Another World

[Contessa Donatella]

If Mr. Sharman in my Soph & Senior Lit classes in high school had done that we would have possibly lost respect for him & we did respect him. 

Now in college, if Jack Crocker had referred to Cummings as EE, we would have thought he had completely lost his mind. Or if Frances Bolen had said "Will" in Shakespeare class we would've waited for the other shoe to fall because it would have been part of a joke or story she was about to tell. 

So, agreement. 

And, about watching a plethora of soaps, here's this old quiz that still exists. I got 22 out of 25. 

https://www.listchallenges.com/soap-operas?ref=share&fbclid=IwAR3zxyAqIiOP_9eYEJlteCqT1d5HYIHdlFwwlS5zcCocd6ArT48yeMEh3zs

[j swift]

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This quote reminded me of Iris Cory Carrington Delany Bancroft Wheeler

Edited November 17, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

Ken Jordan? 

This is something I believe to be key to what we think of as the traditional US daytime soap opera & why "character driven" is so important. I say & I hear many people say this about the characters we love & admire in our soaps. Oh, and the ones we love to hate, them, too. 

[teplin]

Iris makes reference to that toward the end of this scene. She's saying it to torment Rachel, but I suspect Lemay wrote it deliberately to help explain why Iris was the way she was.

And I can still remember Rachel referring to Mac as an "aging playboy" in one of their titanic arguments.

 

[Contessa Donatella]

That was a fight they had when he was with Janice. That was the year he won his 1st Emmy for unknown scenes. 

[j swift]

Thank you @teplin, it made me nostalgic for a nine-minute scene.  There's so much tension that it kept me glued to the screen in the way that 4 two-minute scenes could never replicate. 

Even 24 years later, it still feels exciting to see Rachel spar with Iris.  All the business about ripping the flower stem, while smiling through gritted teeth, and standing across from each while barely moving makes it even more heightened.  And can you imagine a modern soap allowing a character to wander around a set without dialogue for 90 seconds?

Edited November 17, 2023 by j swift

[chrisml]

It's sad sometimes how much criticism AW got, and when I look back at episodes, I find myself responding to the material. JFP era/post-JFP era was rough, but before that, there's so much good. It's so odd to me that AW just seemed to be pretty much forgotten when it came to the Emmys after a certain point. 

I always side eye recollections from cast and crew when they talk about storylines because a lot of time they get it wrong. Often, they even get bts stuff wrong because they're holding grudges, or they feel slighted. Or they praise a producer or headwriter who harmed the show. 

[Contessa Donatella]

I'm not sure what you're thinking of but it is sometimes frustrating when actors look at certain stories very differently than the way the fans see them. 

I think about the example of John cheating on Sharlene to be with Felicia. That was a story that fans largely abhorred & the actors just loved it. It's because they tire of playing the same stuff & jump at the chance to do something new & different! 

[j swift]

In another thread, we reviewed a Tumblr that reposted the Breaking News section of Soap Opera Digest from 1984-1992.  To your point about the Emmy's, there were also political issues at play, which I hadn't known before reading those columns.  For example, in response to criticism over the nominating procedure, there were years when NBC refused to submit nominations.  Then, when NBC began producing their own award show, there were articles which implied that the Emmy's retaliated by reducing the focus on NBC soaps.

From the early 90s when the show was not broadcast

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So, I am hesitant to say The Daytime Emmy attention were a valid barometer of either AW's legacy or excellence in general.

And, while former cast members may give questionable interviews, we can take solace in the idea that fans continue to discuss the show daily on this thread, 24 years after its cancellation.

Edited November 17, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

@j swift   Turn ON personal messaging at least temporarily. 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges

[robbwolff]

vetsoapfan is correct. I remember a scene around 1981 when Rachel was searching for the supposedly dead Mitch. There was a shot of a map showing Bay City and the state map was clearly Michigan. I remember being surprised circa 1986 when TOPS was introduced and Bay City was said to be in Illinois.

[j swift]

It is the circle of life in Bay City, first you tease your enemy that his girlfriend cheated

Then, three years later, you get recast and someone teases you about getting cheated upon

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

A while back there was discussion about the NBC affiliate in the San Francisco area not airing AW. I posted about it elsewhere. I knew a friend had lived there & watched the show but she is no longer online. So, today I got a reply from an AW fan who says she's lived & worked in San Francisco since 1983. This is what she said: 

 

[j swift]

I'm sure Nick had his fans, although I was not among them.  I thought Mark Mortimer was a charismatic actor, and I like the choices Kevin McClatchy made in his scene (messing with Matthew's sculpture reminded me of what Iris did to Louise's flowers).  But, as a character, Nick lacked depth and his backstory did very little to make his motivations more intriguing (spare me the oft-repeated stories of backstage politics that lead to the recast, I've read SOW at the time and I don't need the Cliff Notes).

I hoped Michael's son would be more of a spoiled brat than a rebel without a cause.  I think that whole generation of guys including Rafael and Tomas were not very interesting. Especially when contrasted with how Jake or Sandy were as young romantic leads.  To be fair, Sofia and a few of the Maggie's were not lighting the screen on fire either.  They were no Blaine or Cecile.   

I also think it didn't help that after Michael was killed off, Nick rarely interacted with Vicky.

Recalling that time period, it is crazy how they tried to get away with changing Maggie so drastically with each successive actress.  And I still lament the underdeveloped potential for Toni Burrell.  To think how much screen time was devoted to these other milquetoasts when they had a fillet mignon and left it metaphorically uncooked is a pity.

Edited November 18, 2023 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

@j swift   

1. The way things work here is if you do not wish to engage with another patron, you put them in a killfile, known as "Ignored Users". It is not the responsibility of the other party to "not connect with your content". 

2. Because you threw such a fit I have attempted to follow your wishes. 

3. As I do so, you have begun a campaign of taking potshots at me. 

4. This simply will not do. You either cease & desist or all bets are off.