Another World is an American television soap opera that aired on NBC from May 4th, 1964, to June 25th, 1999. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J. Bell, and was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions at NBC Studios, 1268 East 14th Street in Brooklyn. Set in the fictional town of Bay City, the series originally opened with announcer Bill Wolff intoning its epigram, "We do not live in this world alone, but in a thousand other worlds," which Phillips said represented the difference between "the world of events we live in, and the world of feelings and dreams that we strive for." Another World focused less on the conventional drama of domestic life as seen in other soap operas, and more on exotic melodrama between families of different classes and philosophies.
In 1964, Another World was the first soap opera to talk about abortion when such subjects were taboo. It was the first soap opera to do a crossover, with the character of Mike Bauer from Guiding Light, which was also created by Irna Phillips, coming from Springfield to Bay City. It was also the first to expand to one hour, then to ninety minutes, and then back to an hour. It was the first soap to launch two spin-offs, Somerset and Texas, as well as an indirect one, Lovers and Friends, which would be renamed For Richer, For Poorer. Another World was also the second soap opera with a theme song to chart on the Billboard record charts, "(You Take Me Away To) Another World" by Crystal Gayle and Gary Morris, in 1987.
On April 12th, 1999, NBC announced it was canceling Another World with its final episode on the network airing on June 25, 1999. NBC replaced Another World with another soap opera, Passions, on July 5th, 1999.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The soap opera was first represented in the line march with Ed Fry, Hank Cheyne, and Laurence Lau sailing on The Rub-A-Dub-Dub Bathboat at the 60th Anniversary Macy's Parade.
Fry would appear again with Kale Browne and David Forsyth on the same toy float at the 1987 Parade.
For the 1989 Parade, Sandra Fergusen & Charles Grant from their time on the show would appear on Cinderella's Carriage.
Throughout the 1995 Parade, Joseph Barbara, Timothy Gibbs, Diego Serrano from that year's season would set sail on the Jolly Polly Pirate Ship float.
Barbara later made another appearance with Linda Dano on the Sea Venture float at the 1997 Parade.