Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[VelekaCarruthers]

Wow. Thanks. I think the Hursleys were writing at this time....?

[vetsoapfan]

Yes, it was me. Many years ago, I had acquired multiple 1966 episodes of SFT and shared them with my soap-trading friends. Transactions were all carried out via snail mail at the time, using Betamax, VHS and (later) DVD-Rs when replicating the material. The kinescopes eventually appeared on Youtube after that site was launched (I had no clue how to upload to the internet, myself, being technologically limited, LOL) and remained up for a long time. I shared the bulk of my collection before 2010 or so, and by now (thanks to folks who are far more adept with technology than I will ever be) many of "my" vids are in wide, on-line circulation.

[Mona Kane Croft]

I don't remember a blonde Patty during this era of the show, but I was in school at the time and only saw SFT on school holidays and summertime.  I do recall the adult Patty was recast many times, while I believe there was only one long-term Len, and a short-term replacement for Len during the character's final storyline.  How many actresses played Patty during the long Patty/Len romance?  

[VelekaCarruthers]

Here's a link to a discussion about the various adult Patti actresses 

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/soapworldclassicsoaps/episodes-8876-8878-t5896.html

[DRW50]

That was very kind of you to share so many priceless episodes (as these are 15 minutes each it's a ton). Thank you so much.

[slick jones]

Patti Barron Whiting Whiting McCleary

                 (Young, FB)       Lisa Peluso       

                   Lynn Loring.      September 1951- 1961 

                   Nancy Pinkerton           1961

                   Abigail Kellogg             1961-64.

                   Lee Kurty                1963    temporary

                   Jean Beacham  64

                    Patricia Harty      February 1965

                    Gretchen Walther 1965 

                    Brooke Bundy.. 1965 

                    Melissa Murphy        December 1965-67

                    Trish Van Devere         April  1967

                    Melinda Plank(Cordell)          May 1967-69 

                    Leigh Lassen    (aka Natalie Israel)    1969-December 1974

                      Kelly Wood 1969 (Temporary Replacement for Leigh Lassen) 

                    Tina Sloan September 1976 - December 1976 

                    Jacqueline Schultz       December 1985- December 1986 

 

Can be found here in the Soap Opera Cast Lists Thread on page 186. (Kelly Wood added since we can't Edit.)

 

 

Edited February 17 by slick jones

[Mona Kane Croft]

Didn't Dino have a fairly major role on Somerset for a while?  If I'm correct about that, what happened with Len while Dino was at Somerset?  Was Len written off for a while, and then Dino returned?   I do remember Jeffrey Pomerantz played Len very late in the character's arc, but I think Somerset was already cancelled by that time (or maybe I'm wrong about that also).  And if I'm not mistaken, Dino also had a contract role on The Doctors for a while, but he wasn't there very long.  

Edited February 17 by Mona Kane Croft

[slick jones]

DINO NARIZZANO

 

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW     Dr. Len Whiting     1964-72; September - December 1976

HOW TO SURVIVE A MARRIAGE     Jerry Nelson     1974

FIRST LADIES DIARIES: MARTHA WASHINGTON     Dr. Craik         OCTOBER 23, 1975

SOMERSET    Dr. Halstead         1975

THE DOCTORS    Dr. Kevin McIntyre    1975-76

From Soap Hoppers Thread page 24 -- to be updated soon with movie and theatre roles.

 

JEFFREY DAVID POMERANTZ

 

THE SECRET STORM     Dr. Brian Neeves   1972-73

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW   Dr. Len Whiting   February - December  1974

ONE LIFE TO LIVE    Dr. Peter Janssen   1976-79; 1987

EMERALD POINT N.A.S.     Dimitri         1984

DYNASTY     Michael Cunningham       1984

SANTA BARBARA      Eric Tyler       1985

GENERAL HOSPITAL        David Langton    1992

 

and....

LASSIE        Johnny Chalmers     1968

FRESH OFF THE BOAT      Kenny Rogers    2017-18

 

Also from Soap Hoppers Thread page 24 -- to be updated soon with movie and theatre roles.

 

[Mona Kane Croft]

Thanks.  I had no idea Dino had returned to SFT as late as 1976, and after Pomerantz had replaced him.  I'd always assumed Pomerantz was the final actor to play Len.  

[DRW50]

I would love to see anything of Nancy playing Patti. I'm sure she was very different then but it's still jarring to imagine. 

[Paul Raven]

Julian Funt/David Lesan were headwriters. They took over from the Hursleys.

Julian Funt had written for radio soaps. David Lesan later worked with Irna on ATWT.

Interesting to see the introduction of Bill and Kitty Allen. They were presented as having returned to Henderson after 5 years and good friends of Jo and the Bergmans, although we'd never seen them before.

They had children but nothing seems to happen with them. Puzzled as to why they were brought on at all.

Stu was very close to Jo and the two would have scenes together. That was a unique take, especially for the time where you would expect Marge and Jo to be close and Stu, as a male, not to be too involved in 'women's business'

[VelekaCarruthers]

Thanks. I've been trying to piece together the writers from late 60s to cancellation. Here's what I have (based on the 2020 French Fan post and my own memory and research.

Roy Winsor

Agnes Nixon

Frank and Doris Hursley 1957-1963?

Julian Funt/David Lesan 1963?-1968

Leonard Kanter/Doris Frankel (Summer 1970 ?)

Lou Scofield head writer/Bertram Berman/Story Consultant (November 1970 ?)

Ralph Ellis & Eugenie Hunt (1971 – December 1973)

Theodore Apstein (January 1974 – May 1974)

 Gabrielle Upton (May 1974 – November 1974)

Ann Marcus (October 1974 - April 1975)

Peggy O’Shea (April 1975 – November 1976)

Irving & Tex Elman (November 1976 – June 1977)

Robert J. Shaw (Summer 1977 - _____

Corringtons (____ 1978 to May 1980)

Linda Grover/John Porterfield (May 1980 to mid July 1980)

Henry Slesar _____________

Gabrielle Upton (____ to ______ 1981)

Harding Lemay 

Don Chastain (Summer 1981 writers' strike - _______)

Ellis/Hunt/Cherrill (Early 82-Dec 82)

David Cherrill (Dec 82 - May 83)

Gary Tomlin (May 83 to Jan 84? )

Jeanne Glynn (Jan 84? to March 85) (briefly with Madelyn David then Carolyn Franz)

Paul Mayer/Stephanie Braxton (March to August 1985) 

Gary Tomlin/Michelle Lisanti (August 85-May86)

Pam Long/Addie Walsh (May to Dec 86)

IF anyone can fill in the rest of the dates, that would be great. Looks like the Corringtons had the longest tenure from their hire date to cancellation. That's just terrible.

[Mona Kane Croft]

Good Lord, It seems as if SFT was plagued by the "merry-go-round of head-writers" for 35-years.  Most long-running soaps haven't entered the merry-go-round writers phase until ratings have been low for years and cancellation was knocking on the door.

Poor Search for Tomorrow.   Can anyone decipher the list of writers and identify the longest running head-writer in Search history???  

[Paul Raven]

Irving Vendig wrote from 52-56 I think, leaving to headwrite Edge of Night.

Charles Gussman replaced him as headwriter

Henry Slesar was headwriter for about 6 months in b/w Robert J Shaw and the Corringtons.

[vetsoapfan]

I don't yet know about the 1966 eps which are available now (yay!), and if any of them were in "my" collection eons ago. There was one memorable episode from my set which stands out in my mind, with Don Knotts having surreal memory flashbacks (it was well done for the time, IMHO).

I was happy to share with the community, and I am grateful to see all the material everyone else shares.

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