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Another World (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Another World is an American television soap opera
that ran on NBC
from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips
along with William J. Bell
, and was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions at NBC Studios, 1268 East 14th Street in Brooklyn
.
Set in the fictional town of Bay City
, the show in its early years opens with announcer Bill Wolff
(1964–1987) intoning its epigram, “We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds,” which Irna said represented the difference between “the world of events we live in, and the world of feelings and dreams that we strive for.” Another World focused less on the conventional drama of domestic life as seen in other soap operas, and more on exotic melodrama between families of different classes and philosophies.
AW was the first soap opera to talk about abortion
in 1964 when such subjects were taboo. It was the first soap opera to do a crossover, with the character of Mike Bauer from Guiding Light
coming from Springfield to Bay City, and the first to go to one hour, then to 90 minutes, and then back to an hour. It was the first soap to launch two spin-off
s (Somerset
and Texas
) as well as an indirect one (Lovers and Friends
, which would be re-named For Richer, For Poorer). AW was also the first soap opera with a theme song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
"(You Take Me Away To) Another World" by Crystal Gayle
and Gary Morris
, in 1987.
The show was canceled in 1999 and replaced ten days later by Passions
.
, but CBS
did not have room for it and would not allow a spin-off to air on a competing network. Phillips instead sold the show to NBC (eager to snap up a show by the successful Phillips), removing references to ATWT Oakdale
and cancelling plans to have character crossover appearances by the Hughes family, but used the name Another World in reference to its origins. Expectations were so high that Another World had six weeks of commercial time sold in advance.
On November 22, 1963, a group of executives (including Executive Producer
Allen M. Potter
and director Tom Donovan) met at the Young & Rubicam
ad agency in New York to discuss the show’s opening story, the death of William Matthews, when they heard the news of another death in Dallas: the assassination
of President Kennedy.
After opening with a death in the core Matthews family, Irna planned to follow up with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a septic abortion
, a shooting, and murder trial. As Allen M. Potter explained, “Irna just didn’t want to take a chance on waiting for the ratings. She felt that with this kind of showy story she could build an audience more quickly.” Said Tom Donovan, “In construction, Irna was attempting to follow the structure of As the World Turns. Irna would never conceive of a story not based on a family.”
The first episode was the aftermath of the funeral of wealthy William Matthews. His widow Liz (most notably played by Audra Lindley
and later Irene Dailey
) did not like his working-class brother Jim (Shepperd Strudwick
, later Hugh Marlowe
) or his family. The fights between upper-class Liz and her middle-class in-laws started the show. As the '60s went on, the lives and loves of Jim's children (Russ, Alice, and Pat) took center-stage. Jim's wife, Mary (Virginia Dwyer
), usually intervened when there was a crisis, which was most of the time.
In the first year, the show had a controversial storyline involving teenager Pat Matthews, having an illegal abortion
after becoming pregnant. This was the first time that American television had covered the subject. In the story, the abortion made her sterile, and the shock from the news caused her to find her ex-boyfriend and shoot him in cold blood. Pat was eventually brought to trial and acquitted. She then fell in love and married her lawyer, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan
).
Another notable early storyline revolved around the star-crossed romance of Bill Matthews (Joseph Gallison
) and Melissa Palmer (Carol Roux
). Liz Matthews did not consider Melissa good enough for her son and was constantly interfering in their relationship. After many trials and hardships, Bill and Melissa were finally married, but their happiness was short-lived, as Bill later drowned in a boating accident.
After a one-year run, NBC was expected to cancel the program. But instead, former soap opera actor James Lipton
was hired to write the show. His ideas included pushing the Matthews family into the background and introducing the Gregory family. Agnes Nixon
, who was then the Head Writer
of CBS's Guiding Light
, was hired to write for the program. Beverly Penberthy
replaced Susan Trustman in the role of Pat Matthews Randolph. Trustman had been on nearly every show while Miss Phillips was the writer, and she was exhausted. Nixon created the roles of hairdresser Ada Lucas Davis (Constance Ford
) and her daughter Rachel
(Robin Strasser
), which were immediate successes. Ada would sit in her kitchen on Bowman Street and drink coffee. Rachel was a schemer who grew up in a lower-class background, and fought for what she wanted, even if it meant she had to resort to underhanded means. Her mother Ada was much more honest and down-to-earth, and provided a good foil for Rachel, as Ada was the only person Rachel really loved, besides herself.
The next year, businessman Steve Frame (George Reinholt
) was introduced. A shrewd businessman, he grew up in a poor background and earned everything he worked for. He and Rachel immediately bonded over their respective pasts, but he also became involved with Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney
), who was more sophisticated, shy, and demure, something he really looked for in a wife. They courted and were to marry in 1969, but the marriage was called off when Rachel, who was married to Alice's brother Dr. Russ Matthews (Sam Groom
), crashed the engagement party with the news that she was carrying Steve's child. She gave birth to a son, James (later referred to as Jamie), in November.
As 1970 began, Alice had a breakdown and went to live in France. Steve and Rachel bonded yet again, this time over their child, but Alice eventually returned and she married Steve the next year.
After the departure of Agnes Nixon
(who left the show in order to create One Life to Live
for ABC), Robert Cenedella was briefly hired to replace her. He also created the spin-off show Somerset
. It was decided that he should leave the original show to concentrate on the spin-off, so sponsor Procter & Gamble hired a newcomer, playwright Harding Lemay
, to write the program. Lemay's screenplays took the form of tragic plays, as they were carried out in five dramatic acts. As the show rose higher in the ratings, NBC brass wished to expand the show to an hour; the first regularly scheduled hour-long episode was telecast on January 6, 1975.
Thoroughly convinced that her child (Jamie Frame played by Robert "Bobby" Doran from 1971–1978) would be instrumental in breaking up the new Frame marriage and snagging her Steve once and for all, Rachel enlisted the help of her drifter father, who tricked Alice into finding Steve and Rachel in a compromising position. She filed for divorce and again left town. Fed up with Alice's wavering ways, and already feeling an attachment to Rachel and a duty to have more of a role in his son's life, Steve married Rachel (now played by Victoria Wyndham
, who succeeded Strasser and Margie Impert in the role). When Alice returned from Europe for a second time, she exposed Rachel and her father's scheme, which accidentally sent Steve to prison as an accomplice to embezzlement
. When he was released, Steve reunited with Alice; although she had sent him away, he was too alienated against Rachel to rekindle any feeling.
As Steve and Alice were finally allowed to be together (they were married for the second time on the tenth-anniversary telecast), Rachel continued to scheme, even trying to evict Alice from the house Steve had given to her; Rachel tried to say that Steve had given her the house. The existence of that story line illustrates the naivete that writers sometimes have with legal issues, because the ownership of a house is normally determined by reference to deeds and other recorded documents. After Alice had another mental breakdown, and Steve sided with Alice, Rachel decided to reform herself.
Rachel tried her best to stay away from the couple, and even found love with an older, wise magazine editor, Mackenzie "Mac" Cory (Douglass Watson
). This was in tune with Wyndham's wish that Rachel be played with more facets to her character—for many years, her character was totally "black" in personality, compared to "white", good Alice. Both Lemay and Wyndham, who were at the time new to the series, wanted to change the character of Rachel as she was so blindly hated by many fans, who wrote to the NBC
studios wishing that she be killed off.
Mac and Rachel were married by a justice of the peace
in Mac's New York City townhouse on Valentine's Day
1975. The drama produced by their marriage and Mac's insanely jealous daughter, Iris Carrington (portrayed at this time by Beverlee McKinsey
) fueled the storylines for most of the late 1970s. Iris, who was spoiled and wanted to be the only woman in her father's life, resented Rachel, who also happened to be her same age. Iris' many schemes to drive Rachel away from Mac often backfired, driving a wedge between father and daughter, instead of bringing them together. The presence of the Cory maid, Louise (Anne Meacham
), proved for sometimes comedic relief in an otherwise dramatic storyline. Other times, Louise served as a stern confidante and a sometime voice of reason for Mac during fights with either Rachel or Iris.
leave the show. She was replaced by actress Susan Harney
. Over time, Alice became a registered nurse
, and cared for her adopted daughter, Sally (first played by Cathy Greene). While Alice's story finally calmed down, her siblings' stories expanded. Her sister Pat Randolph experienced marital problems with her husband John. He ended up divorcing Pat and marrying the maniacal Olive (Jennifer Leak
).
The ratings for Another World had declined since its final peak at #1 in 1978. To keep the spot, executive producer Paul Rauch
pitched the idea to NBC
to make the show longer. Although not at its peak, the show was still the most successful soap in NBC's lineup, so they agreed. Lemay (with the help of Tom King), penned a special effects-laden storyline involving the fiery death of Michael M. Ryan
's character John Randolph, who had appeared on the show since 1964. The storyline, which was meant to be kept secret from the press, was leaked a month before the scenes aired, prompting Guiding Light
to counteract with their own shocking episode to air in the same timeslot: the rape of Holly by her husband Roger. As well as The Edge of Night
shocking murder storyline of Wade Meecham.
In the final months of the 90-minute experiment, many characters debuted on Another World in storylines that focused on the character of Iris, played by Beverlee McKinsey, as she planned a move to Houston, Texas
.
This fictional move was followed in the new spinoff serial Texas
in 1980. A range of new characters who had been introduced in the storyline connected to Iris' move, also moved to the new series. To accommodate Texas, Another World went back to 60 minutes, and was moved from the three o'clock hour to two o'clock. Another two million viewers defected, partly due to McKinsey's departure, partly due to the time change, and partly due to the influx of new characters who then moved to Texas. Because of the audience erosion, the move to 90-minute installments is generally regarded as a failure.
), and in 1979, Rachel asked for a divorce. To crack a scheme that Rachel suspected Janice was spearheading, Rachel slept with photographer Mitch Blake (William Gray Espy
). The long-running Mac/Rachel/Janice/Mitch storyline carried on for a year until it culminated in a scene taped on location
in St. Croix, in which Janice Frame's plan to kill Mac and acquire his estate was found out by Rachel. After a scuffle involving a knife, the two women fell into a swimming pool, and Rachel came out alive, having killed Janice.
Mac and Rachel were married again, but Rachel was mortified to find out that she was pregnant—with Mitch's child. She was prepared to keep the secret until Mitch burned to death in a fire caused by Rachel. Rachel went on trial and was forced to admit on the witness stand that the child in question was Mitch's. She was then sentenced to eight years in prison for Mitch's murder, and Mac started divorce proceedings, all the while believing that something wasn't right. After giving birth Rachel first arranged for her son Matthew - whom she named in honor of the Matthews family - to be raised by ex-husband Dr. Russ Matthews (David Bailey
) and his new wife, singer Tracy Merrill (who was subsequently killed in a mob hit). However, Mac protested, desiring to raise Matthew himself. Following his intuition, he and son Jamie Frame, along with an escaped Rachel, who had been let out of prison for a day to attend stepfather Charlie Hobson's funeral, tracked down Mitch, who was alive and didn't remember any events surrounding his supposed death. Mac freed Rachel from prison and even dropped the divorce, but he was always jealous of Mitch, who had returned to Bay City to be closer to his son. In the end Rachel chose Mitch, over the objections of both Ada and Jamie, and she and Mac divorced a second time.
Once again, Mac and Rachel fought over custody of daughter Amanda, and the breakup caused conflict with Jamie, who had been named Mac's heir and given significant responsibilities at Cory Publishing. Further straining Cory family relationships was the discovery of Alexander "Sandy" Cory (Christopher Rich), a son Mac was unaware of. Jamie and Sandy first became friends, until Jamie's scheming wife Cecile (Nancy Frangione
) left him for Sandy and subsequently gave birth to Mac's second grandchild, Maggie Cory. During this time Mac was briefly engaged to Rachel's former rival Alice Frame (Vana Tribbey, then Linda Borgeson), who returned to Bay City and had served as Mac's private nurse following a near-fatal gunshot wound. Alice was struggling to raise adopted teen-age daughter Sally (Jennifer Runyon
), after failed romances with brother-in-law Willis Frame and Dan Shearer, ex-husband of her cousin Susan Matthews Shearer, and a brief marriage to Ray Gordon (first played by Ted Shackelford
) (Sally's biological uncle and ex-husband of Olive). In mid 1982, the Matthews family also mourned the passing of long-time patriarch Jim Matthews, following the death of veteran actor Hugh Marlowe
earlier that year.
Steve Frame was "resurrected" in 1981 and returned from Australia, first masquerading at the mysterious, wealthy Edward Black (it was revealed that he did not die in 1975, but had suffered amnesia; he received a new look in the form of David Canary
taking over the role). His original plan was to reunite with Alice and son Jamie. His presence caused Alice to break off her engagement with Mac, and Rachel left Mitch in San Francisco, as Steve toyed with both her and Alice. Once again, things went sour with Alice; she left Bay City, and Steve proposed to Rachel. On their wedding day in February 1983, a car accident claimed Steve's life—for good. Rachel survived, and Mac told Rachel how much he loved her. A double wedding was planned in summer 1983, with Mac's son Sandy (Christopher Rich
) and his fiancée Blaine Ewing Frame (Laura Malone), ex-wife of brother Jamie Frame. Alice, once again played by Jacqueline Courtney
, returned for one last extended time in the mid 80s. Now a doctor, she tended to Rachel after her bout with amnesia, during which Rachel struggled with not knowing her past and how it included her misdeeds toward Alice. Eventually, her memory returned and she officially reunited with Mac.
and character Pat Matthews Randolph was written out of the show. Marianne Randolph left Bay City, attempting to resurrect her marriage with Rick Halloway, Russ Matthews departed for Seattle, and Alice eventually left again, too, leaving only Aunt Liz remaining in Bay City, where she continued on and off as Mac Cory's private secretary.
The Love family was headed by tyrannical patriarch Reginald (John Considine
), who had either allied with or alienated all of his children. His daughter Donna (Anna Stuart
) ended up marrying the love of her life in stable boy-turned-businessman Michael Hudson (Kale Browne
). However, the fact that she was raped years ago by Michael's brother John (David Forsyth
) complicated matters for years. Donna had twins, Marley and Victoria, who ended up reunited after many years apart. Victoria's nanny, Bridget Connell (Barbara Berjer
), who raised her after the death of her adoptive parents, ended up moving in with the Hudsons and took care of the family until her character died.
) storybook wedding to Mitch Blake (who came back to town), and the pairing of John Hudson with Sharlene Frame (Anna Kathryn Holbrook
). Also, the triangle of Vicky Hudson (Anne Heche
) trying, and succeeding, to steal Rachel's son Jamie Frame (Laurence Lau
) from Felicia's niece Lisa Grady (Joanna Going
) interested many viewers.
One aborted love story was the impending marriage between M.J. McKinnon (Sally Spencer) and Adam Cory (Ed Fry). After a videotape surfaced, showing M.J. in her prostitute days having sex with a client, Adam dumped her, and she left town. Adam, and M.J.'s old flame, and her former pimp, Chad Rollo (Richard Burgi
), both left Bay City a year later.
recast in the form of Sandra Ferguson
and Matt Crane
in the role of Matthew). Amanda
was married to Sam Fowler
, a budding artist, and Matthew started a relationship with Sharlene Frame's daughter Josie Watts (at that time the role was played by Alexandra Wilson
). While these characters proved to be fan favorites, the importance of the Cory family on the show was shaken when Douglass Watson
unexpectedly died while on vacation in Arizona
in spring 1989. At the time of Watson's death, Another World was about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, which writers had scripted in the form of a 25th anniversary celebration for Brava magazine. The Corys, minus an absent Mac, hosted a gala celebration that featured the return of several veteran characters, including Russ Matthews (David Bailey
), Alice Frame (Jacqueline Courtney
), Pat Randolph (Beverly Penberthy
), Dennis Carrington (Wheeler) (Jim Poyner), Gwen Parrish Frame (Dorothy Lyman
), and Robert Delaney (Nicolas Coster
). It also featured a mystical sequence with Rachel coaxed back from near-death by ghost Steve Frame (George Reinholt
), thwarting sister Janice Frame's (Christine Jones
) attempt to lure Rachel "into the light".
Shortly after, it was revealed that the absent Mac had died off-screen while in Maine
. Rachel and her family tearfully buried him on the June 16, 1989 episode. With Watson's passing, the show was left without a unifying center, as for the next few years, the character of Rachel tried to adjust to life without Mac, and sometimes stumbled on her way. Although actress Victoria Wyndham
tried to fill the void left by Watson's absence, much of her central role shifted to Jensen Buchanan
, who, by the early 1990s, had taken over for Anne Heche
as scheming Vicky Hudson.
Mac's daughter Iris Carrington Wheeler (now played by Carmen Duncan
) had returned to Bay City from Europe late in 1988, having lost her last husband Alex Wheeler (and following the demise of the spin-off series Texas
) some years earlier. When it was revealed she had been behind a plot to take over Cory Publishing, Mac was devastated and he left town prior to the Brava 25th anniversary to ponder the implications, dying without having ever reconciled with her. This set up a series of conflicts between Iris, Amanda and Rachel, who had been left equal shares of Cory Publishing, as Rachel now attempted to head the company and counter Iris's continued interference. Mac's death also ushered in the appearance of yet another daughter, Paulina
(first played by Cali Timmins
), who fought to prove her legitimacy as a Cory and win over Rachel and her family, while constantly at odds with Iris.
), who hunted her down in an attempt to find the daughter she thought had died at birth. They discovered that their daughter, Lorna Devon, had moved to Bay City in 1991.
Felicia and Lorna (Alicia Coppola
) had become enemies quickly, especially after Lorna went behind the scenes at Felicia's talk show and switched live footage with a videotape of a pornographic video Felicia's adoptive daughter Jenna Norris (Alla Korot
) had unwittingly made. Felicia and Lorna ended up repairing their relationship, especially after Lucas' death.
Jenna found true love with rocker Dean Frame (Ricky Paull Goldin
); their happiness, and Dean's success as a rock star, was chronicled in the nighttime special Summer Desire. After his first wife Kathleen McKinnon (Julie Osburn) was pronounced dead in a plane crash, Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer
) grew close to Reginald Love's daughter Nicole (Anne Howard
). When Nicole Love was institutionalized for the murder of Jason Frame (Chris Robinson), Cass slowly became attracted to Frankie Frame (Alice Barrett
), who came to town to investigate her uncle's murder. After many hindrances (including Kathleen's return to Bay City after being in the Witness Protection Program), Cass and Frankie were finally wed. They honeymooned on the Orient Express.
Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin
) came back to town for good in 1988, with his wife Marley Hudson. Their marriage broke down and the two were forced to get a divorce. After a reconciliation two years later, Jake asked Marley to marry him again. However, she had found out that he was in the midst of an affair with Paulina Cory (Cali Timmins
, but by 1991, the role had gone to Judi Evans Luciano
). Marley turned down his proposal, and Jake raped her. Then, Jake was shot and near death, and Marley was forced to go on trial for his attempted murder. In the end, it was proven that Paulina shot him. Jake and Marley were officially over, but it was just beginning for Jake and Paulina. Over the next five years, Jake and Paulina were married and divorced twice. While they still had a good partnership, Paulina was fed up with Jake's cons, swindles, and lies, and tied the knot with Joe Carlino (Joseph Barbara
).
Amanda (Christine Tucci
) saw two marriages crash and burn. The first, to Sam, didn't work out due to Amanda's affair with Evan Frame (son of villainous Janice Frame); the second, to Grant Harrison (Mark Pinter
) due to Grant's infidelity with Lorna Devon (Robin Christopher
). Matthew had developed a May–December romance with Donna Love, who had been very grateful that Matt helped get her savings back. Matt and Donna became a very popular couple and were broken up due to then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps
's insistence that Matt be paired up with someone his own age, and Donna likewise.
Rachel's mother, Ada Hobson, died in summer 1993 (veteran actress Constance Ford
had died earlier that year), and she needed support more than ever; she found it in the unlikeliest source; a new love (and a new marriage) with Mac's former enemy, reformed villain Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating). Mac's daughter Iris didn't like this news one bit, and was prepared to startle the wedding crowd by firing blanks at Carl. Evan Frame (who had returned to town after a four-year absence) placed real bullets into Iris's gun, causing Iris to gravely wound Carl. She was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison time, and she was never heard from again.
Liz Matthews (Irene Dailey
) returned periodically, and also for one last run, Russ (once again played by David Bailey
), as they united to shelter Russ's daughter Olivia (Allison Hossack
), who had a child with Dennis (Carrington) Wheeler (now played by Chris Bruno
). This marked the last appearances by the members of the Matthews family prior to the demise of the series.
was given the axe instead). But the ratings still weren't good. The odds weren't in the show's favor that it would be renewed again in 1999. Early in 1995, news at the top signaled a change in executive producer. Jill Farren Phelps
, who had won Emmy awards for her work on Santa Barbara, was given the job. Veteran cast members were fired; both cast members over the age of 55 (Barbara Berjer
and David Hedison
) had their contracts terminated, in an attempt to move the show in a more youthful direction. Show matriarch Rachel Cory Hutchins was placed in a storyline involving an evil lookalike countess, Justine Duvalier, who was the ex-wife of Hedison's recently axed character, Spencer Harrison. The Justine storyline was panned by the press as being worthy of a Mystery Science Theater 3000
level of ridicule. While in a scuffle, Grant Harrison killed his brother Ryan (played by fan favorite Paul Michael Valley
), causing Justine to be shoved in front of a train. Justine did not die, and she caused more terror before finally being finished by Carl Hutchins and his letter opener. Actress Victoria Wyndham was quoted as liking the storyline at first, but after it was played out, she stated that she wished she had never appeared in it.
Budget cuts caused Phelps to institute a serial killer storyline, culminating in the death of Dr Courtney Evans, as well as the gruesome murder of Frankie (Alice Barrett
). The story had actually called for Donna to be offed, but massive fan protest caused Phelps to rewrite the episodes. Phelps decided to then kill off either Frankie or Paulina, and when a focus group responded lukewarm to Frankie but warmer to Paulina, Phelps gave the greenlight to axe Frankie. However, this caused another massive rampage of upset protest from loyal viewers of the show and fans of Frankie, and Phelps quickly asked then-head writer Margaret DePriest to re-write Frankie's exit so that the character would at least still live. DePriest, eager to satisfy her wish to see Cass return to his former rogue ways, vehemently refused and left Frankie's death as written.
Rachel gave birth to twins, even though she was well into her fifties. Although the believability of this story was debated by fans, it was a nod back to when her mother, Ada, gave birth to Rachel's sister Nancy late in life. Robert Kelker-Kelly
was lured back to the show in a different role from Sam Fowler, in which Vicky falls for the man (Bobby Reno) who was given Ryan's corneas in a transplant. The storyline became convoluted as the man's mystery identity was rewritten and his former wife came to town to reclaim him. Lila Roberts (Lisa Peluso
) ended up bedding Matthew Cory and having his baby (Jasmine) before falling in love with Cass. Cass and Lila became engaged.
In 1999, NBC decided not to renew Another World and canceled it.
Many reasons abounded for Another World cancellation, one of the more notable events occurring in the summer of 1998: San Francisco's then-NBC affiliate KRON, one of the highest-rated in the nation, dropped the show off its schedule altogether, knocking it out of two million homes. Another reason was that a new soap opera owned by NBC, Passions
, was in production and slated to begin its airing on within a few months. As no timeslot was available for Passions, NBC necessarily had to make room for it at the expense of an existing program. Rumors abounded that Days of our Lives
might be the serial dropped, as renewal talks between NBC and Columbia Pictures Television
were going poorly at the time. At the eleventh hour, Days of our Lives was renewed, and it was the fate of Another World that was sealed.
The final episode of Another Word aired June 25, 1999. Cass and Lila and got married in the final episode of the show; they were the last couple to wed in Bay City. After a series of 35th anniversary episodes, Rachel reminisced with Carl, remarked, "All's well that ends well," and the show ended with a still frame shot of Mac Cory.
, which had moved from CBS Broadcast Center
.
Irna Phillips's original plan of crossovers with As the World Turns was finally realized—after Another World was canceled. Another World characters Lila (Lisa Peluso
), Cass (Stephen Schnetzer
), Vicky (Jensen Buchanan
), Marley (Ellen Wheeler
), Donna (Anna Stuart
), and Jake (Tom Eplin
) all moved into ATWT storylines. By 2002, Vicky and Jake had been killed off violently in separate incidents, and the crossover experiment had, for the most part, ended. Schnetzer continued to make occasional appearances, as his character of Cass was used as a "visiting lawyer" in As the World Turns trials. The character of Cass also appeared in a few episodes of Guiding Light in 2002.
The show was commemorated in print twice in 1999. Another World, the 35th Anniversary Celebration, by Julie Poll, was a coffee-table style book chronicling the show's history on- and off-screen. Another World was the last of all the long-running soap opera
programs of the time to be preserved in this way. The other book was decidedly different; The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book, by Gerard J. Waggett, listed several juicy tidbits about the show's stars and what happened behind-the-scenes. Many fans have treated Poll's book as they would a high school yearbook, getting Another World performers to sign their autographs in the book along with messages of appreciation or thanks for the fans' continued support in watching the program.
From July 2003 to April 2007, SOAPnet
, an ABC channel
, started rerunning old Another World episodes that originally aired from July 1, 1987 to May 10, 1991. The contract was not renewed to continue airing Another World, so that SOAPnet could begin airing episodes of both One Tree Hill
and The O.C.
. A lackluster The Another World Reunion aired on the channel on October 24, 2003. Hosted by Linda Dano
, the special program reunited fan favorites such as Stephen Schnetzer
, Sandra Ferguson
, John Aprea
, Alicia Coppola
, Kale Browne
, and Ellen Wheeler
. On the special, Dano interviewed the members of the assembled cast, one by one, interspersed with classic Another World clips. Before and after commercial breaks, Another World quiz questions were posed to the audience at home, and audience members told the viewers at home their favorite Another World moments, supplemented with clips from the actual episodes (for example, one viewer said her favorite Another World moment was from 1980, in which Rachel, on the stand for Mitch's murder, was forced to tell Mac that Matthew was not his child. Another viewer cited Ryan marrying Vicky while in Heaven). This special was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special in 2004. The Another World Reunion was rerun in May 2004 to commemorate AWs 40th anniversary.
In 2006, Procter & Gamble began making several of its soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through America Online's AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge. Reruns of older Another World episodes began from August 1, 1980. As of January 2009, AOL Video is no longer showing any P&G soaps, including AW. No word has come yet from TeleNext Media as to an alternative site to watch any of the episodes previously presented on AOL Video.
On July 29, 2008, episodes also became available on the video streaming website Hulu
. The episodes begin with the May 10, 1991 episode - the last one that ran on SOAPnet. There were 24 episodes made available initially, with the promise of 3 more each week. As of December 2009, the same episodes seen through Hulu were also available through YouTube. Hulu stopped airing episodes of the soap on October 21, 2010. The last AW episode to air on the site was October 5, 1992.
TeleNext Media also introduced a new website in April 2009. Anotherworldtoday.com essentially picks up 10 years after AWs last episode left off, in a blog/fan fiction format. Readers can submit story ideas to help form the story angles and pacing of the so-called 'sequel'. Each webisode
comes out weekly, and the website also show classic clips of the original TV scenes of Another World. As of July 2011, the site is no longer affiliated with TeleNext Media and is now independently run.
, The Doctors and Another World, all of which enjoyed great ratings and critical success before declining at the end of the 1970s.
and CBS' daytime version of To Tell the Truth
. Its efforts resulted in a swift rise to second place in 1967-1968; the show would remain in the upper end of the ratings chart until 1978. CBS later tried The Secret Storm
, a soap that reputedly served as the model for Another World, against it, but to no avail.
, which ran until 1976. For Somerset's first year, the two shows shared the same branding, with the mother show titled Another World in Bay City and the daughter show Another World in Somerset. NBC and P&G discontinued this after a year, and Another World dropped the reference to its location.
With the arrival of Harding Lemay
, Another World would consolidate its place as not only the most popular and critically acclaimed soap on NBC, but one of the highest-rated soaps of the decade. Between 1973 and 1978, it consistently attained second place in the ratings chart and tied with As the World Turns
(its P&G sister) for first place twice—in the 1973-1974 and 1977-1978 television seasons. The earlier triumph was no mean feat when one considers that CBS put up its star game The Price is Right
against it for two years.
When the one-hour 10th Anniversary special in spring 1974 proved a massive ratings success, NBC and Procter and Gamble made the decision to expand to 60 minutes permanently on January 6, 1975, replacing the original version of the game show Jeopardy, in a scheduling shuffle with the in-house-produced How to Survive a Marriage
. Another World became the first serial to broadcast one hour daily, only some six years after the last two 15-minute soaps (CBS' Search for Tomorrow
and Guiding Light
, also P&G shows) finally doubled their daily lengths.
The show took over the entire 3-4 pm/2-3 Central period, the latter part of which witnessed it beating back, to some degree, CBS' huge Match Game
, then daytime's most popular program. However, starting in 1978, Another World began to experience an erosion in ratings caused mainly by the surge in popularity of General Hospital
. Another World fell from a first-place tie in 1978 to eighth in 1979 (a drop from 8.6 to 7.5), but remained NBC's highest-rated daytime drama. Despite the fall in ratings, Another World became the first, and thus far only, soap to expand to 90 minutes, a move that proved unsuccessful—it remained in eighth place in the 1979-1980 television season.
in 1980. For upon its debut, the mother show contracted to 60 minutes again, this time moving to 2/1 Central, where it settled for the remaining 19 years of its run. Texas, starring the hugely popular Beverlee McKinsey
and attempting to cash in on the Dallas
craze, while itself not a success, may have caused further erosion of Another World viewership, to the point that it was no longer NBC's highest-rated serial, losing that position to Days of our Lives (which itself, along with the rest of NBC's daytime lineup, was in serious ratings trouble). Another World fell from eighth to as low as 11th in the ratings chart, and by the 1981-1982 television season it sunk so low in the Nielsens
to 4.7 (a drop of 3.9 points in four seasons). Much like General Hospital winning the 3/2 slot for ABC, One Life to Live
came in strong at 2/1, with CBS attempting to get its new Capitol
off the ground during that period.
After five years of sharply declining ratings, Another World experienced something of a mini-revival, and for the 1983-1984 television season, the show jumped to ninth place and 5.6 (compared with 10th place and 4.8 in 1983). The ratings increase was attributed to the emergence of supercouple Sally Frame (Mary Page Keller
) and Catlin Ewing (Thomas Ian Griffith
), and the return of actress Jacqueline Courtney
as Alice Matthews Frame, who had been fired from the show nine years earlier despite being immensely popular with viewers. It remained in ninth place through the decade (occasionally moving up to eighth), pulling in generally stable numbers against One Life to Live (Which at the time was a big ratings hit.) and its Procter and Gamble sister As the World Turns. The show received some of its strongest critical acclaim during the 1980s as well. Many soap critics even praised the show for keeping its focus on relationships and family crisis and not resorting too much to storylines like the Ice Princess storyline on General Hospital
.
Between 1974 and 1999, Another World won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
only once (in 1976), a stark contrast to seven wins for The Young and the Restless
and 10 wins for General Hospital
.
s: Somerset
(1970–1976) and Texas
(1980–1982). (In 1970, the two shows were known as Another World: Bay City and Another World: Somerset before reverting to their unique names.) One primetime special aired in 1992: Another World: Summer Desire
.
A "viewer-directed," text-based continuation of the series called Another World Today exists online, sanctioned by TeleNext Media, the production arm of Procter & Gamble.
In the mid-to-late '90s, when AW was in its final ratings slump, many affiliates swapped AWs time slot with Days of our Lives
, which usually aired an hour earlier. Others affiliates transferred AW to their morning schedule.
The network aired the show at the following times throughout its history:
s.
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
that ran on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips
Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:...
along with William J. Bell
William J. Bell
William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:...
, and was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions at NBC Studios, 1268 East 14th Street in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
.
Set in the fictional town of Bay City
Bay City (Another World)
Bay City is the setting of the television soap opera Another World.-Location:Until the early 1980s, it was not known which state Bay City was in. Generically, the show was just set in the midwest. It was at this time that the writers specified that Another World was located in Bay City, Illinois...
, the show in its early years opens with announcer Bill Wolff
Bill Wolff (announcer)
Bill Wolff was a staff announcer for WNBC and the NBC network. He was best known for announcing the soap opera Another World from 1964 until 1987.-External links:*...
(1964–1987) intoning its epigram, “We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds,” which Irna said represented the difference between “the world of events we live in, and the world of feelings and dreams that we strive for.” Another World focused less on the conventional drama of domestic life as seen in other soap operas, and more on exotic melodrama between families of different classes and philosophies.
AW was the first soap opera to talk about abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
in 1964 when such subjects were taboo. It was the first soap opera to do a crossover, with the character of Mike Bauer from Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
coming from Springfield to Bay City, and the first to go to one hour, then to 90 minutes, and then back to an hour. It was the first soap to launch two spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s (Somerset
Somerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
and Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
) as well as an indirect one (Lovers and Friends
Lovers and Friends
Lovers and Friends is a short-lived American soap opera that premiered on NBC on January 3, 1977 and ended on September 29, 1978. The show was created by Harding Lemay and Paul Rauch, both of whom were also working for the daytime drama Another World...
, which would be re-named For Richer, For Poorer). AW was also the first soap opera with a theme song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
"(You Take Me Away To) Another World" by Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
and Gary Morris
Gary Morris
Gary Gwyn Morris is an American country music artist who charted a string of countrypolitan-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s....
, in 1987.
The show was canceled in 1999 and replaced ten days later by Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
.
Development
Irna Phillips envisioned Another World as a spin-off of her popular soap opera As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, but CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
did not have room for it and would not allow a spin-off to air on a competing network. Phillips instead sold the show to NBC (eager to snap up a show by the successful Phillips), removing references to ATWT Oakdale
Oakdale (As the World Turns)
Oakdale is the setting of the television soap opera As the World Turns.-Location:For many years, the writers have been firm on placing the city in the state of Illinois. By all indications, the city is unrelated to the real Oakdale, Illinois. However, show creator Irna Phillips may have modeled her...
and cancelling plans to have character crossover appearances by the Hughes family, but used the name Another World in reference to its origins. Expectations were so high that Another World had six weeks of commercial time sold in advance.
On November 22, 1963, a group of executives (including Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Allen M. Potter
Allen M. Potter
Allen M. Potter was an American television soap opera producer. He was GL's Head Writer during the 1981 WGA strike.-Positions held:Another World*Executive Producer As the World Turns...
and director Tom Donovan) met at the Young & Rubicam
Young & Rubicam
Y&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
ad agency in New York to discuss the show’s opening story, the death of William Matthews, when they heard the news of another death in Dallas: the assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
of President Kennedy.
After opening with a death in the core Matthews family, Irna planned to follow up with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, a septic abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, a shooting, and murder trial. As Allen M. Potter explained, “Irna just didn’t want to take a chance on waiting for the ratings. She felt that with this kind of showy story she could build an audience more quickly.” Said Tom Donovan, “In construction, Irna was attempting to follow the structure of As the World Turns. Irna would never conceive of a story not based on a family.”
1960s
Audra Lindley
Audra Marie Lindley was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Career:...
and later Irene Dailey
Irene Dailey
Irene Dailey was an American actress, perhaps best known for her work on Broadway and on daytime television.Dailey was born in New York City, the daughter of Helen Theresa and Daniel James Dailey...
) did not like his working-class brother Jim (Shepperd Strudwick
Shepperd Strudwick
Shepperd Strudwick was an American actor of film, television, and stage....
, later Hugh Marlowe
Hugh Marlowe
Hugh Marlowe was an American film, television, stage and radio actor.Marlowe was born Hugh Herbert Hipple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began his stage career in the 1930s at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Marlowe was usually a secondary lead or supporting actor in the films he...
) or his family. The fights between upper-class Liz and her middle-class in-laws started the show. As the '60s went on, the lives and loves of Jim's children (Russ, Alice, and Pat) took center-stage. Jim's wife, Mary (Virginia Dwyer
Virginia Dwyer
Virginia Dwyer is an American actress known for her roles on several daytime soap operas. From 1954 to 1962, she had roles on at least five daytime programs, including The Road of Life, The Secret Storm, Young Dr...
), usually intervened when there was a crisis, which was most of the time.
In the first year, the show had a controversial storyline involving teenager Pat Matthews, having an illegal abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
after becoming pregnant. This was the first time that American television had covered the subject. In the story, the abortion made her sterile, and the shock from the news caused her to find her ex-boyfriend and shoot him in cold blood. Pat was eventually brought to trial and acquitted. She then fell in love and married her lawyer, John Randolph (Michael M. Ryan
Michael M. Ryan
Michael M. Ryan is an American actor, best known for his long-running role as John Randolph on the serial Another World, which he played from November 13, 1964 until his character's death in a fire on March 6, 1979. Among his big screen credits are the films 'Tootsie', 'Slayground', 'The...
).
Another notable early storyline revolved around the star-crossed romance of Bill Matthews (Joseph Gallison
Joseph Gallison
Joseph Gallison is an American actor who worked steadily in television soap operas for twenty-seven years. He is probably best known for his role as Dr. Neil Curtis on Days of our Lives ....
) and Melissa Palmer (Carol Roux
Carol Roux
Carol Roux is an American actress who was an original cast member of Another World and was involved in one of the show's first major storylines...
). Liz Matthews did not consider Melissa good enough for her son and was constantly interfering in their relationship. After many trials and hardships, Bill and Melissa were finally married, but their happiness was short-lived, as Bill later drowned in a boating accident.
After a one-year run, NBC was expected to cancel the program. But instead, former soap opera actor James Lipton
James Lipton
James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994...
was hired to write the show. His ideas included pushing the Matthews family into the background and introducing the Gregory family. Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
, who was then the Head Writer
Head writer
A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
of CBS's Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, was hired to write for the program. Beverly Penberthy
Beverly Penberthy
Beverly Penberthy is an American actress, best known for her role as Pat Matthews Randolph on Another World, which she played from 1967 to 1982.She also had a small role in the film Judas Kiss.-External links:...
replaced Susan Trustman in the role of Pat Matthews Randolph. Trustman had been on nearly every show while Miss Phillips was the writer, and she was exhausted. Nixon created the roles of hairdresser Ada Lucas Davis (Constance Ford
Constance Ford
Constance Ford was an American actress and model. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Hobson on the daytime soap opera Another World.-Career:...
) and her daughter Rachel
Rachel Cory Hutchins
Rachel Cory Hutchins is a fictional character on NBC daytime soap opera, Another World.-Casting:...
(Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser
Robin Strasser is an American actress.Strasser is best known for her Daytime Emmy Award-winning portrayal of Dr. Dorian Lord on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live. Strasser stepped into the role in March 1979, first appearing Friday, April 13, 1979 and left in 1987, returning from...
), which were immediate successes. Ada would sit in her kitchen on Bowman Street and drink coffee. Rachel was a schemer who grew up in a lower-class background, and fought for what she wanted, even if it meant she had to resort to underhanded means. Her mother Ada was much more honest and down-to-earth, and provided a good foil for Rachel, as Ada was the only person Rachel really loved, besides herself.
The next year, businessman Steve Frame (George Reinholt
George Reinholt
George Kilpatrick Reinholt is an American actor.Reinholt is best known for his soap roles: Steve Frame on Another World from 1968 to 1975, and Tony Harris Lord on One Life to Live from 1975 to 1977.He was fired from Another World in 1975 when head writer Harding Lemay wrote him out of the program...
) was introduced. A shrewd businessman, he grew up in a poor background and earned everything he worked for. He and Rachel immediately bonded over their respective pasts, but he also became involved with Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney was an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas.After short stints on The Edge of Night and Our Five Daughters, Courtney became famous for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on Another World; she played the role from the show's debut in May 1964 until July...
), who was more sophisticated, shy, and demure, something he really looked for in a wife. They courted and were to marry in 1969, but the marriage was called off when Rachel, who was married to Alice's brother Dr. Russ Matthews (Sam Groom
Sam Groom
Sam Groom is an actor most noted for his numerous roles on television. He portrayed the title role in the Canadian television series Dr. Simon Locke . Prior to that, he had played Dr. Russ Matthews in the daytime soap Another World...
), crashed the engagement party with the news that she was carrying Steve's child. She gave birth to a son, James (later referred to as Jamie), in November.
Steve, Alice, and Rachel
The show's popularity shot up, thanks to a love triangle revolving around Steve, Alice, and Rachel.As 1970 began, Alice had a breakdown and went to live in France. Steve and Rachel bonded yet again, this time over their child, but Alice eventually returned and she married Steve the next year.
After the departure of Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon
Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children...
(who left the show in order to create One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
for ABC), Robert Cenedella was briefly hired to replace her. He also created the spin-off show Somerset
Somerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
. It was decided that he should leave the original show to concentrate on the spin-off, so sponsor Procter & Gamble hired a newcomer, playwright Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
, to write the program. Lemay's screenplays took the form of tragic plays, as they were carried out in five dramatic acts. As the show rose higher in the ratings, NBC brass wished to expand the show to an hour; the first regularly scheduled hour-long episode was telecast on January 6, 1975.
Thoroughly convinced that her child (Jamie Frame played by Robert "Bobby" Doran from 1971–1978) would be instrumental in breaking up the new Frame marriage and snagging her Steve once and for all, Rachel enlisted the help of her drifter father, who tricked Alice into finding Steve and Rachel in a compromising position. She filed for divorce and again left town. Fed up with Alice's wavering ways, and already feeling an attachment to Rachel and a duty to have more of a role in his son's life, Steve married Rachel (now played by Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham is an American actress best known for her role as Rachel Cory on the soap opera Another World.-Personal life:...
, who succeeded Strasser and Margie Impert in the role). When Alice returned from Europe for a second time, she exposed Rachel and her father's scheme, which accidentally sent Steve to prison as an accomplice to embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
. When he was released, Steve reunited with Alice; although she had sent him away, he was too alienated against Rachel to rekindle any feeling.
As Steve and Alice were finally allowed to be together (they were married for the second time on the tenth-anniversary telecast), Rachel continued to scheme, even trying to evict Alice from the house Steve had given to her; Rachel tried to say that Steve had given her the house. The existence of that story line illustrates the naivete that writers sometimes have with legal issues, because the ownership of a house is normally determined by reference to deeds and other recorded documents. After Alice had another mental breakdown, and Steve sided with Alice, Rachel decided to reform herself.
Rachel tried her best to stay away from the couple, and even found love with an older, wise magazine editor, Mackenzie "Mac" Cory (Douglass Watson
Douglass Watson
Larkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
). This was in tune with Wyndham's wish that Rachel be played with more facets to her character—for many years, her character was totally "black" in personality, compared to "white", good Alice. Both Lemay and Wyndham, who were at the time new to the series, wanted to change the character of Rachel as she was so blindly hated by many fans, who wrote to the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
studios wishing that she be killed off.
Mac, Rachel, and Iris
Originally, Mac and Rachel were not planned to have a romantic coupling. Harding Lemay noticed the chemistry between actors Douglass Watson and Victoria Wyndham, and wrote a slow-developing love story for them. Fearing backlash from viewers who may have found an older man-younger woman relationship tasteless, Lemay penned chance encounters for the two characters, which led to innocent yet intimate conversations. By the time the characters had their first kiss, the story had gone on for six months. Continuing on the slow path, Mac and Rachel's relationship blossomed until they were wed.Mac and Rachel were married by a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in Mac's New York City townhouse on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
1975. The drama produced by their marriage and Mac's insanely jealous daughter, Iris Carrington (portrayed at this time by Beverlee McKinsey
Beverlee McKinsey
Beverlee McKinsey was an American actress.Beverlee McKinsey was born as Beverlee Magruder in McAlester, Oklahoma on August 9, 1935. She was the daughter of Warren and Jewell Magruder of McAlester, Oklahoma....
) fueled the storylines for most of the late 1970s. Iris, who was spoiled and wanted to be the only woman in her father's life, resented Rachel, who also happened to be her same age. Iris' many schemes to drive Rachel away from Mac often backfired, driving a wedge between father and daughter, instead of bringing them together. The presence of the Cory maid, Louise (Anne Meacham
Anne Meacham
Mary Anne Meacham was a noted American actress of stage, film and soap opera.Born and raised in Chicago, Meacham left to study drama at Yale University, graduating with a degree in 1947.-New York stage:...
), proved for sometimes comedic relief in an otherwise dramatic storyline. Other times, Louise served as a stern confidante and a sometime voice of reason for Mac during fights with either Rachel or Iris.
The Matthewses and the Randolphs
Steve was presumed dead in 1975 when his helicopter supposedly crashed in Australia. Alice became a backburner character for the first time in 11 years, in tune with Lemay's wish that Jacqueline CourtneyJacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney was an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas.After short stints on The Edge of Night and Our Five Daughters, Courtney became famous for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on Another World; she played the role from the show's debut in May 1964 until July...
leave the show. She was replaced by actress Susan Harney
Susan Harney
Susan Harney is an American actress, best known on television for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on the soap opera Another World, replacing Jacqueline Courtney. Harney played the role from the summer of 1975 until the spring of 1979.-External links:...
. Over time, Alice became a registered nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
, and cared for her adopted daughter, Sally (first played by Cathy Greene). While Alice's story finally calmed down, her siblings' stories expanded. Her sister Pat Randolph experienced marital problems with her husband John. He ended up divorcing Pat and marrying the maniacal Olive (Jennifer Leak
Jennifer Leak
Jennifer Leak is a Canadian film and television actress, best known for her role as Colleen North in the 1968 film Yours, Mine and Ours....
).
The ratings for Another World had declined since its final peak at #1 in 1978. To keep the spot, executive producer Paul Rauch
Paul Rauch
- Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings....
pitched the idea to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
to make the show longer. Although not at its peak, the show was still the most successful soap in NBC's lineup, so they agreed. Lemay (with the help of Tom King), penned a special effects-laden storyline involving the fiery death of Michael M. Ryan
Michael M. Ryan
Michael M. Ryan is an American actor, best known for his long-running role as John Randolph on the serial Another World, which he played from November 13, 1964 until his character's death in a fire on March 6, 1979. Among his big screen credits are the films 'Tootsie', 'Slayground', 'The...
's character John Randolph, who had appeared on the show since 1964. The storyline, which was meant to be kept secret from the press, was leaked a month before the scenes aired, prompting Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
to counteract with their own shocking episode to air in the same timeslot: the rape of Holly by her husband Roger. As well as The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
shocking murder storyline of Wade Meecham.
The 90-minute experiment/Iris' move to Texas
John's death on March 6, 1979, as he was saving his former sister-in law Alice from a burning building, coincided with the move to 90-minute episodes each weekday. It was at that time that Lemay, who had written since 1971, decided to hand over his duties to Tom King, citing overwork. While the ratings got a slight boost, most viewers did not like the change to longer episodes. The episode duration opened up space for many new characters to be introduced to the storyline; but most of these did not catch on with the audience.In the final months of the 90-minute experiment, many characters debuted on Another World in storylines that focused on the character of Iris, played by Beverlee McKinsey, as she planned a move to Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
This fictional move was followed in the new spinoff serial Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
in 1980. A range of new characters who had been introduced in the storyline connected to Iris' move, also moved to the new series. To accommodate Texas, Another World went back to 60 minutes, and was moved from the three o'clock hour to two o'clock. Another two million viewers defected, partly due to McKinsey's departure, partly due to the time change, and partly due to the influx of new characters who then moved to Texas. Because of the audience erosion, the move to 90-minute installments is generally regarded as a failure.
Mac, Rachel, Janice, Mitch (and again) Steve and Alice
Mac and Rachel had their own marital troubles, mostly regarding Rachel's decision to work full-time as a sculptress. Rachel did not want to pursue a career at first, thinking she could simply live off Mac's earnings as a publisher, but Mac encouraged her to find work in a field that interested her. When she found that she was very good at sculpting, it took up more and more of her time, even after giving birth to their daughter, Amanda, in 1978. After Rachel falsely accused Mac of infidelity (Mac was unfaithful years before, but this time he wasn't), Mac became involved with the editor of his Brava magazine, Janice Frame (now played by Christine JonesChristine Jones (actress)
Christine Jones is an American actress.Jones is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Janice Frame on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1978–1980 and again in 1989, but had also appeared as Amy Gifford on the series in 1977...
), and in 1979, Rachel asked for a divorce. To crack a scheme that Rachel suspected Janice was spearheading, Rachel slept with photographer Mitch Blake (William Gray Espy
William Gray Espy
William Gray Espy is an actor, best known for roles in serials such as The Young and the Restless as William "Snapper" Foster and Another World as Mitch Blake ....
). The long-running Mac/Rachel/Janice/Mitch storyline carried on for a year until it culminated in a scene taped on location
Location shooting
Location shooting is the practice of filming in an actual setting rather than on a sound stage or back lot. In filmmaking a location is any place where a film crew will be filming actors and recording their dialog. A location where dialog is not recorded may be considered as a second unit...
in St. Croix, in which Janice Frame's plan to kill Mac and acquire his estate was found out by Rachel. After a scuffle involving a knife, the two women fell into a swimming pool, and Rachel came out alive, having killed Janice.
Mac and Rachel were married again, but Rachel was mortified to find out that she was pregnant—with Mitch's child. She was prepared to keep the secret until Mitch burned to death in a fire caused by Rachel. Rachel went on trial and was forced to admit on the witness stand that the child in question was Mitch's. She was then sentenced to eight years in prison for Mitch's murder, and Mac started divorce proceedings, all the while believing that something wasn't right. After giving birth Rachel first arranged for her son Matthew - whom she named in honor of the Matthews family - to be raised by ex-husband Dr. Russ Matthews (David Bailey
David Bailey (actor)
David Bailey was an American actor. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he went on to have a lengthy career in theater and television, perhaps his best known role being Dr...
) and his new wife, singer Tracy Merrill (who was subsequently killed in a mob hit). However, Mac protested, desiring to raise Matthew himself. Following his intuition, he and son Jamie Frame, along with an escaped Rachel, who had been let out of prison for a day to attend stepfather Charlie Hobson's funeral, tracked down Mitch, who was alive and didn't remember any events surrounding his supposed death. Mac freed Rachel from prison and even dropped the divorce, but he was always jealous of Mitch, who had returned to Bay City to be closer to his son. In the end Rachel chose Mitch, over the objections of both Ada and Jamie, and she and Mac divorced a second time.
Once again, Mac and Rachel fought over custody of daughter Amanda, and the breakup caused conflict with Jamie, who had been named Mac's heir and given significant responsibilities at Cory Publishing. Further straining Cory family relationships was the discovery of Alexander "Sandy" Cory (Christopher Rich), a son Mac was unaware of. Jamie and Sandy first became friends, until Jamie's scheming wife Cecile (Nancy Frangione
Nancy Frangione
Nancy Frangione is an American soap opera actress. She is a graduate of Barnstable High School.-Career:...
) left him for Sandy and subsequently gave birth to Mac's second grandchild, Maggie Cory. During this time Mac was briefly engaged to Rachel's former rival Alice Frame (Vana Tribbey, then Linda Borgeson), who returned to Bay City and had served as Mac's private nurse following a near-fatal gunshot wound. Alice was struggling to raise adopted teen-age daughter Sally (Jennifer Runyon
Jennifer Runyon
-Biography:She is known for guest appearances or secondary characters in various sitcoms and dramas, as well as a couple of made-for-TV movies. Among her roles are Sally Frame on Another World , Gwendolyn Pierce on Charles in Charge , and replacing Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in A Very Brady Christmas...
), after failed romances with brother-in-law Willis Frame and Dan Shearer, ex-husband of her cousin Susan Matthews Shearer, and a brief marriage to Ray Gordon (first played by Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
) (Sally's biological uncle and ex-husband of Olive). In mid 1982, the Matthews family also mourned the passing of long-time patriarch Jim Matthews, following the death of veteran actor Hugh Marlowe
Hugh Marlowe
Hugh Marlowe was an American film, television, stage and radio actor.Marlowe was born Hugh Herbert Hipple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began his stage career in the 1930s at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Marlowe was usually a secondary lead or supporting actor in the films he...
earlier that year.
Steve Frame was "resurrected" in 1981 and returned from Australia, first masquerading at the mysterious, wealthy Edward Black (it was revealed that he did not die in 1975, but had suffered amnesia; he received a new look in the form of David Canary
David Canary
David Hoyt Canary is an American actor, who starred in both soap operas and prime time television. He is best known for his roles as the ranch foreman, Candy Canaday on Bonanza and identical twins Adam Chandler from 1983 to 2010 and Stuart Chandler from 1984 to 2009 on the daytime serial, All My...
taking over the role). His original plan was to reunite with Alice and son Jamie. His presence caused Alice to break off her engagement with Mac, and Rachel left Mitch in San Francisco, as Steve toyed with both her and Alice. Once again, things went sour with Alice; she left Bay City, and Steve proposed to Rachel. On their wedding day in February 1983, a car accident claimed Steve's life—for good. Rachel survived, and Mac told Rachel how much he loved her. A double wedding was planned in summer 1983, with Mac's son Sandy (Christopher Rich
Christopher Rich (American actor)
Christopher Rich Wilson is an American actor, best known for his roles on Murphy Brown and Reba .-Career:...
) and his fiancée Blaine Ewing Frame (Laura Malone), ex-wife of brother Jamie Frame. Alice, once again played by Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney was an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas.After short stints on The Edge of Night and Our Five Daughters, Courtney became famous for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on Another World; she played the role from the show's debut in May 1964 until July...
, returned for one last extended time in the mid 80s. Now a doctor, she tended to Rachel after her bout with amnesia, during which Rachel struggled with not knowing her past and how it included her misdeeds toward Alice. Eventually, her memory returned and she officially reunited with Mac.
A new Another World
As the show went through the 1980s, the Love family became more prominent, at the expense of the core Matthews family. In 1982, Beverly PenberthyBeverly Penberthy
Beverly Penberthy is an American actress, best known for her role as Pat Matthews Randolph on Another World, which she played from 1967 to 1982.She also had a small role in the film Judas Kiss.-External links:...
and character Pat Matthews Randolph was written out of the show. Marianne Randolph left Bay City, attempting to resurrect her marriage with Rick Halloway, Russ Matthews departed for Seattle, and Alice eventually left again, too, leaving only Aunt Liz remaining in Bay City, where she continued on and off as Mac Cory's private secretary.
The Love family was headed by tyrannical patriarch Reginald (John Considine
John Considine
This article is about the writer and actor. For his grandfather, the vaudeville pioneer, see John Considine . For the former Florida state representative, see John J...
), who had either allied with or alienated all of his children. His daughter Donna (Anna Stuart
Anna Stuart
Anna Stuart is an American actress. Stuart has been primarily featured in roles in daytime soap operas.- Career :...
) ended up marrying the love of her life in stable boy-turned-businessman Michael Hudson (Kale Browne
Kale Browne
David Charles "Kale" Browne is an American actor. He was born in San Rafael, California. Browne was the first to play the roles of Michael Hudson on Another World and Sam Rappaport on One Life to Live . Browne has a son, Nicholas, with former wife Karen Allen...
). However, the fact that she was raped years ago by Michael's brother John (David Forsyth
David Forsyth (actor)
David Forsyth is an American soap opera actor. He was born in Long Beach, California.David Forsyth was given several soap opera roles to play in rapid succession: T.J. Canfield on Texas , Hogan McCleary on Search for Tomorrow and John Hudson on Another World...
) complicated matters for years. Donna had twins, Marley and Victoria, who ended up reunited after many years apart. Victoria's nanny, Bridget Connell (Barbara Berjer
Barbara Berjer
Barbara Berjer was a well-known American television actress born in Seattle, Washington.Among her many soap opera credits were her roles as alcoholic actress Lynn Franklin on From These Roots ; Claire English Lowell Cassen Shea #4 on As the World Turns ; Barbara Norris Thorpe #2 on Guiding Light...
), who raised her after the death of her adoptive parents, ended up moving in with the Hudsons and took care of the family until her character died.
Romance hits and misses
Love stories of the 1980s included Felicia Gallant's (Linda DanoLinda Dano
Linda Dano is an American soap opera actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi....
) storybook wedding to Mitch Blake (who came back to town), and the pairing of John Hudson with Sharlene Frame (Anna Kathryn Holbrook
Anna Kathryn Holbrook
Anna Kathryn Holbrook is an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Sharlene Frame Hudson on Another World, a role she played originally from 1988 to 1991...
). Also, the triangle of Vicky Hudson (Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
) trying, and succeeding, to steal Rachel's son Jamie Frame (Laurence Lau
Laurence Lau
Laurence Henry Lau is an American soap opera actor. He was born in Long Beach, California.One of his first roles was on the comedy/drama Eight Is Enough...
) from Felicia's niece Lisa Grady (Joanna Going
Joanna Going
Joanna C. Going is an American actress.-Early life and education:Born in Washington, D.C., she is the oldest of six children of Lorraine M...
) interested many viewers.
One aborted love story was the impending marriage between M.J. McKinnon (Sally Spencer) and Adam Cory (Ed Fry). After a videotape surfaced, showing M.J. in her prostitute days having sex with a client, Adam dumped her, and she left town. Adam, and M.J.'s old flame, and her former pimp, Chad Rollo (Richard Burgi
Richard Burgi
Richard William Burgi is an American film and television actor. He's best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellinson on The Sentinel and as Karl Mayer on Desperate Housewives.-Personal life:...
), both left Bay City a year later.
Mac's death
In the late 1980s, Mac and Rachel's children came back as young adults (AmandaSam and Amanda Fowler
Sam Fowler and Amanda Cory were a popular couple on the American soap opera Another World. Sam was played by Robert Kelker-Kelly and Amanda was played by Sandra Ferguson, Christine Tucci and Laura Moss.Their love affair lasted from 1987, shortly after their first meeting, until 1990...
recast in the form of Sandra Ferguson
Sandra Ferguson
Sandra Dee Robinson is an American actress and founder of the media training and consulting firm Charisma On Camera. As an actress she was first credited as Sandra Reinhardt while married to her first husband, John Reinhardt. When they divorced, she changed her name back to Ferguson...
and Matt Crane
Matt Crane
Matthew Crane is an American actor, usually credited as Matt Crane.-Private life:He was born in Kimberton, Pennsylvania. He is the brother of Anthony Crane, former J. Crew model...
in the role of Matthew). Amanda
Sam and Amanda Fowler
Sam Fowler and Amanda Cory were a popular couple on the American soap opera Another World. Sam was played by Robert Kelker-Kelly and Amanda was played by Sandra Ferguson, Christine Tucci and Laura Moss.Their love affair lasted from 1987, shortly after their first meeting, until 1990...
was married to Sam Fowler
Sam and Amanda Fowler
Sam Fowler and Amanda Cory were a popular couple on the American soap opera Another World. Sam was played by Robert Kelker-Kelly and Amanda was played by Sandra Ferguson, Christine Tucci and Laura Moss.Their love affair lasted from 1987, shortly after their first meeting, until 1990...
, a budding artist, and Matthew started a relationship with Sharlene Frame's daughter Josie Watts (at that time the role was played by Alexandra Wilson
Alexandra Wilson
Alexandra Wilson is an American actress, best known for being the original actress to play the role of "Josie Watts" on the soap opera Another World. Wilson played the role from 1988 to 1991...
). While these characters proved to be fan favorites, the importance of the Cory family on the show was shaken when Douglass Watson
Douglass Watson
Larkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
unexpectedly died while on vacation in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
in spring 1989. At the time of Watson's death, Another World was about to celebrate its 25th anniversary, which writers had scripted in the form of a 25th anniversary celebration for Brava magazine. The Corys, minus an absent Mac, hosted a gala celebration that featured the return of several veteran characters, including Russ Matthews (David Bailey
David Bailey
David Royston Bailey CBE is an English photographer.-Early life:He was born in Leytonstone, but his family were forced to move to Heigham Road, East Ham when a World War II bomb destroyed their home. Bailey was three years old, and this is where he and Thelma, his younger sister, were raised by...
), Alice Frame (Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney was an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas.After short stints on The Edge of Night and Our Five Daughters, Courtney became famous for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on Another World; she played the role from the show's debut in May 1964 until July...
), Pat Randolph (Beverly Penberthy
Beverly Penberthy
Beverly Penberthy is an American actress, best known for her role as Pat Matthews Randolph on Another World, which she played from 1967 to 1982.She also had a small role in the film Judas Kiss.-External links:...
), Dennis Carrington (Wheeler) (Jim Poyner), Gwen Parrish Frame (Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman
Dorothy Lyman is an American television actress, director and producer. She is most commonly known for her work as architect Gwen Parrish Frame in Another World and in All My Children as Opal Sue Gardner, and on the syndicated sitcom Mama's Family, as Naomi Harper.Lyman was born in Minneapolis,...
), and Robert Delaney (Nicolas Coster
Nicolas Coster
Nicolas Coster is a British-born American actor, most known for his work in daytime drama and as a character actor on nighttime television series.-Biography:...
). It also featured a mystical sequence with Rachel coaxed back from near-death by ghost Steve Frame (George Reinholt
George Reinholt
George Kilpatrick Reinholt is an American actor.Reinholt is best known for his soap roles: Steve Frame on Another World from 1968 to 1975, and Tony Harris Lord on One Life to Live from 1975 to 1977.He was fired from Another World in 1975 when head writer Harding Lemay wrote him out of the program...
), thwarting sister Janice Frame's (Christine Jones
Christine Jones (actress)
Christine Jones is an American actress.Jones is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Janice Frame on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1978–1980 and again in 1989, but had also appeared as Amy Gifford on the series in 1977...
) attempt to lure Rachel "into the light".
Shortly after, it was revealed that the absent Mac had died off-screen while in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Rachel and her family tearfully buried him on the June 16, 1989 episode. With Watson's passing, the show was left without a unifying center, as for the next few years, the character of Rachel tried to adjust to life without Mac, and sometimes stumbled on her way. Although actress Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham
Victoria Wyndham is an American actress best known for her role as Rachel Cory on the soap opera Another World.-Personal life:...
tried to fill the void left by Watson's absence, much of her central role shifted to Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan is an American actress, best known for portraying Sarah Gordon Buchanan #1 on One Life to Live....
, who, by the early 1990s, had taken over for Anne Heche
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
as scheming Vicky Hudson.
Mac's daughter Iris Carrington Wheeler (now played by Carmen Duncan
Carmen Duncan
Carmen Joan Duncan is an Australian actress.-Biography:Carmen Duncan is known to Australian audiences as a character actress in films and on television...
) had returned to Bay City from Europe late in 1988, having lost her last husband Alex Wheeler (and following the demise of the spin-off series Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
) some years earlier. When it was revealed she had been behind a plot to take over Cory Publishing, Mac was devastated and he left town prior to the Brava 25th anniversary to ponder the implications, dying without having ever reconciled with her. This set up a series of conflicts between Iris, Amanda and Rachel, who had been left equal shares of Cory Publishing, as Rachel now attempted to head the company and counter Iris's continued interference. Mac's death also ushered in the appearance of yet another daughter, Paulina
Paulina Cory Carlino
Paulina Cory Carlino was a fictional character on the NBC daytime soap opera Another World.LEGAL HISTORYIn October 1990, Paulina shot Jake McKinnon. He had been blackmailing her with information which seemed to indicate that she wasn't really Mac Cory's daughter after all. Marley Hudson stood...
(first played by Cali Timmins
Cali Timmins
Carolyn "Cali" Timmins is a Canadian actress, best known for her work in the soap Ryan's Hope as Maggie Shelby, a role she played from 1983 to 1989....
), who fought to prove her legitimacy as a Cory and win over Rachel and her family, while constantly at odds with Iris.
Age of so-called Supercouples
As the show moved into the 1990s, Felicia and Mitch got a divorce due to both of them straying from their marriage vows. Felicia found the love of her life in the form of Lucas Castigliano (John ApreaJohn Aprea
John Aprea is an American actor, known for his role as "Young Sal Tessio" in The Godfather: Part II and on television as "Lucas Castigliano" on the soap opera Another World, from 1989 to 1992. As of 2006, he is currently filming a new soap opera in Southern California called, "The Heiress", which...
), who hunted her down in an attempt to find the daughter she thought had died at birth. They discovered that their daughter, Lorna Devon, had moved to Bay City in 1991.
Felicia and Lorna (Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
) had become enemies quickly, especially after Lorna went behind the scenes at Felicia's talk show and switched live footage with a videotape of a pornographic video Felicia's adoptive daughter Jenna Norris (Alla Korot
Alla Korot
Alla Korot is an American actress and dancer.Korot was born in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR to Elena and Alex Korot. Korot and her family immigrated to the United States in 1977, and she subsequently grew up in San Francisco. Before acting, she performed for Ballet Celeste International with her family...
) had unwittingly made. Felicia and Lorna ended up repairing their relationship, especially after Lucas' death.
Jenna found true love with rocker Dean Frame (Ricky Paull Goldin
Ricky Paull Goldin
Richard "Ricky" Paull Goldin is an American actor. He is currently in the cast of All My Children as Jake Martin since April 2008...
); their happiness, and Dean's success as a rock star, was chronicled in the nighttime special Summer Desire. After his first wife Kathleen McKinnon (Julie Osburn) was pronounced dead in a plane crash, Cass Winthrop (Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer is an American actor.After playing the role of Julie Olson Williams' brother, Steven Olson on the California-based serial Days of our Lives, he joined the cast of ABC soap opera One Life to Live as fitness expert Marcello Salta. He later played attorney Cass Winthrop on Another...
) grew close to Reginald Love's daughter Nicole (Anne Howard
Anne Marie Howard
Anne Marie Howard is an American actress, former spokeswoman for Ditech.com and current spokeswoman for the National Association of Realtors....
). When Nicole Love was institutionalized for the murder of Jason Frame (Chris Robinson), Cass slowly became attracted to Frankie Frame (Alice Barrett
Alice Barrett
Alice Barrett is an American actress.- Biography :She was born in New York, New York. She is also credited by her married name, Alice Barrett-Mitchell. Among her TV and movie credits, Barrett is best known for her portrayal of offbeat, psychic private detective Frankie Frame Winthrop on the soap...
), who came to town to investigate her uncle's murder. After many hindrances (including Kathleen's return to Bay City after being in the Witness Protection Program), Cass and Frankie were finally wed. They honeymooned on the Orient Express.
Jake McKinnon (Tom Eplin
Tom Eplin
Tom Eplin is an American actor known for his long run as the character of Jake McKinnon on two soap operas for a combined total of nearly two decades: on Another World and on As the World Turns .Eplin was married to his Another World costar Ellen Wheeler from 1985 to 1988...
) came back to town for good in 1988, with his wife Marley Hudson. Their marriage broke down and the two were forced to get a divorce. After a reconciliation two years later, Jake asked Marley to marry him again. However, she had found out that he was in the midst of an affair with Paulina Cory (Cali Timmins
Cali Timmins
Carolyn "Cali" Timmins is a Canadian actress, best known for her work in the soap Ryan's Hope as Maggie Shelby, a role she played from 1983 to 1989....
, but by 1991, the role had gone to Judi Evans Luciano
Judi Evans Luciano
Judi Evans is an American Emmy Award–winning actress,. She played Beth Raines on the CBS series Guiding Light from , but is best known for playing Adrienne Johnson Kiriakis a role she originated in 1986 on NBC's long running Days of our Lives...
). Marley turned down his proposal, and Jake raped her. Then, Jake was shot and near death, and Marley was forced to go on trial for his attempted murder. In the end, it was proven that Paulina shot him. Jake and Marley were officially over, but it was just beginning for Jake and Paulina. Over the next five years, Jake and Paulina were married and divorced twice. While they still had a good partnership, Paulina was fed up with Jake's cons, swindles, and lies, and tied the knot with Joe Carlino (Joseph Barbara
Joseph Barbara (actor)
Joseph Edward Barbara is an American television and soap opera actor.Barbara was born on 5 December 1967 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He has a B.S. in television and film production from Syracuse University...
).
Amanda (Christine Tucci
Christine Tucci
-Biography:Tucci, an Italian American, was born in Katonah, New York, the daughter of Joan , a retired secretary and writer, and Stanley Tucci, Sr., a retired high school art teacher...
) saw two marriages crash and burn. The first, to Sam, didn't work out due to Amanda's affair with Evan Frame (son of villainous Janice Frame); the second, to Grant Harrison (Mark Pinter
Mark Pinter
Mark Pinter is an American actor probably best known for his numerous roles in daytime soap operas.-Education:Pinter received his Master of Fine Arts from the Hilberry Repertory Theatre of Wayne State University.-Acting:...
) due to Grant's infidelity with Lorna Devon (Robin Christopher
Robin Christopher
Robin Christopher is an American actress. She is known for her role as Skye Chandler Quartermaine on All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital .-Private life:...
). Matthew had developed a May–December romance with Donna Love, who had been very grateful that Matt helped get her savings back. Matt and Donna became a very popular couple and were broken up due to then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start...
's insistence that Matt be paired up with someone his own age, and Donna likewise.
Rachel's mother, Ada Hobson, died in summer 1993 (veteran actress Constance Ford
Constance Ford
Constance Ford was an American actress and model. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Hobson on the daytime soap opera Another World.-Career:...
had died earlier that year), and she needed support more than ever; she found it in the unlikeliest source; a new love (and a new marriage) with Mac's former enemy, reformed villain Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating). Mac's daughter Iris didn't like this news one bit, and was prepared to startle the wedding crowd by firing blanks at Carl. Evan Frame (who had returned to town after a four-year absence) placed real bullets into Iris's gun, causing Iris to gravely wound Carl. She was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison time, and she was never heard from again.
Liz Matthews (Irene Dailey
Irene Dailey
Irene Dailey was an American actress, perhaps best known for her work on Broadway and on daytime television.Dailey was born in New York City, the daughter of Helen Theresa and Daniel James Dailey...
) returned periodically, and also for one last run, Russ (once again played by David Bailey
David Bailey
David Royston Bailey CBE is an English photographer.-Early life:He was born in Leytonstone, but his family were forced to move to Heigham Road, East Ham when a World War II bomb destroyed their home. Bailey was three years old, and this is where he and Thelma, his younger sister, were raised by...
), as they united to shelter Russ's daughter Olivia (Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack
Allison Hossack is an actress.-Biography:Hossack attended schools in Steinbach and Killarney, Manitoba, later graduating from the Brandon University School of Music in 1988 with a B.Mus. where she majored in voice...
), who had a child with Dennis (Carrington) Wheeler (now played by Chris Bruno
Chris Bruno
Chris Bruno is an American film and television actor best known for his role as Sheriff Walt Bannerman on the USA Network television series The Dead Zone.His brother Dylan Bruno plays Colby Granger on Numb3rs....
). This marked the last appearances by the members of the Matthews family prior to the demise of the series.
The final years: 1993-1999
The show was renewed in 1993 (Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara (TV series)
Santa Barbara is an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on July 30, 1984, and last aired on January 15, 1993. The show revolved around the eventful lives of the wealthy Capwell family of Santa Barbara, California...
was given the axe instead). But the ratings still weren't good. The odds weren't in the show's favor that it would be renewed again in 1999. Early in 1995, news at the top signaled a change in executive producer. Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start...
, who had won Emmy awards for her work on Santa Barbara, was given the job. Veteran cast members were fired; both cast members over the age of 55 (Barbara Berjer
Barbara Berjer
Barbara Berjer was a well-known American television actress born in Seattle, Washington.Among her many soap opera credits were her roles as alcoholic actress Lynn Franklin on From These Roots ; Claire English Lowell Cassen Shea #4 on As the World Turns ; Barbara Norris Thorpe #2 on Guiding Light...
and David Hedison
David Hedison
Albert David Hedison, Jr. is an Armenian-American film, television, and stage actor. He was billed as Al Hedison in his early film work. In 1959, when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series Five Fingers, NBC insisted that he change his name...
) had their contracts terminated, in an attempt to move the show in a more youthful direction. Show matriarch Rachel Cory Hutchins was placed in a storyline involving an evil lookalike countess, Justine Duvalier, who was the ex-wife of Hedison's recently axed character, Spencer Harrison. The Justine storyline was panned by the press as being worthy of a Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
level of ridicule. While in a scuffle, Grant Harrison killed his brother Ryan (played by fan favorite Paul Michael Valley
Paul Michael Valley
Paul Michael Valley is a television actor.Among his numerous soap credits, his most memorable and long-lasting role was his portrayal of Ryan Harrison on the soap opera Another World from 1990 to 1995...
), causing Justine to be shoved in front of a train. Justine did not die, and she caused more terror before finally being finished by Carl Hutchins and his letter opener. Actress Victoria Wyndham was quoted as liking the storyline at first, but after it was played out, she stated that she wished she had never appeared in it.
Budget cuts caused Phelps to institute a serial killer storyline, culminating in the death of Dr Courtney Evans, as well as the gruesome murder of Frankie (Alice Barrett
Alice Barrett
Alice Barrett is an American actress.- Biography :She was born in New York, New York. She is also credited by her married name, Alice Barrett-Mitchell. Among her TV and movie credits, Barrett is best known for her portrayal of offbeat, psychic private detective Frankie Frame Winthrop on the soap...
). The story had actually called for Donna to be offed, but massive fan protest caused Phelps to rewrite the episodes. Phelps decided to then kill off either Frankie or Paulina, and when a focus group responded lukewarm to Frankie but warmer to Paulina, Phelps gave the greenlight to axe Frankie. However, this caused another massive rampage of upset protest from loyal viewers of the show and fans of Frankie, and Phelps quickly asked then-head writer Margaret DePriest to re-write Frankie's exit so that the character would at least still live. DePriest, eager to satisfy her wish to see Cass return to his former rogue ways, vehemently refused and left Frankie's death as written.
Rachel gave birth to twins, even though she was well into her fifties. Although the believability of this story was debated by fans, it was a nod back to when her mother, Ada, gave birth to Rachel's sister Nancy late in life. Robert Kelker-Kelly
Robert Kelker-Kelly
Robert Kelker-Kelly is an American soap opera actor.He attended Wichita Collegiate School in Wichita, Kansas from 1977 to 1980, where he was active in the theatre and had major roles in several plays, including Rusty in Guys and Dolls, Bill Sikes in Oliver! and Sir Lionel in Camelot...
was lured back to the show in a different role from Sam Fowler, in which Vicky falls for the man (Bobby Reno) who was given Ryan's corneas in a transplant. The storyline became convoluted as the man's mystery identity was rewritten and his former wife came to town to reclaim him. Lila Roberts (Lisa Peluso
Lisa Peluso
Lisa Peluso is an American soap opera actress.-Biography:Peluso was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Mary Peluso. Her first big break came at the age of nine, when she starred in the Broadway production of Gypsy with Angela Lansbury...
) ended up bedding Matthew Cory and having his baby (Jasmine) before falling in love with Cass. Cass and Lila became engaged.
In 1999, NBC decided not to renew Another World and canceled it.
Many reasons abounded for Another World cancellation, one of the more notable events occurring in the summer of 1998: San Francisco's then-NBC affiliate KRON, one of the highest-rated in the nation, dropped the show off its schedule altogether, knocking it out of two million homes. Another reason was that a new soap opera owned by NBC, Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
, was in production and slated to begin its airing on within a few months. As no timeslot was available for Passions, NBC necessarily had to make room for it at the expense of an existing program. Rumors abounded that Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
might be the serial dropped, as renewal talks between NBC and Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television
Columbia Pictures Television was the second name of the Columbia Pictures television division Screen Gems . The studio changed its name on September 4, 1974.-1974-1982:...
were going poorly at the time. At the eleventh hour, Days of our Lives was renewed, and it was the fate of Another World that was sealed.
The final episode of Another Word aired June 25, 1999. Cass and Lila and got married in the final episode of the show; they were the last couple to wed in Bay City. After a series of 35th anniversary episodes, Rachel reminisced with Carl, remarked, "All's well that ends well," and the show ended with a still frame shot of Mac Cory.
After the final episode
On January 3, 2000, the show's former NBC studio in Brooklyn became the home to As the World TurnsAs the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, which had moved from CBS Broadcast Center
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
.
Irna Phillips's original plan of crossovers with As the World Turns was finally realized—after Another World was canceled. Another World characters Lila (Lisa Peluso
Lisa Peluso
Lisa Peluso is an American soap opera actress.-Biography:Peluso was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Mary Peluso. Her first big break came at the age of nine, when she starred in the Broadway production of Gypsy with Angela Lansbury...
), Cass (Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer is an American actor.After playing the role of Julie Olson Williams' brother, Steven Olson on the California-based serial Days of our Lives, he joined the cast of ABC soap opera One Life to Live as fitness expert Marcello Salta. He later played attorney Cass Winthrop on Another...
), Vicky (Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan
Jensen Buchanan is an American actress, best known for portraying Sarah Gordon Buchanan #1 on One Life to Live....
), Marley (Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World...
), Donna (Anna Stuart
Anna Stuart
Anna Stuart is an American actress. Stuart has been primarily featured in roles in daytime soap operas.- Career :...
), and Jake (Tom Eplin
Tom Eplin
Tom Eplin is an American actor known for his long run as the character of Jake McKinnon on two soap operas for a combined total of nearly two decades: on Another World and on As the World Turns .Eplin was married to his Another World costar Ellen Wheeler from 1985 to 1988...
) all moved into ATWT storylines. By 2002, Vicky and Jake had been killed off violently in separate incidents, and the crossover experiment had, for the most part, ended. Schnetzer continued to make occasional appearances, as his character of Cass was used as a "visiting lawyer" in As the World Turns trials. The character of Cass also appeared in a few episodes of Guiding Light in 2002.
The show was commemorated in print twice in 1999. Another World, the 35th Anniversary Celebration, by Julie Poll, was a coffee-table style book chronicling the show's history on- and off-screen. Another World was the last of all the long-running soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
programs of the time to be preserved in this way. The other book was decidedly different; The Ultimate Another World Trivia Book, by Gerard J. Waggett, listed several juicy tidbits about the show's stars and what happened behind-the-scenes. Many fans have treated Poll's book as they would a high school yearbook, getting Another World performers to sign their autographs in the book along with messages of appreciation or thanks for the fans' continued support in watching the program.
From July 2003 to April 2007, SOAPnet
SOAPnet
SOAPnet is an American cable television channel that broadcasts current and past soap operas and primetime dramas, along with some original programming. The channel launched on January 20, 2000, and is owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, an ABC channel
Disney-ABC Television Group
Disney-ABC Television Group manages all of The Walt Disney Company's worldwide entertainment and news television properties...
, started rerunning old Another World episodes that originally aired from July 1, 1987 to May 10, 1991. The contract was not renewed to continue airing Another World, so that SOAPnet could begin airing episodes of both One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
and The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
. A lackluster The Another World Reunion aired on the channel on October 24, 2003. Hosted by Linda Dano
Linda Dano
Linda Dano is an American soap opera actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi....
, the special program reunited fan favorites such as Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer
Stephen Schnetzer is an American actor.After playing the role of Julie Olson Williams' brother, Steven Olson on the California-based serial Days of our Lives, he joined the cast of ABC soap opera One Life to Live as fitness expert Marcello Salta. He later played attorney Cass Winthrop on Another...
, Sandra Ferguson
Sandra Ferguson
Sandra Dee Robinson is an American actress and founder of the media training and consulting firm Charisma On Camera. As an actress she was first credited as Sandra Reinhardt while married to her first husband, John Reinhardt. When they divorced, she changed her name back to Ferguson...
, John Aprea
John Aprea
John Aprea is an American actor, known for his role as "Young Sal Tessio" in The Godfather: Part II and on television as "Lucas Castigliano" on the soap opera Another World, from 1989 to 1992. As of 2006, he is currently filming a new soap opera in Southern California called, "The Heiress", which...
, Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
, Kale Browne
Kale Browne
David Charles "Kale" Browne is an American actor. He was born in San Rafael, California. Browne was the first to play the roles of Michael Hudson on Another World and Sam Rappaport on One Life to Live . Browne has a son, Nicholas, with former wife Karen Allen...
, and Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler
Ellen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World...
. On the special, Dano interviewed the members of the assembled cast, one by one, interspersed with classic Another World clips. Before and after commercial breaks, Another World quiz questions were posed to the audience at home, and audience members told the viewers at home their favorite Another World moments, supplemented with clips from the actual episodes (for example, one viewer said her favorite Another World moment was from 1980, in which Rachel, on the stand for Mitch's murder, was forced to tell Mac that Matthew was not his child. Another viewer cited Ryan marrying Vicky while in Heaven). This special was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Special in 2004. The Another World Reunion was rerun in May 2004 to commemorate AWs 40th anniversary.
In 2006, Procter & Gamble began making several of its soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, through America Online's AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge. Reruns of older Another World episodes began from August 1, 1980. As of January 2009, AOL Video is no longer showing any P&G soaps, including AW. No word has come yet from TeleNext Media as to an alternative site to watch any of the episodes previously presented on AOL Video.
On July 29, 2008, episodes also became available on the video streaming website Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
. The episodes begin with the May 10, 1991 episode - the last one that ran on SOAPnet. There were 24 episodes made available initially, with the promise of 3 more each week. As of December 2009, the same episodes seen through Hulu were also available through YouTube. Hulu stopped airing episodes of the soap on October 21, 2010. The last AW episode to air on the site was October 5, 1992.
TeleNext Media also introduced a new website in April 2009. Anotherworldtoday.com essentially picks up 10 years after AWs last episode left off, in a blog/fan fiction format. Readers can submit story ideas to help form the story angles and pacing of the so-called 'sequel'. Each webisode
Webisode
A webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
comes out weekly, and the website also show classic clips of the original TV scenes of Another World. As of July 2011, the site is no longer affiliated with TeleNext Media and is now independently run.
List of Firsts
Another World was the first soap opera:- To discuss abortionAbortionAbortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. In 1964, the subject was a taboo and it was seven years before the Roe v. WadeRoe v. WadeRoe v. Wade, , was a controversial landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion. The Court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion,...
decision made abortion legal for women. - To host a crossover when Guiding Lights Mike BauerMike BauerMike Bauer is a retired American tour professional tennis player. Bauer won three singles and nine top-tier doubles titles during his career. He reached a career high singles ranking of World No. 29 in November 1984....
traveled from Springfield to Bay CityBay City-Places:Australia* Westfield Bay City, a shopping centre in Geelong, VictoriaPhilippines* Bay City , the reclamation area of Metro Manila in the PhilippinesUnited States* Bay City, Pope County, Illinois* Bay City, Michigan...
. Crossovers of popular AW characters such as Cass and Jake would occur after the show was canceled with Jake McKinnon relocating to Oakdale (As the World Turns) and attorney Cass Winthrop taking cases in both Oakdale and Springfield. - To extend to the one hour format. At one point, AW extended to 90 minutes, but eventually returned to the one hour format where it remained until the show went off the air.
- To spin off new shows. Long before Knots LandingKnots LandingKnots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
spun off from DallasDallas (TV series)Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
, AWs Missy Matthews relocated to Somerset from 1970 until 1976. In the early 1980s, Iris Cory moved to Houston and launched Texas, although the show only lasted two years, the storylines would impact Iris on the mother show AW for the next two decades. - To have the theme song break into the BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Charts. In 1987, Crystal GayleCrystal GayleCrystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
and Gary MorrisGary MorrisGary Gwyn Morris is an American country music artist who charted a string of countrypolitan-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s....
recorded "Take Me Away to Another World" for the show's new credits and the song climbed the charts. Both Gayle and Morris appeared on the show to sing the song.
Broadcast history
For most of a 15-year period between 1965 and 1980, Another World was NBC's highest-rated soap opera. During that time, NBC ran a 90-minute drama block consisting of Days of our LivesDays of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, The Doctors and Another World, all of which enjoyed great ratings and critical success before declining at the end of the 1970s.
The 1960s
Another World did not take long to establish itself as NBC's highest-rated daytime drama, although it was still behind the then-dominant CBS lineup which would usually occupy the first six places on the ratings chart. Making its debut at 3 p.m. Eastern/2 Central, Another World slowly chipped away at ABC's General HospitalGeneral Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
and CBS' daytime version of To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
. Its efforts resulted in a swift rise to second place in 1967-1968; the show would remain in the upper end of the ratings chart until 1978. CBS later tried The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm
The Secret Storm is a soap opera which ran on CBS from February 1, 1954 to February 8, 1974. The series was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas Search for Tomorrow and Love of Life...
, a soap that reputedly served as the model for Another World, against it, but to no avail.
The 1970s
On March 30, 1970, AW became the first daytime soap to produce a spinoff series, SomersetSomerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
, which ran until 1976. For Somerset's first year, the two shows shared the same branding, with the mother show titled Another World in Bay City and the daughter show Another World in Somerset. NBC and P&G discontinued this after a year, and Another World dropped the reference to its location.
With the arrival of Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay
Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
, Another World would consolidate its place as not only the most popular and critically acclaimed soap on NBC, but one of the highest-rated soaps of the decade. Between 1973 and 1978, it consistently attained second place in the ratings chart and tied with As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
(its P&G sister) for first place twice—in the 1973-1974 and 1977-1978 television seasons. The earlier triumph was no mean feat when one considers that CBS put up its star game The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
against it for two years.
When the one-hour 10th Anniversary special in spring 1974 proved a massive ratings success, NBC and Procter and Gamble made the decision to expand to 60 minutes permanently on January 6, 1975, replacing the original version of the game show Jeopardy, in a scheduling shuffle with the in-house-produced How to Survive a Marriage
How to Survive a Marriage
How to Survive a Marriage is a soap opera which aired on the NBC television network from January 7, 1974 to April 17, 1975. The serial was created by Anne Howard Bailey, with much input from then-NBC Vice President Lin Bolen...
. Another World became the first serial to broadcast one hour daily, only some six years after the last two 15-minute soaps (CBS' Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
and Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
, also P&G shows) finally doubled their daily lengths.
The show took over the entire 3-4 pm/2-3 Central period, the latter part of which witnessed it beating back, to some degree, CBS' huge Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
, then daytime's most popular program. However, starting in 1978, Another World began to experience an erosion in ratings caused mainly by the surge in popularity of General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. Another World fell from a first-place tie in 1978 to eighth in 1979 (a drop from 8.6 to 7.5), but remained NBC's highest-rated daytime drama. Despite the fall in ratings, Another World became the first, and thus far only, soap to expand to 90 minutes, a move that proved unsuccessful—it remained in eighth place in the 1979-1980 television season.
Expansion to 90 minutes and its impact on ratings
Although it is widely thought that Another World expansion to 90 minutes was a cause of ratings erosion, the decision to expand the show was made at a time when its ratings (and that of NBC's other serials) were already in steady decline. During the period when Another World ran daily for 90 minutes it remained NBC's highest-rated soap opera, as it had been for a decade. In the second half of 1980, after the show returned to 60 minutes, Another World and fellow NBC serials Days of our Lives and, most dramatically, The Doctors, experienced a collapse in ratings from which NBC's daytime soap lineup never fully recovered. It would not be until 1984 that both Days and Another World would recover some of their lost ground.The 1980s
It is possible that the 90-minute format was intended to be temporary, with the added time used to prepare a storyline for a spinoff, TexasTexas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
in 1980. For upon its debut, the mother show contracted to 60 minutes again, this time moving to 2/1 Central, where it settled for the remaining 19 years of its run. Texas, starring the hugely popular Beverlee McKinsey
Beverlee McKinsey
Beverlee McKinsey was an American actress.Beverlee McKinsey was born as Beverlee Magruder in McAlester, Oklahoma on August 9, 1935. She was the daughter of Warren and Jewell Magruder of McAlester, Oklahoma....
and attempting to cash in on the Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
craze, while itself not a success, may have caused further erosion of Another World viewership, to the point that it was no longer NBC's highest-rated serial, losing that position to Days of our Lives (which itself, along with the rest of NBC's daytime lineup, was in serious ratings trouble). Another World fell from eighth to as low as 11th in the ratings chart, and by the 1981-1982 television season it sunk so low in the Nielsens
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
to 4.7 (a drop of 3.9 points in four seasons). Much like General Hospital winning the 3/2 slot for ABC, One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
came in strong at 2/1, with CBS attempting to get its new Capitol
Capitol (TV series)
Capitol is an American soap opera which aired on CBS from March 29, 1982 to March 20, 1987 for 1,270 episodes. As its name suggests, the storyline usually revolved around the political intrigues of people whose lives intertwined in Washington D.C....
off the ground during that period.
After five years of sharply declining ratings, Another World experienced something of a mini-revival, and for the 1983-1984 television season, the show jumped to ninth place and 5.6 (compared with 10th place and 4.8 in 1983). The ratings increase was attributed to the emergence of supercouple Sally Frame (Mary Page Keller
Mary Page Keller
Mary Page Keller is an American actress known for roles on both daytime and primetime television.-Career:On daytime, Keller played the role of Amanda Kirkland on Ryan's Hope and the role of Sally Frame on Another World...
) and Catlin Ewing (Thomas Ian Griffith
Thomas Ian Griffith
Thomas Ian Griffith is an American actor and martial artist who has starred in films and on television.-Early life:Griffith was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Mary Ann , who worked at a dance studio, and Thomas Joseph Griffith...
), and the return of actress Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney
Jacqueline Courtney was an American actress best known for her work on daytime soap operas.After short stints on The Edge of Night and Our Five Daughters, Courtney became famous for her role as Alice Matthews Frame on Another World; she played the role from the show's debut in May 1964 until July...
as Alice Matthews Frame, who had been fired from the show nine years earlier despite being immensely popular with viewers. It remained in ninth place through the decade (occasionally moving up to eighth), pulling in generally stable numbers against One Life to Live (Which at the time was a big ratings hit.) and its Procter and Gamble sister As the World Turns. The show received some of its strongest critical acclaim during the 1980s as well. Many soap critics even praised the show for keeping its focus on relationships and family crisis and not resorting too much to storylines like the Ice Princess storyline on General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
.
The 1990s
In common with other daytime soaps, Another World experienced a gradual erosion of viewership but, amazingly enough given its turbulent history, held on to ninth place on the ratings chart until the end of its run. While it never showed signs of moving up through this period, it was for the most part never in danger of falling to last place.Between 1974 and 1999, Another World won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
The Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series is an award which has been given every year at the Daytime Emmys ceremony since 1974. As there are separate awards for acting, writing and directing, the award is generally given to the soap opera that excelled in all three of those categories...
only once (in 1976), a stark contrast to seven wins for The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
and 10 wins for General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
.
Spin-offs
The show spawned two spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s: Somerset
Somerset (TV series)
Somerset is an American television soap opera which ran on NBC from March 30, 1970 until December 31, 1976. The show was a spinoff of another NBC serial, Another World.-Overview :...
(1970–1976) and Texas
Texas (TV series)
Texas is an American daytime soap opera which aired on NBC from August 4, 1980 until December 31, 1982. Created by John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, and Paul Rauch, the show was a spinoff of Another World...
(1980–1982). (In 1970, the two shows were known as Another World: Bay City and Another World: Somerset before reverting to their unique names.) One primetime special aired in 1992: Another World: Summer Desire
Another World: Summer Desire
Summer Desire was the name of the first and only night-time special aired under the Another World soap opera banner. Touted as special event programming, the hour-long episode aired just before the Daytime Emmy Awards on June 23, 1992....
.
A "viewer-directed," text-based continuation of the series called Another World Today exists online, sanctioned by TeleNext Media, the production arm of Procter & Gamble.
Airtimes
While individual NBC affiliates had the right to air any show whenever they wished, most of the affiliates (almost all of them, in the earlier days of television) aired the show when it would be transmitted to the network's direct affiliates.In the mid-to-late '90s, when AW was in its final ratings slump, many affiliates swapped AWs time slot with Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, which usually aired an hour earlier. Others affiliates transferred AW to their morning schedule.
The network aired the show at the following times throughout its history:
- May 4, 1964 to January 3, 1975: 3:00-3:30 PM
- January 6, 1975 to March 2, 1979: 3:00-4:00 PM
- March 5, 1979 to August 1, 1980: 2:30-4:00 PM
- August 4, 1980 to June 25, 1999: 2:00-3:00 PM
Before they were stars
Many well-known film and television actors and celebrities launched their careers on the show:- Christine BaranskiChristine BaranskiChristine Jane Baranski is an American stage and screen actress, and is perhaps best known for her Emmy Award winning portrayal as "Maryanne Thorpe" in the sitcom Cybill, and her Emmy nominated portrayal of "Diane Lockhart" in The Good Wife...
(Beverly Tucker) - Theodore BikelTheodore BikelTheodore Meir Bikel is a character actor, folk singer and musician. He made his film debut in The African Queen and was nominated for an Academy award for his supporting role as Sheriff Max Muller in The Defiant Ones ....
(Henry Davenport) - Charles DurningCharles DurningCharles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
(Gil McGowan) - Faith FordFaith FordFaith Ford is an American television and film actress, known for having played the roles of Corky Sherwood on Murphy Brown and Hope Fairfield-Shanowski on Hope & Faith.-Early life:...
(Julia Shearer) - Morgan FreemanMorgan FreemanMorgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
(Roy Bingham) - Joanna GoingJoanna GoingJoanna C. Going is an American actress.-Early life and education:Born in Washington, D.C., she is the oldest of six children of Lorraine M...
(Lisa Grady) - Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
(Dr. Canard) - Jackee HarryJackée HarryJacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry , better known by her professional name Jackée, is an American actress and television personality, primarily known for her roles on sitcoms and other types of television shows...
(Lily Mason) - Amy CarlsonAmy CarlsonAmy Lynn Carlson is an American actress best known for playing Josie Watts on Another World and Alex Taylor on Third Watch. More recently, she played Kelly Gaffney on the short-lived NBC courtroom drama, Law & Order: Trial by Jury. She currently plays Linda Reagan on the CBS drama Blue Bloods...
(Josie Watts) - Anne HecheAnne HecheAnne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
(Marley Hudson / Vicky Hudson) - Audra LindleyAudra LindleyAudra Marie Lindley was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers.-Career:...
(Liz Matthews) - Linda DanoLinda DanoLinda Dano is an American soap opera actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi....
(Felicia Gallant) - Ray LiottaRay Liotta[File:Ray Liotta is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Henry Hill in the crime-drama Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorsese and his role as Shoeless Joe Jackson in Field of Dreams...
(Joey Perrini) - Lindsay LohanLindsay LohanLindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
(Alexandra "Alli" Fowler) - Nancy MarchandNancy MarchandNancy Marchand was an American actress, whose career encompassed both stage and screen. She appeared in various theatre productions throughout the early 1950s, before being offered roles on film and television....
(Irene Kimbalt / Therrese Lamonte) - Rue McClanahanRue McClanahanRue McClanahan was an American actress, best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on Maude, Fran Crowley on Mama's Family, and Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1987.-Early life:McClanahan was born Eddie Rue...
(Caroline Johnson) - Alicia CoppolaAlicia CoppolaAlicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
(Lorna Devon) - Julian McMahonJulian McMahonJulian Dana William McMahon is an Australian actor and former fashion model. He is best known for his portrayals of Cole Turner in The WB hit series Charmed, womanizing plastic surgeon Christian Troy on the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning TV show Nip/Tuck, and Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four and...
(Ian Rain) - Chris NothChris NothChristopher David "Chris" Noth is an American actor. He is known for long-running television roles as Det. Mike Logan on the police procedural and legal drama television series, Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and as Big on Sex and the City. For the latter role, he has been...
- Ed O'NeillEd O'NeillEdward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
(Kidnapper) - Mark ValleyMark ValleyMark Thomas Valley is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Brad Chase on the TV drama Boston Legal and Christopher Chance in Fox's action/drama Human Target.-Personal life:...
(Father Pete) - Luke PerryLuke PerryLuke Perry is an American actor. Perry starred as Dylan McKay on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role he played from 1990–95, and then from 1998–2000. Much publicity was garnered over the fact that even though he was playing a sixteen-year-old when 90210 began, Perry was actually in his...
(Kenny) - Jane KrakowskiJane KrakowskiJane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her performance of Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and for her current role as Jenna Maroney on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, for which she has been nominated for three Emmy...
(Tonya) - Marcus GiamattiMarcus GiamattiMarcus Giamatti is an American actor, best known for being a regular member of the cast of the CBS drama series Judging Amy.-Background:...
(Jeff) - Chris BrunoChris BrunoChris Bruno is an American film and television actor best known for his role as Sheriff Walt Bannerman on the USA Network television series The Dead Zone.His brother Dylan Bruno plays Colby Granger on Numb3rs....
(Dennis Wheeler) - Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
(Chris) - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
(Czaja Carnek) - Christopher Rich (Sandy Cory)
- Kim RhodesKim RhodesKimberly "Kim" Rhodes is an American actress, who portrayed the role of "Cindy Harrison" on two different soap opera series, Another World and As the World Turns, as well as Carey Martin in the Disney Channel sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck, where she played the...
(Cynthia 'Cindy' Brooke Harrison) - Eric RobertsEric RobertsEric Anthony Roberts is an American actor. His career began with King of the Gypsies , earning a Golden Globe nomination for best actor debut. He starred as the protagonist in the 1980 dramatisation of Willa Cather's 1905 short story, Paul's Case...
(Ted Bancroft) - Howard E. Rollins, Jr.Howard RollinsHoward Ellsworth Rollins, Jr. was an American television, film, and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Coalhouse Walker, Jr...
(Ed Harding) - Jodi Lyn O'KeefeJodi Lyn O'KeefeJodi Lyn O'Keefe is an American actress and model, who at age 17 portrayed Cassidy Bridges on Nash Bridges. She is also known for her role on Prison Break as Gretchen Morgan, a.k.a. "Susan B. Anthony".-Early life:...
(Maggie Cory) - Kyra SedgwickKyra SedgwickKyra Minturn Sedgwick is an American actress.Sedgwick is best known for her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama The Closer. Sedgwick's role in the series won her a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Award in 2010...
(Julia Shearer) - Ted ShackelfordTed ShackelfordTed Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
(Ray Gordon) - Jean SmartJean SmartJean E. Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24...
(Passenger on Bus) - Susan SullivanSusan SullivanSusan Michaela Sullivan is an American actress, known for several notable roles on various television programs. Sullivan played the role of Lenore Curtin Delaney on the daytime soap opera, Another World ; waitress Lois Adams during the first season of the comedy It's a Living, Maggie Gioberti...
(Lenore Moore Curtin Delaney) - Dolph SweetDolph SweetDolph Sweet was an American actor, credited with nearly 60 television and film roles as well as several roles in stage productions before his death from cancer in 1985.-Biography:...
(Gil McGowan) - Henry SimmonsHenry SimmonsHenry Oswald Simmons, Jr. is an American actor.-Life and career:Simmons was born in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Aurelia, a school teacher, and Henry Simmons, Sr., an IRS agent. He is one of three children, including his twin sister, and another sister...
(Tyrone Montgomery) - Janine TurnerJanine TurnerJanine Turner is an American actress who starred on the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. From 2000 to 2002, she appeared on the Lifetime original series Strong Medicine...
(Patricia Kirkland) - Justin ChambersJustin ChambersJustin W. Chambers is an American actor and former Calvin Klein male fashion model. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC drama series Grey's Anatomy as Dr. Alex Karev....
(Nick Hudson)
Guest stars
Many well-known celebrities made cameo appearances on the serial, including:- Dick CavettDick CavettRichard Alva "Dick" Cavett is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues...
(Oliver Twist (a magician)) - Jose FerrerJosé FerrerJosé Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
(attorney Reuben Marino) - Crystal GayleCrystal GayleCrystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
(herself) - Virginia GrahamVirginia GrahamVirginia Graham born Virginia Komiss, was a daytime television talk show host from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s...
(herself) - Donna HanoverDonna HanoverDonna Hanover is an American journalist, radio and television personality, television producer, and actress, who appears on WOR radio in New York City and the Food Network. From 1994 through 2001 she was First Lady of New York City, as the then-wife of Rudy Giuliani...
(a judge during one of Vicky's trials) - LiberaceLiberaceWladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
(himself) - Gary MorrisGary MorrisGary Gwyn Morris is an American country music artist who charted a string of countrypolitan-styled hit songs throughout the 1980s....
(himself) - Joan RiversJoan RiversJoan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
(Meredith Dunston) - Al RokerAl RokerAlbert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television meteorologist as well as an actor and book author. He is best known as being the weather anchor on NBC's Today. On Monday, July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show, Wake Up with Al, on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays...
(himself) - Ann SheridanAnn Sheridan-Life and career:Born Clara Lou Sheridan in Denton, Texas on February 21, 1915, she was a student at the University of North Texas when her sister sent a photograph of her to Paramount Pictures. She subsequently entered and won a beauty contest, with part of her prize being a bit part in a...
(Kathryn Corning) - Betty WhiteBetty WhiteBetty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
(Brenda Barlowe) - Paul PerriPaul PerriPaul John Perri is an American-born Canadian-American film and television actor. Perri is best known for portraying Edwards and Skinless Parker in Hellraiser: Bloodline, Harry Hume from Chaos, and as Dr. Sidney Bloom from Manhunter.-Background:Perri and his wife, Michele Miner are the parents of...
(Joey Perrini)
Daytime Emmy wins
Another World won fifteen Daytime Emmy AwardDaytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s.
- 1975: Harding LemayHarding LemayHarding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:...
, Outstanding Writing - 1976: Outstanding Drama Series3rd Daytime Emmy AwardsThe 3rd Daytime Emmy Awards were held in 1976 to commemorate excellence in daytime programming from the previous year . The third awards only had three categories, and thus three awards were given.Winners in each category are in bold....
- 1978: Laurie HeinemanLaurie HeinemanLaurie Heineman is an American actress probably best known for originating the role of Sharlene Frame on Another World and for her role of Myra in the film, Save the Tiger, a film which gained Jack Lemmon an Oscar....
, Outstanding Actress (Sharlene Frame Matthews) - 1979: Irene DaileyIrene DaileyIrene Dailey was an American actress, perhaps best known for her work on Broadway and on daytime television.Dailey was born in New York City, the daughter of Helen Theresa and Daniel James Dailey...
, Outstanding Actress (Liz Matthews) - 1980: Douglass WatsonDouglass WatsonLarkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory) - 1981: Douglass WatsonDouglass WatsonLarkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory) - 1986: Ellen WheelerEllen WheelerEllen Wheeler is an American actress, director and producer. She has appeared in several soap operas, including Another World and All My Children. In 1986, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Ingenue in a Drama Series" for her work as twins Marley and Vicky Love Hudson on Another World...
, Outstanding IngenueIngenue (stock character)See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
(Marley and Vicky Love) - 1989: Margarita Delgado and Charles Schoonmaker, Outstanding Costume Design
- 1990: Margarita Delgado and Charles Schoonmaker, Outstanding Costume Design
- 1990: Angel De Angelis, Outstanding Hairstyling (head hairstylist)
- 1991: Anne HecheAnne HecheAnne Celeste Heche is an American actress, director, and screenwriter. She started her career on the daytime soap opera Another World, for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1991. Heche gradually landed supporting roles in feature films, and in 1997 appeared in I Know What You Did Last Summer,...
, Outstanding Younger Actress (Marley and Vicky Hudson) - 1992: Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team
- 1993: Linda DanoLinda DanoLinda Dano is an American soap opera actress. A longtime performer in daytime dramas and a bestselling author and businesswoman, Dano was married for over 20 years to advertising executive Frank Attardi....
, Outstanding Actress (Felicia GallantFelicia GallantFelicia Gallant is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Another World. The character is a professional romance novelist who lives in Bay City....
) - 1996: Charles Keating (actor)Charles Keating (actor)Charles Keating is a British actor of stage, screen, and television, and narrator of audiobooks.Of Irish Catholic extraction, Keating was born on October 22, 1941 in London, England, the son of Charles James Keating and Margaret Shevlin...
, Outstanding Lead Actor (Carl Hutchins) - 1996: Anna Kathryn HolbrookAnna Kathryn HolbrookAnna Kathryn Holbrook is an American soap opera actress, best known for her role as Sharlene Frame Hudson on Another World, a role she played originally from 1988 to 1991...
, Outstanding Supporting Actress (Sharlene Frame Hudson)
Head Writers/Executive Producers
| Head writer Head writer A head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an... (s) |
Years | Executive Producer Executive producer An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... (s) |
|---|---|---|
| Irna Phillips Irna Phillips Irna Phillips was an American actress and most notably writer who created and scripted many of the first American soap operas.Phillips created radio and TV soap operas including:... with William J. Bell William J. Bell William J. Bell was the creator and executive producer of the soap operas The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful.-Personal life:... |
May 1964 – March 1965 | Allen M. Potter Allen M. Potter Allen M. Potter was an American television soap opera producer. He was GL's Head Writer during the 1981 WGA strike.-Positions held:Another World*Executive Producer As the World Turns... |
| James Lipton James Lipton James Lipton is an American writer, poet, composer, actor and dean emeritus of the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University in New York City. He is the executive producer, writer and host of the Bravo cable television series Inside the Actors Studio, which debuted in 1994... |
March – October 1965 | Doris Quinlan |
| Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon Agnes Nixon is an American writer and producer. She attended Northwestern University where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and is best known as the creator of soap operas such as One Life to Live and All My Children... |
November 1965 – January 1969 | Allen M. Potter; Charles Fisher; Paul Robert; Mary Harris |
| Robert Cenedella | February 1969 – August 1971 | Mary Harris; Lyle B. Hill |
| Harding Lemay Harding Lemay Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:... |
August 1971 – May 1979 | Paul Rauch Paul Rauch - Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings.... |
| Tom King | May – November 1979 | Paul Rauch Paul Rauch - Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings.... |
| Tom King and Robert Soderberg | November 1979 – December 1980 | Paul Rauch |
| L. Virginia Browne | December 1980 – November 1982 | Paul Rauch |
| Robert Soderberg | November 1982 | Paul Rauch |
| Robert Soderberg and Dorothy Ann Purser | November 1982 – December 1983 | Paul Rauch |
| Dorothy Ann Purser | December 1983 – February 1984 | Rauch Paul Rauch - Another World :Rauch is best known for his work on Another World, which he produced from 1971 to 1984. For much of that time, he worked in conjunction with Head Writer Harding Lemay, and the team garnered the show critical acclaim and strong ratings.... ; Allen M. Potter |
| Richard Culliton Richard Culliton Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University... |
March – June 1984 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Richard Culliton Richard Culliton Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University... and Gary Tomlin Gary Tomlin -Career:Tomlin's career on daytime serials began in 1973 when he was cast on NBC's Search for Tomorrow as Bruce Carson. He also made a guest appearance on "The Nightwalker" episode of the Waltons . He later appeared as Morgan Simpson on the NBC soap opera Another World in 1979... |
July 1984 – January 1985 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Gary Tomlin | January – July 1985 | Stephen Schenkel |
| Sam Hall Sam Hall (writer) Gordon Russell and Sam Hall were a pair of writers known for their work in daytime soap operas.-Dark Shadows:They are best known for their works on Dark Shadows and One Life to Live... and Gillian Spencer Gillian Spencer Gillian Spencer is an American soap opera actress and writer.She has had roles on soaps such as The Edge of Night, The Secret Storm, Guiding Light, As the World Turns and on One Life to Live as the original Victoria Lord/Niki Smith 1968-1970.Spencer appeared in the 1968 feature comedy What's So... |
August 1985 – March 1986 | Stephen Schenkel and John Whitesell |
| Margaret DePriest Margaret DePriest Margaret DePriest is an American daytime serial writer.She began her career as an actress both onstage and on television. Her acting credits include a contract role as the first Abby Cameron on The Edge of Night from 1965-1966.... |
March 1986 – January 1988 | John Whitesell |
| Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson Sheri Anderson is an American television writer and producer who is the author of the new fiction novel series, Salem's Secrets, Scandals and Lies, based on the television series Days of our Lives and being released in conjunction with their 45th Anniversary. She previously worked primarily on... |
February – April 1988 | John Whitesell; Michael Laibson Michael Laibson Michael D. Laibson is an American television producer and theatre director who is notable for producing soap operas such as As the World Turns , Another World , All My Children and Guiding Light .He earned a B.A... |
| Harding Lemay Harding Lemay Harding Lemay is an American screenwriter and playwright. Born near the Mohawk Indian reservation, where his mother grew up, he ran away to New York City at age 17, where he has lived ever since.-Career:... |
September – November 1988 | Michael Laibson Michael Laibson Michael D. Laibson is an American television producer and theatre director who is notable for producing soap operas such as As the World Turns , Another World , All My Children and Guiding Light .He earned a B.A... |
| Donna Swajeski Donna Swajeski Donna Swajeski is an American television soap opera screenwriter with experience at all three major American networks. She has been a head writer, co-head writer and screenwriter on award winning daytime drama for NBC Daytime, ABC Daytime and CBS Daytime.... |
November 1988 – November 1992 | Michael Laibson |
| Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane Peggy Sloane was an American television soap opera script writer. She wrote on daytime for over 23 years, and her final year of active daytime work was back in 1999... , Samuel D. Ratcliffe Samuel D. Ratcliffe Samuel D. Ratcliffe was an Emmy-winning screenwriter for daytime television.He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Birmingham Southern College, moving to New York in 1968 to pursue a career as an actor. From 1968 until the mid-seventies, he appeared in commercials, films and theatre... |
November 1992 – November 1994 | Laibson Michael Laibson Michael D. Laibson is an American television producer and theatre director who is notable for producing soap operas such as As the World Turns , Another World , All My Children and Guiding Light .He earned a B.A... ; Terri Guarnieri; John Valente |
| Carolyn Culliton Carolyn Culliton Carolyn Culliton is an American daytime serial writer and an alumnus of Northwestern University. Her husband is acclaimed daytime serial writer Richard Culliton... |
November 1994 – August 1995 | John Valente; Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start... |
| Tom King and Craig Carlson | August 1995 – May 1996 | Jill Farren Phelps |
| Margaret DePriest | May 1996 – January 1997 | Phelps Jill Farren Phelps Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start... ; Charlotte Savitz |
| Elizabeth Page Elizabeth Page Elizabeth Page is an American television soap opera writer. She has written for soaps for nearly 15 years.-Positions held:All My Children* Co- Head Writer: Elizabeth Page is an American television soap opera writer. She has written for soaps for nearly 15 years.-Positions held:All My Children* Co-... Tom King Tom King (writer) Tom King is an American television writer and story board artist best known for his work on the animated children's shows The Ren and Stimpy Show, SpongeBob SquarePants, Camp Lazlo, Chowder and The Fairly OddParents... Craig Carlson Craig Carlson -Positions held:All My Children*Breakdown Writer Another World*Co-Head Writer *Breakdown Writer Capitol... |
January – March 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Tom King and Craig Carlson | March – April 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Michael Malone Michael Malone Michael Malone is an Emmy Award-winning American author and television writer, born in Durham, North Carolina. He is best known for his work on the ABC Daytime drama One Life to Live, as well as for his best-selling works of fiction Handling Sin , Foolscap , and murder mystery First Lady... |
April – December 1997 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Richard Culliton Richard Culliton Richard Culliton is an American television writer known for his work on soap operas. He has won four Writers Guild of America Awards, including one as a Head Writer, and two Daytime Emmy Awards. He is an alumnus of Northwestern University... |
December 1997 – May 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Richard Culliton Jean Passanante Jean Passanante Jean Passanante is an American television screenwriter best known for her work in daytime soap operas.Passanante got her start as an actress doing bit parts in the 1980s, including John Sayles's Return of the Secaucus 7. In 1985 she married writer Jack Shannon... |
May – July 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Jean Passanante | July 1998 | Charlotte Savitz |
| Leah Laiman Leah Laiman Leah Laiman is an American soap opera writer and romance novelist.- Background :This Emmy Award winning writer got her start on daytime television during the early 1980s when General Hospital's Head Writer, Pat Falken Smith, quit the show with the entire writing team... and Jean Passanante |
July 1998 – June 1999 | Charlotte Savitz; Christopher Goutman Christopher Goutman Christopher Goutman is an American soap opera producer, writer, actor, and director. He has played minor roles on Search for Tomorrow, Texas and The Edge of Night. After leaving acting, he began to direct on All My Children, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, and Another World... |