Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[j swift]

A ton of SFT was just uploaded to YT

Most of it from Dec 1984 through early 1985.

Can anyone provide context for what was happening in the story at that time?

[China Jones]

I wasn't a big Guiding Light viewer when Marj Dusay was on as Alexandra Spaulding, but I've recently watched several episodes on YouTube. If Ms. Dusay had left, how would y'all have felt if Maree Cheatham had stepped into the role? I could easily see her going toe-to-toe with Alan and anyone else in Springfield who got in her way! She was also an attractive woman, so I could see plenty of opportunities for romances as well. Can you imagine Maree Cheatham facing off with Michael Zaslow?!! Fire!!!

[Khan]

She would've made for a better Miss Sally Gleason.

[China Jones]

I remember someone saying Beverlee McKinsey gave off a "to the manor born" vibe whereas Marj Dusay had more of a "showgirl that married well" vibe and that's why they didn't care for Ms. Dusay as Alex. I get the same "showgirl that married well" vibe from Maree Cheatham, so I understand what you're saying.

Do you think that Marj Dusay would have been more suitable as Miss Sally too?

[skylark]

Does anyone know when Martin Tourneur left the show and what happened to him?

[dc11786]

December 1984 would have seen three key storylines playing out:

(1) Warren Carter, who had been sent to prison earlier in the year, was presumed dead in a prison fire back in October. With the help of photographer Brett Hamilton, III, Warren was hiding out in Henderson and was gaslighting his ex-wife, Suzi Wyatt, in order to get her hospitalized with the intention of taking their son, Jonah, and starting a new life. Around November/December, Wendy Wilkin, Warren´s other (ex?) wife, learns he is alive and has resumed their affair. Brett shared a romantic past with Justine Calvert, a McCleary family friend who had set out to snare Cagney McCleary away from Suzi for herself. Suzi, under the duress of the gaslighting, publicly attacks Justine verbally for all the games she has been playing in order to get Cagney. 

This all leads to a murder mystery party that ends with the bullets in the prop gun being replaced with real bullets.  

(2) T.R., the runaway that had been fostered by Travis and Liza Sentell, discovered that she was actually Rebecca Kendall, the long lost daughter of Lloyd and his absent ex-wife Estelle. T.R. doesn´t want to be a Kendall and desperately wants to push forward her adoption so that no one can separate her from the woman she has come to love as a mother. Meanwhile, Lloyd has begun to put the pieces together and suspects that T.R. might be his daughter because his son Chase shares with Lloyd a french lullaby that T.R. knows that Lloyd´s mother made up. 

In the meantime, Liza has become involved with Kentucky Bluebird, an airplane engineer. Liza and Kentucky worked together to oust Cord Tourneur, the mentally disturbed cousin of the late Travis, from his position at Tourneur Instruments. Now, Kentucky and Liza are in limbo or are about to start a minor plot involving Kentucky having a heart ailment. Will Patton, who played Col. Bluebird, refused to sign a contract and, as a result, was not always available. 

(3)The love triangle between the Kendall boys Chase and Alec and the innocent Adair McCleary is stalled because Adair has left town (Page Hannah was let go in November and Susan Carey Lamm doesn´t arrive until February). There is some angst because Chase and Adair, believing Alec to be dead after the sea vessel he was on was destroyed in a storm, went to bed together. When Alec returned from the dead, in early November, both were shocked. An emotional Adair leaves town to sort out her feelings, but more than likely she was picking up on the intense sexual tension between Alec and Chase and decided she didn´t want to be the third wheel in their staging of a queer ¨Flowers in the Attic¨ story. 

By December, there is a lot of chemistry testing for both Alec and Chase. Chase confides in Justine, Adair´s best friend, as well as having some scenes with Wendy, who he was paired with earlier. Stephanie deduces that Wendy has a secret man, and believes it is Alec, which Wendy goes along with since her secret man is in fact her not so dead husband Warren, who should be in prison. Ultimately, it is Chase and Alec who should be endgame. 

Out of curiousity, are you referring to physicality, performance, or both? I´ve been watching Cheatham in her 1990 run on ¨General Hospital¨ as Aunt Charlene and while Charlene has edges that Stephanie did, there are certainly differences that show Cheatham can play different types. By the 1980s, Cheatham definitely leans into the over the type, broad style, but I think that she (like Robin Strasser) showed earlier in her career she could play a more restrained character, and I could see her embodying Alex if she cultivated the right persona. I will concur that Miss Sally was more the type that Cheatham seemed to be most interested in playing by that point in her career.  

Martin leaves in May 1984 when there is a cast purge by Ellen Barrett about six months into her run as producer. Martin leaves to operate a club in the Caribbean. He later returns in a recurring capacity later in 1984. When Warren Carter has escaped prison, Carter begins to target all his enemies including his former business partner, Martin. Carter arranges for Martin´s club down in the islands to be torched forcing Martin to leave Henderson to deal with wreckage in October, 1984. 

A year later, there is a story about how Martin has gone missing in San Marcos (where his former lover Estelle Kendall has been hiding out for years). Jo goes down to the island to find out more information, but comes up empty handed. Eventually, Jo gets communication from Martin saying he is alright and hiding out in Europe and that if she wanted to get in contact with him she should do so through Justin Marshall of World Oil through their Paris operation. It was a nice little Easter egg for the NBC/P&G soap fans. 

I suspect Gary Tomlin wanted to bring Martin back into the story in his 1985/1986 run by the change over in producers, or the simple reluctance of NBC to have many players over the age of forty on the canvas, prevented Martin´s return. Steve comes back on contract for about a month alongside Estelle. Tomlin´s 1985-1986 run (from what I´ve seen) has a lot of stops and starts so it´s hard to tell where anything was going. 

[China Jones]

For me it would be performance wise. I think Cheatham, when she was styled in a glamorous way, could have played Alexandra Spaulding similar to the way Marj Dusay did.

OTH, Cheatham's portrayal of Aunt Charlene on General Hospital was more blue collar/trailer park-ish, right? As you said, maybe she enjoyed playing that type of part at that point in her career.

[Khan]

Both.  No offense to Patricia Barry, who portrayed "Miss Sally," and who did a fine job, but I feel like Maree Cheatham would have better embodied someone who was a Southern dame with a very trashy reputation.  Even now, I'm smiling at the thought of Cheatham, as Sally, sharing scenes with the likes of Larry Gates (H.B. Lewis), Jordan Clarke (Billy), Larkin Malloy (Kyle) and especially Kim Zimmer (Reva).  Miss Sally hated Reva - she thought she was no damn good for her son, Kyle, even though the two women actually had a lot in common - so you can just imagine how a confrontation between Cheatham's Sally and KZ's Reva might go, lol.

She probably did.  Before she played Aunt Charlene or Stephanie, she was Marie Horton, DAYS' original heroine, and probably one of the most hapless, trying females ever to appear on soaps.  I wasn't around for those years, but I can just imagine how trying it must've been for Maree to play Marie, who was always miserable and who couldn't catch a break if she had tried.

[Chris 2]

Patricia Barry and Marie Cheatham played sisters on DOOL (Barry played Addie, Julie and Hope’s mother).

Edited November 14, 2023 by Chris 2

[slick jones]

That time Kevin Conroy  (Chase Kendall) sang with Mel Tillis on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.   

 

[Mitch64]

I think I may have said that.  I don't think Cheatham would be a good Alex...Alex is cool sophistication...and I think Maree is move volatile..which is what Marj was so it never worked. Maree or Marj would have made a great Ms. Sally..(especially since she hated Reva and both actresses are as LOUD as Ms. Kim.) 

[Paul Raven]

Press-Tribune (Roseville) 20 November 1981

Although it may bring to mind movie plots of the "understudy saving the show," it was very real when "Search for Tomorrow" was off on location last month taping scenes in romantic, mysterious Hong Kong (for airing within regular episodes of the serial  continuing through December.)

An Oriental actor, scheduled to tape a few scenes with series stars Sherry Mathis and Rod Arrants (as Liza and Travis Sentell), was unable to appear at the last minute, and a replacement was needed immediately. Series producer Robert Getz stepped in and played the role, appearing as calligraphy expert Mr. Wu.

Slick Jones had Peter Yoshida in the role so I wonder if they retaped?

Edited November 20, 2023 by Paul Raven

[danfling]

That reminds me of when Donald Briscoe was playing Chris Collins on Dark Shadows.   He left the show aburptly (personal and medical reasons), and his scenes with Lara Parker (Angelique) were played by the show's assistant director (or producer), Ken McEwen.    I think that Mr. Ewen was also sometimes credited as Sean Du Sullivan.

The name of the character was Larry Chase, and he did appear on more than one episode.   He also shared scenes with Lisa Richards as Sabrina.

[FrenchFan]

Going through the 1971 breakdowns I received, I noticed John Cunningham first aired as Dr. Wade Collins on Dec 30 1971.

[TVFAN1144]

What did Stu do for a living before running the Inn with Jo?