Another World

[Contessa Donatella]

Back when Pat had the first abortion! 

And, didn't some soap have a bunch of folk killed in a car crash? Wait. Plane crash, into some mountains? I just couldn't figure out how it found its way to Bay City. Anyway, my memory is like soap twins. The good twin remembers amazing details about the oddest things & the evil twin just swears at me to be left alone & won't even try to remember other things. 

Someone told me just this week that when they were cleaning out the AMC studio they just dumped Agnes's writing desk unceremoniously at the curb, NY style. Cat Hickland recognized it & got it & was supposedly trying to get it to Agnes, who was still alive at the time. I thought it should be in some museum, but I sure don't know what one.

Oh, yes, I checked & it was March 5th, 1979 AW first 90 minute show & death of John Randolph: GL Roger raped Holly: OLTL Karen Wolek took the stand. It was the next day that she broke down under cross & revealed her life as a prostitute. That was a big week for soaps. 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges

[Mona Kane Croft]

It's not a very important issue, I suppose.  But the Another World Home Page lists John Randolph's death as March 6.  I've also always heard he died on the second 90-minute episode, which would be March 6.  The first 90-minute episode was March 5. Aside from the AWHP, I don't know any other way to verify this.  

[Xanthe]

The AWHP details in the daily synopses for 1979 seem to support the March 6 date with the caveat that apparently the script for March 6 was missing from the Bowling Green collection. But John seems to be alive at the end of March 5 and to have had scenes on March 6th.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/aw1979d.html

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, I stand corrected. It is shown elsewhere different but I will always go with AWHP if there is an issue. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

It's odd the AWHP says they had to use flashbacks for their partial March 6 synopsis, because isn't the entire episode available for viewing on YouTube?  At least I believe it used to be on Youtube.  

[Xanthe]

It's not so much a question of trusting the source per se but understanding what the supporting evidence is. The AWHP synopses are created from various different sources. I expect less accuracy from the Tune in Tomorrow weekly summaries than from the synopses Eddie and Mike summarized from the scripts.

In the recent discussion about the two-hander episode, it was something the AWHP had no information on. As they say, "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". So the evidence we had was initially from a contemporaneous article about the EON episode. And @vetsoapfan was able to confirm that the episode had happened and to explain why the scripts would not have been clear about it. But even without that confirmation, I would say that the EON article showed that it was worth further research.

Eddie and Mike have done tremendous work but there is still more research that can be done.

[AbcNbc247]

I think that synopsis was written a long time ago, before the episode ever showed up on YouTube, and they just haven’t gotten around to updating it. The episode is still up on YouTube 

Edited September 16, 2023 by AbcNbc247

[Contessa Donatella]

Yes, you make a good point. Eddie & Mike & the AWHP is an absolutely invaluable resource but that doesn't mean there's not new information, debunking, etc. & anything has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Do you feel this was solidly confirmed?  Are you aware one of the existing scenes from that day's episode actually includes Pat, Dennis, and Louise (along with Alice and Steve)?  So to me, that seems to confirm the episode was not a two character episode.  Unless I'm misunderstanding something.  

Edited September 16, 2023 by Neil Johnson

[Contessa Donatella]

Yeah, Eddie brought up to me that in the ending of the scene we see them & they have dialogue. And, of course, I saw it for myself. Maybe it is a case of MOST of the episode focusing entirely on two characters only. IDK. Because it was very natural for them to be there at the conclusion. 

[Soaplovers]

It seemed like Irna, and to a lesser extent Bill Bell, were attempting to take all of the tropes used in soaps and add more controversial elements (or for 1964 standards).

Problem was that the 1964 characters were too trope..or copies of previous Irna characters without anything new.

Mary Matthews was a warmer Nancy Hughes.

Granny Matthew's was a female version of Papa Bauer and Hughes.

Janet Matthews was a less developed Edith Hughes.

Susan and Pat Matthew's were variations of Penny Hughes  and Ellen Stewart.

Liz Matthews was a colder Nancy Hughes/Claire Lowell combination.

Alice Matthew and Russ Matthews seemed like a young siblings that were the greek chorus.

I think had the bible been followed more..it would have been an interesting show..but Irna's neurosis and P & G being so conservative hurt the show in the early months as it struggled to find its footing.

Nixon helped focus the show by using some of her AMC bible..and also bringing out the psychological elements Irna was intending.  She created Lahoma, Rachel, Sam, Ada, and helped develop Missy...which was the have not section of the show to play off the Matthews/Randolphs/Curtains as the haves.

And not only did start Alice/Steve/Rachel...she made Bill/Missy popular... and depend Lee's character into a tragic anti heroine in the Sam/Lahoma/Lee triangle.

[Contessa Donatella]

Found out earlier this year that Agnes wrote for The Brighter Day but her scripts never got used because the show was canceled before they got to them. However, in those scripts were the characters & mother/daughter relationship that was Rachel & Ada in AW. So, the first iteration of the troublesome daughter with the put upon mother is "LikeRachel" & "LikeAda" in TBD before 1962. (Then AW, then AMC & then LOV)

[DRW50]

Thanks. I guess that wasn't using the old bible and more just inevitable mother/daughter soap conflict.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Does anyone know who was head-writing As the World Turns when Lisa and Alma were created?  Could Agnes Nixon have been involved?  I've always believed Lisa and Alma (in their early years) to be quite similar to Rachel/Ada and Erica/Mona.  Any possibility Nixon might have created Lisa/Alma?  

[Contessa Donatella]

No idea, but that bears looking into! My memories of ATWT at that time are just literally LISA LISA LISA. I do not recall Agnes writing ATWT but she worked for Irna early on where she wrote whatever Irna told her to write that day, you know? 

Steady as she goes ... Open Schemering. 

"By the end of its first year, with Phillips and Agnes Nixon writing and Ted Corday handling ... " oh who cares. ".... the show was a certified hit." So year 1 was 1956 & Lisa starts in May of 1960. Talks about Lisa. Nothing on writing till 1970 when Irna left due to illness. 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges