Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[Khan]

Aside from Liza's son, I think, the Tourneur/Sentell family had disappeared by the end of the show's run.

It's easy to say (and probably true) that refocusing on Jo and Stu would've saved SEARCH. But, OTOH, it wasn't as if Jo and Stu were going to live forever. Bringing back Patti was a step in the right direction, though; it would have kept Jo active and "alive" on the canvas, while simultaneously grooming Patti to be the "Jo" for the next generation.

Frankly, all one needed to do was 1) phase out the McClearys and Kendalls; 2) recast Suzi w/ a stronger actress and bring back Wendy; 3) bring back Tom, Janet, and maybe Gary (was he the one who died, or was it Dan?) to shore up the remaining Bergmans; and SEARCH would've been in almost good shape.

[DRW50]

I did like Estelle though.

I wonder how popular the McClearys were, and if the show had so much of them in the last few years because of popularity or because they just couldn't come up with anything else. By the end it seemed like you had everyone but Kathy Garver as the long-lost McCleary cousin Cissy.

[Paul Raven]

Summary of SOD synopsis for January 79.

Rusty (Travis) is delighted when Liza chooses to see him rather than attend Jo's inauguration as Councillor.They go for a country trip and dine at an inexpensive eatery, where Liza tell Rusty that she prefers to mix with average middle class people like him,rather than the rich.

Arriving home,Liza hears from Janet that Stu has had a heart attack and rushes to the hospital.

Stephanie hopes to patch things up with John,assuring him her dealings with Ted are strictly business.John hasn't the time to listen as he wants to get to Jo's celebration. This infuriates Stephanie and she lashes out,blaming John's feelings for Jo as the real problem in their marriage. John refuses to discuss this,but Stephanie's words echo in his mind...is there truth to her accusations?

Jo and Stu are the only two not present as Jo is sworn in at the courthouse. Ellie asks Gary to phone Stu,who didn't attend as he was not feeling well.Stu answers but doesn't speak. Concerned,Gary rushes to the Inn to find Stu slumped on the floor,having had a heart attack.

After a night in hospital,all are relieved to hear that Stu's attack was mild and with diet and exercise,he should be fine.

David is delighted by John's offer to become a full partner in the law firm.

David requests to Ted that the Collins Corp stockholders meeting be postponed due to Stu's heart attack and Janet's resultant worry. Ted extends his sympathies,but says it's bad luck to anyone who can't make it!

Physically,Stu is recovering,but mentally he is depressed and fearful of death.

Gary confides in Liza his guilt at being with Laine the night Carolyn lost the baby.Liza is shocked as Gary explains the depth of feeling he had for Laine as a patient, but assures his sister that he loves Carolyn and will not be tempted by Laine again.

Carolyn has lost confidence and drops her patients,instead volunteering at a local juvenile home.

Present at the meeting are Janet, Laine, Gary, Howard, David, Ted and Stephanie. Ted announces he wants to displace Howard as president and insists it be put to the vote.

Janet votes no as her and Danny's shares account for 31% and Gary adds his 10% as a no. Ted is a yes with 10% and then Stephanie votes her 49% in favor of Ted.

Travis is outraged and vows to fight this move against the Collins family. Liza is upset that Laine used their friendship to persuade her to sell her 10% and also used Gary as well.Laine assures Liza that Ted is an astute businessman and the company will grow under his leadership.

Wendy cannot deal with her parents arguing and blames herself. Her arrest for shoplifting caused them to turn against each other. She decides to run away,little realizing this will create more tension between John and Stephanie.

Liza plans for the opening of 'You Can Love Again' in Henderson and includes Travis Sentell who has been such a help to her mother,unaware he is her new friend Rusty.

Stephanie gets a call from the police that Wendy is being held for shoplifting.John rushes there first and is told Jacky Peterson has said that he was the shoplifter and Wendy just an innocent bystander. John isn't buying this as this is Wendy's third time shoplifting.

Sharon and David are becoming closer,although Sharon's feelings for David are the stronger.

Travis is fearful of Liza's reaction when she discovers his true identity. but he knows he must tell her and soon,before she learns the truth elsewhere.

Janet is given the role of VP of Public Relations which she feels will allow her to serve the best interests of both the company and the people of Henderson

[KateW]

Thirty years ago today (June 8, 1981), CBS moved Search for Tomorrow from 12:30 pm ET to 2:30 pm ET. CBS also moved Y&R to 12:30 pm ET, making it the lead-in to it's daytime drama block, and As the World Turns to 1:30 pm ET.

[DRW50]

December 1983 Digest. John Kelly Genovese reviews Search. I didn't type the names of the actors, but if you want those, I will.

Until recently, insiders hinted that "Search for Tomorrow" would bite the dust after thirty-two years. Shortly after Joanna Lee became the show's executive producer, that talk abated - with good reason.

First, one must examine why such a television classic would drop from the top five to the bottom of the barrel in a few years. The original sin was not adhering to a viable, unified story structure, which had been ingeniously set up by Joyce and John William Corrington, the head writers who revitalized the show in the late seventies after a slightly anemic period. Theirs was an ideal bend of the new and the familiar, a carefully interwoven family set-up which could have carried the show for decades. Self-made tycoon Ted Adamson was designed as an overall catalyst much like John Dixon of "As the World Turns." His triangle with the widowed Collins sister-in-law, Janet and Stephanie, brought about the disapproval of Janet's loving dad, Stu, with Jo as the buffer. The love of Liza and Travis was a vital cog in the overall wheel - Liza being Janet's daughter and Travis, the nephew of Jo's unstable husband, Martin. Travis' history as a young New Orleans tycoon naturally brought about a combination of romance and action in that old world setting, with Ted Adamson's daughter Sunny, a TV reporter and journalist, caught up in these doings through family and personal connections.

This ideal balance was shattered, however, when succeeding writers tried to milk the Corringtons' action-oriented trimmings with little regard for their story and character subtleties. The marriage of Liza and Travis dominated the show, with Liza getting kidnapped seemingly every other week and Travis fighting an endless parade of evil forces. The rocky romance of Janet and Ted could have resulted in a conflict-producing and often hilarious marriage, but instead dime-store romance novel techniques were applied. Finally, there was the unkindest cut of all - when simple, loyal Ellie Bergman dumped Stu for a French chef and waltzed out of Henderson with her king of Bernaise sauce.

"Search for Tomorrow" was doomed, therefore, because it had become one big dead end. It's newer elements (i.e. Liza being kidnapped) had become as tired as its former elements (i.e. Jo being kidnapped). Except for a sensitive story in which young Wendy fell for a young imposter claiming to be her brother, "Search" was searching for an identity and replaying formula. Typically suicidal was the elimination of Janet and Ted, the two who held all the story elements together.

Now Ms. Lee and her writers (headed by Gary Tomlin) have to pick up from square one and clean their predecessors' mess. Though the quality of the results vary, they are doing just that - and not wasting any time.

Gradually, the Bergman family unit is flocking back to Henderson. Stu's son Tom is investigating the criminal doings of sly Warren Carter, who is also involved in a romantic triangle with best friends Wendy and Suzi. Danny, Stu's grandson, is another recent arrival.

Humanness, in fact, has returned to Search." Powerful Lloyd Kendall is a dynamic character without coming across as a bellicose ass, hence Sunny's attraction to him is believable. Lloyd's son Steve is the sort of cool, assertive younger man who would attract a sexual and verbal powerhouse like Stephanie. And all sorts of plot lines have opened up since the discovery that Steve is really Martin's son. The romantic exploits of ex-prostitute Jenny and Steve's blind musician brother, Michael, were often on the sappy side, but at least Michael was portrayed as a positive force rather than a self-pitying boob. On the more mature side of the spectrum, Stu's new relationship with Dr. Barbara Moreno is a delight. And - thank God - Liza and Travis are more interesting now that their storylines are not so labored.

True, "Search" still has some annoyances. Country star Rhonda Sue Huckaby is too overblown to be all that humorous (one Opal Gardner will suffice). The scripts tend toward the obvious, the sappy and the cute, as witnessed by Stu's hiring a bogus psychic to pick up Jo's "vibrations" when Jo was - yes, friends - kidnapped again.

But compared to the strides "Search" has made in a mere few months, these are minor flaws which can be worked out with far fewer pains than what Joanna Lee and Co. have had to do with this once-limping warhorse. "Search" is not off and running yet, but it has regained its legs - just when we thought the nail was in its coffin.

[Paul Raven]

The problem with Joanna Lee's SFT was another round of character's were introduced with no real connection to what went before. Sometimes this can work,but more often than not,viewers are wary.

Re-introducing Tom and Danny was a good start,except the actors and story weren't strong enough. Gary and Laine's return should have happened-there was immediate story there as they shared a child. Maybe Sunny could have fallen for Gary,thus setting up a rivalry between sisters.

Patti could have returned at this time,divorced or widowed.

There were way too many Kendalls over the years Lloyd,Michael,Steve,Chase,Alec etc

[DRW50]

I didn't realize there were that many Kendalls. I just knew Lloyd, Estelle, and TR.

So was Robert Reed after Peter Haskell, and Joe Lambie was after Reed?

I liked Robert Lupone on GL and of course he was popular on AMC as the infamous Zach Grayson but I wonder how he was in a more sympathetic role.

What I've wondered about on the NBC run is ratings. I thought I read that the ratings had been going up in its last year. Was that not good enough for NBC? What was the ratings trajectory in the 82-86 run? It must have gone up for a while as I don't think NBC would have kept it for almost 5 years.

Sorry if this has already been discussed. I tend to get amnesia on past discussions.

[Paul Raven]

Yes,is hard to keep track of everything that is discussed here. every so often I read back over the threads and find stuff I have forgotten.

Re SFT ratings on NBC

81-82 3.4

82-83 2.7

83-84 3.2

84-85 3.3

85-86 2.9

By the last season,I'm sure affiliates were dropping the show,so it was probably impossible for the show to build on ratings at that point.

Robert Lupone is a fine actor,but to cast him as a hero was a mistake. i think they were looking for a Tony Geary type but that was a one off thing that couldn't be replicated. AW made the same mistake by casting him as Neal Cory.

[DRW50]

Thanks for finding that. So it looks like the show did have a recovery in late 1983 but couldn't build on it. Perhaps they should have moved to a different timeslot.

Edited June 10, 2011 by CarlD2

[edgeofnight]

I have an idea, so, I am throwing this out to the Administrators. I was wondering if you could reach out to Lynn Loring, an original cast member of SFT, and interview her to commemorate what would have been the show's 60h anniversary this coming September. Lynn was with the show from 1951-61. With the state of the soap world the way it is, it would do my heart good to re-visit the golden days with 'Patti.'

[saynotoursoap]

Carl, you have my kudos for your interest, No apologies necessary.

Reed was the final Lloyd Kendall. He did not last long, which is not surprising given his disdain for material he considered beneath his talent and training.

Edited June 11, 2011 by saynotoursoap

[DRW50]

So they went from Joe Lambie to Robert Reed? OK...

I always remember that story of Ann B. Davis bawling him out for trying to find the Method way of singing "Happy Birthday".

[juniorz1]

I didn't like the character of Patti when she returned. They put her with Hogan, who I always felt belonged with Sonny. Unfortunately, the show didn't see it that way and it ended with Hogan's wedding to Patti and Sonny left with his brother, Quinn.

I'm totally with you on the Liza and Suzi recasts. The new Liza ESPECIALLY I could never warm to. She just wasn't Liza IMO. Sherry Mathis was perfect. Teri Eoff, the recast Liza, just didn't fit, though she's obviously a capable actress as she's gone onto a variety of other TV roles. I have no idea who played Suzi in the end but she sucked. I really liked Suzi before she took over the part.

I liked Estelle too but she was a royal bitch!

As for the McClearys, I really only watched since 1983 because it was my paternal grandmother's show (my mom watched NBC anyway and ended up picking up the habit as well). But I LOVED Hogan and I liked Quinn also. From what I remember, my grandmother liked them as well and she had watched the show from the beginning. I know for a fact that Hogan and Cagney were very popular characters. Not too sure about Quinn though.

Edited June 13, 2011 by juniorz1

[rcsnj]

I don't recall Sunny leaving with Quinn. By Search's end, Sunny was with Bela and, I believe, pregnant by him. Quinn ended up with Kat Fitzgerald.

Teri Eoff played Suzi, not Liza. Sherry Mathis was replaced by Louan Gideon. Gideon is now in real estate.

[juniorz1]

You're SO right! I always mix their names up- Louann Gideon is the one who went on to a decent career, including a guest spot on Seinfeld as Jerry's girlfriend's stepmom, who put him on her speed dial. I guess I remembered who played Suzi in the end after all!

I swap them I think because both were such poor replacements for Sherry Mathis (Liza) and Cynthia Gibb (Suzi). I thought Mathis and Gibb were so beautiful and fit their roles perfectly, especially Mathis. Both were major characters and you really felt the shift with different actresses in the part.

I can't believe I forgot about Sunny & Bela- you're right about that too! She did date Quinn for a while though, didn't she? Either way, while Bela was a fun character and brought out a different side of Sunny, for some reason, I always saw Hogan/Sunny as a supercouple and could never accept either one with a different partner. And I HATED Patti SO MUCH!