"As the World Turns" (1956) TV series 1956-????

Creator:

Irna Phillips

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

2 April 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Set in the fictional town of Oakdale, this long-running serial focuses on the relationships and difficulties of its inhabitants.

Plot Keywords:

Atwt | Daytime | Daytime Show | Beautiful Woman | Soap Opera

Awards:

69 wins & 352 nominations

Cast

Maura West	...	Carly Tenney / ... (694 episodes, 1995-2009)
Michael Park	...	Jack Snyder / ... (675 episodes, 1997-2009)
Roger Howarth	...	Paul Ryan / ... (643 episodes, 2003-2009)
Terri Colombino	...	Katie Peretti / ... (605 episodes, 1998-2009)
Marie Wilson	...	Meg Snyder / ... (584 episodes, 2005-2009)
Grayson McCouch	...	Dusty Donovan / ... (510 episodes, 2003-2009)
Kelley Menighan Hensley	...	Emily Stewart / ... (503 episodes, 1989-2009)
Jon Hensley	...	Holden Snyder (483 episodes, 1985-2009)
Jennifer Landon	...	Gwen Norbeck Munson / ... (480 episodes, 2005-2008)
Jesse Lee Soffer	...	Will Munson (476 episodes, 2004-2008)
Trent Dawson	...	Henry Coleman (428 episodes, 1998-2009)
Ellen Dolan	...	Margo Montgomery Hughes / ... (423 episodes, 1989-2009)
Martha Byrne	...	Lily Walsh Snyder / ... (377 episodes, 1985-2008)
Colleen Zenk Pinter	...	Barbara Ryan / ... (377 episodes, 1978-2009)
Van Hansis	...	Luke Snyder (356 episodes, 2005-2009)
Don Hastings	...	Bob Hughes / ... (313 episodes, 1960-2009)
Austin Peck	...	Brad Snyder (309 episodes, 2007-2009)
Alexandra Chando	...	Maddie Coleman (298 episodes, 2005-2009)
Elizabeth Hubbard	...	Lucinda Walsh / ... (291 episodes, 1984-2009)

Runtime:

Netherlands:55 min (including commercials) | USA:30 min (1956-1975) | USA:60 min (1975-)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1956-1967) | Color (1967-)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (1999-) | Mono (1956-1987) | Stereo (1987-1999)

Certification:

Netherlands:6 | USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Procter & Gamble Productions (PGP)

Trivia:

The episode of 22 November 1963 was broken into by CBS to announce the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The actors, however, continued performing (as it was done live until 1975), and a complete, uninterrupted copy of this episode still survives.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: On the episode that aired 1-4-05, Julia refers to Holden (Jon Hensley) as "Jon" in an emotional scene at the Lakeview Lounge while talking to Lisa.

Quotes:

Barbara: I can't call him because he's in a coma!
Julia Lindsey Snyder: A coma? Come on, Barbara. Come up with something a little more original. How about - oh, I know. How about a hole opened up, and James fell into the center of the earth?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Magic Mirror (1970)

2000-01 was a great season for this series

The number of nominations this soap opera received at the 2001 Daytime Emmy Awards is just one indicator of how excellent this show has been lately. The writing has been especially good, and the acting seems much better than most daytime fare. Of particular interest is the dual roles of long-estranged twin sisters Lily/Rose played to perfection by the talented Martha Byrne. Her scenes opposite herself are brilliant.

This soap opera's best feature, though, is the pace at which story lines move along. There is no spoon-feeding the audience. You have to watch consistently to get involved in the plots: there are no recaps of the past month's twists. Conversely, there have been incredible flashbacks and memories using real original footage from as far back as the series first season (1956). This really adds a warm sense of continuity for characters like Nancy Hughes, played since the beginning by Helen Wagner.