Another World

[Contessa Donatella]

And Hallelujah!

[Mona Kane Croft]

I do understand people's criticisms of Larry Lau's acting choices. And I understand your use of those adjectives to describe him.  But in my opinion -- of all the actors who portrayed Jamie, Lau's acting style is the most similar to the acting style of George Reinholt (Steve Frame).  Especially the choice to play things brooding and moody at times. Plus Lau looked more like Reinholt than any of the other actors.  I'm not suggesting Lau was the best actor (of all those who played Jamie), i do feel a couple of the others had broader acting range.  Just saying he was the most reminiscent of George Reinholt.  Which may or may not be an important thing,   And all of this is just my opinion, of course.   

[DRW50]

I can see the similarity, now that you mention it. 

[Contessa Donatella]

Give me Richard Bekins, anytime at all. I don't care if Lau was or is the impersonation of Steve Frame I just want a Jamie who can act up a storm. To me Bekins was the real mccoy.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Agreed.  Bekins was the best actor to play Jamie. No doubt.  Second best, in my opinion, would be either Robert Doran or Stephen Yates.  

[Contessa Donatella]

Stephen Yates, yes, good, definitely a contender. Doran, I can't recall. Hmm. Oh no. Gee. How'd that happen? Have to head to the AWHP to look at a picture. Back later.

[Xanthe]

This is an interesting take that I had not considered. Admittedly I have seen very little of George Reinholt in order to make the comparison. Do you have a sense of whether this Steve-Frame-like interpretation was natural and present from Lau's introduction, or was more likely influenced by the triangle with Vicky after Lemay took the reins?

[Mona Kane Croft]

Doran played the adolescent Jamie during most of Harding Lemay's run on AW.  Red-headed kid, very good young actor.  Was playing Jamie during the Sven storyline.   

[Contessa Donatella]

Still nothing.

[Maxim]

Guys I wanted to ask all of you this a lot of time, but I always forget to do it (ADHD). What period of the show... was your introduction to it... For me, it's obviously - late 1988. Even thought I have watched 5 episodes from 1987 - you saw me struggle! And I have watched couple of episodes from 1991 years ago, but I don't remember anything other than that I told myself how amazing this show looks and sounds and how I dream that one day there will be more episodes available. And it happened! Ha! So yes... what was your moment of starting to watch - what years, what era, what head writer? 

[Contessa Donatella]

Okay, now I've got it. Thanks! Yes, he was good. Loved Jamie and Dennis, together, at that time. Best Dennis. Wished we'd had him, later.

[DRW50]

Bekins was definitely the best for me, even if I wonder how he'd be with Reinholt.

My introduction to the show was through AWHP. I saw some of their '80s tapes and read their site at the same time as I started watching the show, which was much worse in comparison. I think the first "new" episodes I watched were from late '96.

[Mona Kane Croft]

I had been aware of the show since the very beginning, 1964.  I was very young, but my mother watched AW daily, and I saw it occasionally on school holidays. I remember bits and pieces of Pat Matthews' first murder trial.  So the creator, Irna Phillips, was writing at that time.  

Later, I remember more details during Agnes Nixon's run as head-writer.  But still was not watching regularly -- only catching the occasional episode on school breaks.

I started watching regularly (meaning every day) in 1971 just as Harding Lemay was taking over the duties as head-writer (the first time).  And I was very quickly hooked by Lemay's unusual character-driven writing style.   Lemay wrote those characters as if they were real people.  His writing style was so unusual, I would almost call it experimental.  Very sparse plots, but each character was so fully-formed -- they almost didn't need plots.   

[AbcNbc247]

My first experience with AW was in 1996. But I was 3 going on 4 so idk if that really counts. That year, it was first written by Tom King&Craig Carlson. And then by Margaret DePriest again. It was also a time that the network was really trying to turn AW into a Days clone. 

I got back into it when it first started being shown on SoapNet in 2003. The first episode I saw was MJ watching her hooker tape

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I remember liking most of it, but at the same time, I didn’t have much to compare it with. But I also remember thinking that it was weird that the Michael/Donna/John triangle was dropped so suddenly.

Edited December 29, 2024 by AbcNbc247

[Contessa Donatella]

For me it was the 70s. I began watching both AW & DAYS during that summer. 1970-something. Let me see if I can narrow it down. I think that I was 16, which would make it 1967. So not the 70s. That means that Rachel wasn't Rachel yet. By that I mean Robin Strasser was playing her. And, that is accurate. She was Rachel when I first watched the show. Oh, my, I just realized. Agnes WAS SAVING THE SHOW when I first started watching. Amazing! I can hardly catch my breath. This is too much. I cannot believe it. But I know it's true.