Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[Chris 2]

No. Perhaps there was one from the show’s early days in the 50s or 60s. But Mary Stuart was not billed in the opening in the 70s and 80s.

[Contessa Donatella]

Thank you. All I'm finding is what I call "Interesting Credits" which just isn't the same thing as star billing. I appreciate hearing confirmation. 

[te.]

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I guess @vetsoapfan

[vetsoapfan]

Mary Stuart was always listed first among the actors, of course, but I never saw (nor do I recall at this point) ever seeing her receive special star billing.

[Mona Kane Croft]

I would call Mary's billing special billing, but certainly not star billing.  And obviously not star billing in the opening, like Prinz, Andrews, and McKenzie received.   

There is a long list of soap opera actors who received special billing in the closing credits.  But only three known to have been given star billing in the opening.  

Edited August 26, 2023 by Neil Johnson

[Paul Raven]

In her book Mary discusses that she always got that special credit. She says she didn't request it, it wasn't part of her contract, it was just understood.

But when the Hursleys arrived, their 'written by' credit took precedence as they had it in their contract for it to be first in the credits. She was now just top of the cast list.

I wonder if from then on, she had it in her contract?

[DRW50]

Thanks @te. ! I could swear I've never seen this episode before. Have any of you?

Is this the first time we've seen the exterior of Henderson House in the surviving episodes? @vetsoapfan @slick jones do you know? Can't remember. The attempt at making up the entryway to the place, with the chairs and "tea dansant" sign, give this a little more life than some of the usual barren soap sets (one of which we see later in the episode).

Even if it's not a very exciting episode, somehow 3 characters in 15 minutes still makes me care more than 20 in the hour episodes of today.

[Paul Raven]

@te. Thanks for posting. Never saw that episode before.

Les Damon went through 2 cigarettes in one episode.

Wasn't Henderson House just the local hotel?  All the columns was supposed to suggest some sort of open area beyond? 

Anyway, always good to see a classic episode. And to think that by 12.45 that was it for the actors unless they were in the next episode and had to stay for rehearsal.

[te.]

That did make me laugh - I mean, come on dude, it's literally 15 minutes... how nicotine addicted can you get?

[vetsoapfan]

Right. Stuart was always first billed in the closing credits, with her name appearing before anyone else's. An issue later arose, however, when a new set of writers, Frank and Doris Hursley, demanded they be first-billed as the writers, which meant Stuart was then "downgraded" to having her name appearing after theirs. Stuart alleges Doris disliked her and openly vowed to destroy Stuart's position on the show.

Stuart later had conflict with Ann Marcus, when AM took over the show. Tension with head writers must be a nightmare for the star of a soap.

Off topic slightly in a SFT thread, but one weird incident stands out in my head about actors receiving star billing. After Rosemary Prinz left How to Survive a Marriage, the soap obviously dropped her star billing from the opening. For some unfathomable reason, however, in a post-Prinz opening, viewers were suddenly treated to, "How to Survive a Marriage...starring Joan Copeland as Monica Courtland!"

I was like, WTF? Copeland's character was definitely a supporting player. If HTSAM wanted a new star to be touted in the opening, it should have been Jennifer Harmon as Chris Kirby, who was the central heroine and definitely the series' leading character.

Just as strangely, Copeland's special billing quickly disappeared, but I was always baffled as to why it have ever been given to her in the first place, even once.

 

I don't know if the show used that exterior shot of the Henderson House repeatedly, but it would make sense. They went through the trouble of filming and paying for the footage, so they would want to use it again. I do agree that stuff like this added life to vintage, often barren-looking soaps of the time.

And yep: smaller casts of characters with more meaningful conversations is much more captivating than watching hordes of one-dimensional, often unlikeable characters talking about nothing of substance in today's soaps.

[Contessa Donatella]

Neil, I find it often called "preferential treatment in the credits". I'm tentatively working on a new blog with the working title "Interesting Credits" which seems lame. It would begin with "Never So Young" which just has totally different credits & then go on to first billed & last billed as blah blah "and so-and-so". 

[Mona Kane Croft]

This will be interesting.  I'm glad you seem interested in verifying the information.  So much incorrect information gets passed around from message-boards and websites.  Now, some of it has even been published in books, and it is not accurate.  So keep up the effort.  

 

[Paul Raven]

The irony...

[Mona Kane Croft]

I get it.  But when somebody does something right, I'm thankful for that.  

 

[Paul Raven]

Fair enough...I just couldn't resist.