Paul Raven

1955 Peggy McCay (Vanessa) cuts the cake to celebrate 1000 episodes

1967 press release for Donna Mills as Sister Cecilia on the upcoming LIAMST

Kurt Van Allen was Greta's father and Maggie's ex. 1966 press release publicizing the casting of Victoria Racimo s Tia Mahala Van Allen,Kurt Van Allen's Somoan widow. According to IMDB Racimo would have only been 16 at the time.

1978 Press Photo

Billboard Nov 19th 1955 New York Nov 12th In the manner of many other daytime shows 'Valiant Lady'.the CBS daytime soap opera is being beefed up to increase viewing. The soaper is going with a policy of big name stars who will be integrated into the plot. Already used on the show is Signe Hasso. To be used in future weeks are Charlton Heston and Shelley Winters. The program will integrate a fashion show that will feature Jinx Falkenberg.. In the works is a theme song 'My True Devotion'.General Mills and Toni sponsor the 12 - 12.15 stanza.

Welcome Gregorzick A photo of Leonie

1958 Summary By early 1958, Penny and Jeff will have eloped; however, the two get an annulment at Nancy's insistence. Jeff is having problems with Al James, who sees Penny as a "tramp" and Jeff as a spoiled rich boy. The two have a violent scuffle, which results in Al's death. Chris defends Jeff with the help of a new young lawyer named Tom Pope. Al's death is ruled an accident and Jeff is cleared, but there is a strain in his relationship with Penny for a time. So Jeff joins the army and Penny starts dating Tom Pope. Jeff has a temporary leave from the Army around August and sees Penny during that time. Ellen Lowell has her own problems. Her mother, Claire, has just married Dr. Doug Cassen and Ellen has a hard time warming up to him. Judge Lowell also disapproves of Claire marrying Doug so soon after Jim's death. But a new man soon comes into Ellen's life: Dr. Tim Cole, a research colleague of Dr. Doug Cassen. The two have a passionate affair, but Tim is keeping something from Ellen: he is already married to someone else. Ellen soon finds herself pregnant. Since she doesn't want anyone in Oakdale to know she's going to have a baby out of wedlock, Ellen leaves for Columbus, where she stays with Dr. Joe Meadows and his wife. It is there that Ellen gives birth to a baby boy she names James, after her late father. Edith Hughes, who was devastated by Jim's death, also finds love again via Dr. George Frye. Donald begins his law career by apprenticing under lawyer Mitchell Dru. But Don quickly tries the patience of all would advise him on how to conduct himself as a lawyer. He argues with a judge at his first trial. Then, while working in the District Attorney's office, he takes so many liberties with cases that he is nearly disbarred. Chris is able to discredit the witness and thus saves Don's job. Bob Hughes, now 16, has worried Chris and Nancy by spending time with local troublemaker Larry Winters.

Variety reported in an article from May 1980 that internal NBC documents revealed that NBC were making a profit of $160,000 per broadcast of AW for a yearly total of $48 million. That is an amazing figure - and this was when AW ratings were low. How did it all change to the point that soaps were no longer profitable for the networks?

Variety May 1st 1981 Paul Roberts, last season a story consultant for NBC-TV's "Days Of Our Lives," has been named head writer for CBS-TV's soap "As The World Turns". He replaced the Dobsons.I think his stint was interrupted bt the writers strike. ATWT went downhill during this time.

Variety Jan 19th 1972 For the second week in a row, ABC-TV has won the daytime average rating race. Long dominant CBS is third in very close three-way competition. Nielsen book for the week ending Jan. 9 gives ABC an 8.7 rating and 29 share to NBC's 8.0 and CBS' 7.7.

Variety July 26th 1977 Mel and Ethel Brez have been signed to an exclusive NBC-TV contract, it was announced yesterday by NBC daytime veepee Madeline David. "We are developing Mel and Ethel as potential head writers for serials," David said. "The team would not be assigned to a specific show, but would instead work on the development of serial concepts and ideas to become acquainted with the serial form. In 78 they became headwriters for The Doctors

Variety April 7th 1976 CBS-TV posted an 8.3 daytime rating for the week ended March 28, a score that was 28% better than NBC (6.5) and 32% better than ABC (6.3) for the week. The advantage over its rivals is the best CBS daytimelead since October 1970, when the web led NBC by 28%.

Variety April 18th 1973 Bobby Short, the supper club singer-pianist, will play himself in April 26 episode of "As the World Turns" on CBS-TV...

Variety reported that coinciding with its 9th anniversary in 73,AW passed ATWT as the #1 soap in recent ratings.

Variety Oct 17th 1973 Conrad Mattaei and Dennis Cooney into the cast of CBS-TV's "As the World Turns" daytime. Conrad was the first Grant Coleman and had played Roy McGuire a few years previously.I wonder why he was cast in two prominent roles? Anyway,he was soon replaced by James Douglas,who came over from AW where he played Eliot. Would these have been the first characters created by the Soderbergs after Irna was fired?

Variety Dec 15 1971 For week ending Dec 5th ABC & NBC tied with 7.7 CBS 7.5 1. GH 10.4 2. EON 10.1 3 ATWT 9.9

Variety June 17 1964 ABC turned the trick with its "General Hospital" serial, which has been making a steady climb on the charts, moving sharewise from 18 to 35. The last Nielsen gave it the 12th daytime position with a 7.0 rating.

Variety Nov 17 1965 1. ATWT 13.0 2. Secret Storm 11.0 3. Password 10.8 4. House Party 10.8 5. TGL 10.6 6. SFT 10.4 7.TEON 10.3

Variety Jan 22 1969 1.30 - 2.00 ATWT 14.4 Let's Make A Deal 10.5 Hidden Faces 4.4

According to Variety,there was some wheeling and dealing in mid 67 that could have seen The Doctors move to CBS.It was around the time that Colgate Palmolive took over outright ownership from creator Orin Tovrov. It was something to do with the William Morris Agency,who packaged the show for Tovrov and wanted to retain their weekly commission.

Variety Nov 12th 1965 -Gloria De Haven has joined the cast of the daytime serial, "As The World Turns," which is aired Mondays through Fridays on CBS-TV. Commencing Monday she will create the role of a New York dress designer

Variety June 19th 1963 Mildred Clinton and David Brooks signed for roles in NBC-TV's "The Doctors"

Remember all that talk of Hallmark buying the rights to the show and claims that every episode was saved? Wonder if that will ever be mentioned again? Here's a snippet from Variety dealing with the storyline of the first episode. ....first day, Monday ( 1), thisNBC-TV strip borrowed a lot of them. A little girl with an aggravated hernia and a mean stepmother died in surgery, not of the knife . but of something familiarly mysterious to viewers- an aneurism.