Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[Sapounopera]

I think that the only way to save SFT in the 80s would be through Jo and Stu. I don't remember anything that special about the Kendalls or the McLearys. 

 

[DRW50]

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(first time this episode has been up for a while in full form, apparently)

Not sure about this one:

 

[VelekaCarruthers]

I used to love the soap Xmas closing credits.  Does anyone know how long Elman/Lipton were head writers?  1976

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Here's 1977 Xmas credits, show written by Robert Shaw with DiZenzo's as script writers.

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by VelekaCarruthers

[Paul Raven]

Jon Michael Reed discusses the killing off of John Wyatt and I am inclined to disagree on his take.

John may have been popular but he had been on 6 years and been through 3 marriages. He had no family connections and there were other lawyers on the show to fill that role. I'm sure Val Dufour would have been expensive and they would have to come up with another 3 years of story.

Despite what Reed claims there were still plenty of vets on the show-Jo, Stu, Ellie, Stephanie, Janet, and they were getting story. Ted and Martin had been added so there were still older characters in the mix.

As for killing him off mid week, I guess they didn't want to make too much of it for fear of negative feedback. 

Search was only a 30 min show and room had to be made for new characters. Sometimes cuts have to be made.

Courier Express, 11 November 1979

The Soap Report John Wyatt a Strange Demise by Jon Michael Reed

There's something awfully fishy about the death of John Wyatt, which occurred recently on "Search For Tomorrow. It's no secret around the years studio that headwriters Bill and Joyce Corrington don't have much fondness for most of the longer running characters on the show. It's true that the Corringtons have done wonders by upgradiig the show in the past year, but they've accomplished this by concentrating on new and younger characters.

THEY HAVE said publicly that they would like nothing better than to move the show out of the fictional town of Henderson, where they'd line to leave all the old-time residents in mothballs.

The Corringtons simply haven't written dynamic stories for most of the veterans of the show and there have been backstage rumbles of malcontent from performers who have been with the show for many years.

Val Dufour who has played lawyer John Wyatt since 1972 won't confirm or deny rumours of his own dissatisfaction with the way his character was developing, or rather not developing.

"I simply thought it was time to call it a day" says Emmy award winning Val of his decision not to renew his contract. "I'm very sad about leaving, but the show has gone in different directions recently and I felt there wasn't much reason for me to stick around. At this point I can only say that the shows sponsor Proctor & Gamble has been very good to me throughout the years, and I hope our relationship continues in another soap opera. But not I really want to vacation."

Val has reason to be grateful to P&G. The actor began his soap career in the 1950's in one of the earliest serial efforts 'First Love'.

In 1965 he portrayed an elegant villian, Andre Lazar on 'Edge of Night',a P&G show. Then he won wide acclaim on another P&G vehicle 'Another world' playing the charming but nefarious Walter Curtin.

"INTERESTINGLY," "fans see more readily as Walter than they do as John." Which isn't surprising as John has been out of the  "Search" story limelight for many of Val's years on the show.

The really 'fishy'aspect  of John's demise however, lies in the fact that the writers  chose to get rid of the character midweek. Usually the death of a major character occurs on a cliff-hanging Friday after a long stretch of suspense. Although John Wyatt went out with "a bang" from a gun, he really went out with a whimper a long, long time ago

Poor Val, he suffered the same fat twice, Harding Lemay came on AW and wrote Walter off and the Corringtons did the same at SFT.  He got to save face by saying he chose to leave, but I doubt it. And his sucking up to P&G didn't help. He never worked on soaps again. They probably didn't realize at the time, but he was one of many 60's and 70's soaphoppers that found themselves no longer in demand in the 80's.

[Khan]

Just the other day, I was watching some stuff with OLTL's Viki and her many, aggravating alters on YT; and I happened to come across scenes between Erika Slezak (as Viki - or, rather, as "Jean Randolph" pretending to be Viki) and EON's Forrest Compton (ex-Mike Karr), and I thought it was a shame how Compton, like Val Dufour and so many other soap stars from the '60's and '70's, never got another opportunity at a long-term role after their soaps were cancelled or their previous characters were written out/killed off.  

[DRW50]

Oh that was him? I was watching that clip too and thought he was familiar. Compton was such a warm, steady presence. How he never at least got a recurring part as someone's father rather than just a flyby on AW as Mac's brother (someone's father in this case but see how much good that did him) and a bit part on OLTL is mystifying. I would have cast him as some kind of ministerial figure to be involved in Andrew's dramas.

It's like when I saw Lori March on Another Life. I'm grateful she was cast, as she did a wonderful job in her short role and this is now almost all of her surviving soap work...but what a comedown.

To keep this about Search, I know Mary Stuart also had a short term role on OLTL (which Chris Schemering or someone panned her for - I've never seen the episodes myself.)

Edited November 24, 2024 by DRW50

[Franko]

Google tells me it was a two-week stand in April 1988. I wonder if the writer's strike threw things off, that Mary's appearance was intended for May, a sweeps month.

[DRW50]

Thanks. The strike truncating things would make sense. I think she was a corrupt judge.

[Franko]

Speaking of Mary Stuart, I think it's time we listen to her '73 album. She remained a beautiful woman for decades afterwards, but those poses are just too funny.

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[Khan]

IIRC, Forrest Compton also played the minister at one of Blair's weddings?  And in honor of his being there, the OLTL crew played the EON theme at the studio.  Or so it said in one of those soap mags.

Personally, I wouldn't have minded him on AMC as a Paul Martin recast - perhaps, with a stepchild or two he had acquired while away from Pine Valley.  I also thought he would've been good on SFT as a new romantic interest for Jo, newly divorced from Martin.

[DRW50]

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[Soaplovers]

Speaking of which EON alum... I always thought it was nice to see Ann Flood playing shorter term roles that were a departure of Nancy... such as Ella on SFT.  

[Chris 2]

A good soap knows when to refresh the cast. You have to have a mix of vets and new characters. I don’t think killing off John was a bad move.

[Khan]

I'd agree, except poor Suzi had been through enough loss already.  She'd lost her bio dad, Doug; then, she lost her mom, Eunice; and now, she's without the man who'd been like a father to her for her entire life.  Add her estrangement from stepsister/close friend Wendy over Warren Carter, Stephanie's murder and her own killing, which left Jo as Jonah's sole living relative on his mother's side, and it just makes for a really sad and pitiful trajectory.  

Edited December 31, 2024 by Khan

[Paul Raven]

Killing off Eunice was a mistake-short term drama for no long term benefit.

Eunice could have been shot by Jennifer, with all the angst that goes with it. Traumatized, she leaves Henderson for rehab, divorces John who falls into Stephanies clutches.

Jo could be left caring for Suzi. Later Jo takes Suzi to a recovered Eunice.

Then at some later date Eunice could return , maybe with a new beau who is attracted to Jo.

Or  to fight for John when he's wed to Stephanie.

Any number of possibilites. 

Ann Williams would probably agreed to return at some point or make occasional appearances.

Jo had too much death/tragedy in her life.