From Wikipedia

    As the World Turns was the creation of Irna Phillips who, beginning in the 1930s, had been one of the foremost creators and writers of radio soap operas. As a writer, Phillips favored character development and psychological realism over melodrama, and her previous creations (which included Guiding Light) were especially notable for placing professionals - doctors, lawyers, and clergy people - at the center of their storylines. Phillips wrote: "As the world turns, we know the bleakness of winter, the promise of spring, the fullness of summer and the harvest of autumn--the cycle of life is complete."

    And so it was with As the World Turns, with its slow-moving psychological character studies of families headed by legal and medical professionals. The personal and professional lives of doctors and lawyers would remain central to As The World Turns throughout its run, and would eventually become standard fare on all soap operas. Whereas the 15-minute radio soaps often focused on one central, heroic character (for example, Dr. Jim Brent in Phillips' Road of Life), the expanded 30-minute format of As The World Turns enabled Phillips to introduce a handful of professionals within the framework of a family saga.

    One of Phillips' innovations was to introduce a sort of Greek chorus to the stories. The primary purpose of characters such as Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner) was to comment on the crises faced and decisions made by the town's more dynamic residents. This technique contributed to the popularity of the show and continues to be widely used in other soap operas.

    Phillips' style favored gradual evolution over radical change. Slow, conversational, and emotionally intense, the show moved at the pace of life itself - and sometimes even more slowly than that. Each new addition to the cast was done in a gradual manner, and was usually a key contact to one of the members of the Hughes family. As such, the show got a reputation as being quite conservative (though the show did showcase the first gay male character on American soap operas, in 1988). During the show's early decades, the content-related policies of its sponsor Procter & Gamble Productions may have contributed to the perception of conservatism. The soap-manufacturing giant typically balked at storylines in which adultery and other immoral behavior would go unpunished, and as late as the 1980s characters from the primary families were still generally not allowed to go through with abortions.

    As the World Turns premiered on April 2, 1956. It was the first television daytime drama with a 30-minute running time; all daytime dramas until then had had 15-minute running times. By 1958, the program was the number one daytime drama in the United States. As the World Turns continues to run to this day on CBS, and has won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series four times (in 1987, 1991, 2001, and 2003.)

    Creator Irna Phillips

    Senior cast member(s)

    Helen Wagner

    Don Hastings

    Eileen Fulton

    Kathryn Hays

    Marie Masters

    Colleen Zenk Pinter

    Elizabeth Hubbard

    Kathleen Widdoes

    Jon Hensley

    Scott Holmes

    Ellen Dolan

    Kelley Menighan Hensley

    Maura West

    Michael Park

    No. of episodes 13,651 (as of November 20, 2009)

    Production

    Executive producer(s) Christopher Goutman

    Head writer(s) Jean Passanante

    Distributor Procter & Gamble Productions, Inc. (1986-2008)

    TeleNext Media, Inc. for Procter & Gamble Productions (2008-present)

    Running time

    30 minutes (1956-1975)

    60 minutes (1975-present)

     

     

    Thumbnail of Fred Silverman

    Fred Silverman on working with Irna Phillips, the writer of one of CBS's serials As the Worlds Turns , on creating the new serial for CBS Love is a Many Spendored Thing

    03:10
    Thumbnail of Kay Alden

    Kay Alden on television she watched as a child

    03:18
    Thumbnail of William Bell

    William Bell on the popularity of As the World Turns  

    01:57
    Thumbnail of Ruth Warrick

    Ruth Warrick on being cast on As the World Turns

    11:01
    Thumbnail of Agnes Nixon

    Agnes Nixon on the focus of As the World Turns and creating the world of Oakdale

    01:56
    Thumbnail of Agnes Nixon

    Agnes Nixon on the success of As the World Turns

    00:41

    Kay Alden

    Kay Alden on television she watched as a child

    03:18

    Kay Alden on interviewing William Bell

    05:30

    Alan Ball

    Alan Ball on homosexuality on As the World Turns

    00:26

    William Bell

    William Bell on the popularity of As the World Turns  

    01:57

    William Bell on Walter Cronkite interrupting As the World Turns to announce President Kennedy had been killed

    02:12

    William Bell on the popularity of "Lisa Grimaldi" and the characters on As the World Turns

    01:57

    William Bell on the challenges of making As the World Turns an hour-long show from the initial half-hour

    02:12

    William Bell on the distribution of duties with Irna Phillips on As the World Turns

    00:58

    William Bell on working with Ted Corday on As the World Turns

    00:44

    William Bell on a typical workday with Irna Phillips on As the World Turns

    01:30

    William Bell on discussions with Irna Phillips over Mark Rydell's character ("Jeff") on As the World Turns

    03:24

    Douglas S. Cramer

    Douglas S. Cramer on working at Procter & Gamble

    06:06

    Jonathan Frid

    Jonathan Frid on his early television work on CBC, and on appearing on As the World Turns

    04:12

    Eileen Fulton

    Eileen Fulton on joining As the World Turns as "Lisa Miller Hughes," and on changing the character from nice to a villain

    04:00

    Eileen Fulton on working with Helen Wagner as "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns, and with Don Hastings as "Don Hughes"

    04:02

    Eileen Fulton on the rehearsal process for As the World Turns, and on working with Ted Corday

    03:10

    Eileen Fulton on mishaps on the live set of As the World Turns

    01:26

    Eileen Fulton on As the World Turns head writer Irna Phillips

    02:45

    Eileen Fulton on leaving As the World Turns in 1963

    02:25

    Eileen Fulton on starring in the 1966 As the World Turns spin-off Our Private World

    05:14

    Eileen Fulton on appearing in two Broadway shows while still doing As the World Turns in 1961

    02:57

    Eileen Fulton on returning to As the World Turns and on the "grandma clause"

    06:19

    Eileen Fulton on playing the character of "Lisa" on As the World Turns, and on her fan mail

    03:45

    Eileen Fulton on the cast though the years of As the World Turns

    05:15

    Eileen Fulton on how various aspects of the production of As the World Turns have changed over the years

    02:30

    Eileen Fulton on memorizing lines for As the World Turns, and on "Lisa's" wardrobe, hair, and makeup

    02:30

    Eileen Fulton on the writers of As the World Turns, and on giving input into her character

    03:25

    Eileen Fulton on the extent of Proctor & Gamble's involvement with As the World Turns, and on her distaste of focus groups

    02:01

    Eileen Fulton on controversial topics covered by As the World Turns, and various storylines on the show

    08:33

    Eileen Fulton on her favorite and least favorite As the World Turns storylines, and "Lisa's" love life

    02:07

    Eileen Fulton on her lack of storylines later in the run of As the World Turns

    01:43

    Eileen Fulton on winning a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for her work on As the World Turns

    01:44

    Eileen Fulton on the legacy of As the World Turns, and of her character "Lisa", and on her continued acting career and nightclub act

    05:22

    Don Hastings

    Don Hastings on his favorite memories of The Edge of Night, and on making the transition to As the World Turns

    02:13

    Don Hastings on getting the role of "Bob Hughes" on As the World Turns, and on the history of the character on the show

    04:56

    Don Hastings on his role of "Bob Hughes" on As the World Turns, and on how the character has changed over time

    02:55

    Don Hastings on how As the World Turns has changed over the years

    06:09

    Don Hastings on originally being a replacement on As the World Turns, and on Ted Corday

    04:55

    Don Hastings on various storylines on As the World Turns

    04:00

    Don Hastings on his stint as a writer on As the World Turns, and on show creator Irna Phillips

    03:30

    Don Hastings on keeping As the World Turns fresh

    01:39

    Don Hastings on the process of getting his script and memorizing lines for As the World Turns

    03:08

    Don Hastings on As the World Turns switching from live to tape, on live bloopers, and on the use of cue cards

    07:10

    Don Hastings on the medical accuracy of As the World Turns

    01:54

    Don Hastings on Helen Wagner as "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns

    00:41

    Don Hastings on Don MacLaughlin as "Chris Hughes" on As the World Turns

    00:24

    Don Hastings on Santos Ortega as "Pa Hughes" on As the World Turns

    02:15

    Don Hastings on William Johnstone as "Judge James T. Lowell" on As the World Turns

    00:37

    Don Hastings on Ruth Warrick as "Edith Hughes Frye" on As the World Turns

    00:33

    Don Hastings on Eileen Fulton as "Lisa" on As the World Turns

    00:20

    Don Hastings on the cast of As the World Turns

    01:19

    Don Hastings on his favorite As the World Turns storylines

    03:11

    Don Hastings on doing a scene on As the World Turns which was preempted by the Kennedy assassination

    04:24

    Don Hastings on how soaps like As the World Turns are regarded, and how the perception has changed

    04:24

    Don Hastings on the fan base of As the World Turns, and on the then-future of the show

    02:31

    Randolph Mantooth

    Randolph Mantooth on appearing on All My Children and As the World Turns

    02:47

    Agnes Nixon

    Agnes Nixon on collaborating with Irna Phillips on the creation of thirty-minute As the World Turns

    02:41

    Agnes Nixon on the focus of As the World Turns and creating the world of Oakdale

    01:56

    Agnes Nixon on the differences between writing for a thirty-minute show (As the World Turns) and a fifteen-minute show

    00:49

    Agnes Nixon on the success of As the World Turns

    00:41

    Frances Reid

    Frances Reid on appearing on As the World Turns

    03:51

    Fred Silverman

    Fred Silverman on working with Irna Phillips, the writer of one of CBS's serials As the Worlds Turns , on creating the new serial for CBS Love is a Many Spendored Thing

    03:10

    Helen Wagner

    Helen Wagner on Ruth Warrick as "Edie Hughes" on As the World Turns

    01:23

    Helen Wagner on Patricia Bruder and Wendy Drew as "Ellen Lowell" on As the World Turns

    01:02

    Helen Wagner on Mark Rydell as "Jeff Baker" on As the World Turns

    01:29

    Helen Wagner on Henderson Forsythe as "David Stewart" and Marie Masters as "Susan Burke" on As the World Turns

    00:45

    Helen Wagner on the more recent cast members of As the World Turns

    04:03

    Helen Wagner on As the World Turns producer Ted Corday

    01:21

    Helen Wagner on the day-to-day production of As the World Turns in the '50s as opposed to the then-present

    03:31

    Helen Wagner on the sets, costumes, and hair of As the World Turns

    04:03

    Helen Wagner on the writers of As the World Turns and on dealing with sponsors and executives

    01:45

    Helen Wagner on the topics covered by As the World Turns

    02:20

    Helen Wagner on As the World Turns and the Kennedy assassination 

    01:21

    Helen Wagner on the more recent storylines of As the World Turns

    02:30

    Helen Wagner on how her As the World Turns character of "Nancy Hughes" changed over the years and on the fan mail she gets

    02:28

    Helen Wagner on how As the World Turns changed during her tenure and why the show has been so successful 

    02:00

    Helen Wagner on how she came to be cast on As the World Turns

    02:02

    Helen Wagner on the development of her character "Nancy Hughes" on As the World Turns

    05:05

    Helen Wagner on working with Don MacLaughlin as "Chris Hughes" on As the World Turns and on the difference between her and "Nancy Hughes"

    02:54

    Helen Wagner on the beginning of As the World Turns and the standards and practices of the day

    02:37

    Helen Wagner on working with As the World Turns creator Irna Phillips

    02:13

    Helen Wagner on the pilot for As the World Turns

    00:58

    Helen Wagner on Ronnie Welch as "Bob Hughes" on As the World Turns

    01:21

    Helen Wagner on Bob Hastings as "Chris Hughes" on As the World Turns

    02:28

    Helen Wagner on Eileen Fulton as "Lisa Grimaldi" on As the World Turns

    01:29

    Helen Wagner on Rosemary Prinz as "Penny Hughes" on As the World Turns

    00:38

    Helen Wagner on Richard Holland as "Donald Hughes" on As the World Turns

    00:30

    Helen Wagner on Santos Ortega as "Grandpa Hughes" on As the World Turns

    02:15

    Helen Wagner on the death of Don MacLaughlin and how it impacted As the World Turns

    01:08

    Helen Wagner on working with Don MacLaughlin as "Chris Hughes" on As the World Turns and on the difference between her and "Nancy Hughes"

    02:54

    Ruth Warrick

    Ruth Warrick on being cast on As the World Turns

    11:01

    Ruth Warrick on the half-hour format of As the World Turns and the shooting process of the show

    05:44

    Ruth Warrick on memorizing her lines for live TV on As the World Turns

    03:13

    Ellen Wheeler

    Ellen Wheeler on appearing on As the World Turns

    00:37

    Ellen Wheeler on directing As the World Turns and Another World

    04:07

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