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ANOTHER WORLD made its debut on May 4, 1964, created by daytime legends Irna Phillips and William J. Bell, depicting life in a fictional small midwestern town called Bay City. The show was canceled on June 25, 1999, but not forgotten. Mega fan and administrator of Facebook’s Another World Memories, Karen McKenney, took on the task of organizing an event for the cast and the fans to celebrate the show’s 60th Anniversary to take place on the actual anniversary in Tarrytown, New York.
Digest caught up with Linda Dano (Felicia Gallant) to get the lowdown on the day’s details, what fans can expect, and how they can be a part of it. “I’m excited about the event,” Dano enthused. “I think everyone who loved ANOTHER WORLD is coming. it’s such a wonderful event. It’s just a wonderful thing for all of us. We get together and talk about the old days and laugh and cry and whatever we do, but I’m sure it’s going to be lots of fun. I’m looking forward to it a lot.”
Despite the show ending in 1999, online enthusiasm and support have grown through the years and have kept the memories alive. “I find that so interesting,” the Daytime Emmy winner mused. “I’m amazed by it and I am so grateful for it. There’s something about it. It’s like having family in another part of the country and you get to see them all the time. You know what I mean? It makes it so special.”
The event isn’t just reuniting cast members and fans but many former crew members are coming to celebrate the anniversary. “I have two friends of mine,” the actress explained. “There’s a woman who’s coming who worked at ANOTHER WORLD for years and years and years, with [her] husband. They’re both coming. She called me on the phone and said, ‘We’re coming!’ And I’m so excited. And I thought, this is like, my God, this doesn’t happen everywhere.”
One thing about attending these large fan events is that fans never quite know what to expect but Dano has some ideas based on her prior experiences. “Well, I’m hoping what they can expect is us, a lot of us,” she shared. “I hope that a lot of us will be available physically, mentally, in every way. In other words, it’s a whole gathering of friends, whether you were a fan or whether you worked on the show or whatever place you play in this, you are as available as the person sitting next to you.”
The best part of attending such gatherings is getting up close and personal with daytime favorites. Often, the fans themselves are veterans of these events. “We are all pals and we talk about the old days and we talk about this and that,” the actress said. “We laugh, we might cry. It’s just connecting and being part of one big family. We do know each other. And I think if it’s like that, I think it’s going to be great. And my plan in this is to be available at all moments.”
Many of the show’s cast won’t pass up the chance to reunite with their daytime family. “Some of the people that are coming, I, like them, have not seen these people in a really, really long time. And they’re going to be there. And that makes it even more crazy and fun and real and memorable.” Dano teased one such appearance, “Like Ricky Paull Goldin [Dean Frame] is coming. No one has seen Ricky Paull [in] forever, not even me. He’s coming and he’s one of my favorite, favorite crazies that worked on ANOTHER WORLD. I love him. And he called me up and he said, ‘Oh my God, would I go anywhere else? I’m coming. I’m coming. I’ll come pick you up. I’ll drive you.’ That’s typical of him.”
Dano hopes the celebration will serve as a reminder of all the wonderful stories the actors were able to share through the years, stories that touched hearts and changed lives (check out an AW reunion from THE LOCHER ROOM here). “I think it’s incredibly important to see what we all lived through, meaning ANOTHER WORLD.” She expanded on her thoughts, adding, “Whatever capacity that was, whatever storyline you loved, whatever character you particularly loved, and to see it in person and talk about it and laugh about it and share it is incredibly fun and real.”
One of those stories and characters near and dear to Dano’s heart is working with the late actor who played Wallingford. “When Brent Collins came onto the show and we had the great pleasure of being put with him, me and Stephen [Schnetzer; Cass Winthrop], the craziness and the funniness and the, oh my God, it was like bedlam!”
Collins passed away on January 6, 1988, at the age of 46, but his presence is still felt strongly among his co-stars. “Those are days I will never ever forget,” she shared. Not too long ago, Dano used her podcast to celebrate her old friend. “I did a podcast with Stephen and we honored Brent on his birthday [October 31] and it was just really special and funny and made us cry and, oh, it was fabulous. And he was very, very special.”
These are the special memories the fans have to look forward to at the ANOTHER WORLD Anniversary Celebration Reunion on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the Biddle Mansion, 4 E Sunnyside Lane, Tarrytown, New York, from 11:30 a.m. through 4 p.m.
Dano hopes the memories of the show and the event will linger long after the doors to the Biddle Mansion close and the fans drive away. “I hope it’s a memory they’ll have forever. I know it will be for me,” she declared. “I think it will be an event that will long, long live in our hearts and our minds as people — and as viewers and as actors.”
For more information on how you can attend, click here or email AWcelebration2024@yahoo.com. If you would like to bid on the silent auction items, click here. The deadline has been extended until Tuesday, April 30.
