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.

And then there was the bedroom itself. True, Mary and Jim had redecorated Russ's room for them but Rachel soon discovered that Alice's room, the one she shared with her sister Pat until Pat married John Randolph, was a much larger one and it had a private bath. That wasn't fair, either, Rachel decided. She began to complain to Russ about the difficulty of keeping their little room neat and restful for him. After all, she pointed out, there were two of them living in a room designed for one and she was stuck in it all day while Alice's room, planned for two people, was sitting empty all day long while Alice was at work.

Within days the room situation became a family crisis which climaxed when Rachel ran off crying that changing rooms hadn't been her idea at all! Alice realized she had no choice but to insist that her brother and his wife change rooms with her, wondering what else Rachel would see and want for her own.

Lenore Moore's wedding was a major turning point in both Rachel's and Alice's lives. Lenore, Alice's best friend since childhood, was marrying former District Attorney Walter Curtin, and Alice was Lenore's only bridal attendant. At the reception following the ceremony Alice finally met Steven Frame, a dynamic and handsome business tycoon, a self-made millionaire still in his late twenties.



Walter had been Steven's lawyer since his arrival in Bay City a year ago and he had often mentioned Alice to him. No one had to explain who Steven was. The local newspapers were having a heyday covering this exciting young magnate who had recently acquired the ultimate in macho toys--the local professional football team, the Bay City Bengals.

Steven Frame was in Bay City for a year before
viewers saw him. George Reinhold made his Another
World debut as Steve on July 2, 1968, when Steve met
Alice at Lenore and Walter's wedding reception.

Alice and Steven were drawn to each other from the moment they met. Steven, who had been raised in poverty was, for all his surface charm and sophistication, a little unsure of himself with this delicate and gentle young woman. He sensed that she was fragile and easily hurt, and he quickly warned her that he was often blunt and outspoken both in his work and in his private life. He said what he thought, that's the way he was. Alice, on the other hand, had never met a man who was so strong, so in control, and while she found this attractive, she was a little afraid of him.

Rachel, though, saw nothing to fear in Steven. To her he was the answer to all her dreams and all her wildest fantasies. He had money, power and an exciting life, everything she thought was important. Just the mere sight of him sent her blood racing through her veins. Suddenly, in a matter of minutes, any passion she had felt for Russ faded into the shadows as the radiance of Steven's image filled her mind and being.

That night, after the wedding reception, Rachel lost her baby. Her miscarriage was difficult and required another long hospital stay. Russ was brokenhearted over losing the baby and tried to console Rachel by promising they'd have another as soon as possible. Ada, too, was crushed, as she would finally come to understand that a man who loved his child couldn't abandon it as Gerald had and put that ghost to rest. To Rachel, however, the loss of this baby simply meant she had her lovely figure back and could soon begin to enjoy herself again.

Continue reading Part 4 of a very detailed flashback series, Another World - The Story of Steven, Rachel & Alice...

EDITOR'S NOTE: The late George Reinholt was born 75 years ago today. He passed away on November 11, 2013 at age 73.

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