Search For Tomorrow Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

 

True but it's jacked up. I went to go look at the yearly ratings after you post this and SFT was still averaging a 6.7. They dropped to a 2.7 with the move and remained there to the bitter end. Had CBS simply allowed them to announce their move to NBC, SFT might've lasted a bit longer.

[DRW50]

True. I think network loyalty was still pretty strong then, although I guess EON managed it for nearly a decade. 

[NothinButAttitude]

 

They still could've tossed SFT a dog bone. Wasn't it CBS oldest show at that point? It's original soap? 

[DRW50]

Yes.

[danfling]

CBS almost expanded Search for Tomorrow and As the World Turns to 45-minute lengths.  This was prior, of course, to the expanded As the World Turns to an hour.

 

The plan was for the CBS affiliates to loose the local thirty-minute timeslot in which the stations aired the local news.   Search for Tomorrow would air from 12:00 until 12:45, and As the World Turns would air from 12:45 until 1:30.

 

Had that been done, neither The Edge of Night nor Search for Tomorrow may have changed networks.

Actress Margaret Whitton appeared on Search for Tomorrow, but I am unsure of the role.  She was also on The Doctors (as Joan Dancy) and on One Life to Live.  She passed away today or yesterday.

[hendersonite]

Margaret Whitton appeared on Search for Tomorrow using the name of Peggy Whitton.  She played Claire Hart in 1971.

[DRW50]

 

Great to see your posts again. Have you listened to any of the stuff on Danny Hill's channel?

[vetsoapfan]

I just finished rereading Mary Stuart's autobiography, BOTH OF ME. It made me miss SFT so much. Thank heavens there are tons of vintage eps available on YT! This show was great for so many years. I just wish I knew what the Hursleys had against Mary Stuart.

[DRW50]

 

It seems like a number of those in charge did (as I think Ann Marcus did as well), although P&G must not have had a problem with her as I'm sure they would have been happy to force her out if they did, given their treatment of other longstanding vets. 

[vetsoapfan]

 

Yes, Stuart was lucky that P&G seemed to have her back, or at least understand her character's importance to the show. Stuart was vocal in her criticism of Marcus' material (which is ironic, because I personally think it was the best soap writing of Marcus' career, and made SFT's ratings soar), so I can understand if Marcus did not care for the actress, but there has never been any clues given about why Doris Hursely came into the show gunning for Stuart and wanting to demean her and get her fired. It was REALLY STUPID to kill of Jo's son, Duncan Eric. The storyline did not lead anywhere, had no longterm ramifications, and robbed the series of a legacy character who could have kept Jo's family front and center over the decades. Another stupid decision was to have Stu's and Marge's son Jimmy simply disappear for NINE YEARS, and return after such a long hiatus as their nephew. 

[DRW50]

Didn't she think Marcus was trying to drive her off through things like firing Ann Williams (or was that after Marcus)?

[vetsoapfan]

 

I believe Eunice's death was after Marcus had left. Stuart thought that Marcus concentrated too much on violence and action plots, with a lot of new characters, and glossed over opportunities to use Jo effectively. I think Stuart felt Marcus was marginalizing her.

 

I agree that Jo's reaction to her husband Tony's death was minimized and not dealt with fully, and I also agree that some of the "action" could have been toned down, but the show moved like a bullet at the time, and was quite watchable. 

[DRW50]

Thanks. Wasn't this when she had some love interest that Mary Stuart didn't care for (I think the guy was from Our Miss Brooks or some other old sitcom)?

[vetsoapfan]

 

 

Stuart did not think she had chemistry with actor George Gaines (a recast Sam Reynolds), and worked to make sure that her character not end up being tied to him. In 1976 (I think) there was another actor named Paul Dumont whom Stuart did not have any chemistry with (he was tedious), who came and went pretty quickly.

Edited December 6, 2016 by vetsoapfan

[DRW50]

Yeah it was Dumont I was thinking of, as there were a few interviews hyping him at the time.