Medical Center

Not only were the topics that were discussed out near the edge, the weekly cast of guest stars were top notch. Many of those are on todays lists of entertainments "Who's Who". But one episode sticks out in my memory plainly as being way out beyond the edge for 1970's TV. The episode was " Ghetto Clinic", guest starring William Devane. In a scene where Chad Everette was scolding William Devane for not treating a street criminal mortally wounded in an altercation, allowing him to die, Devane explains simply "He was a scumbag"....I literally sat on my couch in shock. "Did I really hear that?" I thought. Friends at work the next day confirmed that I did'nt imagine it. To this day, I have yet to hear that term used on network TV. Medical Center raised the bar for TV drama. The stage was set for the next best, "St. Elsewhere"

I was in high school when this aired in 1969. I watched every episode. I sure do miss it and wish memorable entertainment TV, antenna TV, or inspiration channels would show it. Chad Everett did an episode of supernatural few years back playing older dean winchester. Few years later he died. Only other show I saw him in was the nanny, of all things, playing a doctor. I never knew where medical center was being filmed when I looked it up on www.IMDb.com. When I was scrolling down thats when I saw where it was being filmed. I forgot what the episodes where about but one. Think Robert Reed was in it and he wanted a sex change operation and only Dr Gannon would do the operation. I have a few web sites to watch TV shows but its not listed on any of them. I even went on www.youtube.com and not there either.

By the late 1960's,two brilliant medical shows made their debut on network television during the year of 1969. The other was "Marcus Welby,MD" for ABC,and the other great medical drama was "Medical Center" that was on CBS.

"Medical Center" was one of the great drama shows that premiered in the late 1960's,and continue onward toward that streak during the early and mid-1970's. The show was a CBS-TV staple for the seven years that it was on the air from September 24, 1969 until September 6, 1976. Produced by Frank Glicksman under executive producer Herbert F. Solow,the show focus on the medical happenings that were conducted at a large general hospital complex that was part of a large university campus(actually the University of California Medical Center at Los Angeles). Dr. Paul Lochner(James Daly)was the head chief of staff who was an experienced,professional,compassionate man who was very knowledgeable in the field of medicine and science.

His assistant,Dr. Joesph Gannon(Chad Everett)was the young professor of surgery and the close friend and colleague of Dr. Lochner. Dr. Gannon was also the head director of the student health services department which became an appropriate post for a young physician who could identify closely with the students and their problems not only within the medical establishment,but Dr. Gannon was also a liaison for those who needed his assistance outside the medical establishment. For the seven seasons that this show was on the air,"Medical Center" established some great acting and riveting drama for this series and it shows in some of the episodes that were woven into the personal and private lives of the doctors not to mention the medical stories of the doctors and their patients,as well as others to whom they came in contact with,when was the fuel for this series which in some episodes had explicit subject matter that was unheard of for a television series during the late 1960's and early 1970's. "Medical Center" push the envelope further and when into more depth then any other medical show before it,and then some.

The team of Gannon and Lochner embodied the youth versus experience tension which seems was the necessary ingredient element of every medical show back then,and the element worked here with the sheer brilliance of Chad Everett,who delivered his performances with astonishment and charm which made this show one of the most watched series of the early 1970's,not to mention cracking the top ten Nielsens during its seven year run. The guest star roster for "Medical Center" was basically a who's who of Hollywood's best ranging from Jodie Foster to Richard Thomas,Vic Morrow,Cyd Charisse,David Cassidy,Michael Douglas to Joanna Cameron,Martin E. Brooks,O.J. Simpson,and even Robert Reed that produced over 170 episodes,was a television staple during its day.

I was rather young when this show ran and really do not remember a lot about it other than the tinted opening sequences featuring the actors in doctor's masks accompanied by the Wulitzer organ score. For some reason I found this to be unsettling and it made me quite afraid of hospitals. I eventual grew out of that but until then I used to leave the room when my mom had it on. Maybe not being able to completely see the actors was scary to me. Little kids get scared of some dubious things, right? I do remember the episode where Robert Reed wanted a sex change operation. I saw it years later rerun on TNT and I thought it was even funnier than I remembered. I am sure it was not supposed to be but the idea of Mike Brady wanting to be a women and the sight of him dressed like one was humorous.

Not only did this show have a top notch supporting cast, a handsome, charming leading man, and outstanding "guest star" performances, but it took on issues and subjects and issues that were taboo on television until that time (some are still quite controversial even now). Male impotence. A lesbian doctor. Witchcraft. Drug overdoses. Gangs. Sex changes. Mental illnesses. Doctors practicing with no training. Racial issues. Feminisim. Child abuse.I still remember many of the episodes and even some of the dialogue. The issues covered in this groundbreaking series are still relevant to audiences today. This is a series that deserves more attention and needs a DVD box set made!