @Taoboi 

This is not strictly AW, so sorry about that, up front. This is more meta. I have an idea for a new discussion thread. It would be named something like this: 

ALL SOAPS ALL Channels Cross Talk & Meta

I think we keep going OT in specific soap threads on discussions that cross over different shows & perhaps we need a thread where this would always be on topic. On my way home yesterday I put this all together in my head & planned to implement it. Well, instead the GH current discussion thread had blown up & I got distracted. So, today, I thought I would toss this idea out & ask, What do any of you think? I could say more in terms of examples of discussing, but I'm not sure that is needed. So, I open the floor for discussion. 

I never mind when people start talking about another show. Most of the times it comes in an organic way and I am sure that everyone here is smart enough to follow the conversation or... ignore a few messages they don't care for, Contessa Donatella. 

6 hours ago, janea4old said:

There's already a thread for that:
"ALL: The "Soapourri" Thread"
https://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/65864-all-the-soapourri-thread/

I had no idea this thread even existed. Thanks for the heads up!👏

5 hours ago, Jdee43 said:

Going back to a pre 1975 character you would have liked brought back, how about Mitchell Dru? They could have revealed that he was really a lothario, and that he was also Cass Winthrop's true biological father 😂 And of course, being the only old guy in town, they'd finally have to pair him with Ada 😅

I never wanted Uncle Dru to be written out in the first place. As a character who had been featured on The Brighter Day, As the World Turns, and then Another World, he was like a lynchpin of the Irna-verse. Plus, I have always found warm and wise patriarchal and matriarchal figures on soaps to be comforting.

If the show could have ever gotten good writers who were knowledgeable about and invested in the show's rich past, I would have asked Jacqueline Courtney to return again and USE HER EFFECTIVELY this time. I probably would have brought Ricky Matthews and Wally Curtin back to Bay City too. To newer viewers, Wally would have been like any other new character they were asked to invest in, but his addition to the canvas would be a nice nod to history for veteran viewers.

I realize TPTB would veto a sudden influx of much-older characters, but it would have been wonderful to see Beverly Penberthy and Sam Groom put back on contract as Pat Randolph and Russ Matthews.

 

Even though I've frequented this board for many years, I wasn't completely familiar with the whole Virginia Dwyer story. So I'm personally grateful that this subject came up over the past few days.

6 hours ago, Jdee43 said:

Going back to a pre 1975 character you would have liked brought back, how about Mitchell Dru? They could have revealed that he was really a lothario, and that he was also Cass Winthrop's true biological father 😂 And of course, being the only old guy in town, they'd finally have to pair him with Ada 😅

The storyline possibilities would have been endless if producers and writers had just taken the time to learn AW history. 

13 minutes ago, AbcNbc247 said:

The storyline possibilities would have been endless if producers and writers had just taken the time to learn AW history. 

Absolutely!  Although all the old soaps had great untapped histories, Another World's history was especially ripe for new (or resurrected) storylines because of the unfortunate multitude of short term writers who were constantly writing character in and out of the show.  If AW had ever had a long-term head-writer in the later years (like Lemay, Nixon, Marland, or Bell), things could have turned out very differently in 1999. 

The soap opera is the only genre that can use its long history as fodder for new stories.   And fans love nothing more than that!

5 hours ago, Donna L. Bridges said:

I'm not sure Ada liked men. 

LOL, Donna.  Then they'd have been a perfect couple!   Although Dru was probably almost old enough to be Ada's father.   

20 hours ago, Efulton said:

Doesn't Harding Lemay write about Hugh Marlowe's frustration with Virginia Dwyer in Eight Years in Another World? Lemay was fine with Constance Ford changing dialogue to better fit her character but when Virginia Dwyer did it is she was difficult.  

Ariana Muenker (Marianne Randolph) spoke of Hugh Marlowe struggling to remember his lines.  I think it was in a Locher Room interview.  Once again Lemay showed his bias with the actors he preferred.

Totally, When I look back at the episodes where I see Connie Ford and most especially Victoria Wyndham constantly looking down at the cues for their lines, I have to wonder why Lemay was so upset with Jackie Courtney doing the same thing?  No disrespect to Hugh Marlow but I am sorry, he fumbled almost all his lines.  The footage I have seen of Virginia Dwyer, she appears to be a fine actress and very much playing mother Mary Matthews.  Lemay just wanted to change the landscape.  He should have really just been honest instead of commenting on their acting abilities considering he excused the actors he praised for the same flaws.  I think George Reinholts acting appealed to Lemay.  He even created the Frame family after him but that was more of Paul Rauch issue where George was difficult on the set.

As someone whose knowledge of AW pre-1986 is from family members and online boards I'm always thankful for these discussions. I love reading about the history of the show and the firings/hirings that happened. I didn't witness a lot of these AW events at the time, and I have not watched my family's tapes in a very long time (my family was an early VHS adopter so they have tapes from the early 80's). As someone who does read a lot of soap history, I would not consider anyone's account to be the only valid or reliable one. In fact, it seems to me that some execs and performers are not the best when it comes to remembering specific details or accuracy in detailing events. It's been years since I read Lemay's book, but I felt that a lot of his remarks about the show and the performers were tinged with a degree of self-serving reflection. 

3 hours ago, denzo30 said:

Totally, When I look back at the episodes where I see Connie Ford and most especially Victoria Wyndham constantly looking down at the cues for their lines, I have to wonder why Lemay was so upset with Jackie Courtney doing the same thing?  No disrespect to Hugh Marlow but I am sorry, he fumbled almost all his lines.  The footage I have seen of Virginia Dwyer, she appears to be a fine actress and very much playing mother Mary Matthews.  Lemay just wanted to change the landscape.  He should have really just been honest instead of commenting on their acting abilities considering he excused the actors he praised for the same flaws.  I think George Reinholts acting appealed to Lemay.  He even created the Frame family after him but that was more of Paul Rauch issue where George was difficult on the set.

I think Lemay may have had a distaste for “soap” actors like Courtney and Dwyer and had respect for the actors who came from movies like Marlowe & Ford and those from theatre like Watson, Wyndham & McKinsey. 

Seriously, if the producers wanted to bring Larry Haines or Forrest Compton or someone like that to the show long term, they should have had them be a recast Mitchell Dru. Then they instantly would have had Ada, Rachel, and Aunt Liz to talk to. Since Dru was a lawyer, they could also have had him hang around Cass. Such a recast could have fulfilled the older, wiser male character role that the show needed, especially in the 80s and then especially after Mac died. Also having him around would have paid tribute to Irna Phillips, who loved the character. 

Edited February 29, 20241 yr by Jdee43