Another World

[shadow]

I loved AH's Vicki, but hated her Marley. I agree that EW was the best Marley.

I am in the minority but I LOVED JB's Vicky and marley the first couple of years, but she did get played out towards the end, wasnt a fan of Jake/Vicky.

[David V]

I think the Laibson/Swajeski era on AW is viewed favourably because it was the only period post-Lemay/Rauch that AW had any stability in that department, although it did not translate into such success. AW was hurt by a dizzying turnover of writers and producers over 20 years but until JFP took over, the show kept its realistic depiction of social classes and character focus even through the regime changes. The quality level was sometimes great, at times less so, but it was never near the worst shows on air.

Edited August 19, 2010 by David V

[DRW50]

I haven't seen a lot of some AW periods, especially the very early 80s but that era does seem listless. And DePriest's 86/87 from what I've seen is kind of unpleasant (mainly the Reginald material), although that did raise ratings, I think.

I agree that the show still seemed to have its own identity until JFP. Then even after she left NBC or P&G or whoever just ran it into the ground. I'll never forget Malone saying they were just going to pretend Jake never raped Marley.

[teplin]

The show was just terrible in the early '80s, IMO. Corinne Jacker's stuff was virtually unwatchable, even though Rauch brought in some very talented actors to play her material. It got better in the mid-80s with Sally & Catlin and Cass & Kathleen catching fire. I thought Swajeski's work was serviceable, but as someone else said, there were no high points, nothing spectacular, it was just steady. I do think Doug Watson's death was a major blow for the show. For me, at least, it was the characters (and their actors) that kept me watching then and into the '90s, which were pretty dull. I loved Wyndham's Rachel (though I didn't like the "mannered, faux Shakespearean stuff" -- that is a perfect description) and Dano's Felicia and Eplin's Jake and Schnetzer's Cass ... really, all of the vets. I continue to think Doug Watson's death was a major blow for the show.

Seems a lot of people didn't care for Buchanan, but she was very popular with most viewers (as measured by focus groups and TVQ ratings). So much so, that the producers went to ridiculous (and costly) lengths to keep her. Personally, I liked her, but I never "bought" her as either Vicky or Marley. (I felt pretty much the same about Carmen Duncan's Iris ... I liked the actress, I appreciated the function she served on screen, but there was no way in hell she was the same character immortalized by Beverlee McKinsey.) Anne Heche was just such a force of nature as Vicky that she couldn't really be replaced. Love the clip of Vicky up above ... it's somewhat of a shock to see such a round face on Heche; she's been skin and bones for decades.

[DRW50]

Here's a 8/31/82 SOD interview with Douglass Watson, by Judith Donato. Network Publishing Corporation.

CHEMISTRY'S STILL THE KEY

Hidden away from the fast pace of Manhattan and tucked into a quiet corner of Brooklyn is a large, nondescript building that looks like any other working warehouse in the neighborhood. Inside, the cinder block hallways and swinging metal doors further disguise the business at hand. The glamour is hard to find until the lights are turned up and "Another World's" Bay City is brought to its bustling life on the many sound stages of the NBC studio.

I walked carefully up a narrow stairway that led to the actors' dressing rooms and tried to imagine how I'd begin my interview with one of daytime's most successful leading men. My mind raced with facts, dates, places, and awards - after all, Douglass Watson has won three Emmy Awards and a host of other accolades in one of the most impressive theatrical careers of the American stage.

I poked my head timidly into one of the open doors and found some of Bay City's familiar citizens gathered - there was the debonair Brian Bancroft (Paul Stevens) in jeans and sweater, smiling as he finished telling a story, and the evil Mayor Stein (Roy Poole), with his feet oustretched as he prepared to catch forty winks between takes. In the middle of this menage was the town's leading citizen, Mackenzie Cory - a handsome and distinguished character who charms the women while wielding his share of power in the business world. His thick, silver-grey hair and winning smile are the first things I notice, and I soon discovered that Watson puts all of his natural charm into the character he portrays. Without question, Doug and Mac have much in common. "I certainly don't make any separation between me and the character," Doug laughed.

His sharp, clear voice has a sound all its own. It's a mixture of his native Georgia with a touch of the Connecticut Yankee. He invited me to his own quarters where we could talk more privately.

Watson finds himself among an elite circle of actors who play both romantic leads and concerned fathers, powerful tycoons and gentle lovers. He's an elder statesman with a touch of flair. The character type has become popular on other daytime and primetime soaps as well, but it was Doug who pioneered the trend when he joined the cast in late 1973.

He was brought on the show as an atypical leading man, the combination lover/father-figure that would turn the once evil Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) into a mature woman, capable of giving and receiving love. From their first scene together it was obvious that Watson and Wyndham had what is called he-she chemistry. Something clicked on-screen that made their scenes together special. The one-again, off-again marriage of Mac and Rachel has capture the audience since it began and after all of the plot twists and turns, much of the chemistry is still there.

Does the age difference between him and his female co-stars make him uncomfortable? Dough thought for a moment. "It seems to me that Mac is getting along a little far to be involved with a younger woman in a believable way. It might be better to shift into a relationship with someone nearer my own age and get into a different kind of thing which isn't exactly romantic, but companionable and relationship-oriented, although when I have scenes with Vicky, everything still seems to work very well between us. It's odd. We just had a little scene the day before yesterday. We hadn't had one for sometime, and right away it was as if we'd never been apart. Things would happen between us that just don't occur with other people on tape. The scene turned out quite differently than the way we had planned it just, because something comes off that's fun - it works between us."

Doug tried to explain the special give-and-take necessary for a successful screen pairing. "Frankly, I think it's personal. In our case, we like, love, respect, enjoy and understand each other very well and when this is true it comes over in the relationship oncamera. I believe that is the added dimension that causes it to work so well. Ours is a very genuine and deep relationship."

I asked Dough what the audience finds so attractive in a May-December affair. "The women find sympathy, stability and maybe more kindness and consideration," Doug said. "An older man is more understanding and patient with them." He added that any on-screen relationship, whether it be between a man and a woman or a father and child, must involved a chemical reaction between the actors if the relationship is to ring true.

His wide range of co-stars also includes small children. Are there problems? "It's really very difficult because it's totally uncontrollable. A script-writer will write in some direction the scene is supposed to go in, but you can't make a child who below four years old go a certain way, cry at a certain time or laugh at a certain time. They'll even have directions for children who are under two who can't possibly take direction! It's difficult to make the scene happen right and then the kids are just plain scared. They want their mother if they're only a year or two. And yet, the children are so real it makes everything else look phony."

Today's soaps find themselves catering to the very young, yet Watson doesn't feel threatened by the trend. "My job is only to deal with my plotline, and what they do with the young people and their storylines really doesn't have anything to do with me, so it doesn't influence me in any way."

He did point out that there are times when the plots to intertwine, especially in the case of Bay City's resident sex symbols, Christopher Rich and Richard Bekins. The fates of Mac, Sandy (Rich), and Jamie (Bekins) seem to be as involved as ever. "Mac obviously loves his son very much," Doug said, "and he loves Jamie a great deal, but I find with Jamie it's one of those situations where something is causing antagonism between you, and when it's somebody you love, you wish it wouldn't - as it often is with a child."

Watson believes that the key to a successful portrayal lies in consistency of character. "For the actor," Doug explained, "the character is very important. This is where he really feels strongly - especially when the character is doing something totally out of character. For the audience it's also terribly vital, because I think they turn [the television] on more for the characters than they do for the plotline. I think the plot helps them but the reason they tune in is because they want to see these people and see what they're going to do."

He credits much of his success to the support of his producer, Paul Rauch. "I've had a very good relationship with the producer. Actors really don't swing a lot of weight but when I've asked for something, which I try to do as seldom as possible, I've gotten it. There have been a few times where I've wanted to do a particular thing in a scene and perhaps the director didn't want me to, then I'd ask the producer to let me, and he has."

After thirty-five years on stage, and closing in on a decade on "Another World," does Doug have a favorite leading lady? He laughed as he tried to answer as gallantly as possible. "I've been working a long, long time and I have to think back carefully to make sure I'm not overlooking anybody. I think my work with Vicky has been rewarding as any, if not more. It's certainly been my longest working relationship, because in the theater you only have months."

Always a fan favorite, Doug spends part of his working day answering his mail. "I've had people write and ask for jobs at Cory Publishing," he laughed. "They're very straight and send background material." In person, though, it's a different story. "They're delighted and very complimentary. The first thing they want to do is touch you because they've only seen you and heard you on television but they can't believe you're real." Invariably, his fans approach him as Mac. It's easy to understand their confusion. Doug and Mac share the ability to put even the most nervous stranger at ease.

Exactly how does Doug Watson see the man he brings so vividly to life? He was candid and objective. "I think Mac is very dependent on other people. He needs them to be supportive. He needs their sympathy and love. Maybe he's too vulnerable with women but at the same time, Mac is compassionate, warm, and gentle." Not surprisingly - so is Douglass Watson.

Edited November 22, 2010 by CarlD2

[Kendall]

I hear that Reid from Atwt will travel to Bay City and get killed by a train. If true, its nice that AW is being mentioned in the show final weeks.

[OldSchoolSoapFan]

The "poor schlub" was one hot daddy!

[DRW50]

Anne Heche was interviewed on Letterman last week. They actually showed an old Vicky/Marley clip, much to her surprise. It was a Vicky/Marley clip from when Vicky was about to marry Jamie but learned Jake might have fathered her unborn child.

Edited August 30, 2010 by CarlD2

[teplin]

Did anyone else catch Richard Bekins (the best Jamie Frame) on "Rescue Me" the past few weeks? He's older, of course, but he still looks very much like he did 30 years ago.

[Bright Eyes]

Who does he play?

ETA: Looked it up. Yes, I did see him playing Lou's doctor. That was a very weird finale Tuesday night. I can't wait to see what they'll do with the last season. Of course, we're going to have to wait 10 months. LoL

Edited September 2, 2010 by Amello

[DRW50]

No I didn't see him. I'm glad he's still getting work. Too bad he wasn't on soaps more, he was such an understated and quietly charismatic, handsome guy. I have an interview with him from 81 or 82 if you want to see it.

[teplin]

I would love to see that Bekins interview, CarlD2. I've been loving the archival stuff you've been posting lately. Thanks so much for making the effort!

[DRW50]

Thanks for reading it!

From the March 2, 1982 SOD. Network Publishing Corporation.

Edited November 22, 2010 by CarlD2

[DRW50]

[edgeofnik]

Just went onto Hulu for AW for first time in a couple of months. Episodes are ENDING Oct. 21! Not again. They are posting three a day. I wonder what happened. I didn't see notice for ATWT or GL. One can hope that P&G is launching it's own channel now that they are done with soaps. They have this tremedous archive. We know there is an audience!