View Full Version : Technical directors and daytime serial openings


bmasters9
11-13-2015, 07:33 PM
On daytime serials like Another World, when it came time at the top of the show to fade out of the cold open and fade into a show opening like the 1981-87 "ring-tunnel/block-letters" opening, how was that handled? Did the director say to the TD something like, "Play opening, play music," and then as the AW title moved into place, cue Bill Wolff to deliver the opening billboard for a P&G product like Dawn, Crisco, Duncan Hines, etc.? It's probably a silly question, but I thought I'd throw it out here.

danderson400
11-05-2018, 09:16 AM
And back in the day, if Clarke Morgan or Chet Kingsbury was playing the organ(i assume a Hammond) they would get cued to play the theme, then Bill Wolff would say "And now, in color, the continuing story of Another World(in Bay City)."

danderson400
11-05-2018, 09:24 AM
My grandmom always liked the original theme written by Charles Paul rather than the the theme performed by Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris. For some reason, she liked the organ rendition of the Charles Paul theme over the Gayle/Morris duet.

stevea
11-07-2018, 09:12 PM
This is off topic, but I found a really climactic ending to a story line I don't remember seeing at all, from a 1983 AW. I found it when I was checking an old beta tape to see what was on it. Evidently Larry Ewing and Sandy Cory were trying to solve some art thief caper, and it was coming to a climax in a snowstorm. At the end somebody got shot, and Cecile was yelling at Sandy for framing her. I doubt this episode exists anymore--it was probably wiped like so many of them.

Should I try to find some way to post this scene on Youtube?

danderson400
11-18-2018, 05:42 PM
On AW, a kaleidoscopic image of a circle of interlocking spectrum-colored rings shifted into focus. Then a kaleidoscope of the title "Another World" came into focus in the middle of the circle, then Bill Wolff would announce "Now, in color, the continuing story of Another World. The first part of Another World is brought to you by...(the day's sponsor)" with a tele-op slide of the product. how that was done would be amazing, to me.

danderson400
11-18-2018, 05:54 PM
A white circle was drawn clockwise on a black background. The completed circle flared then extended outwards to fill the screen, revealing in its middle a pattern of interlocking rings which eventually filled the screen. The camera then slowly zoomed in to the original circle, identifiable as brighter than the others. As it got closer, the words "Another World" in white letters became visible behind the pattern. When the original circle passed the boundaries of the screen, the pattern of rings disappeared, and the title screen was evident: A fine mesh background, the words "Another World," and a set of interlocking circles to the left centered in the middle of two vertical stripes, all of this in sepia tones. Over all of this, Bill Wolff says "We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds. And now, Another World, brought to you by..." with the days sponsor.

stevea
11-18-2018, 08:35 PM
This must be from the 60s. I don't remember it at all.

KurtfromPitts
11-28-2018, 11:57 AM
I recall seeing that title when we switched the dial to the NBC outlet in time for "You Don't Say!", which followed AW back then.

danderson400
12-02-2018, 08:53 AM
I guess you don't remember this one(note; it's a black and white kinescope.)

https://i.imgur.com/f3aMxU2.png


And for the fun of it, here is the sponsor tag...

https://i.imgur.com/MmUm2N5.png

stevea
12-02-2018, 01:21 PM
To me that's the most familiar one. They used it for years.

In color the surrounding rings varied in colors around the circle.

They probably changed it when the vocal version of the theme came in.

danderson400
02-22-2019, 04:53 AM
On daytime serials like Another World, when it came time at the top of the show to fade out of the cold open and fade into a show opening like the 1981-87 "ring-tunnel/block-letters" opening, how was that handled? Did the director say to the TD something like, "Play opening, play music," and then as the AW title moved into place, cue Bill Wolff to deliver the opening billboard for a P&G product like Dawn, Crisco, Duncan Hines, etc.? It's probably a silly question, but I thought I'd throw it out here.

Ben, would Bill Wolff's announcements be done live while the show was being taped, like Johnny O or Rod on TPIR, Jay Stewart on LMAD etc?

bmasters9
02-22-2019, 05:42 AM
Ben, would Bill Wolff's announcements be done live while the show was being taped, like Johnny O or Rod on TPIR, Jay Stewart on LMAD etc?

That's a good question, and very much a stumper for me.

danderson400
02-22-2019, 09:23 PM
That's a good question, and very much a stumper for me.

I'm guessing Bill Wolff would do the sponsor tags/announcements during taping, since soaps were done "live to tape" like game shows. Dan McCullough was always present in the studio on ATWT, so was Harry Kramer/Hal Simms on EON. Mel Brandt on the Doctors likely did the same thing, no?