Another World

[DRW50]

I think this is the first time I've seen John Fitzpatrick as Willis. In synopses he was such a heel that it's good to see him in the flesh to know how he was able to win people over.

I never really got from synopses how close Pat and her kids were to the Frames - I just assumed they were all in bubbles, like soaps in recent decades (or like the Bell soaps often were).

Thank you for posting, and for everything you help with at AWHP. Without that site I don't think I would love AW as much as I do. It was my gateway, all the way back in the mid/late '90s, and I've never stopped reading it. I think it's a big reason why we still all discuss AW so much, more than we discuss shows that are currently on the air.

[AbcNbc247]

Welcome! 

And thank you for all the hard work that you’ve put in. AWHP is an amazing site. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Thanks for pointing me in this direction. I have to hand in something later in the week so I am pushing other things back further and further lol. I hope to take a look at these clips sometime soon. It’s always great when actors decide to take advantage of available platforms and post their work. I only wish more would do this of their soap opera work and post full episodes. Ms. Pat Bruder Debrovner posted full episodes and though I wanted more, I really appreciated that the episodes were uploaded to YouTube.

[jam6242]

Wow, I haven't ever seen a good clip of John Fitzpatrick since he left AW.  I loved his Willis.  He's as cute as I remember, lol.

[mikeaw1978]

Thank you so much and you are welcome. So glad the AWHP is helping to keep discussion and interest alive.

Yes. I've been trying to grab some screenshots to use for the character pages. For a long time, we could only rely on black and white photographs from soap magazines and publications. So to get color stills of actors like Christopher J. Brown as Michael, Ariana as Marianne, Chris Pierson, Willis (1st), is an added treat. 

[DRW50]

I was wondering about the first Angie Perrini and Barbara Weaver too.

[Paul Raven]

@mikeaw1978 I'll add my thanks and appreciation for all you do. It is an amazing site.

Fitzpatrick looks like he could be Steve's brother. What was Willis' backstory? How was he able to turn up and take over Steve's company?

Why did Fitzpatrick leave? He never seemed to do anything of note again.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Here is my memory of things (I hope not too many mistakes) -- Willis didn't take over the company, and he wasn't really running it.  Alice owned the company at this point, and Vic Hastings was actually running it for her.  Willis had already been working for Steve, and stayed on after Steve's death.  Willis was secretly seething, while Vic was in charge, as he wanted to run it himself.  When Alice married Ray Gordon, she put Ray in charge of the company, again rather than Willis -- which also upset Willis.  Ray immediately redecorated Steve's office, and almost as fast, ran Frame Enterprises into bankruptcy.  At that point, I believe Alice divorced Ray and closed Steve's company.  Willis went to work for Mac Cory, who actually added a construction division of Cory Publishing more or less to give Willis a job.  Mac felt sorry for Willis, and actually the two became quite close for the remainder of Willis's run on the show.

[DRW50]

Wasn't he a darker character under Fitzpatrick (scheming against Steve or trying to get Alice, and a toxic relationship with Angie)?

I'm trying to remember if Lemay said anything about the change in his book.

[NothinButAttitude]

Ooo! A crossover to GL for Pat to reunite with Mike would've been juicy. That would've opened the doors for the Matthews to hop over to AW and vice versa. This is why I wish all the P&G soaps were on the same network and acknowledged each other b/c it would've been realistic to see characters move from one town to another when their time ran out on one show. 

And welcome to the board @mikeaw1978! We truly appreciate all you do on the AW homepage. Like everyone else, I find myself frequently visiting the page to find what new treasure I have not noticed. 

[mikeaw1978]

Thanks so much. Looks like my original reply about Willis didn't post or something. Willis came to town after he learned from Janice that Steve and Alice had reconciled. Out of guilt for abandoning his family in Chadwell, Steve gave Willis a junior partnership at the firm. It was because of Willis that Steve became determined to have an active role in Jamie's life. By May 1972, Jamie was aged to six years old, which matched Willis' age when Steve had abandoned the family. I thought there were assumptions made from Lemay's book that Fitzpatrick was dismissed due to having a drinking problem, but I may be incorrect. I do remember Lemay stating in his book or during an interview that he had trouble writing for the younger set, so that may have included Marianne.

 

Thank you for such a warm welcome everyone. It is much appreciated. I wouldn't be a site admimistrator and chief researcher if not for Eddie Drueding. I used to take notes while watching the AW broadcasts and would forward everything to him so that he could update the site. Then, I built enough trust to where he granted me administrative privileges. It's been a pleasure...truly.

[DRW50]

That might be what I remember from his book.

I guess Lemay just wrote the younger characters through their parents or the older characters in the story - Marianne repeating Pat's stories, Blaine as a young Rachel. Not the worst idea but probably helps explain why the younger set was so wan by the end of the decade. (and why characters like Joey never seemed to have the stories that suited them)

Eddie is the best. He's always quick to respond to e-mails too. 

[Paul Raven]

A question regarding the Randolph set. Was this John's original house from when Lee was alive?

Did Pat move in? When was that set last seen?

[vetsoapfan]

When Fitzpatrick first joined the show, Mary and Alice had a scene in the Matthews living room, in which Mary commented on the resemblance between Willis and Steve.

There were rumors at the time of "difficult issues" leading to the dismissal, but in his book, Harding Lemay only commented that Fitzpatrick's being replaced was for reasons other than his skill as an actor.

What are you curious about?

There had been character crossovers before between shows on different networks, so...why not? Pat and Mike could have become a solid tent-pole couple in either Bay City or Springfield, with kids and grandkids to provide them with storyline fodder.

Yes. Russ beat Willis to a pulp one day over his treatment of Sharlene, and shortly thereafter, Leom Russom replaced Fitzpatrick in the role and Willis softened significantly.

Before I bought my first VCR (a Betamax) in 1977-ish, I used to record AW on audiotape every day, and I kept an extensive scrapbook of articles, interviews, notes, etc., about the series for years. I used to be embarrassed to admit this, but I have since come to realize that I was not the only obsessed soap fan out there!

 

Lee lived there with him when she was alive in the 1960s, but I can't say for sure if they had ever had other living quarters previously. Pat moved in after she married John.

Trivia: On the set, there was originally a framed wedding photograph of John and the first Pat, Susan Trustman. After Beverly Penberthy assumed the role, the photo was reshot with her wearing the same headpiece Trustman had worn, with the actors in the same position.

Over the years, I've seen both versions of the wedding shot on the  internet and in soap history books.

(I know: no one else could possibly care about pointless trivia like this, except me.

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My inner AW Geek is coming out, LOL!)

[DRW50]

Sorry - the mention of color photos to replace B&W on AWHP. The first Barbara Weaver (I believe) and the first Angie also have B&W photos on AWHP so I was wondering if they'd be added in along with the new photos of Brown's Michael, the first Willis, etc. 

Thank you for answering my question about Willis. 

Did John mention Lee much after she was killed?