I'm really curious about this series. I wish SoapNet would pick up the rights to it. From all the stuff I've seen and read, it seemed like a really good show. Does anyone remember it? Care to share any memories?

Actually, I watched it for a while, late in its run. It was a half-hour soap, set in the fictional town of Henderson and centering on the character of Joanne ['Jo'] Gardner Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur, who was played by Mary Stuart from the beginning to the end of the run [1951 - 1986], setting the record for longest continuous portrayal of one role, though that record may now have been broken. When Stuart, who went on to play a judge on an ABC soap [I think OLTL] and take over the role of Meta Bauer on CBS's "Guiding Light" died a year or two ago there was a real outpouring of grief and love in the soap world.

"Search" was a quiet soap, domestic in its scope and ambitions. During the period when I started watching, some of the other major characters included tormented good guy John Wyatt [Val Dufour, who was also notable on "AW" as Walter Curtin], ambitious vixen Stephanie Wilkins Collins Wyatt [brilliantly played first by Marie Cheatham, then Louise Schaeffer], gentle widow Janet Bergman Walton Collins, wealthy businessman Ted Adamson [Wayne Tippit] and his daughters Laine and Sunny, recklessly heroic young Southern millionaire Travis Tourneur Sentell and his uncle Martin Tourneur [DOOL's John Aniston], a charming gambler who became Jo's last husband, gutsy heroine Liza Walton Kazlo Sentell Kendall [who was Janet's daughter], and Jo's lifelong friends, Stu and Ellie Bergman [Larry Haines and Billie Lou Watt], who were Janet's parents, and also had a son named Tom who was played at one point by "Dynasty's" John James. During this period I developed a crush on an actor named George Shannon who played con artist 'Chance' Halliday and then, apart from an asprin commercial, disappeared from the screen.

In later years new core families formed - the working class McClearys and the wealthy Kendalls. Stu Bergman's wife ran off with a pastry chef, and life in Henderson became, well, sexier, with an influx of young people who tended to wear fewer clothes than in the past. Stories became slightly broader, e.g. Sunny Adamson's affair with lion tamer Bela Garody. The show's last episode featured the wedding of Jo's once-troubled daughter Patti to rugged Hogan McCleary and ended with Stu asking Jo what she was thinking about. Her answer - the last line of the show's 35 year run - was "Tomorrow. And I can't wait!"

Wasn't she also married to Sam Reynolds after Arthur Tate? My soap book, from the '70s, says so. It says Sam Reynolds was played by Robert Mandan (who went on to play Chester Tate on Soap) and they said he was on SFT from 1965 to 1970.

You also mentioned Val Dufour, who ended up getting married to Jo's sister Eunice, so I'm thinking Sam might have been before your time. One more question: The Eunice in the holiday 1966 episode at WoST...that was Ann Williams, who ended up playing her until Eunice died, right?

Yes, Ann Williams played Eunice right up to her tragic - and shocking, to the viewer - death.

I wasn't watching during Robert Mandan's time as Sam Reynolds. My understanding is that he and Jo never quite made it to the altar. He was unhappily married, they fell in love, his wife finally died, then he had to go to Africa or something, and when he came back [I think he was supposed to have died out there and during this time she fell in love with Dr. Tony Vincente] he was insane. He tried to claim her for his own but eventually died.

Someone with a better memory or better reference library than I might be able to solve this definitively.

The soap book I have (All My Afternoons by Annie Gilbert) says that Sam Reynolds was Arthur's archenemy, and he tried to woo Jo but she had no part of it until he saved Patti from knife-wielding drug dealers. Shocking stuff, especially for the '60s.

Based on what I've read, Sam Reynolds (then Robert Mandan) took over Arthur Tate's business, which led to Arthur's fatal heart attack. So of course, Jo hated Sam at first, but in true soap opera fashion they later fell in love. Sam's ex-wife Andrea Whiting was Jo's major nemesis for several years, scheming to keep Sam and Jo apart, but they were eventually married. When Mandan left the show, Sam went to Africa on business, where he was later reported killed. Eventually Jo fell for Tony Vincente (who also had a troublesome ex-wife, Marcy), after which Sam returned to town (but now played by a different actor). Apparently the new Sam was not as popular with the audience, so the character went insane, and Jo ended up with Tony. For a while.

Search is another of those long-running classic soaps that I wish I had discovered sooner, but the years I saw were pretty good (mid-to late 70s) in spite of lots of changing producers, writers, etc.

I remember that name from the July '66 SFT episode they aired at WoST. Was Sam the father of Len?

Had to go back and look that one up. Yes, Dr. Len Whiting was the son of Andrea and Sam, but Andrea had turned him against his father, which led him to take his mother's maiden name. Apparently both Sam and Len were around for a while before anyone knew they were related.

WoST has a 15-minute episode from January 1963 now up.

My father loved this show! I remember Martin (John Aniston), mostly because my dad starting watching DOOL after he switched shows. I also remember John Glover as Vargas, an excellent bad guy who abducted Jo.

I'm drawing a blank on her name, but one of the actresses on Ally McBeal also had a part as a troubled teen. (Forgive my sketchy memory, but I was only 10 when this show was cancelled!).

You're thinking of Jane Krakowski. I've read a bit about her role on SFT.

I was reading this thread again, and I noticed that my February 1977 Soap Opera Digest copy has the SFT summary where Jennifer shot Eunice. If you'd like to see it, I can type it up.

i would love to see it. i like gettin as much history on any show as much as i can

::clearing through cobwebs::

P&G's classic soaps website is showing episodes of Search for Tomorrow. They seem to be at 1984. The episode I linked to is the earliest. I was happy to see Lisa Peluso, or, as I always know her, Ava Rescott. I also saw Victor Kiriakis. Anyway, I was hoping to see Mary Stuart/Jo, but she will probably show up in some episode soon.

Am I being too hard on the show in 1984, or was that pretty bad? The acting, almost all across the board, was bad. Can anyone tell me who that character was who was fighting with "Kentucky", as she called him? She had long dark hair, and was a business or government woman. She's just hilariously awful. The way she said "WORMS!" I nearly doubled over.

IIRC, that would be Liza Sentell, the show's young heroine for some years. At this point Liza, having lost her husband Travis Tourneur Sentell [Rod Arrants] is going through what will be a nearly endless series of mistakes, bad choices and temporary better choices that don't last, before the very last episode facilitates her encounter with a Travis lookalike [Arrants graciously did the cameo to help tie up Liza's story] Liza was one of those hardluck heroines who suffers a lot but never quite loses her best qualities, but that period after Travis died was hard on her - and her fans. [Note: Liza's first great love, Steve, was played by Michael Nouri, who went on to many other things]

BTW, 'Victor Kiriakis' [aka John Aniston] was playing Martin Tourneur, Travis's uncle and Jo's husband of several years, so you will see Mary Stuart soon, I'm pretty sure of it.

Thank you for all this info. Wow. I'm sorry for being so hard on Sherry Mathis, apparently this was towards the end of her time on the show (did she leave or was she fired?). What did you think of the Liza recast?

I've just discovered the show when it came on the PGP Soap Channel and I love it. It's nothing spectacularly awesome (at least at this point) like Y&R or ATWT, but it's a very solid, simple soap with a good set of characters.

My favorite character is Liza and I almost hate I started watching since she's about to leave a few months into these episodes. I can't understand why they began the series so close to cancellation when they began EON in 1979 and Texas/AW in 1980. The show was also syndicated on USA so we know that at least the entire NBC run is available. Hopefully once these episodes end they go back further.

Stu and Jo are the cutest couple on the show. Of course it's not romantic, but it's stronger than any romantic pairing you'll find on this show. I often find myself preferring a well developed friendship, rivalry or family relationship rather that some gushy romance. A good example of why is Adair (*hate* her) and those brothers Alec and Chase....

Other characters I enjoy are Justine, Wendy, Stephanie and TR. I also must admit that I loved Kentucky although I believe he's been written off. In general I'm not in love with the McCleary family, but maybe they'll grow on me.

Do love seeing all the Ryan's Hope rejects as a big fan of that show. Hell, the entire McCleary/Irish Bar (run by RH's Kevin) is a total rip off. But I'll accept it. Louise Shaffer, for example, should've never been fired at RH. She had just won an Emmy, but they thought she was too old? Thats just sick, IMO. She was in her early 40s and a damn good actress.



I've seen about 10 episodes from the flood storyline in 1986 so I've been able to see the recast. She was a good actress from what I saw, but her performance was a lot less colorful although it was a flood, lol. There was something special about Sherry Mathis that I don't think could be replaced. At least for me.

In the grand tradition of recasts who achieve indelible ownership of a role, Sherry Mathis actually inherited the role of Liza from Meg Bennett [later Julia on Y&R, et al], who was very popular, especially during Liza's romance and marriage to struggling songwriter Steve Kazlo, who died of cancer. Flash forward some years later, and it's as if no one but Sherry Mathis ever played the role.

I was watching a show on the Fine Living Network and saw a commercial for another program, a home makeover program, called Mail Order Makeover. Michael Corbett (ex-Warren) is one of the designers. He was on SFT for a few years, wasn't he? What did you think of him?

Michael Corbett is on the episodes being shown on the PGP Soap Channel and recently wrapped up his Ryan's Hope stint on SOAPnet. I think he's a fabulous young talent and was very disappointed when he was killed off RH during the writers strike.

On SFT he's playing a villian, but I'm not exactly sure of his crimes due to where they started. I believe he probably raped Suzi and is the father of Jonah, who he desperately wants back. He also was married to Wendy and the two still seem to be in love (although she thinks he's dead).

Now you can find Michael Corbett hosting segments on Extra. He even posted a few times on the SOAPnet message board which was nice. Also rumor has it he's part of a trio of gay actors on Y&R in the 80s (including former Jack Terry Lester).

That is/was more than rumor. lol

He almost always plays villains, IIRC, which is a shame because I think he's a very good actor and can be quite appealing, so they should give him more of a chance to show his range. As it is he was able to garner a fair amount of viewer interest and sympathy as Michael on RH and even as David on Y&R before they completely demonized his character near the end.

I don't think the part about Terry Lester is true. I could be wrong but I thought he was married to some actress from one of the soaps. It could have been B&B or GH. Am I wrong?

I think only Thom Bierdz said that, but still, if the actors themselves didn't say anything about it, I'd be inclined to just call it "rumor."

He carried on several closeted affairs durin his time in the industry. Just like with Tuc Watkins, he himself doesn't have to address it for it to be true.

Proof does help. You can believe what you want, and that's fine, but I prefer to see facts.

Gay or straight, Terry was an incredible actor and very missed.

As for SFT, what did you think of Lisa Peluso on this show? She left the show a few years before it was canceled, right? What was her exit?

What did you think of Jane Krokowski on here? Didn't Olympia Dukasis play her mother? Or was she Irene Cara's mother? I get some of these people confused, obviously. I read somewhere Irene Cara was on here.

Olympia Dukakis played a doctor on SFT. Irene Cara played Daisy on Love of Life in the early 1970s.

The fact is that he was closeted. If you choose to believe otherwise, that's fine.

I think at this point, we're going to have to agree to disagree, if that's all right with you. It's not horribly on-topic in this thread anyway, I would think.

It's on topic enough IMO. However agree to disagree it is.

I thought she was hilarious! They have her decked out in the most outrageous 80s fashions with that big perm and her character was so dramatic. I really do enjoy TR. She has pretty much guilted Liza into adopting her.



Since Michael Corbett was an actor on this show, I imagine it's on topic. It's certainly no secret that daytime is full of closeted actors. Hell, primetime and film as well. It's just not possible that this industry is without gay people. Gay actors are out in theater because it doesn't matter, otherwise the studios won't hire you if you're out. But there are lots of semi-out actors to their cast who simply don't make it public.

Larry Haines passed away on July 17.

Daytime is in such a sorry state now, it's almost hard to believe there was a time when Jo and Stu were probably as famous as the biggest names of their day. Search for Tomorrow was one of the very first TV soaps, one which helped encourage the networks to give daytime drama a try, one which helped millions of people to not feel quite so alone.

Stu was a very normal man, yet that normal quality is what makes him just so rare for daytime drama. And Larry Haines was quite an actor of stage, screen, and soap.

I hope Larry Haines, Mary Stuart, Melba Rae, and all his other friends and family are having a good time right now.