Another World

[amybrickwallace]

Per the Another World Homepage:

JANUARY 6, 1975 (EP. #2649) (First ongoing 60-minute episode)
Dave agreed to transfer Alice to the children's ward. Liz told Alice it was all over between her and Mac thanks to Rachel. Lenore was pleased when Robert told her Carol wouldn't accompany him to New York. Neil aggravated Carol by bringing up her repeated efforts to accompany Robert. Dennis asked Mac to talk to Rachel about Jamie's visits with Steve. Iris promised Mac to do everything she could to make Rachel feel comfortable. Rachel dropped Jamie off, told Mac she'd miss him when he was in NY, then exchanged "pleasantries" with Iris. Iris and Russ worried about an unhappy Liz. Louise agreed to help Iris only after Iris assured her the plan, unlike the last one, wasn't illegal. Iris wanted to contact Cynthia Whitefield to inquire how she broke up her son Reggie's engagement. Alice, Mary, and Jim tried to console Liz. Rachel agreed to let Mac handle Jamie's visits with Steve. Robert and Lenore spied on them from across the restaurant as Mac told Rachel that after many lonely years he had found in her something to look forward to.

[DRW50]

I was nostalgically watching an old Onion video or two from when they actually had money to make videos (thanks, Facebook...) and came upon one I hadn't seen before. Soon my response was,  holy [!@#$%^&*], isn't that Alice Barrett as the mother??? Maybe  I'm  wrong. You can decide.

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I think Willis, Janice, and then that unfortunate anniversary return for Gwen are the only times. 

[victoria foxton]

@DRW50 That's her Carl.

[DRW50]

Thanks. 

 

[vetsoapfan]

Gary Tomlin, who was writing AW when Alice returned in 1984 acknowledged in an interview that he had not studied the Alice/Rachel history. It showed.

Long-time fans, LOL!

Yes, but Rachel's egregious transgressions should never have been swept under the rug in the first place. In real life, nobody in the Matthews family would have forgiven her for what she did to Russ and Alice. And Audra Lindley's version of Aunt Liz would have pulverized her.

[DRW50]

I  agree. Irene never seemed to get to be that Liz. The closest I  can see is a few of the moments where she tore into Sharlene when she found out Josie was Russ' daughter. 

[vetsoapfan]

There's that oft-discussed episode in which Rachel marches over to Alice's house, berates her, and snaps, "Where's the child YOU'VE ever given him (Steve)?"

Aunt Liz just sat there meekly. The most she did throughout the entire abusive encounter was murmer, "Rachel, you had better go."

She should have showed some real rage, and at least tried to drag Rachel out of there physically.

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by vetsoapfan

[Soaplovers]

Why was it Aunt Liz there instead of Mary?

I do recall Ada would try to explain to Rachel that she needed to move on.  And she was always sweet and warm to Alice.  Which is why in 1985, it seemed odd that Ada was blaming Alice for upsetting Rachel by telling her she stole Steve from her.

The 1989 visit by Alice seemed much better and more in keeping with history.  They had warm things to say, but there was an underlying tension between the two 

[AbcNbc247]

On the show, I think, though I’m not sure,  that Liz had been living with Alice around that time.

Behind the scenes, that was when Lemay had really begun to diminish Mary’s purpose on the show and give all the scenes like that to Liz or Ada.

[amybrickwallace]

From the audio clips I've heard, Audra Lindley's Liz would have mopped the floor with Rachel.

[Nicholas Blair]

Audra Lindley's Liz would have made Rachel wish she was lying dead on the floor beside Danny Fargo--or would have put her there!

[amybrickwallace]

Probably the latter.

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[TVFAN1144]

I don’t remember a lot about Mary Mathews. But it doesn’t seem like she was a real strong dominant matriarch like a Nancy Hugh’s or Alice Horton

[amybrickwallace]

No, and from synopses it seems that right from the start she was overshadowed by a much flashier character, the other Mrs. Matthews - Liz.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Actually, Mary was a strong  archetypal  soap matriarch in the mold of Nancy Hughes and Alice Horton -- from the beginning of the show, and up through the Cenedela years.  The reason Mary is less remembered is Harding Lemay did not appreciate the matriarchal role on AW and began to diminish the character almost immediately upon his arrival at AW.  First Lemay attempted to change Mary's motherly supportive nature into that of a meddling busy-body.  When that didn't work, he brought back Aunt Liz and gave her all the traits he wanted his version of Mary to have, and then Mary's screen-time became minimal.  She was often explained as out of town, or sneaking away to care for Missy and Ricky (without Liz knowing).  As someone mentioned in an earlier post, many of Mary's scenes were, at the last minute, given to Ada or Liz, or occasionally even Helen Moore. It became ridiculous, especially for fans of the character, like myself.   Lemay did not like writing for happy families, and despite all their personal problems, the Matthews family had always been fundamentally happy and loving (similar to ATWT's Hughes, DOOL's Hortons, and AMC's Martins).  Lemay preferred writing the family as fundamentally flawed by making their mother (Mary) a thorn in everyone's side.  Unsuccessful at that, he minimized then killed-off Mary, which threw-off the balance of the show for the final 25 years of its run.