2 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I do think she was more inclined to play MJ as weaker, but the writing also made MJ incredibly weak. The show seemed determined to degrade most of the women on the canvas under DePriest, with just a few escaping. Considering DePriest did an entire story revolving around attacking and murdering women who were seen as acting the way a woman shouldn't, if MJ had been strong, she likely would have just been killed off.

I think Sally captured a great deal of vulnerability and sympathy in MJ, even though the material was trash.

I will not touch DePriest's AW again, even if someone pays me. 🙈  I tried so hard to like it, but was cringing every few minutes. I didn't want to offend any fans, so I tried to be as demure as I can be in my comments. But it was, at least what I saw, trash. 

Maybe, just maybe... if some day I run out of AW episodes and am so desperate to watch the show again. 

I have a soft spot in my heart for L. Virginia Brown but it's for a possibly wacky reason. She has an item in Correspondence on the AWHP. I read it & I really liked her personality. She appealed to me. Here are a few sentences, totally out of context. To get the context, if you're curious enough, it's easy enough to go read the entirety. 

http://anotherworldhomepage.com/public10.html
 Virginia Browne (Headwriter, 1980-1981), September 2005
... 
Christopher Schemering wrote a book called the "Soap Opera Encyclopedia" and, in it, he says that I took over Guiding Light and it then went into a "slump." I was pretty darned surprised as, within four months of becoming head writer, I had raised the ratings by two full points and our position from 8th to 3rd. In fact, the folks at P&G filled my office with flowers to congratulate me ... 
... 
...  I guess AW must have gotten a great deal on a crate of baby-crap colored brown mugs. And, as a result, they installed them in EVERY kitchen. Ada had them; so did Mac and Rachel. When Jamie married Cecile, they had them. Even Joey and Sandy had them in their decidedly down-scale apt. You could never do a "cup-to-cup" scene cut (made famous by Gloria Monty of GH) because everyone had the very same cups. Years later I tuned in and there they were, those same cursed mugs. I swear, they must have bought a thousand. 
... 

re: MDP

I would rewatch Margaret dePriest's first tenure on Aw because there was some good stuff there. Was there wretched stuff? (Maisie's death by touch come immediately to mind) Yes, but AW had much much worse and I would simply FF the wretched nonsense if I rewatched MDP's 80's tenure. Her second tenure paired with JFP was just a disaster since it played into their mutual love for humiliating and abusing female characters. We talk about Frankie, but what they did to the Courteney character was just appalling. 

RE: Sally Spencer

I think Spencer was a very good actress in an impossible storyline. The storyline made no sense and it was just so icky. No actress could make that rewriting of a character's backstory work. I wish she had stayed longer because I did like her as an actress and I wanted to see what she could do. IT's a shame that both MJ's are no longer with us.

2 hours ago, VelekaCarruthers said:

For any old time AW viewers: L. Virginia Brown replaced Tom King and Robert Soderberg in Fall 1980 and she lasted 11 months although there was a 3 month writers' strike in spring 81.  Corrine Jacker lasted 11 months as well before being replaced by Soderberg and Dorthea Purser.  I've rewatched some of King/Soderberg and the issue was Rauch and the whole Texas debacle.  I thought the show was recovering nicely in August/Sept 1980 and Judith as Miranda was a great potential bitch Irish replacement. Which of the two writers (Brown or Jacker) was better or worse in your opinion?

I haven't watched all of that period so I can't say but I just thought the show was dull as hell when I was going through that time in 1980. I love Judith McConnell but having her scheme about Mac/Rachel was a dead end because viewers were never going to accept them being apart and she came in after two more compelling schemers (Iris, Janice) had already left their orbit. They would have been better off having Miranda involved in another part of the canvas, although it would have been a struggle because so many men on the canvas at that time just weren't compelling. If they had a stronger figure as Russ, I might have sent her his way.

November 10 1988

We have a wonderful episode in which Vicky was persuaded by Michael to go to Palma De Mallorca to try to rest and stop obsessing about Jamie. Jamie, of course, ruined Lisa's dinner plans and sprinted towards Vicky, trying to stop her. Sadly for him, Vicky boarded the plane just in time! Ugh, how bad I feel for Lisa! Reminds me a lot of what Taylor had to go through when Brooke was pregnant in 1992 and claiming the baby was Ridge's. Vicky is no Brooke, I mean, she is way way more light and easy to root for than Brooke, but still.

We also had everyone (John and Sharlene) giving Jason Frame a second chance. We already know this is a mistake. I am not a believer in second chances, especially when it comes to people like Jason. Sharlene doesn't realize, but she is enabling his behavior with continuing supporting and forgiving him. Sadly, I know people like that in my own life.

November 11 1988

God I missed seeing Iris. In this episode we had her sink her claws into Amanda. From the way she was passively aggressively making her wait in front of her office... to the fake smiles and compliments, Amanda better watch our for that Devil.

Rachel on the other hand, is trying to work and sculpt, but something is bothering her. She knows that there's no way Iris is doing this only to help. Listen to you gut, Rachel, Listen to it! We also had the stunning Felicia Gallant still struggling after her toxic conversation with Iris. She's began to believe Iris and is now sure that she was correct and that her book was trash. Typical writer. You give them 1 negative word and their ego collapses.  

10/10!

A clip - Iris standing over her next victim. God, how much she despises that girl! 

 

 

 

 

@Maxim That scene with Amanda and Iris is very good. Thanks. Much of the time Iris in her second run had to just react so it's nice to see her in scheming mode. Donna Swajeski also made it to where Amanda was more of an equal to Iris. I understand why, but it belies the reality that Amanda was a year out of boarding school and Iris was a successful businesswoman (even if that was a personality tweak) decades her senior. There was a lot of complex family history the show missed out on due to Lemay leaving.

On 11/23/2024 at 5:57 PM, Maxim said:

I will not touch DePriest's AW again, even if someone pays me. 🙈  I tried so hard to like it, but was cringing every few minutes. I didn't want to offend any fans, so I tried to be as demure as I can be in my comments. But it was, at least what I saw, trash. 

Maybe, just maybe... if some day I run out of AW episodes and am so desperate to watch the show again. 

I can't remember if this was DePriest - it may have been Shari Anderson - but the episode with Reginald's will reading is worth watching. I will always give Vicky credit for being one of the few soap characters who inherited millions and held onto all of it, even if I think part is down to later writers just not remembering she was a multi-millionaire. 

6 hours ago, Maxim said:

November 10 1988

We have a wonderful episode in which Vicky was persuaded by Michael to go to Palma De Mallorca to try to rest and stop obsessing about Jamie. Jamie, of course, ruined Lisa's dinner plans and sprinted towards Vicky, trying to stop her. Sadly for him, Vicky boarded the plane just in time! Ugh, how bad I feel for Lisa! Reminds me a lot of what Taylor had to go through when Brooke was pregnant in 1992 and claiming the baby was Ridge's. Vicky is no Brooke, I mean, she is way way more light and easy to root for than Brooke, but still.

We also had everyone (John and Sharlene) giving Jason Frame a second chance. We already know this is a mistake. I am not a believer in second chances, especially when it comes to people like Jason. Sharlene doesn't realize, but she is enabling his behavior with continuing supporting and forgiving him. Sadly, I know people like that in my own life.

November 11 1988

God I missed seeing Iris. In this episode we had her sink her claws into Amanda. From the way she was passively aggressively making her wait in front of her office... to the fake smiles and compliments, Amanda better watch our for that Devil.

Rachel on the other hand, is trying to work and sculpt, but something is bothering her. She knows that there's no way Iris is doing this only to help. Listen to you gut, Rachel, Listen to it! We also had the stunning Felicia Gallant still struggling after her toxic conversation with Iris. She's began to believe Iris and is now sure that she was correct and that her book was trash. Typical writer. You give them 1 negative word and their ego collapses.  

10/10!

A clip - Iris standing over her next victim. God, how much she despises that girl! 

 

 

 

 

OH!!! Amanda, quick, run away, hide, Iris simply cannot abide Mac's relationship with Amanda. That's the easy, give and take, that she'd love to have with him -- but never will. 

 

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

OH!!! Amanda, quick, run away, hide, Iris simply cannot abide Mac's relationship with Amanda. That's the easy, give and take, that she'd love to have with him -- but never will. 

 

I love that aspect of Iris - how she's desperate to be loved, but her toxicity and inner demons never allow her... to love and be loved in a normal way. And that pathological trait is so beautifully present in the scripts. 🥲

24 minutes ago, Maxim said:

I love that aspect of Iris - how she's desperate to be loved, but her toxicity and inner demons never allow her... to love and be loved in a normal way. And that pathological trait is so beautifully present in the scripts. 🥲

I have no doubt in my mind that Pete Lemay knew an Iris sometime in his life.

On 3/4/2017 at 8:41 PM, jam6242 said:

Lemay did destroy John.  He made him really stupid in regard to his involvement with Olive (Jennifer Leak).  At least John went out a hero by trying to save Alice from the fire.  I always liked him and hated to see him killed off though.

I was only 2 when John died.  Yes, I do think John appreciated the Pat that was dependent on him.  However, I do think it would have been cool for him to fall in love with the Pat who was independent and making her way in Cory Publishing.  Heck, if she was still leaving the show when she was, they could have gotten back together and left together.  They and their kids could have driven story for years.

23 minutes ago, mphs19952003 said:

their kids could have driven story for years.

I think casting to blame for that.  Michael and Maryanne were never played by very interesting actors, despite having an interesting history and story potential.  Michael in particular was usually a bit of a drip.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Christmas Iris.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Bay City fans here!

 

1 hour ago, Contessa Donatella said:

Happy Thanksgiving to all the Bay City fans here!

 

To all of you Another-Wordly souls!

P.S we haven't stopped watching, quite the contrary and we are up to November 29th 1988 (just finished watching that episode)! I have so much commentary to write - I've missed updating you guys the last couple of days. But I'll make up for it soon. I just don't have enough free time. 

Eat up on your festive dinners y'all! 

On 6/25/2017 at 2:26 AM, vetsoapfan said:

 

In addition, Victoria Wyndham later revealed that the suits at NBC had said AW was not the type of program they wanted on their network. Whatever that is supposed to mean.

It's wild because didn't ABC try to get Another World?  It seems like it would do well on there.  As much as I enjoyed Port Charles, I would have preferred AW on ABC.