Another World

[j swift]

OMG, I adored Therese Lemonte!  Bye Bye Blackbird on Iris's terrace and then kaput; amazing.  I don't remember anything about Carol, but Therese was iconic.

 

[Edited] I read the 1975 soap history thread on these boards about Carole Lemonte; she was quite a cruel minx.  Gaslighting poor Lenore, trying to get her medical history from Russ and her legal history about the Addison murder trial from news archives.  I appreciated the timeliness of Lenore's wanting to work outside the home, and Carol using Lenore's stress over balancing work and motherhood to set her up to fail around the office.  And, Steve having to remind Robert that women should be allowed to be more liberated.  Who knew Steven Frame was so progressive?  Also, Lenore's mother appropriately suggests she go see the psychiatrist.  When was the last time soaps didn't demonize mental health issues? It was a great example of 1970's soapiness because there were layers of Lenore being jealous not just of Robert's attraction to Carole as a younger woman, but also her jealousy of Carole's career accomplishments, coupled with the over the top reaction of Carole snooping around Walter Curtin's untimely demise.  One gets the sense that in 2020 female soap characters are only concerned about affairs of the heart and they never talk about their ambitions in the workplace; unless they are schemers or objects of scorn.  

 

So, Olivia came after Robert had already left town?  That seems so odd to tie her to a character that was no longer on the canvas. 

 

Also, it is interesting that Vic Hastings, (John Considine's character), was pretty important to the plot during his time on the show, and then they re-hired the actor to play Reginald Love.  I know there is a list somewhere on these boards of actors who played more than one character on the same show, but it always strikes me as an indicator of a production team that devalued the audience's experience of soap history.

Edited September 25, 2020 by j swift

[AbcNbc247]

Robert came back briefly in 1980 and tried to reconnect with Cory, which caused problems for Clarice and Larry. Olivia followed him to Bay City and got a job at the hospital. 

 

Olivia couldn't have children and that's what broke up her and Robert.

[denzo30]

Yeah the Olivia thing never made any sense to me either.  Robert Delaney came came back in like in 1980 and then his ex wife now shows up? Connsidering Robert had been off the cannvas for years..   I always thought that Olivia Matthews would end up be Oliva Delaneys daughter since Russ Matthews more or less left town with Olivia Delaney in the early 80's.  I think I am even confusing myself now at this point but wondering.  Russ never mentioned in his return that he married Olivia but I swear they must be using some old bible to bring up characters.

Thanks for pointing that out.  I think I forgot about that.  Somehow, I thought husband and wife were never on screentime together.  Russ fell for Olivia once Tracy died and I thought that made it seem like they left togehter.  Meaning Olivia and Russ.  When Olivia, Russ's daughter showed up in 89  I thought for sure it was a reinvention of the Bay City babies SORAS and thinking Olivia Matthews would have to be Olivia Delaneys daughter. I really think that was going to be the storyline but Olivia Delaney was never mentioned again

 

[allmc2008]

Are there any full 90 minute episodes?

[AbcNbc247]

Yeah. There are 4 posted on Youtube

 

March 6, 1979 - John’s death 

October 11, 1979 - Joey’s case is dismissed 

November 21, 1979 - Joey and Eileen’s wedding, Angie breaks up with Willis

August 1, 1980 - Last 90 minute episode,  Beverlee McKinsey’s last appearance,  Russ and Tracy’s wedding 

 

Theres a lot of short clips too but those are the only full episodes 

Edited September 26, 2020 by AbcNbc247

[victoria foxton]

 

  

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[AbcNbc247]

Wow! Thanks for posting!

 

1982 was definitely one of AW's worst years, but at the same time I'd love to learn more about it and see more of it.

[j swift]

This article refers to Ben Masters as Vic.  I was just reading about John Considine's Vic Hastings, who was hired by Alice to run Frame Construction after Steve went to prison.  But was there another Vic?

 

Note that nobody argued for the continuing story of Pete and Diana (from the long lost and never to be heard from again Aussie Frame family tree). 

 

Also, isn't weird to think of a time when soaps were so popular that a writer could cite a plot in a daily newspaper and expect that the readers knew the reference? Yet, it always strikes me as reductive when soap critics blame the writer for the quality of the production.  1982 was bad time for NBC in general.  The ABC soaps were kicking butt, NBC prime time was failing, and the company was about to be sold, so it would be a bit of an overstatement to suggest that the writing alone was the cause of AW's misfortunes.   

Edited September 27, 2020 by j swift

[dc11786]

Jon-Michael Reed wrote a syndicated soap column. Newspapers tended to cut up those columns. I think this is probably one of those. I might be wrong. 
 

Ben Masters player a movie director. I think Barbara Bailey also played the socialite mother of Tracey Brooke Swopes actress character. They all were jettisoned around the same time. 

[AbcNbc247]

Yeah. Ben Masters played Vic Strang. He was going to direct the movie based on Jamie's book. He had flings with Cecile, and then Julia.

 

I think the problem with Pete and Diana was the writing as well. From what I've read, it seems like there was no pacing for them and they were just rushed into a romance which is probably why they were a bust. According to the synopses, they met in December 1981 but by February, they already wanted to get married. That's way too fast even for established characters; with brand new ones, there was no chance.

[j swift]

I have a long held theory (for which I would like to gather more evidence), that one of the tell-tale signs of poor soap writing is repeating first names of prior characters. 

 

While I understand that a name like Vic is common,  I would propose that the choice to name a character with the same first name that viewers would recognize from just a few years prior is indicative of a writer who is either unfamiliar with the history of the show, or doesn't value the long term commitment of the audience.  

Edited September 28, 2020 by j swift

[AbcNbc247]

It probably is this lol

 

They had a character named Peter (Pete) Shea, but then introduced Peter Love three months after the first Peter left.

[Franko]

Wow, Pete & Diana had a courtship on steroids! Especially when there weren't mitigating circumstances (pregnancy, greed) involved.

 

Were P&D the flagship young couple for their time? Looking at late 1981-early 1982, I see Kit and Joey, then Rick and Marianne, left a few months apart. Then there was Sally and Denny (didn't last long), Jamie and eventually Christine (also short-lived), Cecile and Sandy (ditto, with Cass eventually coming a few months later) and Blaine apparently between men.

[j swift]

Pete and Diana were a little too similar to the rich girl/poor boy/father's disapproval story of Kit and Joey to stomach a second time in two years.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2020 by j swift

[AbcNbc247]

They probably were supposed to be, but with Corinne Jacker not knowing how to write a soap, (and I'm sure Paul Rauch was in panic mode at this time), they really had no chance.