WAGNERIn this day and age, when television shows are canceled for not achieving instant ratings success, daytime drama "As the World Turns" is celebrating its 50th year on the air. It recently broadcast a pair of special stand-alone episodes. First was a group of hilarious parodies of classic television sitcoms, including Happy (Oakdale) Days, The Muns(on)sters and I Dream of Carly. The following Monday, the show again featuring its original black-and-white opening and organ-music theme included a celebration of its veteran female cast members (all of whom seem to bathe each morning in the fountain of youth) chartering a bus out of town to where their friend and relative Nancy Hughes received a lifetime achievement award for 50 years. Nancy Hughes has been played by Helen Wagner since the show began. In fact, she uttered its first line of dialogue, a question not heard on soaps for quite some time: "Good morning, dear. What would you like for breakfast?"
Soaps have changed considerably since 1956, but even with their evil twins and deceased characters back from the dead, ATWT at its core has always been about family generations of families, ones we have grown up watching with our mothers and grandmothers. Yes, soaps have changed, but as Wagner says: "Life has changed, and I think that's the whole point of daytime drama, particularly World Turns. It reflects what is going on in the world." This year alone the show has featured a breast-cancer storyline with another veteran, Lucinda Walsh (Elizabeth Hubbard), and teenager Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) struggling to tell his parents he's gay.
Before Wagner was fortunate enough to join ATWT and be one of the rare few actresses employed for 50 years, she worked on Broadway in such hits as Oklahoma! and The Bad Seed. She also played the daughter on the TV series The World of Mr. Sweeney. She majored in voice and piano in college, and still enjoys playing the piano, and she includes gardening and watching game shows among her hobbies.
In asking her to reflect on the past five decades, Was there one particular storyline of Nancy's that was her favorite, or least favorite? "I can't really pick a storyline," Wagner explains. "They were all fun. They were all good." She speaks highly of the other actresses and actors on the show and says that they all get along. They do not socialise much outside of the set because most of them live scattered about outside of the Big Apple, where the show films. Wagner notes: "We all live very separate lives. We're very good friends."
In asking if ATWT has anymore special episodes for long-time fans in celebration of its half-century on the air, she says, "I can't tell you, but be sure to tune in." Don't worry, Helen, we always do.
