FLASHBACK: You Are Cordially Invited to A (Soap) Wedding (Part 1)

When Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) and Doug Williams (Bill Hayes)
finally set their wedding date, October 1, 1976, Days of our Lives pulled
out all the stops.  After all, viewers had waited six-and-a-half years to see
them get married.

You Are Cordially Invited to A (Soap) Wedding

The Soap Box
Vol. IV No. 2 February 1979
by Linda Susman

When Julie Anderson and Doug Williams finally set their wedding date, October 1, 1976, Days of our Lives pulled out all the stops. Viewers had agonized through a six-and-a-half-year on-again/off-again love affair that many thought would never end in marriage, so they deserved a gala celebration to repay their patience and loyalty.

NBC invited dedicated fans who could get to the Burbank studio to share in the festivities, and issued an engraved on-air invitation to viewers throughout the country to watch the ceremony on TV. After the taping, the newlyweds, played by Susan and Billy Hayes--who had fallen in love and married while portraying Julie and Doug--appeared at the visitor's patio where guests had watched the taping on monitors. They were showered with rice, then driven back to the soundstage in a limousine. While the new Mr. and Mrs. were meeting the press, guests celebrated with coffee and the three-tiered wedding cake.

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Ended 26 Years Ago Today

NBC aired the final episode of daytime soap opera SEARCH FOR TOMORROW on December 26, 1986. The network had picked up the show in 1982 after it end a 31 year run on CBS. Below are some SFT features/articles we've posted over the years:

- CLASSIC CLIP: SEARCH FOR TOMORROW Final Scene 1986
- Nelson Aspen On The End of SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
- FLASHBACK: Missing Videotape Aids Slipping Soap 1983
- Nelson Aspen: Jo & Stu Did It First and Did It Best!
- Soap Opera Theme Songs That Had Lyrics
- FLASHBACK: Mary Stuart 1962
- Nelson Aspen's Where Are They Now Tour: Marcia McCabe
- COUNTDOWN: 25 Biggest Blunders In Daytime Soap Opera History

Nelson Aspen: Jo & Stu Did It First and Did It Best on 'Search for Tomorrow'!

Jo & Stu are far and away my favorite soap "buddy" team because they did it FIRST and did it best! From the time Larry Haines joined the cast of Search for Tomorrow, approx 6 months into the show's run, the platonic chemistry between "Jo" and "Stu" was evident. No matter how busy either character was with their own personal dramas, they could count on the other for a shoulder to cry on...a pot of coffee to pour...or (with Larry's gift of comic timing) a laugh to share. Back in the 50's and 60's, it was almost unimaginable that two characters of the opposite sex could remain solely/consistently FRIENDS.

30 Dynamic Duos of Daytime Soaps (5-3)

Our list of 30 Great Dynamic Duos of Daytime Soaps kicked off with a look at twosomes 30-26, 25-21, 20-16, 15-11 and 10-6. Below the countdown continues with Dynamic Duos 5-3. Tell us your favorite Dynamic Duos in the Comments section below:

50 Greatest Soap Actors: #16 Larry Haines

NAME: Larry Haines
RANK: 16
SOAP ROLES: Neil Warren, LOVING (1994-1995); Sidney Sugarman, ANOTHER WORLD (1989); Stu Bergman, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW (1951-1986); TO HAVE AND TO HOLD (1975-1976); THE FIRST HUNDRED YEARS (1950); Lew Archer, THE SECOND MRS. BURTON (1952-1960); Joe Roberts, THE GUIDING LIGHT (1950-1951); JOYCE JORDAN MD (1945-1946); ROSEMARY; DAVID HARUM; PEPPER YOUNG'S FAMILY; THE RIGHT TO HAPPINESS; THIS IS NORA DRAKE; YOUNG DOCTOR MALONE

AWARDS:
1988 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Comic Performance by an Actor: Daytime
1988 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor/Actress to the Form of Continuing Drama who is currently on a Daytime Serial
1985 Daytime Emmy Special Recognition Award for his longevity and contribution to SEARCH FOR TOMORROW
1981 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role in a Daytime Drama Series
1980 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for a Daytime Drama Series
1977 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
1976 Daytime Emmy win for Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
1969 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor (Musical) “Promises, Promises”
1966 Tony Award nomination for Featured Actor (Play) “Generation”

Larry Haines Dead at 89

Larry Haines, a successful Broadway actor who for 35 years played Stu Bergman, one of the convivial neighbors on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, which at the time of its cancellation was television's longest-running soap opera, died July 17 near his home in Delray Beach, Fla. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by his lawyer and friend, Tom Dachelet.

SEARCH FOR TOMORROW ran from 1951 to 1986, first on CBS and then, for its last four years, on NBC.

For all but the first two months of that run, Mr. Haines played Stu, the best friend of his next-door neighbor, the recently widowed Jo Gardner, owner of a boarding house. In the way of soap operas, her last name changed over the years from Barron to Tate to Vincente to Tourneur.

By 1986, the flow of romance through their tightly knit fictional town, Henderson, was a bit too staid for ratings-conscious NBC executives. In November, the "Search" ended.