Henderson

In my case, this IS a show my Mom used to watch (she watched all of the CBS serials to varying degrees) and unlike today's soaps, as all of the marital infidelity, etc., was never on screen, I suppose it was all right for a little kid to see, although I seem to remember that JoAnne Tate lost a son about my age and it bothered my mother a lot. In those days the plot lines really moved slowly; I could go back to school for nine months and still know what was going on the next summer! I've always wondered how actresses like Mary Stuart who played the same character on the same show for decades did financially; presumably it was good enough that they didn't go look for other work. I've heard that more of the people whose TV careers started on this show became stars after they moved on than any other soap opera. And this show was really that - a true soap opera in every sense with all that implies. When I was a kid it still had the ominous organ music, a carryover from soaps on the radio (even though that this one, unlike "The Guiding Light" with which it shared a half-hour when they were both 15 minutes, did not go all the way back to the radio itself).

I remember when I first watched soaps in 1981 I remember I wanted to see what the oldest soap (at the time "Search for Tomorrow" was the oldest soap on the air)was like. I liked what I saw and I got hooked on the show but I never understood a show like that was only stayed a half hour where most soaps aired for an hour. I watched it when it was in its last few months on CBS and it had a good thing going on location to Hong Kong with Travis (Rod Arrants, who had a quality of Luke Spencer) and his wife Liza (Sherry Mathis, later Louan Gideon) and they were the super couple of the show. I was glad that NBC picked up the show after CBS cancelled it and gave it a few more years to live. I did like the teenagers scene, Wendy (Lisa Peluso) and Suzi (Cynthia Gibb, then Elizabeth Swackhamer and Terri Eoff)and I thought the show was good. Of course the best was Stephanie (Marie Cheatham). She was the best character they had in Henderson, USA. The only problem this show had was that they had a constant turnover of executive producers and writers that the show got lost with viewers. I did remain true to the show till it got cancelled. But I liked it and was glad to be a fan to a soap that lasted for 35 years. It still lives on and the search isn't over.

Back in the 1980s, soaps ruled daytime. It's not replaced with talk and service shows now. There are only 9 shows. Only four are produced in New York City and the 5 are produced in Los Angeles. There was a time when it was 14 and New York City ruled daytime television. Those days are long gone because of production costs and the fact that audiences don't seem to be interested in daytime television as much as prime time. In England, soaps are very popular and acceptable. They have become part of their culture. It's sad that the same country that produced the early daytime serials like Search for Tomorrow which showed Agnes Nixon's creative genius and actors like Mary Stuart and Larry Haines play Jo and Stu for 35 years to lose daytime television. Daytime soaps like Search for Tomorrow are no longer being produced in New York City. I don't believe New York City will ever reclaim or want to reclaim it's title of the daytime television industry. It's a shame. There are plenty of actors who want to stay in New York City and work in stage, film, and television without having to relocate to Los Angeles. Maybe the answer is north in Toronto where actors and actresses can work on stage, film, and television. I remember Mary Stuart and Jane Krakowski from Ally McBeal fame in this show. This was a pleasant half-hour on television. We don't have them anymore.

I used to watch this show, along with Edge of Night,As the World Turns and Guiding Light when I was a kid during the summer vacation with my mother. Back then, they stayed on for only 15 minutes each. I can still hear that organ playing every time a reaction was required and the actor would freeze. Classic. There didn't seem to be as much sex back then -- I mean the plots were similar in that at least once Erica Kane-type character seemed to marry every man in town at least once and children had a knack of growing 10 years in a week but the sex was more implied and I think that was better. Nowadays, well, you know how it is nowadays.

i remember mom would watch SFT when she was still home not working and I'd watch with her. The series started with the Ames family, the father, mother, 2 daughters, although I only remember Amy Ames (Jada Rowland) who wasn't listed in the full cast. The mother died and the father remarried. Later, Amy got involved with a priest (david gale) who almost left the church. she married a man who became crippled and later regained his use of legs. I haven't seen any of this info in years and would love it if someone else remembered this along with more of the story. i really enjoyed that series. thanks for the opportunity to write. I'm very nostalgic at this stage of my life and it brings back fond memories of being home with mom. I wonder whatever happened to Jada Rowland from that series. Thanks for the opportunity to write. Monica Murray