'As the World Turns' - celebrates its 53rd birthday

April 2, 7:42 AMSoap Opera ExaminerMary Montanari

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CBS

Congratulations to As the World Turns as it celebrates its 53rd year on the air. The following is an excerpt from The As the World Encyclopedia.

 As the World Turns (ATWT) is the second longest-running American television soap opera, airing each weekday on CBS.

It debuted on Monday, April 2, 1956 at 1:30 in the afternoon. Before this show (and The Edge of Night, which premiered on the same day), all soaps were fifteen minutes in length; ATWT was the first half-hour serial.

 

At first, viewers did not respond to the new half-hour serial, but ratings picked up in its second year, eventually reaching the top spot in the daytime Nielsen ratings by the fall of 1958. In 1959, the show started a streak of weekly ratings wins that would not be interrupted for over twelve years. In the year-to-date ratings, As the World Turns was the most-watched daytime drama from 1958 until 1978, with ten million viewers tuning in each day. At its height, core actors such as Helen Wagner, Don MacLaughlin, Don Hastings and Eileen Fulton became nationally known. In the 1960s and 1970s, the show was spoofed on The Carol Burnett Show, in a skit called As the Stomach Turns.

 

The show transitioned from black-and-white to color in the mid-1960s, with the final black-and-white episode airing on February 17, 1967. The show moved from a half-hour in length to one hour starting on December 1, 1975.

The show has aired over 12,000 installments; the 10,000th episode aired on May 12, 1995."

Do visit the As the World Turns Encyclopedia for the shows premise and a rich look at its history.  Also, for a great selection of videos visit We Love Soaps.  Congratulations to As the World Turns for its remarkable run.