Thursday, October 20, 2011

SURVEY RESULTS: Fans Weigh In On The AS THE WORLD TURNS DVD Episodes

We Love Soaps recently surveyed fans about what their favorite episodes were from the new AS THE WORLD TURNS 4-disc 20-episode DVD collection from SoapClassics. The late 1980s seemed to be the most popular with our readers.

Below are the results from our survey:

Of the five classic ATWT episodes chosen for Disc 1: Great Weddings, which is your favorite?
1. 24.7% Steve Andropolous Marries Betsy Stewart (May 31, 1984)
2. 22.0% Bob Hughes marries Kim Andropolous (April 12, 1985)
2. 22.0% Jack Snyder Marries Carly Tenney (July 3, 2003)
4. 16.5% Holden Snyder Marries Lily Walsh (January 12, 1998)
5. 14.8% Tom Hughes Marries Margo Montgomery (June 1, 1983)

This was the most evenly distributed question in the survey and the only one that did not include an episode from the late '80s. Steve and Betsy's wedding, the most watched episode in AS THE WORLD TURNS history, finished on top. Meg Ryan left the soap about a month later.  All these weddings seemed to hold a special place in the heart of fans.

Of the five classic ATWT episodes chosen for Disc 2: Secrets and Scandals , which is your favorite?
1. 51.9% Lily Learns a Shattering Truth - Iva is her mother (June 24, 1987)
2. 16.0% Luke Comes Out - Lily and Holden react (May 9, 2006)
3. 11.0% Bob and Dana Face the Music - Ian collapses, Grant shocks Lisa (September 29, 1979)
3. 11.0%Something About Carly - Parker is really Hal's son (August 2, 1999)
5. 9.9% The Explosive Truth - Barbara in the boathouse (June 18, 2001)

This one wasn't even close. Iva charging into the barn with a pitchfork is one of the most memorable scenes of ATWT in its last 25 years. Between the brilliant performances from Martha Byrne, Lisa Brown and William Fichtner, and the writing of Douglas Marland, fans have continued to remember this one fondly to this day.

Of the five classic ATWT episodes chosen for Disc 3: Oakdale Through the Years, which is your favorite?
1. 49.4% The 30th Anniversary Show - Everyone sings "Always" to Chris & Nancy (April 2, 1986)
2. 23.9% The 50th Anniversary Show - Seven Divas on a Bus (April 3, 2006)
3. 10.0% Bob and Kim Hughes’ 25th Anniversary - Julianne Moore returns (April 5, 2010)
4. 8.9% Christmas at the Snyder Farm - Noah is a surprise guest thanks to Lucinda (December 25, 2009)
5. 7.8% The 40th Anniversary Show - Nancy and Dan seize the day (April 2, 1996)

The 30th Anniversary episode dominated this category. Don MacLaughlin aired for the final time as Chris Hughes and  combined with the return of fan favorites and  a round of "Always" from party guests, it has tugged at the heartstrings of AS THE WORLD TURNS fans ever since it aired in 1986. The "Seven Divas" episode also received a number of votes proving Nancy Hughes and the grand dames of Oakdale have never gone out of style.

Of the five classic ATWT episodes chosen for Disc 4: Villains and Vixens, which is your favorite?
1. 37.2% Episode 2: The Return of James Stenbeck - Hello, Barbara (November 7, 1986)
2. 23.0% Episode 3: When Villain Meets Vixen - John & Lucinda in the hot tub (March 20, 1987)
3. 16.4% Episode 4: Humiliation - John exacts his revenge on Lisa at their engagement party (April 15, 1996)
4. 12.6% Episode 5: The Trials of Barbara Ryan - Barbara has a scary dream involving the spa girls and James (July 22, 2002)
5. 10.9% Episode 1: John Dixon Takes a Fall - Margo won't give up James (May 14, 1981)

How do you compete with "Hello, Barbara"? It takes a hot tub and... Well, nothing could beat the first return of James Stenbeck, but John and Lucinda's surprise marriage came close. Two of ATWT's most memorable episodes aired just four months apart. Doug Marland was so in touch with who his characters were and what the community of Oakdale was all about, the show always seemed watchable at that time.

Out of all 20 episodes on the 4-disc set, which one is your favorite and why?
The 30th Anniversary episode and Iva revealing Lily was her daughter were the most commonly listed shows from our readers. But most of the episodes got a mention with some preferring weddings, while others wanting to see the most vintage episodes available.

Whatever your preference, the passion AS THE WORLD TURNS fans have for their soap is as strong as ever!

You can watch clips from all the episodes on the new DVD collection, and purchase your copy, at SoapClassics.com.

Many people voted from memory.  If you have received your DVDs, watched and had a change of heart, let us know in our Comments section.  Did things play out as your remembered?

RELATED:
- AS THE WORLD TURNS ON DVD: Eileen Fulton Reminisces About Meeting Doug Marland, Gardenias, Tight Dresses & More
- AS THE WORLD TURNS ON DVD: Sara Ramirez Reminisces About Playing Hannah

7 comments:

  1. Today I received an e-mail that confirmed that my copy has been shipped! Can't wait for it to arrive. But I'll have to be patient. :-)

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  2. That's great, Mark. Which episode of the 20 is your favorite?

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  3. There are a lot of episodes I haven't seen yet, so I might change my mind later... :P But Luke coming out is definitely one of my favorites. I really enjoyed the performances by Van, Martha and Jon.

    But I also really loved that story line with the boathouse explosion.

    I'm looking forward to all the other classic episodes. "Hello Barbara", the Steve/Betsy and Tom/Margo weddings, the anniversary shows... :-)

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  4. On the Bob & Kim 25th anniversary episode, I was hoping that the April 2, 2010 & April 5, 2010 shows were included together on Disk #3.

    April 2, 2010 was the official day of the 54th anniversary episode, & that episode contained many more flashback clips as well as the argument between Bob & Kim at the Lakeview Hotel Restaurant that started the marital fireworks in the first place.

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  5. Can't wait to order mine!!! (don't have the money right now)

    So I heard that some episodes have the opening cut out? Which episodes, out of curiosity?

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  6. Has anybody gotten theirs yet? Are the opening credits intact with sponsor billboards?

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  7. Can't wait! to get mine....so excited about this!! Hooray for you wonderful people remembering this amazing show and for giving it back to us in this small way!! More More More!

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