Publications


Correspondence

Victoria Wyndham

In September 1995, from a conversation with Another World activist Thomas Freeman, Victoria Wyndham found out about my Another World Video Library. She was impressed that I had the history of AW on tape, and she was interested in seeing them. I made copies of four tapes (October 1990 - February 1992) from my original masters and mailed them to Victoria care of her agent, Felice, who is also her sister. In the cover letter I talked about how new management at AW should be made to watch the tapes in order to better appreciate the show. In November I sent a copy of the November 1993 - March 1994 tape to Victoria's agent, as requested.

In November I got a belated thank-you letter from Felice, who said that Victoria hadn't had time to watch them yet because she'd been busy with her play, Couplets, but "now... she is ready to view them and see what she can do to show them to people at Another World." Felice had seen three of them, and she called them "incredible,""wonderful," and "very interesting and useful." She asked for a copy of the November 1993-March 1994 tape, because "Vicky never views her work, so it would be useful to her to see the scenes where Carl courts Rachel in New York City." In December I got a letter from Victoria thanking me for all the tapes. She said she invited some management people to her place to schmooz and watch videos, but it never happened, basically because they weren't interested in a "busman's holiday." She said it was scary watching herself, and that she watched it "sideways."

In September I sent Victoria some printouts from the AWHP. That material included the videolist, Rachel's and Justine's entries in the character guide, a modified seniority list of the top 25 actors, and the freeze frame statistics. In November I sent her some of the other files along with several dozen of my best AW trivia questions. In December I sent her the introduction lines, the exit lines, and a miscellaneous stats page including "Real Days," "Cory Thanksgiving Speech-givers," "Most Consecutive Days,""End-Credit SNAFUS," and "Top 10 Freeze Frames 1995."

In her December letter, Victoria called me a "goldmine" and thanked me for the "excellent material." In a postscript she said that my "lists of statistics blew [her] away."

In December I sent Victoria a print-out of the AW Fan Poll answers, which had had 103 respondents at the time. I suggested that various departments on the show might be able to make use of it. Victoria sent me a postcard in January 1996. She called the survey "an interesting document" and thanked me for sharing it with her. She said "I will share it with others - Jensen should be thrilled - and Charles too!" She was a good sport about the negative responses she had received in the poll.


Bill Wolff (Show Announcer)

In 2003, an old colleague of Bill's, from before his Another World days, emailed to ask if I had any way to get in touch with him. I didn't, but the following year he emailed again to let me know he'd been able to track down Bill on his own. He passed on Bill's phone number and urged me to drop him a line. I phoned him that summer, and we had one chat. His voice was the same as ever.


Carol Roux (Missy Palmer)

In 2005, I was emailed by Kelly Brady, a longtime fan of Another World who'd met and become friends with Carol in 1993. He wanted some of the old material for himself and to share with Carol. I was soon put in touch with Carol over the phone, and we were to have several conversations that year.

It was magical speaking to Carol. She was Missy, through and through, and still is. The love she generated from viewers as Missy is still evoked, even from just hearing her voice (which hasn t changed). She is very private and somewhat reclusive and wants people to remember her as she was, as is the case with Beverlee McKinsey.

She was very happy and very grateful when I sent her videos, CD s, and some script printouts (she has nothing herself, and really laments that none of the old soaps saved their material). I gave her Bill Wolff s phone number, and one day she phoned him and reminisced about the old days.

Kelly and I, after hearing story after story about the show every time we spoke to her, were able to convince Carol to do a telephone interview on analog tape that I then converted to digital format.


[The following are extracts from emails I have received from actors who appeared on Another World.]


John Considine (Vic Hastings / Reginald Love), March 1996

Hi Eddie,

I'm going to have to be a bit sloppy on dates, but from the best of my withering memory, here's my soap history.

"Bright Promise" (NBC) Doctor Brian Walsh for approx. 6mos in 1972 (or 3).

"Another World (NBC) Vic Hastings for two years 1974-76.

"The Young and the Restless." I was fired from this job approx. two months after signing with them. I played the rich guy, Chamberlain? Something like that. The husband of Jeannie (can't even think of her name now, Corbin Benson's mom), and after a couple of shows we photographed like mother and son, instead of husband and wife. Character makeup didn't help, and so they replace me. First and only time. Not a happy experience.

"Santa Barbara" (NBC) C. C.'s brother for 4 episodes in 1985 (or 86) Actually this was my screen test for Reginald (which I didn't know at the time).

"Another World" (NBC) Reginald Love for two years 1986-1988.

And that's it, Eddie... as close as I can determine date wise. Hope it helps. Also hope I'll have another for you before I quit.:)

Til next time, warmest
John

The four episode stint was used by NBC to put me in the running for the part of Reginald, Eddie, but I was flown to NY to test for the part against 3 other actors, all of them English (British), which was the way the part was conceived. It actually got down to me and one of the Brits, and they originally tapped the Brit for the part because of the writer's original vision of Reginald being British... Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for him) they changed their decision after his first day's taping, and put in a distress call to me to come to NY and start work that night! We compromised to the next day's early flight, and the rest is history. That's the full tale, Eddie. Hope it helps you.
John

Unfortunately, Eddie, I have no idea. There was no other Hastings when I was on the show. Perhaps after Vic (my character) left the show (supposedly transferred to Washington D.C.) in '76 they brought a relative or spouse onto the show. That's my best guess, but I really have no knowledge whatsoever. Sorry. Glad I could assist on the other areas.

Good luck.
John


Gary Carpenter (Michael Bauer / Raymond Gordon), August 1996

Eddie,

My name is Erik Pillar and Gary Pillar AKA Gary Carpenter is my father. I was on the net searching for a " Star Trek " Theme for Windows95, saw a link to actors and found Gary Pillar on a search and that led me to your AW page..WHEW!!

Anyway I wanted to clear up some things that were stated about him. You stated "Gary Pillar formerly Gary Carpenter."

In the early 1960's Gary Pillar played a theater usher in "Requiem for a heavyweight" with Anthony Quinn and Jack Gleeson, Michael Bauer on TGL and "Yutan" in " A Private Little War " with Nancy Kovak and William Shatner on Star Trek airdate: February 2, 1968 ( Stardate: 4211.4 )and it wasn't until after that show he changed his name to Gary Carpenter.

He went on to play parts on prime time TV such as Asst. D.A. Ray Pierce on S.W.A.T with my cousin Robert Urich, The F.B.I. as Special Agent Lucas and then to daytime drama again on Another World as a character he played on TGL, Michael Bauer and then through out the 1970's as Ray Gordon ( Married to Alice ). After he left the show he moved to Santa Monica, California because he was close with my God Father Martin Sheen who lives in Malibu, and then starred on "Capitol" (CIA Agent Dawson ) and General Hospital (Toby Roberts) and managed to fit in time for a national TV and Print Ad for GM as "Mr. Goodwrench." WHEW!!

My father worked and exersised himself to death! He used to swim 5 miles a day in the Pacific and sometimes swam to Catalina Island. He had a great sense of humor and was a warm and caring person and was well liked and respected in his field. He died June 2, 1985. My sister and I miss him very much and think about him often. I tried to get SOAP OPERA DIGEST to do a 10 year anniversary memorial of him and Michael Maloney, the west coast editor, worked very hard getting together all of my family photos and stories about his work but SOD hasn't run it to date.


Director Ira Cirker

I'm working with Ira Cirker, who is a former director of Another World, on a book. Unfortunately, he has no early tapes of the show--the one we're especially looking for is the 10th Anniversary, one hour episode. Is there any chance you might have that one? And, if so, how much would it cost to get us a copy. Also, how far back do your copies go?

Thanks very much.
Charles Salzberg


Phil Harrison (Day Player, 1995 and 1996), March 1997

Hello, just found my way to the Another World Website you maintain. Terrific job! Unbelievablely extensive. Congratulations.

I thought you might add me to the day players list. I played The Reverend Keaton, The Hospital Chaplin, for a number of appearences in '96. I officiated the Matt-Donna wedding in the hospital room, and conducted Maggie's memorial service. Anyway, just saw the list and thought I should be there.

Best of luck with all your endeavors.
Phil Harrison


Liza Chapman (Janet Matthews)

Dear Eddie,

I really enjoyed browsing through your Another World website. My mother was Liza Chapman, who played "Janet Mathews" from 1964 to 1966. As the story goes (and you probably know more about what happened on the set than I do), my mom was asked to leave the show when she became pregnant with me (Janet was not able to bear children herself and it would have been hard to justify to the audience to see a pregnant Janet). There may have been other factors involved in her leaving but if so, I don t know what they were. So she left the show sometime in 1966, had me in August, then went back to work and did a few episodes of Secret Storm in November or December. On January 21, 1967 she died in the car accident. I was five months old.

Now I m almost 33. In the past I have tried to find tapes of Another World recorded between 1964 and 1966 but, as I m sure you know, they were hard to find. Your website, however, seems to be the best lead I ve had in my search to locate those tapes. Apparently, Janet Mathews is mentioned in the first sentence of the new AW 35th Anniversary book just recently published.

A few years ago I contacted the show and spoke with one of the producers about how I might see an old show. She said that they didn t have any tapes like that at NBC since so much time had passed and because they did shows live back then. About a month later I got a call from Leonard Valenta, who directed AW back in the 60 s and had known my mother. He said that word got around the set that Liza Chapman s son had been asking about her so he was happy to track me down. We had a great talk and he told me some gossip about Audra Lindley (sp?) and others. He sent me a copy of an 8mm film he had taken of Mom rehearsing on the set and relaxing at home in Westport, CT while pregnant with me! It was amazing for me and my family to see that.

So if you get a chance to reply I would love to hear from you and maybe we could work together on getting a copy of an old tape or two. I am definitely willing to pay money to have one, but any info you have about the show, my mom, other actors, etc. would be fun to share.

Thanks,
David


Anne Meacham (Louise Goddard Brooks), November and December 1999

[Email from a friend of Anne's]

I printed out and shared with Anne your page on her character, as well as the "seniority" list. She was especially pleased with the list: "I know most of the people named here. I shall read through it with much pleasure!"

She asked me to pass along to you some minor corrections on the dates you have listed for her appearance on the show:

She says the December 1972 start date is correct, and that she left in "late May or early June" 1980, to retire to her upstate home because "I was in traction for many weeks." She is uncertain of your April 1981 date for her return to the show, she thinks it was "earlier, but I'm not sure exactly when I got a call saying the writers had written me back in."

She gave some more details, but I didn't get them all down. But she said she was clear that her last show was September 5, 1981, not August 31.

She saw you had Rocky Olsen listed as a flirtation and thought that was humorous. She said her character thought Rocky was contemptible and would never have "flirted" with him.

She seemed impressed with what I had printed out from your website, and seemed surprised to see all that information. She gave me permission to pass on the above, which I was surprised at because she is a very private person.

I am afraid I don't know much about her Another World history, but she is much better known for her work on the stage. Anne originated many of Tennessee Williams' roles in New York, and is credited with saving his life during his breakdown. She won two Best Actress Obie awards, one for Williams' Suddenly Last Summer and another for Hedda Gabler.

December, 1999:

I saw Anne yesterday, and discussed your notes with her. I gave her copies of the 1981 and 1982 synopses and she seemed pleased. I also gave her the copy of the TV Guide cast photo from 1975. She said she remembered that day and quickly named each of the actors.

Anne said to tell you that she does not think John Horton ever played Brooks, but the other two actors you mentioned did. She also said that Louise never married Brooks, as is mentioned on your character pages.

She mentioned again that she was very impressed with the level of research on your site (and she hasn't even seen the bulk of it--only what I have printed out for her!) She asked me to tell you that the section on plant names, and the quotes, contain many errors, probably because you have not seen the tapes of the show. Apparently the idea of the plant names was Ira's creation, and all were based solely on Greek mythology. Whenever the plants were named, there was some parallel to stories from Greek mythology. Anne says she carried a copy of Bullfinch's Mythology with her to familiarize herself with the stories before performing the scenes. According to Anne, there were some intern writers who were "precocious" and thought the plant names were funny, gave them names in the script (such as Mr. Belvedere). Those names (and all of the humorous lines you sent me to show her) never made it to the final show because Ira or Anne cut them out or altered them.

Anne also told me that while she knew she was biased, she felt that the AW ensemble was unique, because the producers went to off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway shows to recruit actors. This gave the company more of a "stage" personality. Most of the actors, she said, would often stay the whole day to watch their fellow cast members perform and give them audiences. This was very unique to AW among soaps, according to Anne.


Cathy Greene (Sally Frame), November 1999

Eddie Drueding at AWHP@MAIL.INTRANET.CA>wrote:

Good gosh amighy, you wouldn't by any chance be the beloved, original Sally herself, Cathy Greene?

Dear Eddie, I am indeed that Sally, and I would be very interested in any tapes that you may have. How do I go about getting them?

Pls. respond
Cathy


Anne Brooks (Diana Frame), February 2000

Hi,

I'm looking for any footage you have of characters Pete Shea and Diana Frame (December 1981 through September 1982), either together or separately. I guess this would be the highlights tape and anything you may have on any other tapes. I would also be interested in the PM Magazine (R.I), 1982 tape you have. Please let me know and I'll send a check.

Thanks!
Anne

Hi Eddie,

Uh, whoops, I got caught. I thought you might be too busy to notice. But I guess if you've got a website devoted to this, you might know the actors' names. I shoulda thought of that.

Hey, if you could see yourself half a lifetime ago, wouldn't you want to? When I was doing the show I didn't have a VCR. My parents had a BETA machine I bought them, but they had no idea how to use it.

It would be fun to have those scenes, but please charge me the usual rate. Let me know what that would be.

About your question, yes, P & D did get married, but I don't think on screen...
Anne


Christine Burns (Wally Curtin), May 2000

Dear Eddie

I was just on your Another World website and I thought it was great. Although I stopped watching the show in the late 1980's, it was great to go back over all of the plots and characters. Actually, I was also on the show as a baby and when I clicked on the character list I was suprised that the information on the character I played was incorrect. I began the role of Walter Curtin Jr. when I was a baby in 1971. I must have only been about 6 months old but I was on for the first year or so. They listed me as Chris Ombramonti because I was a girl playing a baby boy's role. As I got a little older, I began to look like a girl, so I was let go. So, Scott Fieldstone did not begin the character role of Wally Curtin.

Susan Sullivan as you know played Lenore, my mother and to this day, I have copies of TV by Day magazine with myself and Susan Sullivan on the cover.

Just a little bit of information for you. Thanks for creating such an entertaining website that I am sure the fans appreciate very much!

Best regards
Christine Burns (formerly Ombramonti)


Mike Hammett (Dennis Carrington), May 2000

Dude...

This is truly impressive.

Do you have any video's of the original Dennis Carrington?

Also...fyi

The exterior shot of the "Bay City High School" is the front of the Brooklyn Studio.

; )

Peace
Michael H.


Veleka Gray (Victoria Paislety, Somerset), July 2001

Hi, Eddie,

After I read your e mail I called a friend who has an episode of me and Joel Crothers. I have one of me and Sigourney Weaver and Joel as well as a couple of other scenes with me and other members of the cast.

I was considering duplicating what I have in SP on good tape and seeing what people might want to pay for something like that. Would you know if there is a market to sell these episodes?

It was a wonderful show... my favorite show. I still miss it.


Sullivan Bigg, former lead singer of the band "Wild August"

Hello,

My name is Sullivan Bigg. I used to be the lead singer for a band called Wild August. Wild August appeared on Another World on August 6, 1991 as part of the "Battle of the Bands" they had going that week on the show. I am DESPERATE to obtain a GOOD QUALITY copy of the August 6th, 1991 episode.

Do you have this on tape??? How good is the quality??? I am willing to pay a reasonable amount for it.

Kindest regards,
Sullivan Bigg


Kerri Darling (Alli Fowler), March 2004

Hi I am Kerri Darling I played baby Ally. I heard there is going to be a reunion, I would like some information. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks


Lori Ann Ruger (Marianne Randolph), May 2004

Hi I used to be on the show and I was inquiring how I can obtain videos of when my brother Tom and I were on the show. Any information would be Great. Thank You Lori a.k.a. Marrianne Randolph.


Virginia Browne (Headwriter, 1980-1981), September 2005

[With a period where Corrine Jacker filled in as temporary writer during the writer s strike, using Browne s bible], L. Virginia Browne was headwriter from 11/80 to 11/82. I was replaced by Bob Soderberg in 11/82. Even though I had already left to do Guiding Light with Doug Marland in late 81 or early 82 (can't recall) AW continued to use my story lines & bible and so continued my headwriting credit until 11/82.

Christopher Schemering wrote a book called the "Soap Opera Encyclopedia" and, in it, he says that I took over Guiding Light and it then went into a "slump." I was pretty darned surprised as, within four months of becoming head writer, I had raised the ratings by two full points and our position from 8th to 3rd. In fact, the folks at P&G filled my office with flowers to congratulate me. Ken Fitts (a P&G exec) said he hoped we'd be working together for years. The VERY NEXT DAY, Allen Potter, the executive producer, announced he was leaving to be replaced by Gail Kobe and she fired me -- the very next day after receiving all those flowers and wishes for years and years of working together. And then they continued to use my bible for 9 more months and kept my name on the credits as headwriter for that long.

That story, i.e. the flowers and the firing the next day, has become part of soap folklore. I've even had individuals tell it to me but ascribe it to various different writers. I sent Chris a note (along with copies of the network ratings sheets) and he wrote back and apologized, saying he would update and correct the info in his revised edition. Sadly, Chris then suddenly passed away and never did make the revision, so that mis-information stands in what is considered by many to be a very reliable book.

As for AW, I was supposed to write Texas and was shifted, at the very last minute, to AW, which I had never once seen before being handed the assignment. I spent a week-end in a NYC hotel watching old tapes (those old, huge Beta tapes, I think), boxes of them, to catch up. And, as I posed your question to my former assistant head writer Linda Hamner (with whom I still am friends and still write with from time to time), she reminded me of one story. I guess AW must have gotten a great deal on a crate of baby-crap colored brown mugs. And, as a result, they installed them in EVERY kitchen. Ada had them; so did Mac and Rachel. When Jamie married Cecile, they had them. Even Joey and Sandy had them in their decidedly down-scale apt. You could never do a "cup-to-cup" scene cut (made famous by Gloria Monty of GH) because everyone had the very same cups. Years later I tuned in and there they were, those same cursed mugs. I swear, they must have bought a thousand.

I've kept up with some of the folks from AW. Warren Burton (Jason) has carved out a great career doing voices for video games. Richard Bekins (Jamie) is much in demand on Broadway (He was in "Love, Valor, Compassion" the year it won the Tony) and regional theater as well as regular and frequent performances in the "Law and Order" shows. I ran into Chris Rich a few weeks ago at the mall and met his new wife and twin babies, as well as his daughter with Nancy Frangione (the second Cecile). He's doing well on "Reba," as you probably know. James Horan (Denny) lives nearby and produces local theater as well as acts in them. For a bit of trivia, in the film "Gods and Generals," Richard Bekins, James Horan and Warren Burton all had roles.

And, again, great work on your site. I know the Soap Net cable network is running AW (or will be soon) but decided to start in 1987 which I think is doing the show a great disservice as it will miss all the wonderful shows written by Harding LeMay, whom I believe was the show's best writer ever.

Take care, Virginia.


Tracy Browne (Marianne Randolph), October 2005 I played Marianne Randolph during the 1971 season. I was interested in purchasing some of the materials you had listed on the website:

- Another World: 1964-1978 from the DVD collection (Can you tell me if there are any episodes from the 1971 season?)

- Classic AW CD 56:26 (my mom always tells the story of the Christmas episode - the family was singing around the tree - suppose to be real somber - singing Silent Night - but I wanted to sing Jingle Bells and proceeded to do so - do you know if this is on this CD?)


Ryan and Kyle Pepi (Kirkland Harrison), November 2005

How do I get copy of episodes that Ryan and Kyle Pepi Were on of Another World as Kirkland Harrison? I am Alycia (mom). We had an unfortunate incident that lost all of our videos. Thank you for your time.

Alycia Pepi =o).


Alice Barrett (Frankie Frame)
Tom Freeman spoke to Alice personally over the phone. Here is his message.

Alice Barrett (Frankie Frame Winthrop) has asked me to let all the fans of Another World know how much it has meant for her to receive the level of support she is receiving from us all. It has meant the world to her, and she asked that I try to convey how deeply it has touched her heart.

Alice also wanted me to let fans know that she reads every letter she gets. She has had to give up fan correspondence due to being a full-time mother to two, having a husband who is on the road half of each week, trying to run a household and care for the kids, taking classes, not having a computer at all - not to mention her time in preparation and at the studios taping Another World. She asked that I explain this and that she wishes she could write everybody individually.

Alice said "You've been the best fans in the world. The reason the actors are so excited about being a part of the annual fan luncheon is to give back support to all the wonderful fans who do so much for us all year long."

Alice is not defeated, even if TPTB at Another World go through with this ill-advised storyline. She has faith in God and gave credit to Him for the blessings of steady work the past 10 years, including 7.5 years on Another World. She is hopeful (and naturally anxious) that another acting gig will become available. With her persona and presence, how could it be otherwise?

We don't have a lot of time to get messages to NBC, the studio, and Procter and Gamble. Because of this, I am recommending that we all immediately send e-mails and/or tell them we support Frankie Frame Withrop and Alice Barrett!!

Also, I went to the post office today. For 20 cents a piece, you can buy pre-postage paid post-cards and write short messages to TPTB and mail a ton out in a quick amount of time. We really need to move like this week folks. Next week they will probably do the set up for killing Frankie off (my guess). We got to get to the Headwriter Maggie DePriest and other PTB about this.


Jim Cronin (Officer Ian O'Leary)

Jim Cronin (Officer Ian O'Leary, 1/31/96-3/17/97) tells the AWHP: "My fondest memories from my tenure on AW involved hanging out with members of the cast and crew, particularly John Bolger (Gabe), Joe Barbara (Joe), and Tim Gibbs (Gary). This really came about by the fact that I was most likely doing a scene with one of these guys, and therefore would see them first thing in the morning and onward throughout the day. I would also occasionally see members of the cast and crew out and about around Manhattan, and would undoubtedly be greeted with the shout of 'O'Leary!', since this seemed to start off nearly every scene I was involved in. My character was either making a mess of things, or cleaning up messes, depending on the story line. I was also fond of days that ended taping after 7pm, because we were then allowed to take limos back into Manhattan (instead of the usual subway). I would always get teamed up with Linda Dano (Felicia), since we both resided on the Upper East side, so the rides were always interesting. I do miss the AW days, but have happily moved on to another world of my own: a rewarding career (Account Director for a pharmaceutical market research & analysis company of all things!), suburban life in Northern Westchester County New York, and last but not least, a wife and two beautiful little girls. Best to all of the Another World fans out there. It was as much fun as it looked."


Bob Honesysett (Day Player, 1980),

Bob Honesysett tells the AWHP:

"[In September, 1980] I had a friend who put me in touch with Judy Lewis who was the Producer (or EP, don't remember) on TEXAS. Judy made arrangements for me to meet with the casting director at the ad agency that handled AW and Texas. The casting director and I hit it off and she asked if I would be interested in doing the show the following day.

"I was so excited about doing the show that I got an $80.00 speeding ticket in Brooklyn about 10 blocks from the studio. So, the money I made for the day was spent before I got to NBC.

"Behind the scenes that day, there was a light-hearted mood in the studio. The only day players that day on AW were myself and a girl who played Zachary Colton's secretary. I think she actually had two lines. "TEXAS" filmed in the studio next door and their dressing rooms were on the same floor. They had a day player "cast of thousands" that morning (for an airport scene or something) so our dressing room was like a cattle car. You had to put your pants on in whatever space was available - hopefully you weren't shy.

"I saw Constance Ford in the hallway outside the rehearsal room. She said hi as she rushed by. They kept calling the actors names from a loud speaker to report to the studio when it was time to tape their scenes so there was a lot of activity in the hallway.

"When I got into the studio, Victoria Wyndham was trying to grub cigarettes from anyone and everyone who passed by. Although Rachel was quite serious in this episode, Victoria was a cut-up through the entire taping. She was "sick" of doing the flashback scenes and imitated the transition music everytime the scene faded to the pre-taped flashback. It was hard to keep a straight face.

"Douglass Watson and I spoke for a few seconds outside the door of Zachary Colton's office. He was a very nice man! I had watched the show for at least 11 years at this point so you know I was in awe. The rest of the cast that I met was also very nice. Curt Dawson was new to the show and he was still being welcomed by most of the cast. Victoria told him that he was a "great D.A." I remembered Curt from his time on ATWT in the early 70's as Liz Stewart's brother.

"'Brian Bancroft' addressed my character by name when I entered the room - my stage direction was to "say hello back to him without speaking". The prop man admonished me during dress rehearsal to not waste the paper in the stenographic machine. There was no more paper in the building and he had no intention of going out to get more. I always wondered if they used the same roll of paper when Rachel went to trial. I wouldn't be surprised.

"The funniest thing that happened that day was during a break in taping when one of the actors (don't remember his name -- think it was the guy who played Larry) came up to me and asked if I was a court stenographer in real life. I was polite and didn't say "duh" or "Yeah, just like you're a cop" - I didn't know if he was serious or not. I also didn't want to jeopardize any future work that might come my way.

"I had been on GL in 1978, and interviewed for Love of Life in 1979 and ATWT in 1981. Nothing ever came of the appointments and the rest is not soap opera history. I left the business altogether in 1982."


Nicolas Coster (Robert Delaney, 1972-1976, 1980, 1989),

Susan Sullivan as Lenore Moore


Other Correspondence

Barbara Rodell (Lee Randolph), July 6, 2017

"I have not forgotten about your request and will get back to you ASAP. Can you send me the website your friend or who has the info concerning Another World? If he has any tapes with me I would like to have some. I did have tapes but they were all ruined in moves years ago from L.A. back to NY...Actually I will answer your specific question about my character of Lee when I replaced Gaye....I actually do not think it was after she had run away and come back. My first scenes which were almost the whole show that day was between me and my father [John Randolph] and I don't recall any mention in the scene of my running away and returning. I was not told about the presiding happenings very much about Lee's past and only that the future (from Agnes Nixon, who chose me to take over the role of Lee) and that it involved a very strong actress who could handle the ups and downs to come as when she was given the LSD etc....Hope this info is helpful to you and if you think of anything else I will let you know."

Soap94 and Soap95

I threw together a highlight reel and got the organizers (with whom I'd collaborated on the trivia page of the event's guidebook) to show it in the lobby. A crowd of about 12-15 shifting people watched it, with interest running the gamut from peering closely throughout to occasionally glancing over a shoulder. People were saying things like, "Oh, that's the old Vicky. Remember her?"

I also had a duo-tang with interesting print-outs from the AWHP which I made sure made the rounds of the room.

I supplied the music, and told the sound engineer which songs to play (mostly the AW theme).

Every single star who saw their character file was interested all on their own. When they realized what they were looking at, they didn't just look at it, they read a big chunk of their file.

The friend I came with was a friend of Steve Schnetzer's and introduced us, having told Steve about me and my AW work previously. Steve gave me a great smile and said, "This is the maniac!" I nodded, said, "I'm the expert... And here's the proof...", and plopped down the duo-tang on the table. I pointed out the character files (I'd printed out those of the actors appearing that night), then the page on opening lines. "Do you have her first line?" Steve asked me of Alice. "Yes," I said, pointing, "right there. I also have it on tape." Alice peered at her entry. "Do you have his first line, too?" she asked. "No," I said, "that was in 1982, before I was watching." Then I indulged my personal passion for the freeze frame and asked Steve, "You know freeze frame endings?" "Yeah." "Well, you've been in more freeze frames than any other actor in the history of the show." "Wow." "I keep a list of them all, and I make a list of who was in the most each year. Most years it's Vicky, but in 1991 you were in the most freeze frames, the year you had that big story." Steve said something about how monumental that story was. Then I pointed at the page and told Alice, "You've been in 104 freeze frames since you've been on." Alice said, "Wow." and Steve said, "Way to go, Alice." I said, "When you break the 100 mark that's cause for celebration." I asked Alice, "I wanted to ask you. In January I sent you a tape in the mail, of the Cass and Cecile story from 1986--" "Oh, was that you?" "Yes. So you got it?" "Yes." "Did you enjoy it?" "Yes I did. And I'm sorry, I'm very slow answering my mail." "Oh, that's okay... Vicky Wyndham found out about my videos and she wanted to see them, so I arranged to send them to her manager." "Really?" "She said she would get the Procter & Gamble executives over to her house to watch, so they could get a sense of history of the show." "Unfortunately the new regime doesn't care at all about history." "I know. That's too bad." Then I was showing Alice some of the other pages. "Those are Exit Lines." Alice looked at the page dutifully, then after a moment realized what she was seeing. "Wow," she said, poking her nose at it and reading a few entries. "You'll have to put Ryan's exit line in there," she said. "Yep." I asked Steve, "I wanted to ask you about Wallingford. Was his first name Wally, or was that just a nickname of Wallingford." "He only had one name." I was disatisfied with that answer, but let it go. I asked Steve, "Do you remember when the show had you make fun of your son Max?" Steve smiled, remembering. "Yes," he said. "In 1988, with Anne Howard...?" I said and Steve nodded. Alice, signing an autograph for someone, peered at him and asked, "They had you make fun of him...?" Later Alice was telling us about a scene that probably hadn't aired yet. "Sharlene asks Luisa where she was, and she says with her playmate Julia, which is my daughter's name." We said goodbye, and once again Steve was very nice.

The line to Joe Barbara's table was impossibly long as he was being besieged by female fans.

After standing in Kale Browne's line, I said to him, "I hear you know a lot about the Internet." "Yes, I do. I'm not on as much as I used to." "Have you ever seen the web site for the show?... It's on the World Wide Web..." "No, I don't think so. See I don't go on the web for the show. What's the name of it?" "Well, it doesn't really have a name, just an address, which is a location of where to find it." "So what's the address?" "Well, it's monet, uwaterloo, ca, eddie, aworld.html... " Kale shook his head. "Well," I said, "I have these print-outs. This is your character file, this and the next page." "Wow... 1986, is that when I started, I wasn't sure." "[pointing to the Spouses line] Those are all your marriages to Donna." Kale looks at it and laughs. "Is that really all the times... [reads some more]." "Did you know that you had a scene with Brad Pitt?" "Yes, I do actually. Someone named Dave sent me a tape recently and I watched it." Kale was very nice, too.

Finally I stood in Tom Eplin's line. "I wanted to ask you about the Internet," I said, "I hear you know a lot about it." "Yeah." "I'm wondering if you've ever seen my web site. I've done one for the show." "Yeah..." That threw me. "I created it," I said. Tom: "[eyes wide] Really? That's wild!" "So you've seen it... Did you really look at all the links?... According to the stat log, 4000 people logged in to the site in the month of September [this was a slip of the tongue. The site was *logged into* 4000 times]." Anyway, I wasn't convinced Tom knew what I was talking about, and I didn't stay long. Frankly, I didn't think I had enough X chromosomes to be of any interest to Tom E.


Lisa Kirshner
Guitarist at the College Campus, 1978-1979.

Hi Eddie

I was the singer in the Campus Coffee Shop on NBC's Another World for over a year, from circa 1978-1979. It all began in November 4, 1977 when I was doing a show called Out of Our Father's House, at Riverside Church in New York City, appearing in the role of a ballad singer with guitar. We did Out of Our Father's House at Riverside Church, at the White House during the Carter Administration, and on WNET Great Performances. The production was directed by Jack Hofsiss, who had won the Tony Award as Best Director, for the Broadway production of Elephant Man. Jack was involved with NBC and was working with Paul Rausch, an icon in Day Time Drama and Producer of NBC's Another World . One night Jack told me that I should call Paul Rausch, as he been in the audience, and had said to Jack, "I want her on the show". I called him at Another World, and an appointment was scheduled for me to audition for him in his office. I brought my guitar and sang as many songs as he requested. He seemed very pressed for time, and looked at his watch, so I did not know if I was going to be cast at all. I was asked however to fill out some paperwork. Shortly thereafter, I received my first call to report to the set. A night or so before the date, someone was sent to my home from SCORE Productions to teach me the song I would be singing on set in a day or two.

Mel Bernhardt, director of the 1978 production of Da! on Broadway, was directing the episode on my first day. "So what are you singing today?" Mel asked. I sang the song I had been taught and he said, "What is that?" I answered that it was the song written for the show by SCORE Productions. "Sing something else" he said. I had just finished writing a song which was in my head, called Will He Be? It was the first thing I thought of so I sang it and Mel said, " Do that one". That was the beginning of a run of recurring shows for which I would be scheduled as needed, and on which I continued to sing my own songs. There were shows for which I was paid, and yet I had not been on set on those dates, and that is how I discovered that I had appeared in dream sequences I had never seen.

After a while, I was invited to join the cast in the limo that picked the upper west side actors up at Argo Coffee Shop on West 72nd Street. It was a nice chance to get to know various actors with whom I was appearing, and I was happy to have that ride with my guitar, all the way out to Brooklyn. The actors I talked with most, included Richard Bekins who rode out in the limo, and Kathleen Widdoes, whom I later met again on the set of The Guiding Light, when I was a recurring under-five in a week of appearances as a chorus member. The run of shows I did on Another World, ended at some point in 1979, or perhaps even 1980, and some years later, I received a royalty check from Broadcast Music Inc, which indicated that there had been re-runs of Another World in Australia. And indeed, the re-runs were on Australia's Channel Nine and Ten.
- Lisa Kirchner, New York City 2017


Email Excerpts, Another World fan Dan Ahearn (1966-1975)

April 2013
"So many questions: I don't know the exact answers to all of them but can probably rule out a few things. Susan Trustman's last day on the show was before the AFTRA strike. She fell off a stool in her kitchen reacting to what she thought she heard in Lee's conversation with John, that being that Lee was about to reveal that she had seen Mike Bauer and Pat in the park in a romantic embrace. The strike ended April 11th and episodes resumed with Pat off camera in the hospital with a broken arm. John was having one-sided conversations with her and the Pat character was off the show for a few weeks until Beverly Penberthy could transition from where she lived in Michigan to New York to take the role. May 12th as her debut as Pat does not sound right to me. I think it was more like late April because Missy's murder trial began May 5th and she was present for all of that. Also, it was Beverly in a phone conversation with Joe Gallison upon which Audra Lindley eavesdropped to obtain the damning evidence that Missy was pregnant, which she provided to Walter Curtin. I distinctly recall Pat's voice (Beverly) coming over the phone into Liz's ear where she says to reassure Bill: "Mother says it's a completely normal pregnancy."

"I think she [Liz] left the show to fly out to California in advance of Bill & Missy, who were being written out of the show and moving there, to find them a house. When she returned a few months later, Nancy Wickwire was in the role."

February 2015
"Yes I do clearly recall Billy Dee Williams on AW. His part was small but I have one recollection of him & Walter Curtin (The prosecuting DA at Missy's trial) seated at the table in the courtroom and Billy Dee remarking that he could not help glancing over at Missy & feeling sorry for her and cold callous Walter telling him he need not. He would have been on the show between May 5th and June 27th 1967, the dates during which the trial ran or perhaps a little before May 5th."

"Don't recall much of Caroline Johnson's exit except that it may have happened off camera. I recall Pat telling John she had fired her after she went up to the attic and found all of Pat's clippings about her murder trial. Then she returned and kidnapped the twins. Or I may have missed that episode as I was in college then and could not always watch it."

September 2016 (Multiple)
"Yes Judith [Barcroft as Lenore Moore] was in the role throughout her trial and I think till right after her baby was born. But she was DEFINITELY there on March 5, 1971 when she was acquitted so whoever is telling you she was not is dead wrong. I think she left in May but not sure and I have no recollection of that temp who filled in for her but I missed some of those episodes during the trial because I had to stay late at school for some reason, though it killed me." Hope that helps."

"Honestly don't recall if Judy was still on the show when Dru left. I don't even remember the party. I seem to recall though that he was only going on a long voyage, around the world maybe and I really thought he'd be back but other than a postcard Mary placed on her mantle once, I don't think he was ever mentioned again. I hear the actor retired to live in Spain till he died in 1990...He was a treasure and I missed him terribly."

"Not sure if I saw Dru's farewell party or not. I probably did but don't recall it. Remember, we are talking nearly a half century ago though some things even further back I guess I do recall oddly. Like your Gaye Huston question: Yes, after Lee finally told John about Pat & Mike and he had a chance to talk to Pat about it, she thought for sure he would throw Pat out. Instead he tried to reason with her and told her that he forgave Pat(what little there was to forgive) and that because she loved Mike, she placed all the blame on Pat and conversely, because he loved Pat, he placed the blame on Mike. But she would not listen. She ran off to Bedfordtown, and while on the way stopped for a sandwich. The place was crowded and while there she ignored her food and read a letter from her college, (addressed to her father) informing him that her grades were slipping. Then she burned it up in an ashtray. Lahoma appeared, Possibly her debut and asked to share Lee's table. That's how they met, with Gaye still in the role, one of her last scenes, I think. I also vividly recall that Lahoma asked Lee for her untouched sandwich if she was not going to eat it and Lee said she was definitely welcome to it. Lahoma was not doing well financially."

"Emily Mason was the daughter of the Randolph's next door neighbor. Her mother was a work-a -holic and had a heart attack form overwork. John & Pat took her in (Lee had just died) and it looked like they were going to adopt her but then she went off to college the end of summer '69 and was never seen or heard from again or even mentioned. By the time Pat discovered she was pregnant, Emily was long gone. At least these are my recollections."

"....I am recalling Flo's last scenes a bit differently. Flo and Madge came to Bay City for Flo to confess. And I know she was in Bay City when Missy was freed. She was staying at Liz's house. I have a vivid recollection of Flo being there when Liz got home from Mary's where there was a big celebration being held which was ruined by Liz causing Missy to tumble down the stairs. She did not push her but she caused it to happen unintentionally. Liz got home and told Flo that Missy had had an accident. Flo's asked you mean with the car? Liz said no and explained just what happened (not though that she had caused it.) Flo was very distraught and said to Liz that she had wished harm on Missy for taking Danny away from her and cautioned Liz against ever wishing harm on anyone because when it happens to the person, you feel terrible."

"Too bad we can no longer purchase those reels [at Bowling Green]. Always wanted the one from 4/11/67 when Dru stepped out of character the day the AFTRA strike ended and answered a knock on his door, opened it and said to all of us out in TV land, "Well, come on in we've missed you." The he sat down and "spoke" to us all assuring us we had not missed any developments in the case of just who killed Danny Fargo. And when he was done, invited us into Mary's kitchen(as you must know, he lived with the Matthews in the in-law apt. orig. occupied by Granny Matthews) to see what she was cooking. It was SO delicious. Give anything to see that again or at least read the dialogue he spoke."

"An article I found within the pages of a Chicago Daily News TV GUIDE with Judy Barcroft & Paul Mooney on the cover from July 1973. If you can read it it states Judy's last day on ANOTHER WORLD was the March 18, 1971 taping which was probably broadcast a week or so later which puts her in the role for Lenore's Mar. 5 acquittal. This should put to rest any question of which actress was in the role that day."

"Dru was an absolute treasure. I just adored Uncle Dru. Susan Trustman's last episode: Pat was up on a stepping stool in the kitchen with John & Lee. It was a very tense scene and somehow, Lee was about to spill the beans to John about Pat & Michael. Pat reacted and spoke out to silence her, lost her balance and fell. Then the strike hit. When it was over, Pat was kept off camera while in the hospital with a greenstick fracture in her arm. This was largely because, I would think, Beverly had to re-locate from Detroit to take the role. So Bev's first scenes were with her arm in a cast. I recall Lee's was blamed for the accident and for a while got the deep freeze from Alice, who wanted to know what Lee's problem with Pat was. Lee assured Alice that she did NOT want to know."

"No story lines actually revolved around Dru but he became heavily involved in the story lines of others. And yes, the third week of April is about right for Beverly's debut as Pat. That line about Missy's pregnancy I do remember well. Quite sure it was spoken not with her on screen but rather Liz hearing the line over the extension as she picked it up to listen in on the conversation Pat and Bill were having. What a bombshell that was. I recall Liz's thoughts being spoken out after that (like voiceover) and her saying something like, "Do they actually plan to pass the child of that ody (Danny Fargo) off as my grandchild???"

"I knew director Len Valenta had some episodes but after he died his niece, who made Lenore's wedding eps available said she discarded them."

"Yes I vaguely recall Jane Overstreet now. I remember Caroline telling her all about the man she loved named John. That plot though was so corny; I mean the evil housekeeper poisoning her employer because she wants her husband and kids for herself. Another cheesey plot was Susan falling in love with her mother's companion Fred. Robert Cenedella was a fine writer of dialogue but an inferior head writer. That's why the ratings slumped during his tenure."

November 2016
"I seem to have clear recollections of Charlie & Madge with her as well. Either I am wrong or they joined her later. I do know that Madge (Doris Belack) stayed on in the role for another year till she joined OLTL because I read that Agnes Nixon liked her so much she wanted to keep her on the show. She and Ada became close friends. Her remaining in Bay City was justified by her stating she felt guilty about Bill not finding Missy when he was looking for her in Chicago and she wanted to remain in town until she saw them married. In fact she was at Missy's wedding to Bill. I know that because I have the script for that day."

"Murial Williams [Helen Moore] was more important at times than at others. For the first year with the Catherine Corning story and then with the engagement of Lenore to Bill we saw a lot of her. Then I recall in early 1968, she was off the show; not written out just never around till she came back for Lenore's wedding and then she was off again, I think they said staying in Florida and came back before the Wayne Addison story got going. Yes after Mary's death, there was some inkling of a romance between her & Jim and I think Ada but neither got off the ground. I recall Helen going to visit Jim and telling him not to let Liz thwart any romantic interest he had in any woman, as she was trying to do."

May 2017
"I do recall Bobby Doran [Jamie Frame]. He was a good actor I thought and played well against Dennis. I do recall people saying that these were two of the most unattractive boys they could have found but they were just average looking, not glamorous by Hollywood standards."

"I stopped watching regularly in 1975, furious that Mary was killed off but did watch sporadically after that like I recall the Sven storyline when he killed someone and hid the body in the boathouse, Rocky I think was the victim and I remember John & Olive and when he killed Evan and that is the last thing I recall ever seeing."

June 2017
"The scene when Bill picks up Missy upon her release was all music, no dialogue and done very artistically with a shot of the sun shining behind a huge tree and things like that. If I recall correctly, it began with Bill escorting Missy thru the prison, past the guards and out into the sunlight. Very tender and beautifully done like most soaps back then."

July 2017
"Well I recall Dr Thornton fairly well in some hospital scenes with Alice but I don't recall if they dated. Don't think so since Alice was mostly on the show for comic relief it seems often just making lighthearted remarks and just skirting the main storyline. The assistant DA during Missy's trial often just sitting in court next to Walter was played by a black actor, actually soon to be famous Billy Dee Williams so I don't know who this Alex guy was."

"The essence of Lenore: Judy Barcroft was so elegant and poised, much more so than any other actress on soaps at that time. She possessed a classy and dignified air that just set her apart from everyone else. She just moved about with such grace and elegance. Susan Sullivan, lovely though she was, just did not have that demeanor but neither did anyone else. Judy was exquisite."

September 2017
"I distinctly recall Bill's car accident was broadcast on Oct 1. Perhaps the reason for the discrepancy on the dates is that the scene you describe with Pat, Missy & Ricky leaving for the zoo as Mary or someone is calling with the news of Bill's accident may have been intended for Oct 02 but I vividly recall being livid with rage the 2nd & 3rd because AW was preempted by the World Series and I had to wait for two days worried sick about Bill. I don't know about you but I LOATHE baseball and sports of any kind, quite rare for a New Englander, so that scene would therefore have been broadcast on the 4th, a Thurs." "OK that makes more sense. Funny Bill proposed on 12/24 and did not get to marry her till almost 2 years later almost to the day 12/21/67. I was thinking this afternoon what a shame it was that after all they went thru to be together, (all those obstacles they had to overcome) that their marriage only lasted 2 1/2 years. I recall being absolutely grief stricken when Missy called and told us all that Bill was dead. I felt even worse than when Lee died. Amazing how real and true to life all those characters were to me back then but that is the power of soap opera."

"Not like a move when everything is encapsulated into about 2 hours. Soap opera happens in "real time" and you experience these characters travails with them over a period of years as they come into your living room 5 days a week. They are or were unique in the world of entertainment."

"I seem to recall Lenore saying that, referring to Walter's dishonest behavior being motivated by his mistaken belief that Lenore wanted all these material things when she was not like that at all. Right after, she went wild and starting smashing everything."

"Well I am not sure what Liz's last scene was with Audra in the role. The scene you describe here is probably the last or one of them. The scene where she flew into that rage and threw Fred out, flinging a bottle at the door was earlier in June when she returned from Venezuela and saw them thru the window on the couch kissing. They all had a big fight, Fred took Susan to Bill & Missy's and then returned to talk to Liz but there was no reasoning with her and she flung that bottle at him as he was leaving. The last scene I recall with Audra was her telling Bill & Missy she would fly out to Calif. in advance to find them housing and help them get settled. Yes, when she returned late that summer, Nancy was in the role. I have no memory whatsoever of this scene you just described. Odd that I did not tape it since I have the other two on my CD's. I assume you must have all of them?"

October 2017
"Hi Mike:

"Well as far as the Emily [Mason] character goes, it s not a question of remembering but rather more that I never knew in the first place. If I had to guess, I would say her character just did not work so she just sent off into oblivion never to be heard of again. It seemed to me at the time that her character was just a feeble attempt to replace Lee, who had just been killed off and then the producers or head writer thought better of it. I always felt [Robert] Cenedella was out of his element as a head writer though a brilliant writer of dialogue. I think his Liz-Fred-Susan triangle (I think it was his) was pathetic & really cheesy, not to mention totally unoriginal. Hope that helps."

"Yes that scene with Jim telling Mary about the baby's parentage was brilliantly crafted and I refer to it as Virginia' Dwyer's "finest Hour". Funny how Jim was absolutely sure the baby was Russ's while Mary firmly believed in her heart that the child was not. The scene was so well written and Jim broke it to Mary in stages, showing amazing sensitivity. That scene & Rachael telling Alice at the party are the two very best things I taped. I feel privileged (in a foolish sort of way I suppose) that I was chosen to be the one to have preserved these (at least in audio format) since the episodes came to be destroyed. This episode was broadcast somewhere around Oct 24th though I don't recall the exact date. Thank God I had received a tape recorder in June of 1968 for my 15th birthday!"

January 2018

"I don't seem to recall as much about the [Missy's] trial as I or you would think. Plus, unfortunately, I left for Washington DC on Monday, May 30th until Saturday June 4th on my 8th grade graduation trip. It KILLED me to have to miss AW but seeing DC, the White House etc., was a long time dream of mine so I had to make the sacrifice. I missed the entire week except one day when we got back to our hotel rooms early one afternoon, about 3:10 and I caught part of that day's episode amidst peculiar looks from the maid making up our room. I think Dru was questioning Ann Fuller, Missy's social worker about Missy's life in 1953 or 1954. As an interesting sideline, that trip cost 55.00 inc. 5 nights in a hotel, lunch & dinner and a stopover in NYC to see a taping of the game show Password! All I had to buy was breakfast."

"I do not recall Lenore testifying at all, but remember Pat bursting into tears when she had to reveal that yes Missy was pregnant, and Madge on the stand stating that Danny was a louse and a dirty old bum. I also can recall Walter's nasty cross examination of Missy and her crying almost all thru it."


Email Excerpts, Another World fan James Mills

"I don't recall reading in Lemay's book about an actor who Wyndham wouldn't work with. If he mentioned that, it was very much in passing. But as you're asking, what's popping to mind is an older actor who was on the show for a few weeks. Seems like he was an artist, maybe he was helping Rachel renovate her studio on the mansion's ground. This was during one of the many separations from Mac that occurred in the 70s. Either they hinted at, or I assumed given that Mac and Rachel were separated, that this artist was headed to a romance with Rachel. But then he was gone shortly after. That's the only thing I can think of. And no I don't recall the character's name, but he had no connection to Iris (one of the few times Iris wasn't somehow involved with one of Mac and Rachel's breakups)."

"As for Janice, the first one, Victoria Thompson was OK in the part, but nothing terribly memorable. The character didn't really do much during her two years in town. I remember wondering as a kid why a character as dynamic and exciting as Steve Frame had such a dull sister."

"Janice was the first of Steve's family to come to town on a long term basis and I wondered if the rest of the family was equally dull. As I found out, Willis (John Fitzpatrick) was as exciting as Steve, but then he was given a makeover to become ultra-boring when Leon Russom took the part. Sharlene was somewhat interesting, but then Vince was another dull as dishwater character. I often wondered why they brought Vince to town since he served no purpose other than to steal screen time from characters I liked."

"By the time Vince got there, I thought we were treading water with the Frame family, that all the exciting genes had been used up with Steve and original Willis. Then Christine Jones arrived as Janice. This felt like a completely new character, not a recast of a previous character. Christine's Janice was mesmerizing. Added so many layers to the character. It was clear she was scheming and had ulterior motives. If the audience wrote in saying they hated her, it was deserved. She played a mean bitch. However, even I was surprised when they took Janice to the extreme and had her poisoning Mac to inherit his money. But of course, that was Tom King, not Lemay. And that was also following the P&G mandate to add such plot elements to the show to better compete with ABC which surging at the time."

"The ABC soaps seemed to move at a quicker pace since they tended to have 3 scenes to an act, whereas AW generally only had one scene per act. Watch the debut episodes of Texas on YouTube and you'll get strong sense for how slow the P&G shows were moving at that point. Texas was one of my all time favorite soaps, at least the final 18 months of it, after Gail Kobe became the E.P. But the first year of Texas had severe problems. It started off promisingly during the month that AW was spinning it off. But once it became its own show, they really dropped the ball. Very slow scenes. Not enough character development. You've got a nice review of the first year of Texas on your site. I think it was John Kelly Genovese who wrote it and he was dead on target. Excellent analysis of the show's first year and its many problems."

"AW struggled to find its identity for a long time after Lemay was fired. Each new set of writers tended to make it worse and worse. I kept getting my hopes up they'd get back to the show I loved. 1982 under Corine Jacker was especially disappointing. 1985-86 with Carl Hutchins and all teens going to Egypt or whatever that nonsense was was also really bad. But the Sin Stalker era was the absolute worst."

"Suddenly in 1988, during the writers strike of all times, things started improving drastically. Felt like the show I'd loved in the 70s. Then Harding Lemay was back as HW. Even though he left abruptly, he righted the show and his Bible kept it on track for the next three years."

James


Mark Frazer (Prince, 1983), 2019

"I worked on an soap opera called ANOTHER WORLD. It had the best black storyline for soaps at that time. I had a few scenes with him. We would travel by limo and sometime by subway to the set.We got to know each other a little. As you know, he went on to become a major star. His first big screen role was called STREET SMART with CHRISTOPHER REEVE. Morgan played a pimp. I have all my scenes with him recorded. They will be part of my reel when I return to HOLLYWOOD. Have a great day..."

Barbara Bush (now Tyson) (Dawn Rollo, 1987-1988), July 2024
It's Barbara (Bush) Tyson, here. Let me apologize for not getting back to you. Your emails got buried, and I just found them...I played Dawn Rollo on Another World, and would be happy to tell you about my audition story.

I was living on the upper West side 74th & Columbus. I was working two jobs as a waitress (I was friendly, but not a great waitress) I was a vegetarian and didn't know the difference between a beefsteak and a lamb chop, so that did get me into a bit of trouble from time to time.

My love was singing and song writing and I formed a band and we played in various places like CBGB's and The Stone Pony.

I lived above my means, only that it was important for me to have a pretty, and safe home. I believed it bolstered creativity (and I still believe that). I LOVED my apartment, but worked super hard to pay for my rent. I was fortunate to be hired for a lot of voice-overs, and then commercials, all the while studying with Freddie Karamen, at Carnegie Studios located on the 8th floor of Carnegie Hall!

Still, it didn't cover my living expenses easily. I remember I had exactly $1.87 in my checking account the day I found out I landed the role of (Ivy) Dawn Rollo.

They wanted a singer, so my Agent sent the producers my singing demo tape (long time ago, so that was an actual "tape" lol). I did audition with Hank Cheyne (Scott [LaSalle]) on the set as well. (I vaguely remember about 5 or 6 actresses there auditioning for the same role.

A few days later, I remember being at another audition when the casting assistant said my agent was on the phone and needed to speak with me.

In 1987, we didn't have cell phones or pagers - in NYC we had a "phone service." People could call and leave a message, and you could call periodically to retrieve them. It was about 5pm and I was at an audition, so I hadn't checked in, but I soon found out I had been cast in the role of Dawn Rollo! I was to start the next morning, and a limo would pick me up to drive me and a few other cast members to Brooklyn, where we taped the show.
Oh, and I had 47 pages (double spaced ) to memorize before 5am!!! I stayed up all night learning those lines!
An Airplane scene with Scott [LaSalle].

I remember it was in the limo, another actress asked me if "they" had told me my storyline. I answered that I thought they just wanted a singer..."You're the AIDS storyline" she told me. I had absolutely NO idea.

I hope I portrayed Dawn well. I loved my time working on that show. I loved singing on that show. It was a beautiful opportunity and what I miss most, is the people.

I have always shied away from press, and I like to keep to myself, but this was a game changer for me personally, and also a ground breaking and brave storyline told, albeit with soap perimeters, but this was New York City in the late 80's, and I feel privileged to have been a part of this storyline, and the awareness it brought to other parts of America.
I'm sorry I didn't reach out to you sooner - you had my old email address.

Ariana Muenker (Prince, 1975-1977), July 2024

@PimlicoCalico: "Thanks so much for taking the trouble to upload these ["Another World" videos], Ariana. If the full episodes are available, we would love to see those too!"

@arianatheearlydays767: "..I wish...my Mom recorded all my shows but we had a flood in the basement and most of the VHS and three-fourths tapes were lost. I'm happy to have some tapes that were in our bathroom closet. I have some more gems that I need to transfer so keep tuned!"