Another World (TV series)

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Another World

This Another World logo was seen from 1996 to 1999.
Genre soap opera
Creator(s) Irna Phillips, William J. Bell
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
No. of episodes 8891
Production
Running time approx. 0:30 (1964-1975)
0:60 (1975-1979, 1980-1999)
0:90 (1979-1980) (per episode)
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Original run May 4, 1964 – June 25, 1999
Links
IMDb profile

Another World (sometimes called Another World: Bay City as it was briefly known) was a Daytime Emmy-winning American soap opera which ran on the NBC television network from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It was co-created by Irna Phillips and William J. Bell.

There were 8891 episodes of Another World produced. Another World was created by Irna Phillips to be a spin-off of another soap opera As the World Turns. The shows were on competing networks, and CBS would not allow a spin-off on NBC. Ironically, the show spawned two official spin-offs: Somerset (1970-1976) and Texas (1980-1982). A one-time primetime special was also aired in 1992, entitled Another World: Summer Desire. Another World was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions, which produced the majority of the American soap operas in the 1950s and 1960s. It was one of the few soap operas to not be produced on the island of Manhattan. It was produced at the NBC studios in the Midwood area of Brooklyn for the entirety of its run. (Somerset was also filmed there.)

In the beginning, the show was pure coffee-table high melodrama revolving around two branches of the Matthews family in a midwestern town called Bay City, a goal that was attained by veteran soap writer and creator Irna Phillips. By comparison, Another World focused on more melodramatic situations than Phillips' most popular soap As the World Turns, which was more ordinary and even mundane.

When Phillips created the show, she saw it as a sister program to her other creation, As the World Turns, and that there would be crossover storylines and characters between the two programs; even the title of Another World suggested similarity to ATWT. However, none of the other soaps on CBS, on which As the World Turns aired, were in danger of cancellation, and Another World was picked up by NBC.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis: Storylines and behind-the-scenes

See also:A story timeline of Another World

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] The '60s

The first episode was a funeral: wealthy William Matthews had died. His widow Liz (most notably played by Audra Lindley and later Irene Dailey) did not like his working-class brother Jim (Shepperd Strudwick, 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 falling pregnant to her boyfriend. 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).

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 a new family that was headed by a doctor. 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). Miss 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. 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.

Steve (George Reinholt) and Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) on the day of their second wedding, in 1974.
Steve (George Reinholt) and Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) on the day of their second wedding, in 1974.

[edit] The '70s

[edit] 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 (who left the show in order to create One Life to Live for ABC), Robert Cenedella was breifly 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 would be instrumental in breaking up the new Frame marriage and snagging her Steve once and for all, she 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 succeded Strasser and Margaret 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. 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.

[edit] 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 in the Cory mansion on Valentine's Day 1975. The drama produced by Mac and Rachel's marriage and Mac's daughter's insane jealousy (Mac's daughter, Iris, was portrayed at this time by Beverlee McKinsey) fueled the storylines for most of the late 1970s. Iris, who was sheltered and wanted to be the only woman in her father's life, resented Rachel, who was her same age. Iris's schemes to drive Rachel away from Mac often backfired, and drove 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.

[edit] 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 Courtney 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 finally 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.

[edit] The 90 minute experiment/Iris's 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 new time format allowed the writers to introduce many new characters, most of whom did not catch on with the audience. Beverlee McKinsey got her own spinoff series, Texas, in 1980, and to accommodate her new series, 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 new time change, and partly due to new characters "taking over" the show (see next paragraph). Because of the audience erosion, the move to 90-minute installments is generally regarded as a failure.

In the final months of the 90 minute experiment, many characters debuted on Another World and interacted with Iris, as she planned to move to Houston, Texas (and to her own series, Texas). In addition to the characters introduced solely to Another World who did not catch on, Another World viewers also saw characters for fleeting moments who were going to be moved to Texas in the long-term anyway. The viewers who defected from Another World either followed McKinsey to Texas, or tuned out entirely due to confusion, as their favorite characters were being showcased less to make room for the short-term Texas storyline.

[edit] The '80s

[edit] Mac, Rachel, Janice, and Mitch

Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) learned a lot from her loving husband, Mackenzie Cory (Douglass Watson).
Rachel (Victoria Wyndham) learned a lot from her loving husband, Mackenzie Cory (Douglass Watson).

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 his secretary, Janice Frame (now played by Christine Jones), 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 saddened to find that she was pregnant — with Mitch's child. She was prepared to keep the secret until Mitch was "murdered." Rachel was forced to admit on the stand that the child (Matthew) 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. Following his intuition, he tracked down Mitch, who was alive and didn't remember any events surrounding his supposed death.

In the end, Mac freed Rachel from prison and even dropped the divorce, but he was always jealous of Mitch; by this time he had returned to Bay City to be closer to his son. In the end, it could not be worked out and Mac and Rachel divorced a second time. Steve Frame came back from Australia, complete with daughter Diana (played by Anne Rose Brooks) in 1981 (it was revealed that he did not die in 1975; he also received a new look, thanks to David Canary taking over the role). Steve and Rachel reminisced about their old love affair and even planned a wedding, after Rachel nearly lost Steve after a column pinned him to the ground inside a building slated for demolition. 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 the summer of 1983, with Mac's son Sandy (Christopher Rich) and his fiancée Blaine Ewing (Laura Malone).

[edit] 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 Penberthy was written out of the show.

The Love family was headed by tyrannical patriarch Reginald (John Considine), he 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 had a fling years ago with 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 adoptive mother, Bridget Connell (Barbara Berjer) ended up moving in with the Hudsons and took care of the family until her character died.

[edit] Romance hits and misses

Love stories of the 1980s included Felicia's storybook wedding to Mitch Blake (who came back to town), and the pairing of John Hudson with Sharlene Frame (at this time, the role was played by Anna Kathryn Holbrook). Also, the triangle of Vicky Hudson trying, and succeeding, to steal Rachel's son Jamie Frame (at this time, the role was played by Laurence Lau) from Felicia's niece Lisa Grady (Joanna Going) interested many viewers.

The love story between drifter John (David Forsyth) and former prostitute Sharlene (Anna Kathryn Holbrook) intrigued viewers.
The love story between drifter John (David Forsyth) and former prostitute Sharlene (Anna Kathryn Holbrook) intrigued viewers.

One aborted love story was the impending marriage between M.J. McKinnon (Sally Spencer) and Adam Cory (Ed Fry). After a videotaped surfaced, showing M.J. in her prostitute days, having sex with a client, Adam dumped her, and she left town. M.J.'s old flame, and her former pimp, Chad Rollo (Richard Burgi) sent the tape to Adam in the hopes of a renewed romance with M.J.; it did not work.

[edit] Mac's death

In the late 1980s, Mac and Rachel's children came back as young adults (Amanda 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 Maine in the spring of 1989. With a heavy heart, Rachel and her family buried Mac 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 lack of presence, she ended up passing the central role of the show to Jensen Buchanan, who, by the early 1990s, had taken over for Anne Heche as Vicky Hudson.

Mac's daughter Iris was devastated when she heard the news. She had returned to town late in 1988 (Australian Carmen Duncan had taken over the role) and hadn't formally reconciled with her father before his passing. During this shaky time, Rachel found that she needed to rely on her mother Ada more than ever.

[edit] The '90s

[edit] The age of AW's supercouples

Lorna (Alicia Coppola) and Felicia (Linda Dano) were adversaries at first, but eventually warmed to a mother-daughter relationship.
Lorna (Alicia Coppola) and Felicia (Linda Dano) were adversaries at first, but eventually warmed to a mother-daughter relationship.

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 Aprea), who hunted her down in an attempt to find the daughter she gave up for adoption. He ended up finding his daughter and bringing her to town, but in true soap opera fashion, the reveal didn't come out until a very big gala.

Felicia and the woman in question, Lorna Devon (Alicia Coppola) had become enemies fast, 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's 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 Kathleen was pronounced dead in a plane crash, Cass grew close to Reginald Love's daughter Nicole (by now, she was played by 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 arriving in town; she was really whisked off because she was in the Witness Protection Program), Cass and Frankie were finally wed. They honeymooned on the Orient Express.

While she may have shot him, all was forgiven: Paulina (Judi Evans Luciano) and Jake (Tom Eplin) were a very popular romantic pairing.
While she may have shot him, all was forgiven: Paulina (Judi Evans Luciano) and Jake (Tom Eplin) were a very popular romantic pairing.

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 saw two marriages crash and burn. The first, to Sam, didn't work out due to Amanda's affair with Evan Frame; the second, to Grant Harrison (Mark Pinter) due to Grant's infidelity with Lorna Devon (by this time Lorna was played by Robin Christopher and Amanda was played by Christine Tucci). 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.

After Rachel's mother died, Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating) helped her through the healing process.
After Rachel's mother died, Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating) helped her through the healing process.

Rachel found love (and a new marriage) with reformed villain Carl Hutchins (Charles Keating). Rachel's mother, Ada, died in the summer of 1993 and she needed support more than ever; she found it in the unlikeliest source. 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.

[edit] The final years

The show was renewed in 1993, 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 countess, Justine Duvalier, who was a former lover 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 gruesome murder of another fan favorite, Frankie (Alice Barrett). The story had actually called for Donna (Anna Stuart) 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.

In the final episode of the show, Cass (Stephen Schnetzer) was married to Lila (Lisa Peluso).
In the final episode of the show, Cass (Stephen Schnetzer) was married to Lila (Lisa Peluso).

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 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 before falling in love with Cass. Cass and Lila were engaged, and got married in the final episode of the show; they were the last couple to wed in Bay City.

[edit] AW after the final episode

In 1999, NBC decided not to renew Another World. Many reasons abounded for Another World's cancellation, one of the more notable events occurring in the summer of 1998; the then-San Francisco 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. 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. Its final episode aired the last full week in June.

After a series of 35th anniversary episodes, Rachel reminisced with Carl, remarked, "All's well that ends well," and the show ended with a shot of Mac Cory's picture.

Ironically, Irna Phillips' original plan of crossovers with As The World Turns was finally realized -- after Another World was cancelled. Another World characters Lila (Lisa Peluso), Cass (Stephen Schnetzer), Vicky (Jensen Buchanan), Donna (Anna Stuart), and Jake (Tom Eplin) all moved into ATWT storylines. By 2002, Vicky and Jake had been killed off violently, and the crossover experiment had, for the most part, ended. Schnetzer continues to make occasional appearances, as his character of Cass is used as a "visiting lawyer" in As the World Turns trials.

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.

In July 2003, SOAPnet, an American satellite channel, started rerunning old Another World episodes from July 1987. 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.

SOAPnet will remove the show starting April 9, 2007. [1] SOAPnet was airing Another World episodes from April 1991. Another World has found a whole new set of fans from the SOAPnet reruns, as many people never saw the episodes the first time around.

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 the summer of 1980.

[edit] What made AW unique

Main article: Unique qualities of Another World

While AW touched on important topics like the ones described in the article linked below, the show, for the most part, was never plot-driven. Unlike other popular soaps of the day, like Days of Our Lives and General Hospital, AW was written with characters as the primary focus, and not situations. This formula was maintained until the final years of the show when a switch to plot-driven stories, dictated by then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, failed.

AW was the first in many aspects as well: it 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 ("Guiding Light") coming from Springfield to Bay City. It was the first to go to one hour and then to 90 minutes and then back to an hour. It was the first soap to launch two spinoffs ("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.

[edit] Ratings/Scheduling History

For most of a 15-year period between 1965 and 1980, Another World was NBC's highest-rated soap. During that time, NBC ran a 90-minute soap block consisting of Days of Our Lives, The Doctors and AW, all of which enjoyed great ratings and critical success before declining at the end of the decade. During the 1980s, NBC dropped The Doctors and added Santa Barbara, which somewhat improved the network's fortunes for a time, before declining again.

[edit] The 1960s

Another World did not take long to establish itself as NBC's highest-rating 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, AW slowly chipped away at ABC's General Hospital 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 AW, against it, but to no avail.

[edit] The 1970s

On March 30, 1970, AW became the first daytime soap to produce a spinoff series, Somerset, 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 AW 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 for first place twice--in 1973-74 and 1977-78. 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 P&G 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. The show took over the entire 3-4 p.m./2-3 Central period, the latter part of which witnessed it beating back CBS' huge Match Game, then daytime's most popular program.

However, starting in 1978, AW 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 soap. Despite the fall in ratings, AW became the first, and thus far only, soap to expand to 90 minutes, a move that proved unsuccessful--it remained in eighth place in 1979-80.

[edit] The expansion to 90 minutes and its impact on ratings

Although it is widely thought that AW's 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 soaps) were already in steady decline. It should be noted that even during the period when Another World ran daily for 90 minutes, it remained NBC's highest-rated soap, as it had been for a decade. In the second half of 1980, after the show returned to 60 minutes, AW and fellow NBC soaps Days 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 AW would recover some of their lost ground.

[edit] 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, Texas in 1980. For upon its debut, the mother show contracted to 60 minutes again, this time moving to 2/1 Central, where it remained for the rest of its run. Texas, starring the hugely popular Beverlee McKinsey and attempting to cash in on the Dallas craze, while itself not a success, caused further erosion of AW's viewership, to the point that it was no longer NBC's highest-rated soap, losing that position to Days (which itself, along with the rest of NBC's daytime soap lineup, was in ratings trouble). AW fell from eighth to as low as 11th in the ratings chart, and by 1981-82 it sunk so low in the Neilsens as 4.7 (a drop of 3.9 points in four seasons). Much like General Hospital won 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, AW experienced something of a mini-revival, and for the 1983-84 season, the show jumped to ninth place and 5.6 (compared with 10th place and 4.8 in 1982-83). It remained in ninth place through the decade (occasionally moving up to eighth), pulling in generally stable numbers against OLTL and its P&G sister As the World Turns.

[edit] The 1990s

In common with other daytime soaps, AW 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 most part never in danger of falling to last place. This was not enough for NBC, however, and 1999 marked the end of what has likely been the network's most successful daytime drama ever, a show that amassed a run of 35 years.

[edit] A technical history

Information on the technical history can be found at the following links:

[edit] Notable AW alumni

[edit] Before they were stars

Many well-known film and television actors and celebrities appeared on the serial before their big break, including:

[edit] While they were stars

Many well-known celebrities made cameo appearances on the serial, including:

See also: List of Another World cast members

[edit] AW Emmy wins

Another World has won fifteen Daytime Emmy Awards.

  • 1975: Harding Lemay, Outstanding Writing
  • 1976: Outstanding Drama Series
  • 1978: Laurie Heineman, Outstanding Actress (she was the first actress to play Sharlene Frame)
  • 1979: Irene Dailey, Outstanding Actress (Liz Matthews)
  • 1980: Douglass Watson, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory)
  • 1981: Douglass Watson, Outstanding Actor (Mackenzie Cory)
  • 1986: Ellen Wheeler, Outstanding Ingenue (Marley/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 Heche, Outstanding Younger Actress (Marley/Vicky Hudson)
  • 1992: Outstanding Drama Series Directing Team
  • 1993: Linda Dano, Outstanding Actress (Felicia Gallant)
  • 1996: Charles Keating, Outstanding Lead Actor (Carl Hutchins)
  • 1996: Anna Kathryn Holbrook, Outstanding Supporting Actress (Sharlene Frame)

[edit] Head Writers/Executive Producers of Another World

Head writer(s) Years Executive producer(s)
Irna Phillips with William J. Bell 1964 – 1965 Allen Potter
James Lipton 1965 Doris Quinlan
Agnes Nixon 1965 – 1968 Allen Potter; Charles Fisher; Paul Robert; Mary Harris
Robert Cenedella 1968 – 1971 Mary Harris; Lyle B. Hill
Harding Lemay 1971 – 1979 Paul Rauch
Tom King 1979 Paul Rauch
Tom King and Robert Soderberg 1979 – 1980 Paul Rauch
L. Virginia Browne 1980 – 1982 Paul Rauch
Robert Soderberg 1982 Paul Rauch
Robert Soderberg and Dorothy Ann Purser 1983 Paul Rauch
Dorothy Ann Purser 1983 – 1984 Rauch; Allen Potter
Richard Culliton 1984 Stephen Schenkel
Richard Culliton and Gary Tomlin 1984 – 1985 Stephen Schenkel
Gary Tomlin 1985 Stephen Schenkel
Sam Hall and Gillian Spencer 1985 – 1986 Stephen Schenkel; John Whitesell
Margaret DePriest 1986 – 1988 John Whitesell
Sheri Anderson 1988 John Whitesell; Michael Laibson
Harding Lemay 1988 Michael Laibson
Donna Swajeski 1988 – 1992 Michael Laibson
Peggy Sloane 1992 – 1994 Laibson; Terri Guarnieri; John Valente
Carolyn Culliton 1994 – 1995 John Valente; Jill Farren Phelps
Tom King and Craig Carlson 1995 – 1996 Jill Farren Phelps
Margaret DePriest 1996 – 1997 Phelps; Charlotte Savitz
Elizabeth Page, Tom King, and Craig Carlson 1997 Charlotte Savitz
Tom King and Craig Carlson 1997 Charlotte Savitz
Michael Malone 1997 Charlotte Savitz
Richard Culliton 1997 – 1998 Charlotte Savitz
Richard Culliton and Jean Passanante 1998 Charlotte Savitz
Jean Passanante 1998 Charlotte Savitz
Leah Laiman and Jean Passanante 1998 – 1999 Charlotte Savitz; Christopher Goutman

[edit] External Links

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