Another World

[Xanthe]

I have a very badly overexposed promo from 1989 with Jamie/Vicky/Jake dancing. I like the part where a duplicate Vicky spins off -- I wish the duplicate had had the Marley wig, but other than that it's pretty fun.

Anne Heche's hair was fantastic and the Marley wig always looked terrible in contrast. I wonder if it would have been better if they had gone with a darker shade of hair instead of the pale straw, especially since they also always dressed Marley in pale pastels in this era.

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Is there a better-quality version of this promo anywhere online? I haven't turned up anything searching.

I believe there were other versions with other couples with the same music. Not sure if they did it for AW only or other NBC soaps as well.

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, I totally love that!!

It is funny how universally hated the Marley wig is. It's like it has a life of its own & it's a villain. 

[DRW50]

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[Xanthe]

Thanks. Am I supposed to recognize the man Felicia is fantasizing about or is he a generic stand in for Handsome Lover?

Laurie Michaels with the child in the hospital is a different character from Laurie Miller who was the mother of the Kirkland substitute. I was confusing myself wondering why the boy was so old.

I like Grayson McCouch but Morgan's circumstances just seem to wind up glum.

[ScottyBman]

I have to say I bought this song, Big Pig is the name of the band based soley on this promo.  I loved the over the top of the 80's early 90's.

[Contessa Donatella]

I want to further correct something that is wrong in both texts & fan lore & on her IMDb page, etc. about Beverlee McKinsey. This is the idea that she was the first to have star billing, which is not correct, although the billing she received for TEXAS is singular, distinct & better than any other. 

Narrator Ken Roberts announced at the end of the theme song, “Texas, starring Beverlee McKinsey,” grazed with an outside picture of the iconic actress and the visual “Starring Beverlee McKinsey” graphic near the Texas state flag in the logo.

The main example 

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and 2 others

https://shallotpeelblog.org/2022/04/05/blog-249-above-the-title-billing-in-soap-operas/

And, there are more examples of star billing. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

This is one of several big errors in soap opera history, along with Erica Kane having the first abortion on daytime, and several others.   Rosemary Prinz had star billing in the opening on two different soaps in the 1970s -- All My Children and How to Survive a Marriage.  Dana Andrews had star billing in the opening of Bright Promise.  And I believe there is at least one other example of star billing in an opening, previous to Beverlee McKenzie.   

MacDonald Carey was the opening narrator on DOOL, and he mentioned his own name daily.  But I believe he only received true star billing on the premiere episode, where another announcer did the opening narration and said "starring MacDonald Carey."  

Edited August 12, 2023 by Neil Johnson

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, all of those & there are others.

Dark Shadows had versions with Jonathan Frid & others. 

NEVER TOO YOUNG has written, visual closing credits.

A 1953 YouTube video of SEARCH FOR TOMORROW shows opening, bumpers & closing which includes a written, visual closing credits.

And then many shows with stars highlighted in the opening crawl: In the Another World opening Victoria Wyndham was at the top of the crawl after Jacquie Courtney and George Reinholt left. Like Victoria Wyndham, Charita Bauer headed the crawl on GL till her passing. In the 60’s, Laurence Hugo headed the crawl as Mike Karr on The Edge of Night. When he left, Ann Flood headed the crawl until the end. On As the World Turns, Don MacLaughlin headed the crawl, then Helen Wagner. In 1977, Michael Storm headed the crawl as the most senior cast member on OLTL. 

I'm hoping to find even more. 

I am at a loss as to how to correct this on IMDb. It's just one sentence in TRIVIA. 

[Xanthe]

For most of the period from the mid-1980s the credits led with Victoria Wyndham, Douglass Watson, and Constance Ford with the rest of the permanent cast in order of seniority, followed by any credited non contract performers. Denise Alexander was an exception as she had an "and" credit at the very end of the list regardless of seniority.

I don't know if there was any period when Ford was not on contract that would justify her coming third from a seniority perspective or if they specifically gave Wyndham and Watson top billing as leads even though Ford had been with the show longer. But for example in September 1987 Stephen Schnetzer was credited between Anne Heche and Robert Kelker Kelly since he had only just returned while a year earlier he had been between Petronia Paley and Linda Dano.

ETA: It looks like Denise Alexander did not have her special credit from day 1 -- here she is credited as Marissa Love between Kristen Marie (Cheryl) and Tara Wilson (Julie).

https://youtu.be/De1nT-qZ61w

Edited August 12, 2023 by Xanthe
Correction

[Contessa Donatella]

We had a big laugh this past year when Y&R had their anniversary primetime presentation. They said that Ashley had the first abortion & that Bill Bell started using social issues in soaps! Uhhh, full stop, both wrong! 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Well, I think there is a big difference between being literally called the star by the announcer in the show's opening, and being first in the closing credit crawl.  I don't see them as equivalent.  Sometimes the first in the closing crawl is more or less the star of the show.  But other times it just means that actor is the cast member with the most seniority.  And other times closing credits are done in alphabetical order, and at times there is no rhyme or reason at all.   I think when most soap fans use the term star billing, they are making reference to an actor being identified as the star in the show's opening.  And even though that is very rare, it has been done several times.  I'd submit that Beverlee McKenzie was the last actor to get star billing on a soap opera, not the first.   

[Contessa Donatella]

"Star billing" and also "above-the-title" are terms for fans, sure, but also are terms that are used by agents negotiating & in movie & show lingo. And, I agree with you that they are not the same thing as the credit crawl. The crawl just comes up often when discussing the other one. But, we should clearly distinguish between them. I also agree with your statement that Beverlee McKinsey was the last actor to get star billing on a US soap and not the first. Rosemary Prinz, Dana Andrews, Macdonald Carey, actors on Dark Shadows, etc. all came before & no one has come since. Well phrased if spelling challenged. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

You probably realize, none of the actors on Dark Shadows ever got star billing in the opening.  Just wanted to clarify, so as not to confuse others who are reading this thread.  

[Contessa Donatella]

Beginning June 27, 1966, the opening for the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows began with a visual of the words, “Starring Joan Bennett” before the title.

And it is my understanding that there was another version, "Starring Jonathan Frid". 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges

[Mona Kane Croft]

That's interesting.  I have never heard about that.  I do have all the DVDs, and there is no star billing in those openings that I have noticed. But anything is possible.  I would want to see proof, before I shared it as truth.    

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Neil Johnson