Another World Discussion Thread

[watson71]

 

I thought the show became watchable and enjoyable again in the Summer of 1983, the transition period from Paul Rauch's AW to Allen Potter's AW.  This was the fallout of Alma Rudder's murder where Jeanne Ewing was revealed as the killer.  On her deathbed, Jeanne confessed that Larry and Blaine had a brother that they knew nothing about.  This was also the time of the double wedding of Mac/Rachel and Sandy/Blaine.  AW was pretty solid from the fall of 83 til the end of 1984 when Allen Potter retired.  Potter did manage to raise AWs ratings, however he never brought AW back to the top of the ratings.  I suspect had the ratings rose to the point where AW was a top 5 show, Potter might have stuck around longer into 1985.

[Efulton]

The fall of 1983 through the end of 1984 is one of my favourite periods of Another World.

[MichaelGL]

I never knew about this period of the 83-84. I thought Potter was just another short termed ineffective producer on the show. Who was the HW?

[Efulton]

Dorothy Ann Purser then Richard Culliton / Gary Tomlin.  The core families were front and centre - Corys, Matthews and Ewings.  The Loves and the McKinnons were being fleshed out. There was diversity with Quinn, Lily and more.  Great young characters and actors that were tied to the older characters - Nancy, Perry, Ben, Marley, Thomasina and Carter.  The vets were used effectively - Mac, Rachel, Ada, Liz, Clarice and Larry.  Exciting new and newish characters were mixed in - Catlin, Cass, Cecile, Sandy, Felicia, Wallingford, Donna, etc.  If Allen Potter and Richard Culliton / Gary Tomlin could have remained for a few years I believe the show would have been ratings hit again.

[victoria foxton]

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[watson71]

34 years ago today, August 3, 1983, the double wedding of Mac and Rachel and Sandy and Blaine began on Another World

 

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[robbwolff]

 

Didn't Robert Soderberg co-write AW with Dorothy Ann Purser?

[Efulton]

He did then I think she was on her own for a bit.  There was such a revolving door it was difficult to keep up with who was writing.

[soapfan770]

 

Ho boy, now this is indeed EMBARRASSINGLY BAD especially since Dano had just won the Emmy!  

[Soaplovers]

There are parts of 1981 that were quite good.  It seemed like the Matthews family was getting renewed focus....and you had Alice/Sally coming back.  I liked Jennifer runyon's sally...and it's interesting when she leaves...that the role of interloper in Donna/Peter's life transfers to Cecile....cause Mary page Keller had a different take on the part then runyon did (not sure about the brief recast between the two)

 

I thought waiting a few months after the recast Alice was there before bringing on a recast Steve would have been smart had they not replaced Alice so quickly.  Maybe, the show thought she played Alice too harsh..and thought the character should have been more ingenurish...but Alice wad never a true ingenure...she was sarcastic, strong willed and stubborn..and wasnt gullible.  JC played that with Alice...and Harney also played Alice that way even though she had a shrill undertone.  

 

I will agree 1982 was a forgettable year..and it seemed like 1983 to 1984 was an attempt to forget most of what happened in 1982...in some ways.

[rlj]

AW was great in 83-84, they were doing the same formula as GL with the 5 families thing All I remember from the double wedding was Jamie returning in tight pass shorts lol

also loved Susan Keith as Shana, loved Shana with Mike, Doug, Jim, and Leo!

[watson71]

 

Soderberg and Purser introduced or recast many important AW characters on AW in 1983-84:

 

They introduced the following characters: 

- Jeanne Ewing (mother of Larry, Blaine, and Caitlin and Alma Rudder's killer)

- Felicia Gallant

- Carl Hutchins

- Perry Hutchins

- Donna Love

- Nicole Love,

- Abel/Leo Marsh

- Lily Mason

- Mark Singleton

- David, Jennifer, and Kevin Thatcher

 

- Vivien Gorrow returned from Texas to Bay City to work for the Corys, and Brian Bancroft's son Ted returned to Bay City.

 

- Jamie Frame was recast with Stephen Yates from GL

- Sally Frame was recast with the popular Mary Page Keller

- Julia Shearer was recast with future star Faith Ford

 

- They killed off David Canary's Steve Frame in a car crash and removed Nancy McGowan and Thomasina Harding from the canvas for several months so that they could be SORASed in the Spring of 1984 by Culliton and Tomlin.
 

[victoria foxton]

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Edited August 5, 2017 by victoria foxton

[DRW50]

Is this Anna Holbrook in this ad around 14 minute? You don't get much of a look.

 

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[juniorz1]

Thank you for posting these 1984 eps!  So happy to see Kathleen Layman's MJ.  She was one of my favorite heroines at the time.  And good to know I didn't imagine the flirtation she had with Rick Porter's Larry.   Chemistry in spades.  Maybe some posters will better understand why I could never accept Sally Spencer in the part