As the Stomach Turns
Encyclopedia
As the Stomach Turns was a parody of soap opera
s, most notably a play on the title of a very popular soap at the time, As the World Turns
, and was featured on The Carol Burnett Show
.
The vignette's premise was to describe, in great detail, the problems of a thirtyish woman named Marion (played by Carol Burnett
), who lived in the town of Canoga Falls. The vignette dealt with problems that were more likely to be seen on a soap opera than in real life.
For example, Marion's niece Raven (played by Bernadette Peters
in a guest spot) came to visit her and was possessed by the devil, Marion assumed, because Raven was such a nice girl normally. The town exterminator/freelance exorcist (played by Tim Conway
, using the same faux-Swedish dialect that he would use to play character Mr. Tudball) was forced to exorcise the demon from her body, a story that was eventually done, in all seriousness, on Days of our Lives
decades later.
The vignette also touched on stereotypical aspects of production values in American soaps. Many times, Marion forgot what she wanted to say, reminiscent of the times when soap operas were broadcast live and actors routinely forgot their next line. Marion also answered the door either too soon or too late when someone rang her doorbell. Other times, she would miss the correct time to answer the phone, saying "Hello" before the sound effect came for it to ring. On live soap opera productions, these were big problems; due to the live nature of the show, they happened fairly frequently, and were subsequently spoofed at length on The Carol Burnett Show.
In addition to the missed cues, the skit was notorious for overusing loud and plangent organ music
, a reference to a time when soap operas would have in-house organists play dramatic music as well as the show's theme song (when this skit first ran, organ music was still in wide use on the serials). Organ music was eventually discontinued in the mid-1970s, around the time The Carol Burnett Show wrapped up its run, so when the skit is seen in syndication today, it brings back a sense of production technique that is now seen by many younger soap viewers as archaic and outdated.
Traditional soap operas have little use for child-age characters, either dropping them from the plot line shortly after they are introduced or unnaturally aging
them into adulthood (or, more recently, into the teenage years). For example, a young character might be sent upstairs to put on his shoes and never be referred to again. The sudden dropping of young characters was humorously spoofed in As the Stomach Turns by Marion's daughter (played by Vicki Lawrence
) arriving at the door holding a baby and announcing, "Hi, Mom. I've had a baby," and immediately dropping the baby (a doll) into the umbrella stand next to the door.
The skit was famous for the parody ending in which the announcer would ask foreboding, progressively nonsensical questions about the characters while focusing on their puzzled reactions.
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s, most notably a play on the title of a very popular soap at the time, As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
, and was featured on The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
.
The vignette's premise was to describe, in great detail, the problems of a thirtyish woman named Marion (played by Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
), who lived in the town of Canoga Falls. The vignette dealt with problems that were more likely to be seen on a soap opera than in real life.
For example, Marion's niece Raven (played by Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
in a guest spot) came to visit her and was possessed by the devil, Marion assumed, because Raven was such a nice girl normally. The town exterminator/freelance exorcist (played by Tim Conway
Tim Conway
Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway is an American comedian and actor, primarily known for his roles in sitcoms, films and television. Conway is best known for his role as the inept second-in-command officer, Ensign Charles Parker, to Lt...
, using the same faux-Swedish dialect that he would use to play character Mr. Tudball) was forced to exorcise the demon from her body, a story that was eventually done, in all seriousness, on Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
decades later.
The vignette also touched on stereotypical aspects of production values in American soaps. Many times, Marion forgot what she wanted to say, reminiscent of the times when soap operas were broadcast live and actors routinely forgot their next line. Marion also answered the door either too soon or too late when someone rang her doorbell. Other times, she would miss the correct time to answer the phone, saying "Hello" before the sound effect came for it to ring. On live soap opera productions, these were big problems; due to the live nature of the show, they happened fairly frequently, and were subsequently spoofed at length on The Carol Burnett Show.
In addition to the missed cues, the skit was notorious for overusing loud and plangent organ music
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, a reference to a time when soap operas would have in-house organists play dramatic music as well as the show's theme song (when this skit first ran, organ music was still in wide use on the serials). Organ music was eventually discontinued in the mid-1970s, around the time The Carol Burnett Show wrapped up its run, so when the skit is seen in syndication today, it brings back a sense of production technique that is now seen by many younger soap viewers as archaic and outdated.
Traditional soap operas have little use for child-age characters, either dropping them from the plot line shortly after they are introduced or unnaturally aging
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome
Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome is a term used to describe the practice of accelerating the age of a television character in conflict with the timeline of a series and/or the real-world progression of time. Characters unseen on screen for a time might reappear portrayed by an actor several years...
them into adulthood (or, more recently, into the teenage years). For example, a young character might be sent upstairs to put on his shoes and never be referred to again. The sudden dropping of young characters was humorously spoofed in As the Stomach Turns by Marion's daughter (played by Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
) arriving at the door holding a baby and announcing, "Hi, Mom. I've had a baby," and immediately dropping the baby (a doll) into the umbrella stand next to the door.
The skit was famous for the parody ending in which the announcer would ask foreboding, progressively nonsensical questions about the characters while focusing on their puzzled reactions.
Trivia
- In her 1996 memoir, "As My World Still Turns", actress Eileen FultonEileen FultonEileen Fulton is an American actress.Fulton is known for her role as Lisa Grimaldi on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns, a role that she played almost continuously for 50 years from May 18, 1960 until the show's cancellation on September 17, 2010.-As the...
, who has starred on the CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
soap As the World TurnsAs the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
for over four decades, claimed credit for coming up with the concept for "As the Stomach Turns". Fulton stated that when she was contacted in the early 1970s to be a guest star on the Burnett show, she suggested a parody of a soap called "As the Stomach Turns". Ultimately Fulton ended up not appearing on the Burnett show, but the "Stomach Turns" sketch did.
- CherCherCher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
appeared on an episode of "As the Stomach Turns" as Pocahontas Pirelli, "the town half-breed, half-Indian, and half-dressed," which was play on her hit song of the time - "Half-Breed." She came in wearing a Native American headdress and a bikini top.