Another World - General Discussion

[AndySmith]

Oops, I misread the original post. Crediting her for playing Marley on either OLTL or ATWT is wrong, they should have credited her for playing Marley on AW and/or Sarah on OLTL. But yeah, on ATWT, Marley was only played by Ellen Wheeler.

[DisneyBoy]

Oops...I confused OLTL with ATWT. My bad!

Is it sad that the first thing I thought of when I read this story was how she arranged to get private helicopter flights to and from the set of Another World? And how others resented her for it?

There's something really entitled to me about those who feel they can drive impaired. It's not your road, or your rules.

I really hope that other driver can pull through.

Edited May 21, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[AndySmith]

Quote

Is it sad that the first thing I thought of when I read this story was how she arranged to get private helicopter flights to and from the set of Another World? And how others resented her for it?

Did she really? Woah.

[DisneyBoy]

Yeah, I learned about it on the TWOP boards. Apparently she had it worked into the contact because she had young kids and wanted time with them...and also felt Vicky was enough of a draw that they would want to keep her happy.

How often it happened, I don't know, but it happened. 

[TaraS1]

I always liked Jensen as Vicky, and I liked Vicky and Ryan, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't irk me that she got treated like the queen bee around there at the expense of others.  For a few years, it was like The Vicky Show with special guest appearances by the rest of the cast.

[Pippin]

So many stories, but the one that I remember the most was Sven the Evil Butler who had a very naughty habit of killing people, stuffing them in garbage bags and dropping them in the nearest body of water.

I also remember how, at the end of that storyline, Dennis and Jamie went to summer camp as a pair of kids and came back as Hot Young Studs.  Dennis had an affair with an older woman -- a countess, IIRC -- who was mom's great good friend.  Good times.

Where do you guys watch the show?

[Ms.McGregor]

On 7/5/2016 at 6:18 PM, Pippin said:

 

Where do you guys watch the show?

I've found a huge number of episodes from 1991-92 on YouTube.  Apparently, they were aired on SoapNet several years back and some wonderful people had the foresight to keep them and upload them all to YouTube.  I began watching AW in 1990, so these episodes are the peak years for me; I don't know what I'm going to do once I've watched them all!

[AndySmith]

This account also has tons of videos from the late 80s to the early 90s. They're named more by storyline than by date/episode number, but still worth checking out.

[SomeTameGazelle]

Robert E. Short, Longtime Procter & Gamble Productions Executive, Dies at 95.

[DisneyBoy]

I'm just watching - for the first time - episodes from 1985 about how Carl has kidnapped Rachel. Really interesting! I never knew Carl did anything evil to Rachel directly. In fact, I had always assumed his villainous acts were limited to hurting Mac...otherwise how would Rachel ever warm up to Carl, much less love him or sleep with him or marry him? In this particular episode, he has her strip in front of him then locks her in a room and then fights with her when she tries to escape and threatens to strike her...

Check out the fight around the 25-minute mark.

I also assume this is before the reveal of Vicky/Marley's heritage, as Marley seems to address Donna as a sister more than a mother here.

 

What was Carl's motivation for kidnapping Rachel anyway?

[movingtargetgal]

I remember the Sven the Evil Butler storyline.  I was 8 or nine years old and he scared the hell out of me.

[AndySmith]

Agnes Nixon passed away today. Without her, we wouldn't have had Rachel, and all the fun and drama that came with that character. May she rest in peace.

[bluedevilblue]

Quote

Was it good? Depends on how you look at it. Basically, Iris wanted to frighten Carl or something like that, so she was going to shoot at him with a gun loaded with blanks. Evan Frame however secretly put real bullets in the gun. Iris was tried and sent to jail and never heard from again.

 

Which was a real shitty ending for a character like Iris, no?

 

I liked the whole story with Rachel/Mac/Janice/Mitch. Lots of good soapy fun, and I like at the end, it's Rachel who defeats Janice and rescues Mac and Mitch!

1) It was a completely crappy way to treat Iris!  She should've just shot and killed Carl.   Totally justified IMO.  Going to the post a couple of posts up about Carl kidnapping Rachel.  Carl was the worst.  Charles Keating seems like he was a lovely man and a terrific actor, but Carl could not be redeemed, IMO.  I get VW liking to work with Keating and they did have great chemisty, but when you have to shit all over the show's history to make a pairing work...  

I rewatched an episode the other day where Donna says comparing Matt to Carl is like milk to kerosene and I dunno about the milk (I think that's selling Matt a bit short, see below), but the kerosene sounds about right.  At least they never redeemed old Reggie Love.

2) The Rachel/Mac/Janice storyline is the first one I really remember.  Good times!

Quote

I remember the Sven the Evil Butler storyline.  I was 8 or nine years old and he scared the hell out of me.

Me, too.  I had nightmares.  I watched a lot of inappropriate stuff on soaps, but that storyline is the only one that freaked me out.  Still does when I think of those garbage bags.  /shudder.

Finally, in rewatching some old Youtubes, I remembered how much I liked Donna and Matt and how bitter I was when it became clear that they were going to go Michael/Donna again for the 400th time.*  Because it's so romantic to watch Donna Love treated like some sort of spoiled child by Michael again and again.  I read an interview once and it was clear Anna Stuart agrees with me and wanted Matt/Donna to continue, so I must be right.  :-)  And Matt was 100% more interesting with Donna than he was with whoever came after.   Although I had liked him with Lorna, too.  I's always more fun when Rachel disapproves!  Matt was the only child of Rachel's that I consistently liked.  Amanda was annoying (although I liked her with RKK, I agree with TudorQueen about that, I, too hated Evan or the actor who played him, although I liked that he was Janet's son).  Jamie was just a self important dick most of the time.  

* While I generally disliked Michael, I came across the episode where he found out about Matt/Donna and complains that John and Sharlene didn't tell him.  I loved Sharlene asking Michael how old the last woman he dated was.  And I loved even more when Michael said that he was just worried Donna was ruining her life and she responded, "Gee, Michael, Donna's just been so happy, I guess it never occurred to us that she might be ruining her life."  I assume there was some writer change between that time and when Donna leaves Matt and goes scurrying back to Asshat Michael.  

TL;DR  I miss good soaps.

Edited October 28, 2016 by bluedevilblue

[AndySmith]

Quote

I assume there was some writer change between that time and when Donna leaves Matt and goes scurrying back to Asshat Michael.  

You can blame Jill Farren Phelps for that. Once she became the executive producer, she believed Donna and Matt should be with characters their own age.

[bluedevilblue]

Well that figures.  She ruined pretty much every soap she ever touched.  As disappointing as the Matt/Donna thing was, it was the least of her sins.

[SomeTameGazelle]

10 hours ago, bluedevilblue said:

Jamie was just a self important dick most of the time.  

I have very fond memories of Richard Bekins as Jamie and I liked Richard Yates' Jamie with Kathleen Layman's MJ. It wasn't until what's-his-name, blond doctor Jamie, that I found him tiresome. 

Then again I also really enjoyed Michael and Donna during their first go around. Her life had been blighted by her father's treatment of her and Michael and Marley and Victoria and integrating Michael back into her life rehabilitated her.

[MarkHB]

19 hours ago, bluedevilblue said:

Matt was the only child of Rachel's that I consistently liked.  Amanda was annoying (although I liked her with RKK, I agree with TudorQueen about that, I, too hated Evan or the actor who played him, although I liked that he was Janet's son).  Jamie was just a self important dick most of the time.  

I may well be misremembering, but wasn't Amanda originally Ada's late-in-life daughter? Or was she Rachel's and Ada quasi-adopted her? I'm thinking it might have started one way and changed when Amanda got SORASed?  Does anyone else remember?

[bluedevilblue]

Amanda was Rachel and Mac's daughter.  No shenanigans with her parentage that I know of (I watched off and on from around 1979 until 1995).i

I liked Michael and Donna the first go round, too, but over time I thought the character started to really be condescending towards her, but that was much later on.  And I admit I would at times stop watching the show for a stretch when I would lose interest, so I didn't see all of Michael and Donna.  I just hated that Mikey storyline and what it did to the Donna character.  But over the length of a soap, almost all characters have a bad run.

Edited October 29, 2016 by bluedevilblue

[AndySmith]

Yes, Amanda was always Rachel's daughter, I believe. She was Rachel and Mac's only shared biological daughter.

Ada did have another daughter named...Nancy, I think. She was much younger than Rachel, so that might be who you are referring to, MarkHB.

In any case, Amanda was always Mac and Rachel's daughter.

Edited October 29, 2016 by AndySmith

[MarkHB]

Ok, thanks.  It's only been 30 years or more, and I mostly know what I picked up when my mom was watching.

Edited so I'm not repeating myself from Small Talk.

[SomeTameGazelle]

11 hours ago, AndySmith said:

Yes, Amanda was always Rachel's daughter, I believe. She was Rachel and Mac's only shared biological daughter.

Ada did have another daughter named...Nancy, I think. She was much younger than Rachel, so that might be who you are referring to, MarkHB.

In any case, Amanda was always Mac and Rachel's daughter.

Nancy was SORASed a few years before Amanda. She dated Carl's son Perry and went to high school with Marley, Ben (McKinnon, Kathleen and MJ's brother),  Thomasina, and Carter (who are probably long forgotten since they didn't have any family connections surviving in Bay City after about 1988). Amanda and Matthew were still little kids then. Nancy was around during the Sin Stalker, IIRC.

[katie9918]

If I'm condoning the Carl/Rachel pairing (which saved both actors involved from obsurity, it sure seems to have been the only couple that would have given a damn for the 30-46 watching.

 

Meanwhile, younger viewers across the board were preferring the more familiar comforts.

Edited October 30, 2016 by katie9918

[bluedevilblue]

Yes, I think the only defense of Rachel/Carl is that it found VW a strong acting partner and a storyline that could keep her front and center.  I agree that that's not nothing and I accepted it at the time for this very reason (well, at least until the twins, nothing could make me accept those twins).

[DisneyBoy]

Really, LOL? Rachel was just too old for you, eh? I liked that Carl got too be a dad again, but their ages relative to their relatives were pretty crazy. Ali was in her late teens, but her Aunt and Uncle were 1! Amanda and Matt were in their 30s but now had siblings who were 1!  Ahh soaps.

 

I'm missing the Cory Christmas party this year. I loved that house and the genuine warmth of that family. They were rich but real. Seeing them dressed nice and hugging like they meant it was such a nice thing to see on the holidays. Matt and Amanda chatting while kids tear at presents and Carl grins and Rachel greets Felicia and Cass...awww. Warm fuzzies.

Edited December 14, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[eXiled]

It's funny how perspectives sometimes change with time. I was a teen in the early 1990s. DAYS was my show back then. It seemed to be so much faster paced. Plus the show was still living off the fumes of some of its better supercouples. Yet today, when I watch classic videos, I tend to seek out Another World (in addition to Guiding Light and other P&G soaps, as well as One Life to Live).

I'm currently watching uploads of 1991. Even the slowburning C-stories and characters (Dean/Jenna/Matt, Olivia, Amanda) hold my attention. I've not watched a soap regularly since One Life to Live's (final) demise in 2013, and even then, I watched more for nostalgia than actual storytelling. I haven't enjoyed TV this much in a long time. Fifteen year-old me and forty year-old me have really different tastes in soaps :-0 .

[ChadW]

I was a huge fan of the Sharly/Sharlene/Taylor Benson storyline where Sharlene's psychiatrist tried to make everyone think Sharlene was crazy so that Taylor could have John.  The scene at the amusement park on the carousel was crazy, but I just loved it.

Oh, and I was a huge Kathleen and Cass fan so when they brought her back I was thrilled.  I knew people would hate the storyline because everyone wanted Frankie and Cass together, but I had started watching AW when Cass and Kathleen had been kidnapped by Cecile and her henchmen.  So, to me, when the two of them were together, they really had chemistry. 

And I loved it when Reginald Love came back to Bay City.  The storyline of Donna holding those three pillows had me convinced that Scott LaSalle was her son.  I loved Anna Stuart as Donna Love, but when they brought on Philece Sampler, she played her completely different than who I thought Donna was.

Oh, Another World, I sure do miss you.

[lalafrance]

Hey just found this site. Anyone still visit?

[WendyCR72]

People seem to visit if/when there is former cast news or whatnot. But welcome!

[Mckinnonsgirl]

I should visit more often, I miss this show so much last night I dreamt I was in a limo & Donna & Michael were there too, totally random!

[SunnyBeBe]

I just saw this show listed and suddenly I remembered it.  I was more of a fan of As The World Turns, Search for Tomorrow, One Day At A Time, and Y&R, but, I do recall the name of this show. I'll have to read about some of the characters to see if they still look familiar.  

[llongori]

Wow, this is bringing back memories.  I started watching when Robin Strasser was still playing Rachel, back during the time Jamie was born and Rachel was trying to get in between Steve and Alice.  I watched on a B/W TV with my grandmother in the summers.  We also watched DOOL.  I remember when Susan Martin's (played by Denise Alexander) baby, Dickey, died, watching her on the floor beside his crib, reaching through the bars and sobbing.  Pretty tough stuff for an 8-year-old.  I watched AW off and on (more frequently once VCRs became common) until AW went off the air the day after my 40th birthday.  What a crappy birthday gift.

 

Probably my favorite AW character of all the many was Jake McKinnon.  When that man would cry (which was surprisingly often), I just turned into a big old puddle of mush.

Edited September 22, 2018 by llongori

[wonderwoman]

Over at AWHP, Eddie Drueding just posted a fascinating piece about the myths surrounding the creation of Another World. Particularly interesting is how Irna Phillips retold her own story through the Pat Matthews abortion story.

http://www.anotherworldhomepage.com/anotherworldcreation.htm

[TaraS1]

On 9/22/2018 at 2:05 PM, llongori said:

Probably my favorite AW character of all the many was Jake McKinnon.  When that man would cry (which was surprisingly often), I just turned into a big old puddle of mush.

I will always have a very special place in my heart for Tom Eplin.  The first online friend I ever made was a diehard Tom/Jake fan and she started a fansite for him around 1995 or '96.  Eventually, she got to visit the set and meet him and he couldn't have been more lovely to her.  Sadly, she was killed in a car accident along with her parents in 1998 and I will never forget that Tom sent flowers to the funeral.  Wonderful man.

[ParadoxLost]

Many, many, many years ago...  Frankie and Ryan referred to how they met (in a time before I watched the show).  The stupid editors didn't provide a flashback, just dialogue, drat them.  So from time to time for many, many years when my mind drifts back to Another World, I do a quick search on youtube looking for that one scene I never saw, when Ryan met kidnapped  Frankie from her wedding to Cass.  To no avail.

Today I found it and it was wonderful.  I marvel that Ryan was so fully formed from his first week on the show.  And that dynamic that made Frankie and Ryan such fun to watch as friends and partners later on was there from the very beginning.

[MsTree]

17 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I will always have a very special place in my heart for Tom Eplin.  The first online friend I ever made was a diehard Tom/Jake fan and she started a fansite for him around 1995 or '96.  Eventually, she got to visit the set and meet him and he couldn't have been more lovely to her.  Sadly, she was killed in a car accident along with her parents in 1998 and I will never forget that Tom sent flowers to the funeral.  Wonderful man.

I adore Tom too. Do you know if he's still acting?

[WendyCR72]

RIP, Carmen Duncan! (Iris #2)

[danderson400]

On 9/22/2018 at 2:05 PM, llongori said:

Wow, this is bringing back memories.  I started watching when Robin Strasser was still playing Rachel, back during the time Jamie was born and Rachel was trying to get in between Steve and Alice.  I watched on a B/W TV with my grandmother in the summers.  We also watched DOOL.  I remember when Susan Martin's (played by Denise Alexander) baby, Dickey, died, watching her on the floor beside his crib, reaching through the bars and sobbing.  Pretty tough stuff for an 8-year-old.  I watched AW off and on (more frequently once VCRs became common) until AW went off the air the day after my 40th birthday.  What a crappy birthday gift.

 

Probably my favorite AW character of all the many was Jake McKinnon.  When that man would cry (which was surprisingly often), I just turned into a big old puddle of mush.

New here, my granny was watching Days too when Susan Martin's (played by Denise Alexander) baby, Dickey, died, watching her on the floor beside his crib, reaching through the bars and sobbing. My granny watched AW too. Robin Strasser as the bitchy Rachel! And there was the organ music too.

[RachelRhae73]

On 11/6/2018 at 11:31 PM, MsTree said:

I adore Tom too. Do you know if he's still acting?

From the rumblings I've heard and there aren't many, he is now remarried and is in Real Estate.  He's truly missed in daytime, I don't watch  soaps anymore, but If I found out he was hired on to a show I would definitely tune in.  

 

 I wish a network would offer him a deal he just couldn't refuse, but if he's happy out of the limelight I guess his fans will just have to live with our memories.   I did see a picture of him, it's from his wedding, he looks just as gorgeous as always, just a little older and the hair a little grayer but he still has that trademark smile and his wife is beautiful. 

Edited February 5, 2019 by RachelRhae73

[MsTree]

Thanks for the update, RachelRhae!  Is there a link to Tom's photo that you can share?

So many great actors came from AW. Wish we could see more of them on other shows.

[RachelRhae73]

13 hours ago, MsTree said:

Thanks for the update, RachelRhae!  Is there a link to Tom's photo that you can share?

So many great actors came from AW. Wish we could see more of them on other shows.

Tonight when I get home from work I'll upload it, I think I still have it on my  phone. 

[DisneyBoy]

So sad to hear of Carmen's passing. She was the only Iris I ever knew on the show and I loved her.

Still amazed they didn't release the character from jail and give her a return arc before the show ended in 1999. She was such a huge player and her exit storyline was a frame-up. It begged for an epilogue!

She had such warmth and class.

[Thomas Crown]

Another AW fan here. Has it really been over 20 years since it's been off the air?  I started watching in the mid 80's and stopped in early 90's when I was in University but it was a fun show to follow.  Just like a few others, Jake was my favourite character played by the amazing Tom Eplin.  Considering how awful daytime soaps have been in the last 15-20 years, I'm happy that he moved on. 

Had a huge crush on the actress that played Amanda Cory in the 80's. Simply gorgeous. By reading the posts above, seems there weren't many Evan Frame fans but I liked them together.  I found this youtube clip of Amanda and Even getting together.  Clip starts with them followed by another small bit.  Then go to 18.19.  Wow. That was hot with the 80's ballad from Bad English playing in the background. Miss those simpler days. 

 https://youtu.be/3S3dn1XHsEw

[waniamalik]

On 6/6/2014 at 8:17 AM, Shermie said:

Not so much a favourite, but one of the most memorable moments was when Mac died. The show was celebrating a major milestone (25th anniversary?) and they had a Pinoy channel storyline of Cory Publishing celebrating something major too, to get lots of past stars to come back. Then Douglas Watson unexpectedly died (quite young too - maybe 68?) so the celebration turned into a remembrance for Mac.

They did a really good job with such an unexpected tragedy, but what a loss for the show.

This one will be my fav one all the time. Everybody has different choices different way of thinking and different feelings.

[DisneyBoy]

I can't imagine how Victoria Wyndham kept it together enough to get through memorizing scripts after losing her scene partner....and having to play Rachel's grief.

My heart broke most for Iris...sure, she'd lied about being The Chief but she loved Mac dearly. Losing him right after he kicked her out of the company...and then seeing his sicko rival charm his way into Rachel's bed AND the company?!

No wonder she got as desperate as she did.

Wish they'd brought her back in 1998/99 instead of some of those other weird villains (Carl's brother, Nikos, Jordan Stark etc). It sucks that she just was carted off to jail and forgotten.

Edit: seems I'm singing the same tune I was back in February.

Edited June 28, 2019 by DisneyBoy

[CanaryFan98]

I liked Iris I know I probably wasn't supposed to but honestly I thought she was justified in a lot of ways. I liked Carl even was cool with him being redeemed because he still managed to be interesting(back when you could redeem characters and they still had an edge) I didn't like Carl/Rachel being paired together though. So I don't blame Iris for still hating him same with Amanda (even though I had my issues with her through the years).

[MsTree]

With all the network 'reboots' taking place, I really wish TPTB were able to bring AW back...even if it was just for one season 📺

[howmanywords]

I can't believe I never knew there was an AW forum here!

I would give my right arm to have Tom Eplin or Paul Michael Valley back on my screen.  

Back when I was growing up in NY I had cousins that lived a few blocks away from where AW filmed in Brooklyn (The Cosby Show also filmed in the same place). Such great memories and I got to meet many cast members. 

[Jaded]

I still despise that Justine who was a Rachel doppelganger story line that led to Ryan getting killed off the show. That was one of the major events that are part of the downward spiral the show took the last years it was on the air. From what I've read over the years since we have Jill Farren Phelps to thank for Paul Michael Valley being fired from the show. I found that train tracks scene on YT. Ryan and then Frankie getting murdered were two deaths on the show that peeve me off to no end. Frankie's murder was so brutal especially for the time. 
 

Edited June 30, 2019 by Jaded

[Cupcake04]

Ryan's death gutted me.  That was pre-spoilers for me so I had no idea it was coming.  And they faked us out with him being ok and Vicky bedside and them talking and then wham, Ryan dies.  I loved Vicky/Ryan.  My favorite scenes were when they went to Banff and were trapped in the cave.  OMG that was such good stuff.  I know its an UO, but I liked Jensen Buchanan as Vicky the best.

I did also ship Jake/Vicky after Ryan was gone.  I just loved their friendship...they were great together.  

That is one thing about AW that I feel is lacking in the other soaps....they had so many great platonic friendships like Ryan/Frankie, Jake/Vicky, Felicia/Cass.

[Sandman]

3 hours ago, Cupcake04 said:

Ryan's death gutted me. That was pre-spoilers for me so I had no idea it was coming. And they faked us out with him being ok and Vicky bedside and them talking and then wham, Ryan dies. I loved Vicky/Ryan. My favorite scenes were when they went to Banff and were trapped in the cave. OMG that was such good stuff. I know its an UO, but I liked Jensen Buchanan as Vicky the best.

Co-signed! The cave scenes were thrilling. I thought Buchanan did a lovely job as Vicky. I know the majority opinion/conventional wisdom says that Anne Heche was the Best. Thing. Ever. But I could never warm to her. (Ellen Wheeler was the one who differentiated most clearly between the twins, giving them both fully realized characters in ways that neither Heche nor Buchanan quite did, if you ask me.) But I think Buchanan gets short shrift too often.

And, yeah, Ryan's death gutted me, too.