Search for Tomorrow

Search for Tomorrow was the first network television soap opera to become a long running success. Built around Joanne Gardner Barron Tate Vicente Tourneur (Mary Stuart) throughout its thirty-five year run, Search documented the changing social and romantic roles of women through the four different decades.

 

A. The Early Years

Original "Search for Tomorrow" logo 

Throughout its entire thirty-five year run, Search for Tomorrow's opening logo consisted of a time-lapse shot of clouds floating through the sky. The title of the show was superimposed over the visuals in an italic typeface, probably Baskerville or Garamond, that featured a swash-topped T. This sequence was presented in black and white from 1951 until the Spring of 1967, when the show began regular color broadcasts.

The theme music for the early years sounded a little like "Beyond the Blue Horizon" to some. (In fact, "Beyond the Blue Horizon" would have seemed quite appropriate for this show given the opening visuals.) I don't know exactly who composed the long-running early theme music of SFT, but I do know Chet Kingsbury was the organist for the show's first episode and that Bill Meeder was the organist for several years during the fifties and sixties.

End credits during this period usually flashed on and off the screen as separate cards, with the actor/crew member name in a typeface such as Garamond and the role played/production title in a sans-serif typeface.

 

 

B. 1967-1974

Classic "Search for Tomorrow" logo in color.  

The familiar time-lapse shot of the clouds floating through the sky was now in color, the lettering was gold, and the "S" in Search now obtained a swash flourish. During these years, an original theme by Bill Meeder titled "Interchange" was used as theme music.

Following Bill Meeder's death in 1969, Ashley Miller became Search for Tomorrow's organist, and he would contribute a rather short-lived original theme, "Signature for Search for Tomorrow," which was probably used only in 1974.

As of Spring 1974, Search was one of the few remaining soaps that had live in-studio organ accompaniment. However, Score Productions did the music for this show for a brief time before Elliot Lawrence Productions took over.

C. Late 1974 to Late 1981

By the end of 1974, Search for Tomorrow joined a trend initiated by The Young and the Restless for contemporary pop ballad themes. The new theme music, "We'll Search for Tomorrow" by Jon Silbermann, Jack Cortner, and John Barranco, debuted by no later than December 30, 1974. The vocal version of "We'll Search for Tomorrow" was used occasionally over the end credits from the 1974/75 season until 1978. A more orchestral arrangement of the theme was used started in 1980.

End credits during this period were originally in a News Gothic typeface, then later appeared in a Grotesque Italic font. There are indications that by 1981, Search was again setting its end credits in a Helvetica/News gothic type similar to what was being used on the other CBS Procter and Gamble soaps at that time.

 

D.    Late 1981 to Feb. 1986

1981-1986 "Search for Tomorrow" logo. 

All the Procter and Gamble soaps underwent a major cosmetic facelift by the end of 1981, and Search for Tomorrow was no exception. Search's glitzy new videotaped opening sequence began with a shot of a seagull flying over the ocean, followed by a helicopter shot of the clouds in the midday sky, and then the appearance of the show's title in shiny golden Americana typeface lettering. The sun appeared in the upper left hand corner of the screen. This sequence, which was accompanied by a new Latin disco arrangement of "We'll Search for Tomorrow" that prominently featured a Chuck Mangione-style solo trumpet line, on Dec. 23, 1981.

For the end credits, the sky was darkened for a nighttime effect as the end credits ran.

1981-1986 "Search for Tomorrow" logo: End Credits version 

End credits were set in the following type during these years: Helvetica/News Gothic "flashing separate card" setup during the final weeks on CBS and the first few weeks on NBC; Grotseque Italic, usually white, from Summer 1982 to Early 1985; and Belwe from Spring 1985 to February 1986.

 

 

From Search for Tomorrow's Early 1980s End Credits

 

 

E.     Feb. 1986 to Dec. 26, 1986

The 1986 "Search for Tomorrow" logo superimposed over the end of the opening cast montage.Search for Tomorrow's cosmetic look underwent one last overhaul in February 1986 under executive producer John P. Whitesell. While the traditional clouds in the sky motif remained in place, there was now a montage of cast clips in the opening. New "techno-rock" theme music by Billy Chinnock ("Somewhere in the Night") was used along with a new high-tech lettering style in the title. The word "Search" was in script while the other two words of the title were in high-tech sans-serif lettering.

When this final main title sequence first debuted, the end credits were set in Friz Quadrata type, but changed to white Windsor typeface letters by the summer.

 

 

 

Main 1986 "Search for Tomorrow" logo. This image was used as part of the end credit sequence.Here is a complete list of all the theme songs used by Search for Tomorrow:

  1. "Search for Tomorrow"
    Composer: Chet Kingsbury (ASCAP), who was the organist for the premiere episode.
    Original Publisher: Emil Ascher, Inc. (ASCAP)
    Current Publisher: Unknown.
    Copyright date: 1951?
    Published Sheet Music:
    Recordings: None
    Approximate dates of usage: According to Craig W. Pattillo's book, this theme was used during the show's first 24 seasons.
  2. "Interchange"
    a.k.a. (per ASCAP) "Interchange Theme Search for Tomorrow"
    Composer: Bill Meeder (ASCAP)
    Original Publisher: Emil Ascher, Inc. (ASCAP)
    Approximate dates of usage: 1968 to 1974. According to Craig W. Pattillo, this was SFT's 18th through 23rd seasons closing theme.
    Published Sheet Music:
    Recordings: None
    Note: This piece was in the 1978 ASCAP Index of Performed Compositions but it is not included in the current ASCAP Repertoire, nor can it be found in the BMI Repertoire.
  3. "Signature for Search for Tomorrow"
    Composer: Ashley Miller (ASCAP)
    Publisher: Milco Music Co. (ASCAP)
    Copyright: February 12, 1974; EU 463856.
    Approximate date of usage: 1974 only
    Published Sheet Music:
    Recordings: none
  4. "We'll Search for Tomorrow"
    Composers: Jon Silbermann (ASCAP), John Barranco (ASCAP), and Jack Cortner (ASCAP)
    Original Publisher: Elliott Music Company, Inc. (ASCAP)
    Current Publisher: Fountain Square Music (ASCAP) c/o Signature Sound of New York
    Copyright: Dec. 30, 1974; EP 336113.
    Dates of usage (based on ASCAP correspondence): 4th Quarter (Oct.-Dec.) 1974 to Feb. 25, 1986. The earliest possible debut date for "We'll Search for Tomorrow" was Monday, October 7, 1974, and the latest possible debut date for this theme was Monday, December 30, 1974.
    Published Sheet Music:
    Recordings:
  1. "Somewhere in the Night"
    Composers: Billy Chinnock (ASCAP) and Eleanor Bradley (ASCAP)
    Publisher: Fountain Square Music (ASCAP) c/o Signature Sound of New York
    Copyright date: 1986. Published March 1, 1986 and registered March 4, 1987; PA-315-277)
    Dates of usage: Feb. 26 to Dec. 26, 1986.
    Published Sheet Music:
    Recordings:

 

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