Another World

[Mona Kane Croft]

Thank you for the research.  It is really cool that the AWHP was able to dig up Liz's likely maiden name.   

[Xanthe]

I went back to this discussion after looking at the AW Bible looking for evidence of intended maiden names yesterday because one of the interesting things was that Irna emphasized that Liz had loved her husband Bill very much and her adoration of her son came second. Obviously things can change between the bible and the actual implementation (for example the character called Cynthia in the bible became Pat) but it did make me curious about whether Liz had been depicted as a loving wife initially and the loveless marriage was an innovation of Lemay's. 

I haven't read through the whole bible yet but I must say the I found the description of single career woman Janet who "doesn't know she's lonely" to be really off-putting. Maybe it played out in a slightly more balanced fashion but I thought Janet deserved better. 

Edited May 2, 2024 by Xanthe
Wrong word

[Mona Kane Croft]

It's possible the loveless marriage angle was Agnes Nixon's idea, since she wrote a lot for Liz and really fleshed-out the character. And that Lemay just carried that forward.  Additionally -- when I was a viewer, I never believed the loveless part went both ways.  I always got the impression that Liz loved Will, but he never loved her.  He demonstrated this by being dismissive and cold to Liz, and perhaps by being unfaithful (although I do not believe Will was ever said to have been unfaithful in the scripts).  

Now, Janet Matthews must have been an interesting character!  It seems Irna likely fashioned Janet after Aunt Edie on ATWT.  But perhaps Janet was a bit more likable and bit less scandalous -- although I believe Janet had affairs with two married men during her time on the show.   Janet seems like the type of complex shades-of-gray character that Lemay would have LOVED.  So I've always been a bit surprised he never brought her back to the canvas.   

Edited May 2, 2024 by Mona Kane Croft

[DRW50]

I wonder if he even knew much about her. He mentioned only getting backstory in depth from fan letters. But he did bring back Susan...

[Mona Kane Croft]

Good question. No idea how much Lemay knew about Janet. Perhaps he'd never heard of her. Plus Janet's age may have been a factor in not having her return.  Lemay had brought back Liz, and with Mary, Ada, and Helen Moore already on the canvas, perhaps there wasn't room for another mid-50-ish woman.

But regarding Susan,  Lemay is actually the head-writer who wrote her off in 1971, so that explains why he remembered her.  And of course, he brought Susan and Dan back in 1978.    

[DRW50]

True - I suppose Helen was a support player but that would still be a factor.

I didn't know Lemay wrote her off. In the long run that feels like a waste.

[denzo30]

Lemay I think started one month before Susan left in 1971.  I can only imagine, that the character was already set up to exit.  Possibly the actress's contract was up and she wanted to leave even before Lemay started writing. 

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Yes Helen was a supporting character. But Muriel Williams was on contract, and the network was pushing for younger, younger, younger -- even during Lemay's era.  So four mid-50-ish female actors on contract might have been pushing the limit for NBC and/or P&G.   Who really knows??

 

[danfling]

I am thinking that the actress Lisa Cameron played Susan prior to the departure in 1971.

I don't know if the actress chose to leave Another World or (probably) if she made the decision to leave herself to play another role.

She did play Peggy Reagan on As the World Turns in 1971 and 1972.  (Peggy was a nanny for Dr. Dan Stewart who was secretly in love with him.)  Perhaps Irna Phillips created the role of Peggy for Lisa Cameron.    

I thought that she was a lovely actress and was suprised to not see her cast in other television roles!

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

 

i believe you are correct that Lisa Cameron was playing Susan Matthews prior to the character's departure in 1971.  Is seems Susan married Dan Shearer (a close friend of Russ) and they left town together. I'm glad to see postings from someone who remembers one of the earlier Susans.  The only actress I remember playing Susan was Lynn Milgrim.  Milgrim was the final actress to play the character.   

Edited May 3, 2024 by Mona Kane Croft

[Contessa Donatella]

Irna Phillips has been called the mother of daytime drama. She created many radio soaps. She created or co-created many TV soaps including Guiding Light, As the World Turns, The Right to Happiness, The Brighter Day, These Are My Children, Days of Our Lives, Our Private World, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, A World Apart and Another World. She had two amazing proteges - Bill Bell & Agnes Nixon. She was a mentor to Ted & Betty Corday. She taught Harding "Pete" Lemay how to write a soap.

Sometime in 1963 NBC indicated to P&G that they'd like Irna to create a new soap for them. It is a common misconception that it was only on NBC because CBS had no room for it. There are at least two other misconceptions. It was created as neither a sister soap nor a spin-off of As the World Turns. Agnes Nixon did not put a bunch of characters on a plane & have them crash or explode. It simply never happened. Agnes Nixon did save the show from an early cancelation. She did it by being its 3rd Headwriter & the single story element that was the most famous part of its being saved was an iconic romantic triangle - Alice, Steve & Rachel.

The show debuted on May 4, 1964. It is a little oddity that P&G did not own it until sometime in 1967. Prior to that it was owned by Irna Phillips, Bill Bell (who helped some & so gets a co-creator credit), Rose Cooperman (Irna's secretary who typed up every script) & Arno Phillips, who is Irna's brother who was her original typist.

I asked AI if it would write me a story about the beginning of this, my favorite soap.

In the quaint town of Bay City, the residents were abuzz with excitement. It was a special day, a day that marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. The sun was shining brightly, casting a warm glow over the familiar streets and houses.

At the Cory mansion, the wealthy family was preparing for a grand celebration. Rachel Cory, the matriarch of the family, was overseeing the preparations with a smile on her face. Her children, Amanda and Matthew, were busy helping out, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their guests.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Dr. John Hudson was making his rounds, his mind occupied with thoughts of the new nurse who had just joined the staff. He couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement at the prospect of getting to know her better.

In the heart of the town, the residents of the local diner were gathered around, sharing stories and laughter. Ada, the owner of the diner, was busy serving up her famous pies, her face beaming with pride at the happy chatter of her customers.

As the day turned into night, the town of Bay City came alive with music and laughter. The debut of "Another World" had brought the community together, forging new connections and strengthening old bonds. And as the stars twinkled in the sky, the residents of Bay City knew that this was only the beginning of many more adventures to come.

Happy anniversary, "Another World"!

Edited May 4, 2024 by Contessa Donatella
correction

[Xanthe]

I hope that anyone who is attending the 60th anniversary celebration event today will have a marvellous time and that the cast and affiliated guests will all be appreciated.

I see that earlier this year there was an update on the Another World Homepage to the daily synopses from May - September 1964. Based on the May 4th synopsis, it sounds like the only non-Matthews character who appeared was Pat's boyfriend Tom. Liz Matthews was played by Sarah Cunningham (whose real-life husband was called John Randolph) and Jim Matthews by John Beal; both were fired almost immediately and replaced by Audra Lindley and Leon Janney respectively.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/aw1964.html

Thank you. This is so hilariously typical of AI: on the one hand, a set of very plausible quite grammatical sentences that are on the other hand almost entirely factually wrong or at best inane. It doesn't know how to identify the beginning of the soap and mentions characters who were created years later.

[Contessa Donatella]

I am so glad that you "get it". I find a particular relish in playing with AI. I would never tempt myself & it if I did not know the subject well. Because from the many examples I have accrued, I get a kick out of what it gets right, what it gets wrong, what it gets wrong that is also quite hilarious to me!!! But I have learned one thing. You cannot "get onto it". You can correct it & it will thank you. But if you are exasperated with it & let that show, it will tell you it cannot talk to you anymore because it is too upset & it will shut off & not come back on until some time passes. How is that for temperament?!! 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Not sure you are aware but the script for AW's premiere episode is available.  I have a hard copy somewhere in a box. I recently moved, so I have no idea which box it is in, but I'll never lose it.  The script is also probably posted on the AWHP, but I'm not sure about that. It's an interesting episode that does a good job of introducing the Matthews family.  Apparently it did feature the exterior of the Matthews house, so I'd love to know if something was shot on location, or if they used a still photo (slide) of the exterior of a house.

I've always understood that Sarah Cunningham was fired after the first episode, and that John Beal was fired after the first week.  But some folks insist they were both fired after the first episode.   

[Contessa Donatella]

From the event ... 

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