Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[victoria foxton]

From 2020 Gene Pietragallo (Brian) on BloomerBoomer. 

 

[Paul Raven]

Never seen that before. Maybe it was some way of making the character more 'hip'? There were so many changes around that time.

I think that is Janet's farewell. They kind of played both ways in that Janet was saying it was just a vacation but they knew Millee wasn't returning so there were a lot more'farewell' scenes than just if the actor was off for a break. That way viewers wouldn't be upset that along time actor/character was out.

The show was still viable at this point and Ellis/Hunt were experienced writers but the stories were bad and more change was to come. Soon Ted,Tom, Cissy, Kathy were gone and instead of refocusing subsequent writers kept bringing on new people.

[victoria foxton]

It's great to finally see Millee Taggart as Janet Collins. A shame It's at the end of her run. Always love when episodes of SFT pop up. I know the show was on its last legs. But i have always enjoyed all i have gotten to see. While it was nice to get a glimpse of Cissy, Lee, Ted and Janet. Don't know what to make of the mysterious man. Who wanted to kill Travis. And his entourage of ladies. (These campy elements didn't work on SFT) The overreliance on Travis & Liza reminds me of the overreliance SB had with Cruz & Eden. It's such a transitory time with SFT just moving to NBC. And many characters exiting. But SFT still had a spark to it.

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[Paul Raven]

Maybe Millee was ready to go after 11 years? It would have been nice to have Janet around recurring. That character originated in the 50's so had been through a lot of story -at least 3 marriages. But if they brought back Gary who was a viable character and a teen Danny then Janet would have had a bit to do as their mother and Stu's daughter.

Enough of the plot driven Travis & Liza in danger stuff. Give them something else to do.

For Jo a recast Bruce and/or Patti and 1982 would have been much better set up.

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

It's interesting to me, how much of the Corringtons' influence remained on SFT a full two-years after their departure as head-writers.  I didn't realize that was the case until seeing this episode.  I assume their influence eroded pretty quickly soon after this episode.  I do recall that Harding Lemay planned to bring back Mignon Sentell, who was a meddling neurotic type - sort of a combination of Iris Carrington and Liz Matthews from Lemay's Another World.  But Lemay's time on SFT was extremely short, and few of his plans were ever realized. 

It seemed to me, the later head-writers on SFT deliberately ran away from the Corringtons' version of the show, and those attempts to remold the show resulted in characters and plots that were very bland.  

[Paul Raven]

Exactly.

The Corringtons revamped the show and set it up for the future. But subsequent writers played fast and loose, dropping most of those characters and constantly making changes.

By the end only Stu, Jo and Sunny had been on for more than a few years without recasts like Liza and Patti. That's not a way to keep viewers loyal.

[dc11786]

The move to NBC really changed everything. I think Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt were brought on specifically for the move as they had written the show earlier during a popular period. They had also worked rather recently for NBC on "The Doctors" and had managed to blend the past and the present by reintroducing Billy Aldrich and having him go after the van Alen money with Natalie Bell as his accomplice. I think they also introduced the Whitney siblings. Originally, a pair of unheard of writers had been hired to succeed Don Chastain as the head of the writing staff. When the NBC announcement came, it was announced Hunt and Ellis were returning. 

The big casting purge occurs at the end of the first cycle of the NBC episodes (June, 1982) which probably was always intended, but maybe the low numbers promoted changes as there were rumors as early as the summer of 1982 that NBC was thinking of cancelling the show. I suspect they just wanted to bring costs down as Millee Taggart would have carried a larger salary. I think Kathy is dropped with Cissie in the same period of time. I think Peter Stoneman, who was somehow tied up in the Operation Sunburst insanity and was a forgotten love interest of Stephanie's, also was killed off in June 1982. Ted sticks around until September, but then he too is out. 

Ellis and Hunt do introduce a slew of new younger characters including Warren and Kristen Carter, Jenny Deacon, and Keith McNeil. This shifts the story to the younger set of Suzi, Brian, and Wendy. Then, swapping Janet for David Gales Rusty Sentell, Travis and Liza continue to be involved in the insanity that is Operation Sunburst which I think finally peters out in November, 1982, without a big resolution because the story shifts to the psychological games that Rusty is playing with Liza (which would have been more effective in the long run). I think Ellis and Hunt try to toe the line of keeping the show a P&G series and something that NBC wants, but end up struggling to generate much excitement. Warren was a fascinating character, but all the gun running is silly. Stephanie as a heavy in Keith and Wendy's romance would have been fine if Maree Cheatham was given anything else to do with it. A lot of the original Corrington group that is around (Martin, Lee, Sunny), but has very little to do. Lee floats around in the Tourneur Instruments story, but rarely has much of weight. Martin has a half-hearted attempts to romance Stephanie even though his heart belongs to Jo. 

When David Cherrill comes in December, 1982, the show immediately becomes much faster paced. Everything happens at lightning speed. Rusty Sentell's murder plays out at a much faster pace than one would expect given that it starts in February and ends in April (they didn't even drag it into May sweeps). Cherrill definitely tried to utilize some of the past with Bob Rogers returning to help Liza with her pregnancy and Tom returning to defend Liza. There was more humor with stories like Stephanie playing Mommy Warbucks to little orphan Andie complete with a dog. 

Joanna Lee is there for the tail end of David Cherrill (late March-late May 1983) and definitely goes about a revamp that it is in the vein of the work that the Corringtons did. I know that there is a lot of complaints about the Kendall family, but they were introducing as an extension of the Tourneur/Sentell group with Lloyd and Martin's rivalry in business spilling over to the fact that the son Lloyd raise, Steve, was in fact Martin's. I think that initial setup could have played out for years as the original plan appeared to be for a Lloyd / Stephanie / Steve / Suzi / Warren / Wendy situation that could have been beautifully messy. The Moreno family also gave Stu something to do and helped to keep Danny grounded into the show. Vargas gave Mary Stuart her last big, memorable story. Kathy was back in town in a recurring capacity. Suzi's inheritance from Doug Martin drove the story for quite some time. I think this was all very smart.   

[j swift]

I can't help wondering how much money was lost on firing all of those writers.  By the time they went to NBC, daytime writers were part of the WGA, and therefore even if they were fired, the production still had to pay out a part of their contract, and the contracts of their staff.  It is just such a remarkable number of writers, many of which did not come cheap, in such a short amount of time.

[TVFAN1144]

Just watched a 1954 clip with Joanne and Hazel Tate. I wonder what the backstory was.  I think she was claiming to be Arthur Tates long lost wife but was really her sister. It also seems people tried to get control of that Inn 

[Matt Powers]

I am reading the synopses of Winter 1979 /Spring 80 in which the character of Tante Helene casts her evil voo doo spells upon Mignon/Mark/Carolyn. She sounds like a cross between Angelique from DARK SHADOWS and Celeste from DAYS. Very surprising story for the traditional SEARCH. Was this still the Corrington’s reign as HW?  Did anyone catch these eps when they aired and if so, what did you think about the story?

Edited March 15, 2023 by Matt Powers

[Paul Raven]

March 83 Billboard Magazine.

NEW YORK -An in depth cross promotion between songwriters, a performer, a record company and a soap opera has Stephanie Mills appealing on NBC -TV's "Search For Tomorrow" this week and next to perform a song associated with two of the series' stars. The song, "Do You Love Him," will be on Mills' new Phil Ramone produced album, "Merciless," on Casablanca. The song has been played as background music on the program for about six months, but apparently a number of interested parties thought it would be a good idea to have a well -known singer perform it, especially in the wake of the success of "Baby, Come To Me" from the soap opera "General Hospital."

That song, performed by Patti Austin and James Ingram, reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. Neither of the singers of "Baby, Come To Me" actually appeared on "General Hospital," but Mills, hoping to further an acting career begun in Broadway's "The Wiz," has been written into "Search For Tomorrow" for two weeks as a local girl returning home. According to Betsy Durkin Matthes, who wrote the lyrics for ¢ "Do You Love Him," mention of 4 Mills' new album will be made on mthe program. "All the various publicity departments are in sync," she says.

Her co-writer, Barbara Morr, adds, "This is a chance for us to get more exposure for the song. Patti Austin's record was virtually revived from the dead due to expsoure on `General Hospital'." That song came on the Hot 100 in April, 1982, peaked at number 73 and disappeared, only to return last October -and ultimately to reach No. I last month.

According to Mills, no decision has yet been made as to whether "Do You Love Him" will be a single. Mills explains that she was sent a tape of the song and asked to appear on the show. She agreed "because being associated with a soap opera can help sell more records, but more importantly I want to expose my acting abilities. People still consider me a little girl from `The Wiz' days."

[Mona Kane Croft]

To anyone who has read Mary Stuart's autobiography, Both of Me, do you recall if Mary comments on the writing of William and Joyce Corrington?  They were the head-writers who brought the Tourner/Sentell family to Henderson, and introduced a New Orleans vibe to the show.  And they were arguably the writers who changed SFT more than any writers who came before. I am aware Mary mentioned the work of several head-writers in her bio, but I do not recall if the Corringtons were among them.  I've been curious if Mary mentioned the Corringtons for quite a while.    

[antmunoz]

I’ve read BOTH OF ME several times, and I believe Mary finished writing it some time before these big changes came to SFT. 

Of course, Mary omits a lot of major events on SFT, such as Eunice’s death. 

[Paul Raven]

It was offbeat but quite intriguing, fitting in with the whole Gothic New Orleans vibe-separate from Henderson. And they played it straight - no campy vibe.

 This was the Corringtons. 

The Eerie Truth Behind Search’s Occult Phenomenon!"

by Diana Whitley

Rona Barrett’s Daytimers August 1979 Search For Tomorrow has introduced the world of the occult to daytime viewers. Dark Shadows came close but in a highly stylized, Gothic manner complete with vampires and eerie effects. However, Search is treating it in a realistic manner, devoid of anything sensational or "gimmicky." The writers and producers painstakingly researched their material, and have a psychic, Alexander Murray, to advise them.

"The intent is to realistically show the kinds of things that do happen, and to work them out in a story in a metaphysically correct way," Alex explained.

Alex is a gentle, cheerful young man with a good sense of humor. Nonetheless. He is one of New York’s foremost people in the field, and his credentials include over 30 trance sessions at the United Nations, an extensive international clientele, and a busy schedule as a lecturer, teacher, and seminar reader. He has also been the subject of research projects for the American Society for Psychical Research, successfully demonstrating clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, psychokinesis, and the banishing of poltergeist phenomenon.

Finding Mr. Murray was production coordinator Bonnie Bogand’s job. She was to locate someone who was well versed in all aspects of the occult to be a consultant on the staff.

"I started at the occult bookstores. I went to the two biggest ones in New York, and spent a couple of hours at each. I was so intrigued by all the reading material there is on the subject I surrounded myself on the floor with books and read them until the manager finally came over and said I couldn’t read them there!

"The big problem was to find someone that was serious," she continued. "There are rip offs in every field, and the occult is certainly no exception. We wanted to treat this very seriously, and not as a gimmick to get more viewers, so we didn’t want any sensationalism," she explained.

"The second problem was to find someone articulate, possibly with a flair for drama, who could relate well to the writers, directors, and actors, because this person was going to be involved every step of the way. He would help with the specifics, such as the technique that a psychic would use in reading tarot cards or giving a séance—gestures, incantations, whether or not her eyes would be closed. He would be involved in anything to do with the physicality of what happens, such as lighting or costuming.

"He would also have a series of meetings with the writers, going over the story line, telling them whether or not they were being far-fetched, exploring the possibilities of voodoo. When we decided to have a fire caused by lightning, we did it in a way that the audience could decide for themselves whether or not Tante Helene started the fire, but we determined that there is a basis in occult truth for a power to do this."

…After Bonnie secured a directory listing everyone in the country who is involved in the occult, she called organizations like Foundation Faith, the Parapsychology Institute of America, and the American Society for Psychical Research. It is illegal for these institutions to recommend anyone, but if she gave them names, they would indicate their opinion. The only problem was that none of them seem to agree on any one person.

Like most other fields, the occult tends to have specialists, and Search needed someone who was well versed in all aspects from séances to tarot, so many people were immediately eliminated. Finally, it was narrowed down to Alexander Murray, so Bonnie made an appointment for a séance, without telling him who she was or why she was interested.

"I didn’t want to go alone, so my boyfriend went with me. It wasn’t at all what I expected. I thought it would be pitch black, with special effects like a fan blowing the curtains and a black cat. It was just a group of people sitting around the room in chairs-not even holding hands around a table. Alex conducted the session, opening it with some incantations and prayers. Then his mind left his body and he became about seven different people, with different accents and sometimes even different languages. Hebasically spoke about love and a philosophy of life. There was nothing ugly or scary.

 

"One thing happened that was very exciting. He has a spirit guide, who allows the other spirits to some and go out of his body without becoming possessed by an evil spirit. She (his spirit guide is a woman) went around the room and told everyone something about their vibrations and auras. When she came to me she said she saw someone in my aura, and that it was an aunt named Helen. I told everyone at the office and they were all really excited."

After the séance, Mary Ellis Bunim, the producer, also went to see Alex, and she was unequivocably chosen as the show’s consultant.

One of the things Alex has done is to give Jane White, the actress who plays the central occult figure "Tante Helene," a shibboleth to protect herself and the rest of the staff from evil visitations.

"A shibboleth is a protection that you may do in the form of a mantra. Even when you play act, you are touching upon the real thing. There is a tradition that every time the play Macbeth is done there is a curse on it and something goes wrong. There are a lot of magical incantations in that play, and the actors may not know it, but every time they say them they can release a lot of energy.

"I explained to Jane that even though she is only acting, there is power in words, and she should make a clear distinction between herself and "Tante Helene," so I gave her something to protect herself and the cast, so that the spirit world would understand it was just a play. We didn’t want any weird happenings, like tapes being erased or flats falling over, and that kind of thing has been known to happen."

In a similar vein, Alex explained that the other characters in Henderson are going to be affected by their contact with the occult world, even though they may not believe in it or be aware of it.

"They come into contact with ‘Tante Helene’ on a casual basis, but once they make the contact it is like opening Pandora’s box. They’re involved whether they know it or not. Once exposed, it is like radiation, and the outcome will be worked out in the story."

[victoria foxton]