I can see Laurence Lau as Dennis. And if they brought in Dennis and Iris earlier, Vicky involved with Dennis and  going up against Iris would have been fun.

Jamie suffered from the recasts .First Stephen Yates and then Laurence Lau. And making him a doctor was pointless.

They should have tried to get Richard Bekins back to provide much needed continuity. Jamie had possible romances with MJ and Nicole to keep him busy.

On 11/8/2025 at 11:37 PM, Paul Raven said:

I can see Laurence Lau as Dennis. And if they brought in Dennis and Iris earlier, Vicky involved with Dennis and  going up against Iris would have been fun.

I did like Rachel and Vicky in this period and I was kind of disappointed that Jamie and Vicky's marriage blew up as quickly as it did. And if there had not been any question about Steven's paternity, could it have been more interesting for Rachel to be more willing to support Victoria in the custody disagreement?

On 11/8/2025 at 11:37 PM, Paul Raven said:

They should have tried to get Richard Bekins back to provide much needed continuity. Jamie had possible romances with MJ and Nicole to keep him busy.

Stacy was in the mix when Nicole was in love with Jamie. And my goodness, 1981/1982 seems to have been a busy time for Jamie -- according to the AWHP, he slept with Marianne, Susan, and Christine Wylie (I never recognize her but I think she was in the movie based on his novel?), as well as Stacy, and found time to flirt with Anne Whitelaw (the depressed patient in the December 1981 episodes) and Susan's daughter Julia. Sounds like chaos.

56 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

I did like Rachel and Vicky in this period and I was kind of disappointed that Jamie and Vicky's marriage blew up as quickly as it did. And if there had not been any question about Steven's paternity, could it have been more interesting for Rachel to be more willing to support Victoria in the custody disagreement?

Stacy was in the mix when Nicole was in love with Jamie. And my goodness, 1981/1982 seems to have been a busy time for Jamie -- according to the AWHP, he slept with Marianne, Susan, and Christine Wylie (I never recognize her but I think she was in the movie based on his novel?), as well as Stacy, and found time to flirt with Anne Whitelaw (the depressed patient in the December 1981 episodes) and Susan's daughter Julia. Sounds like chaos.

That reminds me of when someone wrote to Soap Opera Weekly in 1995 suggesting Richard Bekins return as a gay Jamie. They may have just been going on Bekins himself (although I don't actually know his sexuality), but it meant that I was surprised when I went back and saw just how much skirt Jamie got, especially when Bekins was in the role. 

31 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

That reminds me of when someone wrote to Soap Opera Weekly in 1995 suggesting Richard Bekins return as a gay Jamie. They may have just been going on Bekins himself (although I don't actually know his sexuality), but it meant that I was surprised when I went back and saw just how much skirt Jamie got, especially when Bekins was in the role. 

I believe in his somewhat recent interview with Locher, Richard Bekins did talk about being gay. But I don't know whether he would have wanted to play a gay character in 1995 even if the storyline could have been handled well enough to account for the fact that Jamie had never appeared to question his sexuality before. People tend to be so much more open now but 30 years ago there were still a lot more people in the closet.

 

12 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

I believe in his somewhat recent interview with Locher, Richard Bekins did talk about being gay. But I don't know whether he would have wanted to play a gay character in 1995 even if the storyline could have been handled well enough to account for the fact that Jamie had never appeared to question his sexuality before. People tend to be so much more open now but 30 years ago there were still a lot more people in the closet.

Thanks. I saw some of the interview but not everything.

I'm not sure he would have either and I doubt AW would have (I don't know if AW ever even a gay character in a support or guest part had, unless you count Liberace). By that point P&G clearly had no interest in bringing Jamie back anyway, even though he should have been hugely important to Rachel's life. We never even got to know how he felt about her with Carl.

14 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks. I saw some of the interview but not everything.

I'm not sure he would have either and I doubt AW would have (I don't know if AW ever even a gay character in a support or guest part had, unless you count Liberace). 

I can't think of any, unless possibly one of the tiny bit parts like a hairdresser during Lesoleil or a fellow AIDS patient during Dawn's illness flew under the radar. I tried some searches of the AWHP and turned up nothing relevant, but it led me to the review of  The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book which included this comment:

"No vintage soap mags, such as Daytime TV or Afternoon TV, were used. This was disappointing. Their very appeal often lies in the anachronistic nature of their interviews, such as the megapopular AW star decrying "the homosexuals!" living in her neighborhood in a 1970s issue of ATV."

I am madly curious to know more about the referenced interview and whether "decrying" is an accurate description of what the star said.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/public3.html

15 hours ago, DRW50 said:

Thanks. I saw some of the interview but not everything.

I'm not sure he would have either and I doubt AW would have (I don't know if AW ever even a gay character in a support or guest part had, unless you count Liberace). By that point P&G clearly had no interest in bringing Jamie back anyway, even though he should have been hugely important to Rachel's life. We never even got to know how he felt about her with Carl.

 

41 minutes ago, Xanthe said:

I can't think of any, unless possibly one of the tiny bit parts like a hairdresser during Lesoleil or a fellow AIDS patient during Dawn's illness flew under the radar. I tried some searches of the AWHP and turned up nothing relevant, but it led me to the review of  The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book which included this comment:

"No vintage soap mags, such as Daytime TV or Afternoon TV, were used. This was disappointing. Their very appeal often lies in the anachronistic nature of their interviews, such as the megapopular AW star decrying "the homosexuals!" living in her neighborhood in a 1970s issue of ATV."

I am madly curious to know more about the referenced interview and whether "decrying" is an accurate description of what the star said.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/public3.html

I think the jewelry store clerk that Josie went to when she was figuring out that Fax had murdered Frankie was gay.

He even took a bullet for Josie

1 hour ago, AbcNbc247 said:

 

I think the jewelry store clerk that Josie went to when she was figuring out that Fax had murdered Frankie was gay.

He even took a bullet for Josie

Thanks. 

Given that everyone in Bay City was getting shot at the time, kudos to them for their inclusivity in letting him get shot too.

I came across this item from April 1985 by Lilana Novakovich, who was the agent for a lot of soap actors in Canada. I was surprised to learn that Tom Eplin was acquainted with Gordon Thomson.

"My phone call to Tom Eplin (Jake McKinnon, Another World ) turned out to be a highlight in a long crazy week. Another World producers and casting people certainly knew what they were doing when they signed Tom to a two-year contract. I predict that this handsome and talented actor will attract many new viewers and become a major part of the show.

"One of the first things noticeable about the character is the sex appeal. It already jumps out at you -- and the scenes will get hotter! It was a major step for the normally very conservative Another World to air the shower scenes the week of March 18 and I look forward to hearing viewers' response to this new, liberal approach.

"Tom is a great guy and our conversation was most enjoyable. Coincidentally he had been out with my client Chris Holder the night before and they discussed Canada, the success of the show here and, of course, the dedication of Canadian fans. "Also, my friend Gordon Thompson [sic] (Adam Carrington, Dynasty) is from Toronto." Tom said, "and has told me so much about your country. I can't wait to get there."

"Tom is from northern California and loves the outdoors, waterskiing, and motorcycles. In fact, he was in the midst of purchasing a new bike. He has a movie (Sunset Strip) coming out this year and a heavy storyline on Another World to look forward to.

"His enthusiasm is genuine and refreshing, And behind the fun-loving and easygoing personality is the mind of a very bright and wise young man.

"He is in the midst of setting up a fan club and will let me know how Canadian viewers can join once it's organized."

Edited November 12Nov 12 by Xanthe
OCR errors

Great find @Xanthe can't imagine them together.

Ilsa Fredericks

Gwyda DonHowe, January 19, 1981 - July 22, 1981; September 1, 1982 - December 6, 1982.

During a time of constant cast changes, somebody remembered Ilsa and she was brought back.

Tragically killed by her husband.

Donhowe, Gwyda (1933–1988)

American stage, tv, and screen actress. Born Oct 20, 1933, in Oak Park, Illinois; stabbed to death by husband who then leapt from the roof of their apartment building, Jan 15, 1988, in New York, NY; m. Norman Kean (theatrical producer), 1958.

4 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Ilsa Fredericks

Gwyda DonHowe, January 19, 1981 - July 22, 1981; September 1, 1982 - December 6, 1982.

During a time of constant cast changes, somebody remembered Ilsa and she was brought back.

Tragically killed by her husband.

Donhowe, Gwyda (1933–1988)

American stage, tv, and screen actress. Born Oct 20, 1933, in Oak Park, Illinois; stabbed to death by husband who then leapt from the roof of their apartment building, Jan 15, 1988, in New York, NY; m. Norman Kean (theatrical producer), 1958.

Very distressing. According to this post, Kean stabbed DonHowe because he believed she was cheating on him.

https://blog.mcny.org/2014/05/20/untimely-deaths-of-stage-performers/

I have only very dim memories of the arrival of Sandy and don't really recall Ilsa. Was there a noticeable difference in the character in her two stints? 

 

1 hour ago, Xanthe said:

Very distressing. According to this post, Kean stabbed DonHowe because he believed she was cheating on him.

https://blog.mcny.org/2014/05/20/untimely-deaths-of-stage-performers/

I have only very dim memories of the arrival of Sandy and don't really recall Ilsa. Was there a noticeable difference in the character in her two stints? 

Thanks for the interview @Paul Raven I never knew about Gwyda's passing - so horrible. She seems very intelligent and makes me want to watch Executive Suite.

I haven't ever seen much of Ilsa either but from how she died she seems more like a mob type in the second run - don't she and Jason gun each other down? 

Someone at P&G in the '80s really liked Warren Burton as he lingered on their soaps for over half a decade even without much to show for it. I do think what I've seen of his work of Jason is more interesting, but the stories aren't very compelling. When I first started reading AWHP I found the writeup on him and his last words (about loving Tracy) to be moving, but onscreen it mostly seemed to be him mooning over her and listening to her sing and being petty toward her and David Bailey's dreary Russ.

I wonder how viewers felt about a year being spent building up that Melissa Needham character only for her to then be dumped. I haven't gotten through most of 1981, but she seemed OK in the Christmas episode.

Allen Potter and Dorothy Ann Purser (?) had to clean up so much mess when they arrived at the end of 1982. I'm still impressed with how they managed to do so.

5 hours ago, Xanthe said:

Very distressing. According to this post, Kean stabbed DonHowe because he believed she was cheating on him.

And their 14 yr old son found his mother's body.

On 11/11/2025 at 10:53 AM, Xanthe said:

I can't think of any, unless possibly one of the tiny bit parts like a hairdresser during Lesoleil or a fellow AIDS patient during Dawn's illness flew under the radar. I tried some searches of the AWHP and turned up nothing relevant, but it led me to the review of  The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book which included this comment:

"No vintage soap mags, such as Daytime TV or Afternoon TV, were used. This was disappointing. Their very appeal often lies in the anachronistic nature of their interviews, such as the megapopular AW star decrying "the homosexuals!" living in her neighborhood in a 1970s issue of ATV."

I am madly curious to know more about the referenced interview and whether "decrying" is an accurate description of what the star said.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/public3.html

I read the interview. I believe someone posted it on this board years ago. Carol Roux is the actress, and she was terrified of the gays.