in 1952, columbia records introduced "extended-play" lps that played for as long as 52 minutes, or 26 minutes per side. these were used mainly for the original cast albums of broadway musicals, such as "kiss me, kate" and "my fair lady", or to fit an entire play, such as the 1950 production of "don juan in hell", onto two lps. the 52-minute playing time remained rare, however, because of mastering limitations, and most lps continued to be issued with a 30- to 45-minute playing time.