As the World Turns

As the World Turns is a piece of Americana culture. Cast members like Helen Wagner, Bob Hastings, Eileen Fulton, Kathryn Hays, Colleen Zenk Pinter, Marie Masters, Elizabeth Hubbard, Larry Bryggman etc. have really helped make my days sometimes. The show was created Irna Phillips, the creator of daytime television. From her ideas, she created the world of Oakdale, Illinois. Helen Wagner should be given many honors besides a Lifetime Emmy Award. Next year, she will be celebrating 50 years of playing the same character on daytime television. Where are the accolades that go with such an achievement? She deserves a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and even to be an honoree at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Center Honors. Don't stop there! She should be inducted into the television hall of fame for her contributions to television. I think CBS is the best, most supportive network of the three. While Guiding Light needs ever viewer, this year will determine both Guiding Light and As The World Turns future. If you want to know where Desperate Housewives' ideas came from, this is the place and it has been there for most of our lives. I just wish more people would appreciate the fine quality of work that these cast of brilliant actors do for daytime. I would like to see prime time players do the hectic schedules of any daytime player. It goes unappreciated. The story lines have not been the same since Douglas Marland's death but his legacy is his creative contributions to the show like the Snyder family. I will never forget the Angel incest storyline as the most shocking entertaining informing and brilliant portrayal ever anywhere else. Marland weaved stories like his predecessors Irna Phillips, Agnes Nixon, Bill Bell, etc. He is sorely missed even now. I hope As the World Turns and Guiding Light live on television forever so please give daytime a try. You might like it better than prime time, I usually do and I have watched it for 20 years.

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.

It is such a shame we don't get to see As the World Turns anymore. It was such a great show. It should never have been canceled! It ran for 54 years. It had great characters and great actors and actresses who portrayed them. The show has such an impressive history, it is legendary. It was never boring, so much happened and we got to see a lot of epic story lines. If you have never watched it, you really have missed something. I am only 21 and I've watched the show for 11 years, in the Netherlands. It will always be part of TV history and the show should never be forgotten. If you have the chance, watch some clips on Youtube. You won't be sorry. The world will always turn in my heart.

We all know how soaps are. Over dramatic, cheesy and completely unrealistic. But this is one soap, I find, that does it in a more clever way. It's actually enjoyable to watch, and sometimes even funny. I never liked day time drama. Sure, I'd watch for the sake of laughing at the awful writing and acting. But then I watched an episode of As The World Turns. And then the next day. Soon, I was addicted to it. The characters intrigued me and there story lines often made sense and were logical. The Luke and Noah story line made the show for me. Not many times do you find a day time drama with a gay couple on it, and the fact that ATWT took the risk, really impressed me and I enjoyed the show ever more. If anything, watch this show for them. I am a new viewer of this show, as new as they come. 1 months to be exact, but I've heard many people say that it's not as good as it was back then, when it first began. Well, I wouldn't know. As I see the show right now, I would say it is the best day time drama on television today.

For me, ironically enough, it was '84, when Meg Ryan left and was replaced with Lindsey Frost, that I started watching.

Doug Marland became the writer and suddenly this show was truly different from the other soaps.

We got the Snyder farm family and Lily Walsh was recast.

The standout situation to me was Lucinda Walsh shoving Susan Stewart into that Christmas tree and injuring Susan's back. Susan is in the hospital and the gloating Lucinda pays her a visit.

Susan, a recovering alcoholic, becomes addicted to the pain killers for her back. Kim Hughes is helping her son, Andy Dixon, deal with his alcoholism after the bad girl he loved, Julie, has dumped him for Tonio Reyes.

Turns out it was Lucinda who brought Julie to town to begin with.

Kim's husband, Bob Hughes, feels ignored by Kim. He aids Susan with her withdrawal, and next thing you know, the pristine Bob Hughes is having a one night stand with Susan, whose husband Dan had had an affair with Kim decades earlier.

But the fun didn't end there.

Bob and Kim learned they had a long lost daughter, Sabrina Fullerton (originally played by Julianne Moore).

Sabrina (later played by Claire Beckman) was not the most welcoming person. She would feel sorry for the villianous Tonio Reyes (Peter Boynton), giving him all her inheritance from her adopted parents.

Bob would learn of Tonio's evil deeds, and attempt to stop him.

Tonio shot Bob in the back, then fled to South America with Sabrina.

As they drove across the outback, Tonio began confessing to Sabrina all he had done; the lies, the thievery and even shooting her father.

Tonio would say very calmly "Don't try to escape"

Sabrina would respond "I have no where to run to. You've seen to that."

I couldn't believe I had just heard such a powerhouse line in a soap opera.

There would be more, with Julie on the rebound from Caleb Snyder and Holden broken up with Lily, Julie and Holden would have the infamous one night stand that would rebound throughout the show with Julie getting pregnant.

Andy would deliver the baby with Snyder sister Iva, who would adopt the baby.

It was all amazing to watch.

Then Kim would have to trust Bob and Susan again when they went to South America to do medical duties and they vanished. Turns out they had been kidnapped and had to operate on the wounded Tonio Reyes!

Remarkable show.

When Conor Jameson was recast, and Neal Alcott (Mary Kay Adams) left the show (she was murdered), it was losing its fun.

Doug Marland would die as the murderer was revealed, but it wasn't exciting.

Then Iva Snyder would suddenly marry and leave the show, and so did I.

Ah well. The moment was gone.

But what a moment it was!