Contra Costa Times, 2 January 1977

Meanwhile CBS and "Search For Tomorrow" have not been idly twiddlng their creative thumbs This week and next pop singer Melissa Manchester will be making guest appearances on the show. Miss Manchester's stint was one of those feckless larks that came about at what turns out to be a most propitious time

While filming the CBS musical special "With Love” last month in Hollywood Michael Nouri (Steve Kaslo on "Search") and his wife photographer Lynn Goldsmith passed a dressing room where Melissa was preparing for a nighttime TV guest shot. Lynn and Melissa are chums from way back when but as they were having a reunion Melissa whispered Into Lynn’s ear "You won’t believe who's standing right behind you in the doorway. It's Steve Kaslo I watch him every day". Lynn nonchalantly answered “I know he's my husband".

The singer Immediately pumped Michael about future plot developments on the serial while he quizzed her on her music. They joked "Wouldn't It be a goof for Melissa to appear on ‘Search’ since Michael's character la an aspiring musician - composer? She could play herself an artist interested In the career of a fellow singer"

Search" producer Mary-ElIs Bunim took the suggestion seriously and voila Melisa Manchester comes to Henderson USA and convinces Steve Kaslo to go on a concert lour with her. During her appearances Manchester will sing a number of songs written by Michael plus material from her latest album "Help Is On The Way”.

Regarding the NBC years of SFT. Joanna Lee did a good job. She gave Jo a great story and ratings rised but Joanna left because she hated the pace of daytime. I remember seeing Joanna Lee’s great big red hair one day outside the studio. lol Her hair exited the studio before she did. 

52 minutes ago, Paul Raven said:

Contra Costa Times, 2 January 1977

Meanwhile CBS and "Search For Tomorrow" have not been idly twiddlng their creative thumbs This week and next pop singer Melissa Manchester will be making guest appearances on the show. Miss Manchester's stint was one of those feckless larks that came about at what turns out to be a most propitious time

While filming the CBS musical special "With Love” last month in Hollywood Michael Nouri (Steve Kaslo on "Search") and his wife photographer Lynn Goldsmith passed a dressing room where Melissa was preparing for a nighttime TV guest shot. Lynn and Melissa are chums from way back when but as they were having a reunion Melissa whispered Into Lynn’s ear "You won’t believe who's standing right behind you in the doorway. It's Steve Kaslo I watch him every day". Lynn nonchalantly answered “I know he's my husband".

The singer Immediately pumped Michael about future plot developments on the serial while he quizzed her on her music. They joked "Wouldn't It be a goof for Melissa to appear on ‘Search’ since Michael's character la an aspiring musician - composer? She could play herself an artist interested In the career of a fellow singer"

Search" producer Mary-ElIs Bunim took the suggestion seriously and voila Melisa Manchester comes to Henderson USA and convinces Steve Kaslo to go on a concert lour with her. During her appearances Manchester will sing a number of songs written by Michael plus material from her latest album "Help Is On The Way”.

Thanks. Wish those appearances were available.

It would have been great if CBS had worked things out with P&G and brought SFT back to the network in 1987 when they knew Capitol was going to be axed. Then hired good writers to do their thing to revitalize the show. No offense to the late great Bill Bell, but B&B has been a mess. 

Kevin Kline's description of soap fans makes me laugh.

 

Which episode is this? It has Kentucky Bluebird and early Ryder so I assume early 1985...

Search for Tomorrow - March 6 1989 repeat (incomplete)

This had already been up at one time, then taken down, now has been reuploaded. Morgan talks a lot about Jennifer and her stories up to that point.

On 5/25/2025 at 7:59 PM, TEdgeofNight said:

Regarding the NBC years of SFT. Joanna Lee did a good job. She gave Jo a great story and ratings rised but Joanna left because she hated the pace of daytime. I remember seeing Joanna Lee’s great big red hair one day outside the studio. lol Her hair exited the studio before she did. 

In Olympia Dukakis book she writes that Joanna Lee was fired, and then the new producer fired 10 actors, a few weeks before Christmas. As Ellen Barrett began to bring in past Ryan's Hope people, both in front and behind the camera. 

On 5/25/2025 at 7:40 PM, SoapDope78 said:

It would have been great if CBS had worked things out with P&G and brought SFT back to the network in 1987 when they knew Capitol was going to be axed. Then hired good writers to do their thing to revitalize the show. No offense to the late great Bill Bell, but B&B has been a mess. 

I've been watching the first year episodes of B&B on Tubi, and it's practically Shakespeare level compared to what the show has today.

8 hours ago, TheyStartedOnSoaps said:

In Olympia Dukakis book she writes that Joanna Lee was fired, and then the new producer fired 10 actors, a few weeks before Christmas. As Ellen Barrett began to bring in past Ryan's Hope people, both in front and behind the camera. 

Dr. Barbara Moreno and daughter Angela last appeared in the Xmas episode and never returned, but Barbara left son Josh with Stu temporarily. 
 

But did we ever really see Josh after that?

 

I preferred Josh #1. I did not like Damion Schiller on any soap. 

On 6/5/2025 at 9:34 AM, DRW50 said:

Kevin Kline's description of soap fans makes me laugh.

Anyone who has ever spent time on social media knows it's so true, LOL!

Jon Michael Reed. August 78. He's commenting on Henry Slesar's stories. Right at that point, the Corringtons took over.

ANOTHER show that is recently undergoing a ratings-hungry period is "Search For Tomorrow," which usually rates high in the polls. At no other period in the last half dozen years has "Search" enthralled this writer more than recently. The cast, which already boasts one of the finest actors in the business, has the added sparkle of exciting newcomers. And there have been a number of lushly photographed location shootings that have added to the "hookability" of superior plots. 

"Search" is an apparent candidate for ratings supremacy, yet its competitor in most markets, "Ryan's Hope," runs away with the ball game. "Ryan's" has always been an exemplary serial, but the last few months have witnessed stalled or repetitive story patterns. The viewers' choice is difficult to make between "Search" and "Ryan's but "Search" should not be so blatantly 'underlooked'.

THAT CONSUMMATE actress Milles Taggart, who has been dealt dud storylines for most of the past half dozen years, has been given the opportunity to display her range as Janet Collins. The lady's romantically entangled with a charming but deadly manipulator, Chance Halliday, wonderfully portrayed by George Shannon. The unfolding mystery of Chance, his sister Kylie, and his ex-wife Donna has been enticingly well-paced. And Lisa Buck, as mentally disturbed Kylie, and Leslie Ann Ray, as alcoholic Donna, are two of the most accomplished actresses on television. It's all a joy to watch, but why aren't more folks tuning in?

LESLIE, incidentally, endured a real-life scare while undergoing "reel" action. When Donna attempted suicide, Leslie was hooked up to a defibrillator by an intern who was called in on the story emergency. What neither the intern nor Leslie realized was that the machine still retained a low voltage charge from previous When the machine was turned on, the electric current sent Leslie flying toward the ceiling. She retained several chest burns to prove that a serial actress' life isn't all fun and games.

Does anyone have the 1982 Christmas/Eve episode? I think it used to be on the internet at some point because I have this image of it. Thanks so much for your help.

The Search flood episodes:

https://www.youtube.com/@GrafMarlo/videos

Lee Grant, in her autobiography, talks about playing Rose Peabody on SFT.

This was in the early 50's when she had, like many others, been blacklisted-unable to work in TV or movies due to supposed Communist sympathies.

I remember getting a call from CBS asking if I was available to work on Danger, one of their shows, at the time. “No, no,” I protested, “you don’t mean me, check your records.” The nice network girl called back, flustered. “I’m sorry, you’re right, cancel that offer.”

Then, through some wonderful oversight, I fell into a job on a soap opera. Ira Cirker was the producer-director. Soaps were big business, many of them with huge casts. I think it was Search for Tomorrow. I do know Mary Stuart, the leading lady who played Joanne Gardner, had been on every day since the show began.

At the time my character was her friend Rose, who had a big grudge against Joanne for some reason. The last shot viewers had of me, I was holding a salt shaker containing poison over a soup pot in the kitchen. Would I or wouldn’t I poison the soup and kill Joanne and her loved ones? I felt really lucky. I was working live every morning, the show went straight into the television-watchers’ homes, the cast was like family, and I hoped that maybe the show was below the radar. I was going to work every day and nobody said anything. And my job was so fun. It was such a guilty pleasure to be below the visibility line on daytime television.

Then Ira called me in. The network, CBS, had been threatened by Laurence Johnson, a grocer from Syracuse, New York. He’d read Red Channels and found me. Johnson owned a few supermarkets in Syracuse. A few markets, that’s all—not in New York City, not in Los An¬ geles. He threatened the advertising agency who represented Crest toothpaste, one of the sponsors of Search for Tomorrow. He would track down actors working on TV and threaten the sponsors—in this case. Crest—with a display in his markets in front of their merchan¬ dise: DO YOU WANT TO BRUSH YOUR TEETH WITH A PRODUCT FROM A COMPANY THAT EMPLOYS COMMUNISTS?

It was very effective. Johnson also had a strong connection to a group of veterans in Syracuse, who he threatened would start a mail campaign. It put me out of the soap opera business and effectively stopped any paycheck I could count on, or Arnie could count on. Arnie had  angina, and he needed help paying the bills. Losing the soap opera was a real loss for him and for me.

*Subsequently both Nita Talbot and Constance Ford played Rose.