As the World Turns

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.

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!

If you have never watched ATWT, do yourself a favor and check out this wonderful program. I have been a faithful viewer of this show since 1986 when the legendary Douglas Marland penned those well-crafted stories that incorporated the show's history and kept the viewer glued to the television set. Actually, if you count the time that my mother watched when I was a little kid, then I have been watching a lot longer than that! Incredibly, there are still many talented actors (and their characters) whom I remember from that time who are still on the show today: Helen Wagner (Nancy), Don Hastings (Bob), Eileen Fulton (Lisa), Kathryn Hays (Kim), Larry Bryggman (John) and Marie Masters (Susan). There have also been many great actors who have appeared later who are equally as brilliant and have been on the show for more that 10 years: Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda), Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara), Benjamin Hendrickson (Hal), Tamara Tunie (Jessica), Scott Holmes (Tom), Ellen Dolan (Margo), Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily), Jon Hensley (Holden), and Martha Byrne (Lily/Rose). Other notable actors who just grab your attention in the current storylines include: Maura West (Carly), Lesli Kay (Molly), Michael Park (Jack), Mark Collier (Mike), Lamman Rucker (Marshall), Scott Holroyd (Paul) and Hunt Block (Craig).

The entire cast is great and the stories are more rooted in reality than most other shows (no aliens, demonic possessions or stereotypical mobster types here!) and this is exactly why I watch this show! Yes, there have been people coming back from the dead (remember James Stenbeck?), the premature aging syndrome of children (Bonnie is supposed to be 11 years old in "real time"!) and some things that seem odd to the very astute viewer (I must have missed the episode where Ellen Stewart left town and entrusted her home to Susan Stewart, her ex-daughter-in-law with whom she never really got along!), but, for the most part, things make sense and characters behave in ways that are logical and therefore help to maintain their integrity. Hogan Sheffer is doing a fine job of writing and developing stories. Actors Marie Masters and Courtney Sherman (Dr. Susan Stewart and Dr. Lynn Michaels, respectively) are also on the writing team.

Another thing I appreciate as a longtime viewer is characters who come back for brief visits and are played by the original actors. Caleb Snyder and his wife Julie recently came to town to visit their son Aaron and the rest of the Snyder clan. And Iva Snyder returned when the Lily/Rose story was initially unraveling. It would be great to see other old favorites come back to visit or permanently move back to town. It was a real disservice when Patricia Bruder, who played Ellen Stewart, was let go in 1995. She joined the show in 1960 and was the last remnant of the Lowell/Stewart family. She should move back (and reclaim her house!) and then get involved in the life of her granddaughter, Emily. She might even help Alison (she needs it!) who would be both her step-granddaughter and great-granddaughter. (Too long to explain here!) It would be great if the other Snyder family members would return. Or, perhaps, the other lost members of the Hughes family--they've been in fictional Montega long enough! Personally, I would like to see these actors and their characters again: Allyson Rice (Connor Walsh, Lucinda's despised relative & a great business foil for Lucinda); Greg Watkins (Evan Walsh, Connor's brother & Rosanna's old beau); Scott DeFrietas (Andy Dixon, son of Kim and John & Paul's cousin); Lindsay Frost (Betsy Stewart Andropoulos, Ellen's other granddaughter and Emily's half-sister); Anne Sward (Lyla Montgomery Peretti, mother of Margo, Craig, Cricket and Katie); and Robin Morse (Pamela Wagner, John's niece who was a no-nonsense, independent student nurse trainee). Allyson Rice (Connor) and Daniel Markel (David Allen/Stenbeck) should never have been let go! It would be great if Trent Dawson (Henry Coleman) and Anne Sayre (Mitzi Matters) were given contracts and more air time--their characters are really outrageously funny!

So, watch this soap opera that will soon be turning 47 years old this year. What other program--daytime or nighttime--can boast that it has a character (Nancy Hughes McClosky) that's been played by the same actress (Helen Wagner) since the premiere episode for the last 47 years??? Not one!

There's also a book called "As the World Turns: The Complete Family Scrapbook" by Julie Poll that was written to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary in 1996. This will help new viewers get the entire storyline (up to 1996) of the members of the Hughes, Lowell, Stewart, Montgomery, Walsh and Snyder families and all of their friends and enemies.

As The World Turns started on my birthday in 1956. I was in high school and since the show was only 1/2 hour, I was able to watch it on my lunch hour. I have watched it all these years and really love it. ATWT has produced some great actors and actresses. I loved Meg Ryan as Betsy and Julianne Moore as Franny. I thought Brian Bloome was terrific as Dusty. I was very saddened when the Judge and then Christopher Hughes died. I feel I have grown old with Bob, Kim and Lisa. I wish some of the older actresses could be brought back. I really miss Frannie and Betsy. This year (April 2, 2006) I will have been watching this show for 50 years. So, happy birthday to me and to As The World Turns.