| Search for Tomorrow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Genre | Soap opera |
| Created by | Roy Winsor |
| Starring | Mary Stuart Larry Haines |
| Narrated by | Dwight Weist |
| Composer | Dick Hyman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 35 |
| No. of episodes | 9,130 |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 15 minutes (1951–68) 30 minutes (1968–86) |
| Production company | Procter & Gamble Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS (1951–82) NBC (1982–86) |
| Release | September 3, 1951 (1951-09-03) – December 26, 1986 (1986-12-26) |
Search for Tomorrow is an American televisionsoap opera. It began its run onCBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded onNBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986.[1]
Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focused primarily on the character ofJoanne "Jo" Gardner, portrayed byMary Stuart for the entire run of the series.[2]
Created byRoy Winsor,Search for Tomorrow was originally written byAgnes Nixon (then known professionally as Agnes Eckhardt) for the series' first 13 weeks, beforeIrving Vendig assumed head writing duties.[3] The program was one of severaldaytime soap operas produced from the 1950s through the 1980s byProcter & Gamble Productions, the broadcasting arm of the famed household products corporation. Procter & Gamble used the program, as well as the company's other serials, to advertise its products (such as itsJoy dishwashing liquid andSpic and Span household cleaner). AsSearch's ratings increased, other sponsors began buying commercial time during the program.
Search for Tomorrow initially aired as a 15-minute serial from its debut in 1951 until 1968, at 12:30 p.m.Eastern/11:30 a.m.Central Time. The serial discontinued live broadcasts in favor of recorded telecasts in March 1967, began broadcasting in color on September 11, 1967, and expanded to a half-hour on September 9, 1968, keeping the 12:30/11:30 slot, while its old 15-minute partnerThe Guiding Light also expanded to 30 minutes and moved to the CBS afternoon lineup at 2:30/1:30.[4] At the time,Search for Tomorrow andThe Guiding Light, which had shared the same half-hour for sixteen years, were the last two 15-minute daytime programs airing on television.Search for Tomorrow would remain the top-rated show at 12:30/11:30 well into the late 1970s, despite strong competition from shows like NBC'sThe Who, What, or Where Game andABC'sSplit Second andRyan's Hope.
On June 8, 1981, CBS movedSearch for Tomorrow from its longtime 12:30 p.m./11:30 a.m. Central time slot, which it had held for 30 years, to the 2:30/1:30 p.m. time slot between its two P&G sister shows,As the World Turns andGuiding Light, in order to accommodate the hit serialThe Young and the Restless. Procter & Gamble urged CBS to returnSearch for Tomorrow to its former slot. The program's relocation confused or angered many longtime viewers habituated to seeing it earlier in the day. Another P&G-produced soap opera,The Edge of Night, had suffered the same problem six years earlier when the company insisted that the show be moved to the 2:30/1:30 p.m. time slot; it had previously dominated the other two networks in the ratings when the show was airing at 3:30/2:30 p.m. for almost a decade. This move was made on CBS part to giveThe Young and the Restless a half-hour head start on ABC'sAll My Children, which was part of the trio of ABC soaps, along withOne Life to Live andGeneral Hospital, that led the network to dominate the top three spots in the daytime ratings (an achievement ABC first reached during the 1980–81 season) at the time. CBS refused to moveSearch for Tomorrow back to its original 12:30/11:30 time slot and, as the show's contract with CBS was about to expire, Procter & Gamble sold the broadcast rights toSearch for Tomorrow to NBC rather than negotiate a renewal with CBS. NBC already had two soaps produced by P&G,Another World and itsDallas-inspired spin-offTexas, as part of its daytime lineup.Search for Tomorrow aired its last episode on CBS on March 26, 1982, and had its NBC premiere the following Monday, March 29; CBS filled the program's former time slot with a new political soap opera,Capitol.
The shift from CBS to NBC would prove to be the beginning of the serial's terminal decline. At its new network,Search for Tomorrow now found itself going head-to-head with its former CBS stablemateThe Young and the Restless and would later face additional soap competition whenLoving premiered on ABC in June 1983. Additionally, several NBC-affiliated stations opted to run syndicated programming or local newscasts in the 12:00/11:00 slot, a practice dating back to NBC's daytime ratings struggles in the 1970s that also affected already struggling soap operaThe Doctors, which was airing at 12:30/11:30, until NBC bumped it to 12:00/11:00 (the fourth and final time slot that the show occupied during its 19-year run) to accommodateSearch for Tomorrow. (The Doctors, along withTexas, were both canceled at the end of 1982.) As a result,Search for Tomorrow's ratings plummeted through its four-year run on NBC and never recovered; it was among the lowest-rated soaps on television at the time, kept alive mainly by its hardcore and largely elderly fans. As such, the show was increasingly unappealing to advertisers other than P&G. (The Edge of Night faced similar issues following its move to ABC in the 4:00/3:00 timeslot, where it did only slightly better in the ratings, before being cancelled in 1984 due to the erosion of its overall ratings caused in part by affiliate preemptions for syndicated programming.)
On August 4, 1983, both the master copy and the backup of an episode ofSearch for Tomorrow scheduled for that day were reported missing, and the cast was forced to do a live show for the first time since the transition to recorded broadcasts 16 years earlier.[5] It was the first live daytime serial since two other CBS soaps,As the World Turns andThe Edge of Night, had discontinued the practice in 1975; to date, the only other soap operas to have done live episodes in any capacity since – albeit as programming stunts – were ABC'sOne Life to Live (for a one-week "sweeps" stint from May 13–17, 2002) andGeneral Hospital (for two episodes on May 15 and 18, 2015).[citation needed]
In the fall of 1986, NBC announced thatSearch for Tomorrow would be canceled, citing its declining ratings. The show aired its 9,130th and final episode on December 26, 1986, after 35 years on the air. At the time of its cancellation, it was the longest-running daytime program in American television history, but has since been surpassed by other shows. The following Monday, the game showWordplay took over the 12:30 p.m. Eastern time slot.
From 1987 until the summer of 1989, reruns ofSearch for Tomorrow aired late nights on theUSA Network. The cable network aired episodes from the first three years on NBC (1982–1985), along with its sister P&G soapThe Edge of Night.
In 2006, P&G began making several of its soap operas available, a few episodes at a time, throughAmerica Online's AOL Video service, downloadable free of charge.[6] Reruns ofSearch for Tomorrow began with the October 5, 1984, episode and ceased with the January 13, 1986, episode after AOL discontinued the P&G Soaps Channel on December 31, 2008.[7]
| Duration | Name |
|---|---|
| September 3, 1951 – June 1969 | Roy Winsor |
| June 1969 – November 1974 | Robert M. Driscoll |
| November 1974 – November 1981 | Mary-Ellis Bunim |
| November 1981 – February 1985 | Robert Costello |
| February 1985 – March 1986 | John Whitesell |
| March 1986 – December 26, 1986 | John Whitesell and David Lawrence |
| Duration | Name |
|---|---|
| September 3, 1951 – November 1951 | Agnes Nixon |
| November 1951 – April 1956 | Irving Vendig |
| April 1956 – December 1957 | Charles Gussman |
| December 1957 – April 1963 | Frank and Doris Hursley |
| April 1963 – August 1965 | Julian Funt and David Lesan |
| August 1965 – May 1968 | Leonard Kantor and Doris Frankel |
| May – September 1968 | Lou Scofield |
| September 1968 – November 1969 | Robert Soderberg andEdith Sommer |
| November 1969 – December 1973 | Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt |
| December 1973 – May 1974 | Theodore Apstein |
| May – November 1974 | Gillian Houghton |
| November 1974 – July 1975 | Ann Marcus |
| July 1975 – November 1976 | Peggy O’Shea |
| November 1976 – November 1977 | Irving and Tex Elman |
| November 1977 – April 1978 | Robert J. Shaw |
| April – August 1978 | Henry Slesar |
| August 1978 – May 1980 | John William Corrington andJoyce Hooper Corrington |
| May – November 1980 | Linda Grover and John Porterfield |
| November 1980 – March 27, 1981 | Gillian Houghton |
| March 30, 1981 – April 11, 1981 | Harding Lemay |
| April – July 1981 | 1981 Writers Guild of America strike |
| July – December 1981 | Don Chastain |
| December 1981 – July 1982 | Ralph Ellis and Eugenie Hunt |
| July – September 1982 | C. David Colson |
| September 1982 – April 1984 | Gary Tomlin |
| April – June 1984 | Jeanne Glynn and Madeline David |
| June 1984 – March 1985 | Jeanne Glynn andCaroline Franz |
| March – October 1985 | Paul Avila Mayer andStephanie Braxton |
| October 1985 – July 1986 | Gary Tomlin |
| July – December 26, 1986 | Pamela K. Long andAddie Walsh |
 |
| Actor | Character | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Acovone | Brian Emerson | 1982–84 |
| Frieda Altman | Mrs. Miller, the housekeeper | 1969–71[8][9] |
| John Aniston | Martin Tourneur | 1979–84 |
| Rod Arrants | Travis Sentell | 1978–84 |
| Lewis Arlt | David Sutton | 1976–81 |
| Matthew Ashford | Cagney McLeary | 1984–86 |
| Kevin Bacon | Todd Adamson | 1979 |
| Angela Bassett | Selina McCulla | 1985 |
| Kathleen Beller | Liza Walton | 1972–74 |
| Meg Bennett | Liza Walton | 1974–76 |
| Neil Billingsley | Danny Walton | 1975–77 |
| Domini Blythe | Estelle Kendall | 1985–86 |
| Marion Brash | Eunice Gardner Wyatt | 1957–61, 1969 |
| Philip Brown | Steve Kendall | 1982–83 |
| J. Kenneth Campbell | Roy Arnold | 1985 |
| Robert Curtis Brown | Alec Kendall | 1984–85 |
| Hope Busby | Liza Walton | 1977–78 |
| David Canary | Arthur Benson | 1978 |
| Melanie Chartoff | Nancy Craig | 1976 |
| Maree Cheatham | Stephanie Wyatt | 1974–84 |
| Jill Clayburgh | Grace Bolton | 1969 |
| Kevin Conroy | Chase Kendall | 1984–85 |
| Joan Copeland | Andrea Whiting | 1967-72 |
| Michael Corbett | Warren Carter | 1982–85 |
| Colleen Dion-Scotti | Evie Stone | 1985–86 |
| Val Dufour | John Wyatt | 1972–79 |
| Olympia Dukakis | Barbara Moreno | 1983 |
| George Ebeling | Peter Rand | 1963 |
| Terri Eoff | Susan Wyatt | 1984–86 |
| Morgan Fairchild | Jennifer Pace | 1973–77 |
| Larry Flieschman | Ringo Altman | 1982–83 |
| David Forsyth | Hogan McCleary | 1983–86 |
| David Gale | Rusty Sentell Sr. | 1982–83 |
| Jennifer Gatti | Angela Moreno | 1983 |
| Anthony George | Tony Vicente | 1970–75 |
| Cynthia Gibb | Susan Wyatt Carter | 1981–83 |
| Louan Gideon | Liza Walton | 1985–86 |
| Stacey Glick | Andy McNeil | 1982–83 |
| Nicolette Goulet | Kathy Phillips Taper | 1979–82 |
| Marian Hailey | Janet Collins | 1971 |
| Larry Haines | Stu Bergman | 1951–86 |
| Ron Hale | Walt Driscoll | 1969 |
| Brett Halsey | Clay Collins | 1975 |
| Bethany Hanes | Victoria Carson | 1977 |
| Page Hannah | Adair McCleary | 1984–85 |
| Peter Haskell | Lloyd Kendall | 1983–85 |
| Michael Hawkins | Steve Haskins | 1967 |
| Joel Higgins | Bruce Carson | 1977 |
| Lois Holmes | Mrs. Miller, the housekeeper | 1971—72[10][11] |
| John James | Tom Bergman | 1977 |
| Don Knotts | Wilbur Peterson | 1953-55 |
| Jane Krakowski | T.R. Kendall | 1984–86 |
| Mark Lenard | Nathan Walsh | 1959–60 |
| Audra Lindley | Sue Knowles | 1962 |
| Mitch Litrofsky | Thomas "Trip" Bergman | 1981–83 |
| Richard Lohman | Gary Walton | 1975–77 |
| Carl Low | Bob Rogers | 1965–83 |
| Christopher Lowe | Eric Leshinski | 1969–78 |
| Robert Mandan | Sam Reynolds | 1965–70 |
| Sherry Mathis | Liza Walton | 1978–85 |
| Andrea McArdle | Wendy Wilkins | 1977 |
| Jane McArthur | Marian Rand | 1963 |
| Marcia McCabe | Sunny Adamson | 1978–86 |
| Marilyn McIntyre | Carolyn Hanley | 1977–80 |
| Jeffrey Meek | Quinn McCleary | 1984–86 |
| Stacey Moran | Susan Wyatt | 1977–80 |
| Denise Nickerson | Liza Walton | 1971–72 |
| Michael Nouri | Steve Kaslow | 1975–78 |
| Terry O'Sullivan | Arthur Tate | 1952–66 |
| Tina Orr | Meredith Hartford | 1977–78 |
| Will Patton | Kentucky Bluebird | 1984–85 |
| Anne Pearson | Allison Metcalf | 1959–65 |
| Patsy Pease | Cissie Mitchell Sentell | 1978–84 |
| Lisa Peluso | Wendy Wilkins Carter | 1977–85 |
| Michelle Phillips | Ruby Ashford | 1983 |
| Gene Pietragallo | Brian Emerson | 1981–82 |
| Melba Rae | Marge Bergman | 1951–71 |
| Leslie Ann Ray | Donna Davis | 1977–78 |
| Sandy Robinson | Janet Collins | 1956–61 |
| Robert Rockwell | Greg Hartford | 1977–78 |
| Frank Schofield | John Austin | 1963 |
| Louise Shaffer | Stephanie Wyatt | 1984–86 |
| Fran Sharon | Janet Collins | 1961–65 |
| Courtney Simon | Kathy Phillips | 1971–79; 1984 |
| Peter Simon | Scott Phillips | 1969–79 |
| Marcus Smythe | Dane Taylor | 1982–83 |
| Ellen Spencer | Janet Collins | 1951–56 |
| Ralph Stantley | Lloyd Gibson | 1963 |
| Leslie Stevens | Justine Calvert | 1984–85 |
| Douglas Stevenson | Lee Sentell | 1980–82 |
| Adam Storke | Andrew Ryder | 1985 |
| Mary Stuart | Joanne Gardner | 1951–86 |
| Tom Sullivan | Michael Kendall | 1983 |
| Millee Taggart | Janet Collins | 1971–82 |
| Wayne Tippit | Ted Adamson | 1980–82 |
| Gary Tomlin | Bruce Carson | 1973–74 |
| Patrick Tovatt | Matt McCleary | 1986 |
| Martin Vidnovic | Cord Tourneur | 1984 |
| Douglass Watson | Walter Haskins | 1960s[a] |
| Billie Lou Watt | Ellie Harper Bergman | 1968–81 |
| Ann Williams | Eunice Gardner Wyatt | 1966–76 |
| Marian Woods | Victoria Windsor | 1984 |
| Anne Wyndham | Amy Carson | 1975–77 |
| Category | Recipient | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Actor | Larry Haines Val Dufour | Stu Bergman John Wyatt | 1976[citation needed] |
| Supporting Actor | Larry Haines | Stu Bergman | 1981[citation needed] |
hobe 1 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).
