Another World

[DRW50]

 

 

 

[DRW50]

If you get a chance to watch, the January 1986 episode is especially good - lots of Vicky and Marley (and even Vicky playing Marley), good work from Robert Lupone (Neal being yet another squandered character...AW had so many), and wonderful work from Doug Watson and Irene Dailey, with Liz's love and idealization of Mac being as heartbreaking as ever. It's too bad so much of this would be eviscerated with yet another overhaul, although the show would have had to make huge changes with Ellen Wheeler leaving anyway.  

[victoria foxton]

For all the numerous turnovers i enjoyed most of AW from the 80's. It's seems to me that Ben was written out in favor of Jake. Ben McKinnon, Edward Gerard and Neal Cory each only lasted 7 months. It's always a treat seeing Ellen Wheeler playing the Hudson twins. Cass and Kathleen had such great chemistry. It's a shame what the writers did to Peter Love. Peter started out as a nice guy and ended up a monster. 

Edited November 7, 2016 by victoria foxton

[DRW50]

 

By the end Peter had seen the error of his ways, but of course was then written out never to be mentioned again, aside from one or two bits. Just like Ben, which made no sense long-term. 

 

Cass and Kathleen are one of my favorite soap couples ever. Few else can compare. 

 

I never know if it's just low expectations, but I do enjoy a lot of AW I see from the early/mid-80s (not counting the earliest '80s as they're a slog - but from about 1983 on). It's a shame the ratings weren't better as it would have spared the show being torn up and down in 1986.

[Melroser]

Watching the old November 24, 1987 episode on youtube (some of the Cass/Rex dual role time) and hanging out in the background of the scenes that are taking place at Mary's Place is Kevin McClatchy who later plays Nick Hudson. Weird seeing him sitting behind Anne Heche's Vicky. 

[DRW50]

Another 1985 episode. This one has Jacquie Courtney.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18xAh6Lg2Ks

[NothinButAttitude]

Was 1985 around the time was slowly bouncing back or was it still a dark period for the show?

[DRW50]

 

I think in ratings terms it was mostly still a floundering or malaise period, which was another reason they made so many changes in 1986. In quality I'm not sure, although the episode seems to suggest a mix of stories that were popular (Vicky/Jake arrival) and that were...not (Brittany's arrival). 

 

I wish juniorz1 and some other viewers who were watching at the time still posted here. 

 

1985 promo:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqfmO292yC4

 

Two 1986 episodes

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNaLpeX8FQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSBH7Y7i7mI

Edited November 13, 2016 by DRW50

[NothinButAttitude]

 

So I am assuming that Brittany, the interloper, was not well-received by the audience as she bothered very popular Catlin/Sally? That aside, this Peter [Love] was hot! I'm guessing he does not last much longer as the character was recast and is not the Peter I am used to see when I watch old episodes. 

 

Watching the 1985 episode you posted, I realized that Marley was such a damn Mary Sue under Ellen Wheeler. I've only seen little of EW's Marley, but she annoys me from what I've seen. She seems so much of a drip. Weird b/c I enjoyed AH & JB's versions of Marley. She at least has some backbone to her and wasn't as annoying. 

 

Was Wally referring to Felicia not loving him when he was scolding Cass? 

 

The tension with Alice & Rachel was great, but didn't Alice not last much longer after this? Even though I didn't start watching AW until 94/95-ish, it always bothers me (reading up on the show) how this show basically edged the Matthews out. So reminiscent of how GL did the Bauers. Never understood writers needs to edge core families off many of these shows. 

 

 

[DRW50]

 

Sharon Gabet talked about this in her radio interview a few years ago - I think she basically just said the character didn't work because they changed her over and over. She didn't seem very happy with the show (I can't say I blame her). 

 

Yeah, this Peter actually I think was on EON a year earlier in a story with Sharon and Larkin Malloy (RIP). I think maybe he held Raven hostage or something? I don't know. He was best known for his work as Kevin Bancroft on Y&R. 

 

Yes, he was talking about Felicia. You can see how important that little group (plus Cass' love interest of the period, and others who came and went, like Zane or Jackee Harry) were becoming for the show. I always thought this was what made AW unique and probably kept it afloat as long as AW managed to stay afloat - the idea that friendship is family .

Yes, Alice was gone soon after this, even though it makes no sense. 

 

I have to admit I like Ellen's work as Marley. It's tough to play an ingenue, but I thought she managed it. I liked Anne and Jensen too but the character seemed very wan to me under Jensen's tenure and for the first few years of Anne (she mostly just wanted a baby and wanted a baby and wanted a baby). I sometimes wonder if Anne Heche asked them to toughen up the character for her last year on the show because otherwise it wasn't worth the exhaustion of playing dual roles. That was also when they ditched her awful wig.

[slick jones]

I was watching (after school))in 85.  Some of the stories were good. There was the Cass/Felecia/Wally group with humor.  The show had just started brought the McKinnons into focus..dropping Kathleen Layman who I thought was more realistic as a cop than Sally Spencer.  Soon after the writers gutted the cast down to Corys/Loves/McKinnons (1986) and a handful (Felecia/Cass/Wally/Maisie/Quinn--three murdered/died in the following year or so) The Ewing family was written out--except for Brittany now a Love.  I enjoyed watching the antics (as a kid) 

[Soaplovers]

I recall the show and heche worked hard to make Marley a more seperate character..not known as Vicki's twin...and the last year of her stint proved she could play two very different characters.

 

I liked that even though Alice was nice, she wasnt inspid and was kind of sarcastic.  I could have seen Alice function on the show will into the late 80s/eaely 90s.  She had a nice rival chemistry with Donna...and cordial/tension still with Rachel...plus with Jamie becoming a doctor later...it would have been interesting seeing Alice and Jamie bond as doctors...her giving him advice/mentoring him....and Rachel a little jealous.

 

 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

Oh wow. Well I don't blame Sharon Gabet either for being mad. Total waste of her talent.

 

Obvious that once EON ended that P&G probably told the other P&G shows to snatch & grab popular actors to ensure they stayed with the product. Weird that Sharon nor Larkin's characters wouldn't last but about 2 years tops on their new shows and would both go on to ABC shows afterwards. 

 

The friendship aspect of AW is what I always felt defined this show. I always thought it was in the wheelhouse of the show. Interesting to learn it happened around this time. AW was so ahead of its time on so many things too. Diversity too. I love seeing Quinn, Lily, etc. being pivotal characters during this time instead of being 'talk-to' characters. Nice to know the show got better once again with diversity towards the end with Chris, Tyrone, and the Burrell clan. 

 

When it comes to AH's Marley, while she remained fixated on a baby, she had to be the one character in all of my soap watching that I didn't grow tired of her yearning for a baby. Maybe b/c it was AH's portrayal that helped a lot. 

 

 

That would've probably drove Rachel bananas, but it would've been probably good to watch. So many obvious missed opportunity with many of these shows looking back. 

[DRW50]

 

It was so jarring watching the little that is available of Jacquie's first run as Alice because it's so different from what Harding Lemay described. It's unfortunate that so much of her AW and OLTL work is gone because I really think Lemay did her a disservice. 

 

The show was so aimless for the early '80s, outside of a small handful of characters. I think Cass/Felicia/Wally helped ground it somewhat instead of that burden just being on Rachel and Mac. 

 

You probably already know this but munecojim has uploaded a lot of episodes from the mid-80's. 

 

I just wish I didn't end up feeling sad again seeing Kathleen and Cass and remembering how the show later tried to act like he could only be mature and a true man with Frankie. It just wasn't true. I loved Kathleen and Cass together so much. 

[watson71]

Below is a great confrontation between Rachel and Alice that aired 4 days before the above posted episode on March 25th.  Jacqueline Courtney would air for another month before leaving the show.  The show was watchable at this point; however, Rachel would have amnesia well into the summer months! And she would leave Mac and move out of the Cory mansion to "find herself." The show blew a major opportunity to revisit the Rachel/ Mac/ Alice story, as Alice was engaged to marry Mac several years earlier.  This also would have been an opportunity to showcase Courtney's Alice.

 

Around this same time, Jake and Bridget were introduced to the show as two mysterious grifters who came to Bay City with an interest in the Love family.   It would be revealed that Marley had a twin named Vicky.  Carl's son, Perry, would discover Vicky's identity; however, he would die from a fall from the Love hayloft before telling anyone.

 

The week after the posted episode aired, Catlin and Sally would marry.  I think one of the main reasons the character of Brittany did not work was because the show would recast the character of Sally in 1985 with Taylor Miller.  Had Mary Page Keller stayed in the role, the Sally/ Catlin/ Brittany story would have been more successful.

 

AW would still remain enjoyable and watchable well into the Fall.  This is when the show aired a location shoot in Arizona about a stolen Egyptian treasure that Carl Hutchins had hidden.  The aftermath of the story was when the show fell apart.  Carl filled an Egyptian urn with poisonous dust from an Egyptian tomb that passed around Bay City until both Mac and Rachel opened it up and became hospitalized.  This was the big story at the start of 1986, prompting the overhaul in 1986.

 

Below is a great Alice/Rachel confrontation from March 25, 1985:

 

https://youtu.be/wH3ITLZ08EM

 

 

TV Guide ads for Another World from 1985:

 

 

 

 

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Edited November 13, 2016 by watson71