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History of As the World Turns (1956–1960)

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Template:ATWT history This article is about the history of As the World Turns (ATWT), the second longest-running American television soap opera.

1956 - 1959

In the beginning, the story focused on the middle-class Hughes family in the small Midwestern burg of Oakdale. Lawyer Chris Hughes (Don MacLaughlin), a partner in a small law firm, was the patriarch of the family. His wife Nancy Hughes (Helen Wagner), while a very traditional housewife, was always the strong voice of reason in the household. Chris and Nancy had three children: Don, Penny, and Bob. A fourth child, Susan, was never seen as she died as a result of swimming during a thunderstorm before the series started.

As the show began, Chris and Nancy were debating whether they should have Chris's father, Will (Santos Ortega) live with them. Their daughter, Penny (Rosemary Prinz), was angry with Nancy over her decision to prohibit her going on a spring vacation trip with her best friend, Ellen Lowell (played in the 1950s by Wendy Drew). Penny had also always been jealous of her mother's relationship with the late Susan and Ellen is in turn angry over her parents' deteriorating marriage.

Ellen would briefly date Penny's brother, attorney in training, Donald "Don" Hughes (played in the 1950s by Hal Studer and then Richard Holland). Don was known to use some very suspicious and quite possibly illegal means to further his career (although later he would reform when it looked as though the District Attorney's office might hire him). Don Hughes was dating waitress, Janice Turner, much to the distaste of his mother Nancy, on more than one occasion, Chris had to remind her of her promise to Don that she would not intefere. The Hughes family was connected professionally and personally with the more well-to-do Lowells, headed by prominent James Lowell (William Johnstone). Judge Lowell's son Jim (Les Damon), also an attorney, would eventually tear his family apart by entering into an ill-fated adulterous affair with Chris Hughes's free-spirited sister Edith (Ruth Warrick). Judge Lowell was in hospital being treated for a heart attack and told Jim that Chris Hughes would be a junior partner in the family law firm.The affair even caused the Hughes family to be involved, Nancy urged Claire Lowell not to dissolve her marriage, Chris' knowledge of the Lowell's problems caused problems between him and Nancy. In the midst of the situation, Jim's estranged wife Claire, consulted Dr.Douglas Cassen about her headaches that were concerning her,and later began treatment for her an illness.Claire considered divorce but then refused Jim this request, Jim ultimately decided to leave Oakdale for a holiday in Florida, pending a finalised divorce from his wife, Claire so he could be with soulmate Edith. Irna Phillips original intention was to write the divorce into the show, to show how divorce could benefit all three characters, for Jim and Edith who loved each other and for Claire who was always paranoid and had started drinking heavily, when Procter & Gamble discovered Irna's intentions, they refused to allow the show to support divorce and so Phillips decided that one of the three characters were to be killed off. Jim died soon after in a boating accident, leading to Edith being left heart broken, she and Claire however found some common ground. The divorce and death also had a profound effect on Jim's daughter Ellen, who would propel many traumatic storylines in the 60's.

In 1958, Jeff and Penny ran away and got married, Nancy later pushed them to have an annullment. Jeff got into a fatal scuffle with Al James who looked down on him and Penny, Al was killed during the fight and Jeff was cleared of all charges as Al's death was deemed accidental with the help of Chris Hughes. However his and Penny's relashionship was under great pressure, Jeff joins the army and Penny begins dating a young lawyer called Tom Pope. Ellen and Judge Lowell had a hard time trying to accept Claire's new husband, Dr. Doug Cassen as Jim had recently died, but Ellen's life is soon brightened up by the young research assistant, Dr. Tim Cole who is a colleague of Doug, they have an affair, but little did Ellen know that Tim was married. Ellen discovered that she was pregnant, she didn't want anyone in Oakdale to discover that she was giving birth to a baby outside of wedlock. Ellen quickly leaves Oakdale for Columbus, where she lodges with Dr. Joseph Meadows and his wife, there Ellen gives birth to a baby boy, naming him James after her father.

Edith Hughes had begun to move on from the devastating loss of Jim Lowell, and got together with Dr. George Frye. Meanwhile, Donald Hughes has got lawyer apprenteship under Mitchell Dru, though Don's patience is lacking and he even argues with the judge of his first trial, at that time he worked for the District Attorney's office, Don took too many liberties and was very nearly disbarred, however his father, Chris manages to discredit the witness and saves Don his job. Don's younger brother, Bob who at that time was 16 also brought worries to Chris and Nancy when he started to hang around with the local trouble maker, Larry Winters.

Trouble arrived in Oakdale in 1959, in the form of Tim's wife, Louise who had just suffered injuries in a car accident. A negleted Louise files an alienation of affection lawsuit against her husband Tim, she also names Ellen as a co-respondant. Ellen felt hurt that Tim neglected to mention that he was a married man, Ellen who is hurt by his lies, is even more upset when his wife refuses to give Tim a divorce. Ellen then leaves baby Jimmy in the care of Dr. Meadows, but soon after Tim obtained a divorce from Louise, he and Ellen married but Tim eventually died after a struggle with leaukemia. Then Ellen begins to date a friend of Jeff's who was called Burt Stanton. Ellen and Burt beacame engaged but there plans were ruined when Burt discovered of Ellen's fling and her son, Ellen fails to see light at the end of the tunnel and gives baby Jimmy up for adoption.

Jeff returned from the army to get stuck into work at the Baker family business, he wanted to impress his parents and to win back Penny's heart who was now engaged to Tom Pope, but after Tom overheard how much Jeff loved Penny, Tom ended the engagment. Then Penny and Jeff married in a spectacular Christmas wedding ceremony in fantastic glory.

Main Characters

The Hughes Family

  • Chris Hughes (1956-1959)
  • Nancy Hughes (1956-1959)
  • William "Pa" Hughes (1956-1959)
  • Don Hughes (1956-1959)
  • Penny Hughes (1956-1959)
  • Edith Hughes (1956-1959)
  • Dr. Bob Hughes (1956-1959)

The Baker Family

  • Jeff Baker (1956-1959)
  • Dick Baker (1959)
  • Grace Baker (1959)

The Lowell Family

  • Judge James T. Lowell (1956-1959)
  • James "Jim" Lowell (1956-1957) - Deceased
  • Ellen Lowell (1956-1959)
  • James T. Lowell jr. (1958-1959)

The Cassen Family

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