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A half-hour soap that was one of the longest running dramas in television history at 35 years, Search for Tomorrow, revolved around the heroine Joanne Gardner Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur, portrayed for the entire 35 year run by Mary Stuart. Joanne's, or Jo as the audience knew her, story began with her a young housewife who suddenly found herself widowed with a young child and battling her late husband's parents, The Barrons, for custody of her child. Jo's struggles and hopes for her future-her search for tomorrow-was the driving force of the show and through the years the audience saw Jo not only find and lose love many more times, but also survive the loss of a child, and weather many trials and tribulations. Jo, her children, and the tightly knit community of friends and acquaintances were involved in topical, relevant storylines including divorce, acquaintance rape, abortion, and the emergence of feminism. In 1982 the show moved from the CBS network to NBC and unfortunately suffered a drastic drop in the ratings, finally leaving the air in 1986.