2 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

 

The problem was it came out of nowhere, with no build up, with no rational sense.

 

Imagine one day you are watching Olivia Walton at home with her and family; cooking, cleaning, laughing, and being the loving wife and mother she's always been. Then in the next episode, John-Boy announces that she's run off with a clown from a traveling circus, whom she's supposedly been having an affair with for years. That's the last we ever see or hear from her. It would be like, "WTF?!?" It was totally out of character, totally stupid, and came across as a slap in the face to the audience from a "writer" who just did not give a f*ck, and who thought destroying a show's core for fun was hilarious. It made a lot of viewers angry.

 

I get that. I just took as fans were repulsed by the action as if no one would it. People do it all the time. I do agree that the writers not building up to it was stupid and amateur; however, I still don't see how it'd make me stop watching. Again, maybe this is because I've seen soaps turn into absolute sh-t in the past ten years, so something like that wouldn't bother me. If I grew up during that time, I might've thrown a fit too. 

4 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

 

Actually, she was on the show for 13 years, from 1968 to 1981, and as you say, there was nothing in her behavior or attitude that suggested she would ever do such a thing, or even consider leaving Stu. Bad, incompetent, callous writing.

 

Thanks. For some reason I thought she only came in after Melba Rae died. 

 

Since you're here now could you give a recap of some of the 1981 stories? I know that there was something about Sunny going blind in the jungle or having a tumor, and I don't know what else.

7 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

I get that. I just took as fans were repulsed by the action as if no one would it. People do it all the time. I do agree that the writers not building up to it was stupid and amateur; however, I still don't see how it'd make me stop watching. Again, maybe this is because I've seen soaps turn into absolute sh-t in the past ten years, so something like that wouldn't bother me. If I grew up during that time, I might've thrown a fit too. 

 

I think this was just one of many bad, infuriating decisions made by incompetent PTB that turned fans off.

 

Now, all the soaps are in the toilet, but way back then, there were still viable alternatives, so when one soap tanked, viewers could still find something better to watch.

Edited April 8, 20178 yr by vetsoapfan

4 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

Thanks. For some reason I thought she only came in after Melba Rae died. 

 

Since you're here now could you give a recap of some of the 1981 stories? I know that there was something about Sunny going blind in the jungle or having a tumor, and I don't know what else.

 

Wasn't the Rusty Sentell is alive/Tokyo arc around that time too? I've heard many say that they hated that arc too, while I enjoyed it when I read it. Wasn't it Suzy that went blind in the jungle w/ Warren & Brian? 

 

I just wish someone would post clips of Search from that time! I just wanna see it! 

 

I hate that P&G won't sell their library to someone.

 

3 minutes ago, vetsoapfan said:

 

I think this was just one of many bad, infuriating decisions made by incompetent PTB that turned fans off.

 

Understandable. However, from reading synopsis around that time, I just don't see what was so bad. 

26 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

Thanks. For some reason I thought she only came in after Melba Rae died. 

 

Since you're here now could you give a recap of some of the 1981 stories? I know that there was something about Sunny going blind in the jungle or having a tumor, and I don't know what else.

 

Melba Rae (I loved her!) died in 1971, and Billie Lou Watt joined the show in 1968, although of course not as a love interest for Stu.

 

SFT had enjoyed strong ratings in the 1970s under writers like Ann Marcus (who was awful on some other soaps but well-suited for SEARCH). In 1974-5, the show had a 9.4 (!!!) rating and was very entertaining. By 1981, however, it had plummeted to a dreadful 3.4. We had had to endure terrible writers like Tex and Irving Elman, Robert J. Shaw, the Corringtons, Linda Grover, Don Chastian, etc., and the audience just could not sit through their horrid material.

 

My memory is fuzzy about the plots that were playing out in 1981, specifically, because the awfulness of the late 1970s and early 1980s all runs together in my mind. Pointless newbies like Sylvie Descartes, Zack Anders, Garth and Max Taper, etc., came and went very quickly, without much fanfare at the time. Those were not good years for our beloved show.

 

19 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

Understandable. However, from reading synopsis around that time, I just don't see what was so bad. 

 

Decades of watching soaps has taught me that what may look good (or at least decent) on paper, can be completely destroyed by incompetent execution.

Edited April 8, 20178 yr by vetsoapfan

Thanks. What did you think of the material in the clips I posted? 

 

I remember reading about the "three-tier structure" the show had in the mid '70s (Schemering's book mentioned this), around the time of Kathy's abortion, which sounded interesting to me, although that review in Daytime TV Stars trashed it. 

How long was Fred Bartholomew the EP of SFT?

 

@DRW50 Is that from the voodoo doll story? 

It may be. I don't know anything about that story. Was that with Tante Helene (was that her name)?

On April 8, 2017 at 0:58 PM, vetsoapfan said:

 

Melba Rae (I loved her!) died in 1971, and Billie Lou Watt joined the show in 1968, although of course not as a love interest for Stu.

 

SFT had enjoyed strong ratings in the 1970s under writers like Ann Marcus (who was awful on some other soaps but well-suited for SEARCH). In 1974-5, the show had a 9.4 (!!!) rating and was very entertaining. By 1981, however, it had plummeted to a dreadful 3.4. We had had to endure terrible writers like Tex and Irving Elman, Robert J. Shaw, the Corringtons, Linda Grover, Don Chastian, etc., and the audience just could not sit through their horrid material.

 

My memory is fuzzy about the plots that were playing out in 1981, specifically, because the awfulness of the late 1970s and early 1980s all runs together in my mind. Pointless newbies like Sylvie Descartes, Zack Anders, Garth and Max Taper, etc., came and went very quickly, without much fanfare at the time. Those were not good years for our beloved show.

 

 

Decades of watching soaps has taught me that what may look good (or at least decent) on paper, can be completely destroyed by incompetent execution.

From what I've seen, Search went from a 6.3 in the 1980-81 season to a 6.8 in the 1981-82 season (on CBS). The ratings decline happened when the show switched to NBC in 1982, with the show getting a 3.4 rating for the 1981-82 season (on NBC).

48 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

It may be. I don't know anything about that story. Was that with Tante Helene (was that her name)?

 

Yep. I just went in looked up. That's Carolyn in the room screaming, right? 

 

While this story sounds so out of this world from the synopsis, like I always say, I wanna see it in person. 

On 4/7/2017 at 6:54 PM, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

 

I agree! I just don't get what Frons/NBC saw in cancelling the show. I feel like it still had so much life in it. Yes, killing Suzy wasn't the wisest decision, but the show was still viable. We still had Jo and Stu. As long as those 2 remained at the helm, I think the show could've still been viable. 

 

Actually...like with edge of Night...Procter and gamble cancelled SFT..NBC had wanted to pick it up for another year or two..

 

 

 

On 4/8/2017 at 11:58 AM, vetsoapfan said:

 

Melba Rae (I loved her!) died in 1971, and Billie Lou Watt joined the show in 1968, although of course not as a love interest for Stu.

 

SFT had enjoyed strong ratings in the 1970s under writers like Ann Marcus (who was awful on some other soaps but well-suited for SEARCH). In 1974-5, the show had a 9.4 (!!!) rating and was very entertaining. By 1981, however, it had plummeted to a dreadful 3.4. We had had to endure terrible writers like Tex and Irving Elman, Robert J. Shaw, the Corringtons, Linda Grover, Don Chastian, etc., and the audience just could not sit through their horrid material.

 

My memory is fuzzy about the plots that were playing out in 1981, specifically, because the awfulness of the late 1970s and early 1980s all runs together in my mind. Pointless newbies like Sylvie Descartes, Zack Anders, Garth and Max Taper, etc., came and went very quickly, without much fanfare at the time. Those were not good years for our beloved show.

 

 

Decades of watching soaps has taught me that what may look good (or at least decent) on paper, can be completely destroyed by incompetent execution.

 

I thought the Corringtons gave SFT their last stable and decent period in the late 70s?

Edited April 14, 20178 yr by Soaplovers

1 hour ago, robbwolff said:

From what I've seen, Search went from a 6.3 in the 1980-81 season to a 6.8 in the 1981-82 season (on CBS). The ratings decline happened when the show switched to NBC in 1982, with the show getting a 3.4 rating for the 1981-82 season (on NBC).

I can't believe CBS got rid of it. It was still pulling in good numbers. Instead they replaced it with Capitol which brought in lower numbers which lead to its cancellation.

From what I understand, though, CBS got rid of SFT, because P&G wanted the network to return the show to its former timeslot, even though SEARCH's ratings were improving in the new, later slot.

 

IMO, SEARCH would have left the airwaves sooner or later, if only because I question whether the show would have withstood losing Larry Haines and Mary Stuart.  (Hey, I loved Jo and Stu, but they weren't going to live forever.)  But I DO think the move to NBC, caused by P&G's obstinence, hastened its demise by many years.

Edited April 14, 20178 yr by Khan