Eight years in Another world

By Harding Lemay

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689111495
• ISBN13: 9780689111495
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: Atheneum
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.

Customer Reviews

"The Most Informative Book On Soap Opera Writing"

Harding Lemay was a playwright when he was hired as the headwriter for NBC's top-rated daytime drama "Another World" in 1971. Proctor and Gamble, the production company that owned the show, was looking for someone with fresh ideas and innovative ways to enlighten and bring up the ratings. Although "Another World's" ratings were quite good when Lemay took over as writer (the serial was a solid #4 in the Nielsen's), the ratings took a nosedive after Agnes Nixon left as headwriter in 1968 to go to ABC. What Lemay found on "Another World" was a show filled with melodramtic storylines consisting of secret burglaries, poisoinings, and illigetimate children. Lemay wanted to change the face of the show, and of daytime for that matter by writing stories that dealt with human emotions and interractions, without a ton of hospital and courtroom scenes. Harding Lemay went on to be the greatest serial writer ever, even surpassing William Bell, Agnes Nixon, and even Irna Phillips herself, as Lemay wrote daring stories and brought "Another World" to the top of the daytime ratings. The show continuously held a number 2 position in the Nielsens, and it was under his helm the show hit #1. "Eight Years In Another World" is Lemay's account of what he went throught to make the show a hit, how he kept it there, the problems he had with certain cast members and producers, and ultimately how he got burned out from constantly writing for a daytime serial for eight years. Lemay is very open about his distaste for certain actors on the show like Val Dufour, Virginia Dywer, Geroge Reinholt, and Jacqueline Courtney, and he writes about how he tried to get these actors to act the way he wanted them to, unfortunately to no avail. He writes how he wrote out these popular actors, yet he writes favourably about Douglas Watson, Susan Sullivan, Victoria Wyndham, and Beverlee Mckinsey, and how they all were a pleasure to write for. Lemay also acknowledges how hard it is to write for a soap opera, with the time constraints and deadlines in putting a daily 30 minutes serial on the air. This is a book all should read if you want to be a soap opera writer, as Harding details the problems too with a longer format for a daytime series, as "Another World" would be the first soap to expand to sixty minutes a day in 1975, then ninety minutes in 1979. That 90 minute expansion would be the death nell for both the serial and Lemay, as the ratings took a nosedive and Harding started having severe health problems brought on by the stress of too much overwork. If you are a fan of soap opera or was a fan of "Another World" during its Golden Years, this is a must read as many of the 1970's top stories are documented here on its pages. "Eight Years In Another World" is long out of print, but the price that sellers are asking for it is worth every dime, because not only is it the best book on serials, but the best book on how soap operas are created, made every day, and written. Lemay is also credited

Please respect the soaps!

Unfortunately, Another World has passed on in 1999. Harding Lemay wrote for the serial in the 1970s. I was interested in his relationship with Irna Phillips, the Goddess of daytime soaps who never even got an obituary in the New York despite being the reason that she was prominent in developing shows set in the Midwest but filmed in Brooklyn like Another World and in Manhattan like As the World Turns and Guiding Light. Unlike Another World, the world is still turning and Guiding Light is still shining bright with a more realistic outdoors and on location settings now. Regardless, I missed out on the Another World of the 1970s with Harding Lemay at the writing helm. He writes and explains his motivations for lot of the storylines. I was fascinated by Beverlee McKinsey who was later on Guiding Light and who passed away only three months ago. Harding Lemay was an aspiring writer, teacher, and former publisher who started off broke or in modest beginnings. He writes about his relationships with his wife, Dorothy, and children-Susan and Stephen and their life between New York City and their summer home in Fire Island. For the most part, Harding Lemay's book reminds me of what Another World was and in it's prominent heyday. Unfortunately, Another World is gone as is Beverlee McKinsey, Irna Phillips who created the show, Constance Ford, and Douglass Watson. Regardless, soaps appear to get no respect in either America or even in Britain where they have their own soaps. Sadly, American soaps are a dying breed. Harding actually admits it's backbreaking work in developing storylines and rarely taking a break except for a week in London with his wife. I just hope that the audiences out there today realize how valuable are our American soaps. They have been the foundation of so many careers whether writers or actors or directors. Soaps just don't get the respect or the outrage when it gets canceled. None of the New York City mayors ever showed interest in preservation of Another World or others. Soaps today have been geared toward the youth market and there are those soap veteran actors who have spent years on the soap only to get an occasional appearance much less storyline. I was interested in when Harding wanted to introduce a gay character on soaps but the network killed the idea because it was too controversial. He doesn't out anybody but he is quite honest about his feelings towards Irna Phillips, his mentor and teacher, Paul Rauch who was executive producer of Another World and Bob Short, the liaison for Procter & Gamble. I still wished that he wrote more about Beverlee McKinsey in this book.

So You Wanna Write A Soap, Huh?

There was a time when soap operas were written with style, panache, drama, humor and an almost theatrical quality. Obviously, that time has long since faded, as today's soaps tend to have more in common with th works of Jerry Bruckheimer than Tennessee Williams. Harding Leman helmed Another World during a period which many considered its heyday. And this memoir provides readers with not only a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a once popular, now defunct soap, but also into the life and mind of the person responsible for bringing an entire fictional town to life on a daily basis. For eight years, Lemay was responsible for who did what to whom in the town of Bay City. He took a soap which for far too long had relied on melodramatic plot twists and infused it with a sensibility more akin to the parlor dramas of Tennessee Williams. It was under Lemay that typical bitch-Goddess Rachel evolved into a character whose actions and motivations the audience could understand, paving the way for her to eventually become one of daytime's most beloved heroines. Lemay's story will prove fascinating to anyone who loved Another World, soaps in general or that much more specific audience of people who watch their daytime dramas and think, "I could do that!" They'll find that not only is it not as easy as one might believe, but that it can often become all-consuming. Anyone with an interest in daytime will surely find this to be a fascinating read, although those who are familiar with Another World and it's history will, obviously, get much more out of it than the casual reader.

A Delightful Treasure

I was a fan of Another World and was immeditaly intrigued by the fact a former writer on the show decided to publish a book about his work. However, I didn't watch during the time he wrote, so I was reluctant to actually start reading it. I figured since I knew nothing about that period of the show, I would get easily confused and it would be a bore. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that that didn't matter. What I found was a fantastic account about his experiences. Anyone who either loved the show or TV shows in general or has dreams of becoming a writer should pick up this book and read it! It was a very enjoyable read.