USA
/ CBS / 11,000 episodes and counting / x30m-e
and then from 1975 x60m-e / 2 April
1956-continuing / On 13 February 1967 the show
began broadcasting in colour.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Ted
Corday (1956-65), Joe Willmore (1970's), Joe
Rothenberger(1978-80), Fred Bartholomew
(1980-81), Mary Ellis-Bunim (1981-84), Robert
Calhoun (1984-88), Lawrence Caso (1988-95), John
Valente (1995-96), Felicia Minei Behr (1996-99),
Christopher Goutman (1999-)
THEME MUSIC
As The World Turns by Charles Paul (1956-81) /
The World Turns On and On by Jack Cortner-Eliot
Lawrence Productions (1981-93) (there was a
remix of this title music around 1985) /
Jelinda's Theme (also known as As The World
Turns Theme) by Barry Devorzon. Incidentally
during the time of the infamous O.J. Simpson
trial the midbreak theme was used over shortened
visuals. Also the keys for the theme music were
C Maj and D Maj. In 1973 the organ music
that had been used for the theme was changed for
an orchestral arrangement.
As The
World Turns is one of the longest running soaps
in the world beginning 2 April 1956 and shown
weekdays at 2.00pm, the series details the lives
of the Hughes family and that of the Lowells.
Because of the shows longevity many of its
characters have been played by several actors
each. On 5 May 1968 a short lived 38
episode night time spin off called Our Private
World started on CBC and focusing on the
character of Lisa Hughes (played by Eileen
Fulton). The show was initially 30 minutes
duration but on 1 December 1975 it switched to
60 minute episodes.
A few well known actors had a leg up in their
career by appearing pre-fame in As The World
Turns, most famously Martin Sheen as Jack Davis
(1960's), Meg Ryan as Betsy Stewart (1982-84),
Swoosie Kurtz as Ellie Bradley, Dana Delaney as
Hayley Wilson Hollister (1981) and Marisa Tomei
as Marcy Thompson (1983-85). There are not many
surviving episodes of the Proctor and Gamble
shows prior to 1978. ATWT was broadcast live
until the spring of 1975. Another World, The Guiding Light,
Search
for Tomorrow and others went to tape in
the late 60's. After the shows went to tape, the
finished tapes were erased and reused due to the
cost of videotape at the time.
Many of the surviving episodes are on kinescope.
Some early color episodes survive as black and
white copies. The others in various museums
around the country are on video reels and
haven't been transferred yet. ABC erased the
early years of All My Children and
the other soaps. All My Children did
air in color for its entire run, but the early
episodes are BW kinescopes of color episodes.
Dark Shadows is the only soap from the 60's that
is completely intact.
In 1999, a new globe opening was introduced. The globe was made of video clips of ATWT and was the first ATWT opening to feature cast shots. In july 2002, a new opening premiered. The cast shots were still there, but instead of space, they used a tan background. The globe no longer spun into the "O" in "WORLD", but is now an abstract
at the right of the screen. I call it the
"globeless sellout opening."
- Big Dave | Jermaine Jackson made a guest
appearance in 1984.
Announcers: Dan McCullough (1956-82), Dan Reigon
(1982-99).
Cast
HELEN WAGNER
as Nancy Hughes / DON MACLAUGHLIN as Chris
Hughes / WILLIAM LEE as Grandpa Hughes (1) /
SANTOS ORTEGA as Grandpa Hughes (2) / WILLIAM
JOHNSTONE as Judge James T. Lowell / LES DAMON
as Jim Lowell / The character of Claire English
Lowell has been played by ANNE BURR / GERTRUDE
WARNER / NANCY WICKWIRE / JONE ALLISON / BARBARA
BERJER / The character of Bob Hughes has been
played by BOBBY ALFORD / RONNIE WELCH / DON
HASTINGS / ROSEMARY PRINZ as Penny Hughes (In
1971 Phoebe Dorin also played Penny Hughes) /
Donald Hughes has been played by HAL STUDER /
RICHARD HOLLAND / JAMES NOBLE / PETER BRANDON /
MARTIN WEST / CONRAD FOWKES / JOYCE VAN PATTEN
as Janice Turner (1) / VIRGINIA DWYER as Janice
Turner (2) / LEONA POWERS as Mrs Thelma Turner /
ROD COLBIN as Carl Whipple / Grace Baker has
been played by SELENA ROYLE / FRANCES REID /
GRACE MATTHEWS / MURIAL WILLIAMS / Alma Miller
has been played by JOANNA ROOS / ETHEL REMEY /
DOROTHY BLACKBURN / Paul Stewart has been played
by ALAN HOWARD / EDMUND GAYNES / STEVEN MINES /
MICHAEL HAWKINS / GARSON DEBRAMENIO / DEAN
SANTORO / MILLETTE ALEXANDER as Sylvia Hill /
MICHAEL LIPTON as Neil Wade / ANNA MINOT
as Martha Wilson / FRAN CARLSON as Julia Burke /
LARRY BRYGGMAN as John Dixon / JERRY LACY as
Simon Gilbey / KELLY WOOD as Mary Ellison Hughes
/ PETER BROUWER as Brad Hollister / MICHAEL
FOREST as Nick Andropoulos / LISA LORING as
Cricket Montgomery / KATHY 'KATE' McNEIL as
Karen Haines / JUDITH BLAZER as Ariel Aldrin /
DAVID BAILEY as Dr Ben Forest / BRIAN BLOOM as
Dustin Donovan / BRECK JAMISON as Jay Connors /
ELIZABETH HUBBARD as Lucinda Walsh / DAN FRAZER
as Lt Dan McClosky / MARGARET REED as Shannon
O'Hara McKechnie / SLOANE SHELTON as Harriet
Corbman / STEVE BASSETT as Seth Snyder / RENEE
PROPS as Ellie Snyder / SUSAN MARIE SNYDER
as Julie Wendall Snyder / ALLYSON RICE-TAYLOR as
Connor Walsh Kasnoff / DAMIAN LEAKE as Joel
Higgins / MASON BOCCARDO as Aaron Snyder /
YVONNE PERRY as Rosanna Cabot / PAUL HECHT as
Alexander Cabot / TERRY LESTER as Royce Keller /
MARK KEVIN LEWIS as Gregory Varner / CLAIRE
BLOOM as Orlena Grimaldi (1) / LYNN MILGRIM as
Orlena Grimaldi (2) / ROBERT VAUGHN as Rick
Hamlin / DARNELL WILLIAMS as Jack Devere / PETER
PARROS as Ben Harris / MICHAEL PARK as Jack
Snyder / LESLI KAY STERLING as Molly Conlon /
LAUREN MARTIN-HARKINS as Camille Bennett / ANNIE
PARISSE as Julia Lindsay / JAMIE NICOLE DUDNEY
as Georgia Tucker / PAUL TAYLOR as Isaac Jenkins
/ PAUL LEYDEN as Simon Frasier
As The
World Turns is one of the longest running soaps
in the world beginning 2 April 1956 and shown
weekdays at 2.00pm, the series details the lives
of the Hughes family and that of the Lowells.
Because of the shows longevity many of its
characters have been played by several actors
each. On 5 May 1968 a short lived 38
episode night time spin off called Our Private
World started on CBC and focusing on the
character of Lisa Hughes (played by Eileen
Fulton). The show was initially 30 minutes
duration but on 1 December 1975 it switched to
60 minute episodes.
