FLASHBACK: 'Another World' The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice (Part 9)

George Reinholt played Steven Frame on Another World.

ANOTHER WORLD: The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 6 June 1979
by Bryna Laub

(continued from Part 8)

It was Russ himself who inadvertently told Alice Jamie was Steven's son after all! One evening, after a hard day at the clinic, Russ found himself unwilling to go home and face Rachel's sarcastic resentment of his work. Since her hopes for great wealth were dashed, Rachel hadn't even made an effort to pretend any love for Russ. The only reason he even bothered to go home at all was Jamie. He visited Alice and confided all this to her. He reminisced that he and Rachel had only one brief period of real happiness, the time she came back to him and they conceived Jamie. When Russ mentioned that until the reconciliation he and Rachel hadn't lived as husband and wife for weeks, Alice realized that for once in her life Rachel had told the truth. Jamie was Steven's son.

With incredible effort Alice managed to keep her shock from Russ. The following day she reported the conversation to Steven who was as shaken as Alice had been. Alice quickly reassured him she knew he had no idea the child was really his or he wouldn't have tried to avoid responsibility for him.

FLASHBACK: 'Another World' The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice (Part 3)

It didn't take long for Alice (Jacqueline Courtney) and her mother (Viginia
Dwyer) to see through Rachel for the scheming, manipulating woman she was.

ANOTHER WORLD: The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 6 June 1979
by Bryna Laub

(continued from Part 2)

Rachel tried desperately to fit in with Russ's family but Mary and Alice sensed the artificiality in Rachel's attempts. Jim Matthews, Russ's father, however, was enchanted with Rachel. Out of a need to gain the approval of every man she met to replace the love and approval of her father, Rachel seemed to sense what a man wanted her to be and that's what she became for him. Mary called it twisting Jim around her little finger.

Rachel's delight at living in the Matthews' home was soon tempered by her disappointment at Russ's prolonged absences. She had pictured a marriage as a never-ending whirl of parties and restaurants and dancing and she decided Russ was just being difficult by spending all his time at the hospital. And when he did have a few hours off, she resented the way he came home and collapse on the bed when he should have been taking her out for some fun.

CLASSIC CLIP: Rachel, Alice, Russ, Mary on ANOTHER WORLD 1968

Alice Matthews (Jacqueline Courtney) and Rachel Davis (Robin Strasser) would form one of the greatest rivalries in soap opera history. But in the summer of 1968, Rachel was happily married to Alice's brother, Russ (Sam Groom), and things were relatively friendly between them. Watch a clip below from July 1, 1968, which also includes the late Virginia Dwyer as Mary Matthews.

Watch a clip below of their very first meeting. The clip also includes their first encounter with Alice's sister-in-law, Rachel Davis Matthews (Robin Strasser).

Virginia Dwyer Dead at 92

Virginia Dwyer

Actress Virginia Dwyer has died at age 92.

Dwyer was an actress best know for her work on daytime soap operas. Her roles included Mary Matthews in ANOTHER WORLD, Janice Turner in AS THE WORLD TURNS, Janice Turner Hughes, Ruth Jannings Holden in THE GUIDING LIGHT, Tracey Malone in YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE, Jane Edwards Ames in THE SECRET STORM, and Jocelyn Brentof in THE ROAD OF LIFE.

On March 28, 1975, Dwyer's Mary Matthews suffered a heart attacked and died, a controversial story decision by Paul Rauch/Harding Lemay killing off one of the original characters.

"I was doing very well as a radio actress when the 10-inch tube arrived on the scene," Dwyer recalled in a 1969 New York Times interview.