TV Guided: " Emergency!"

Redartz:  Emergency! No, there is no urgent crisis underway here at the ol' BitBA. Rather, we are revisiting one of my very favorite tv shows from those swinging 70's. "Emergency" was sort of like "Adam-12" but with firemen and emt's (then known as  paramedics). This figures, as "Emergency" was created by Jack Webb, R.A. Cinader and Harold Bloom, who were responsible for "Adam-12" and "Dragnet". However, it was an hour-long program, as opposed to those two half-hour 'cop shows'. 



"Emergency" was a bit of a departure from the medical shows I'd seen before. And I'd seen many; my parents were a doctor and a nurse, and they loved "Marcus Welby", "Medical Center" and such shows. But "Emergency" got me hooked as it featured much more action than those other medical dramas. Exciting rescues from burning buildings, car crashes, plane crashes, explosions, all those crises that appeal to the attentions of a kid. The show also had quite a few humorous touches, from the interactions between the staff at Station 51 to the odd 'rescues' the guys would sometimes be summoned to. 




Of course, much of the credit for the show's success and appeal was due to the strong cast. Centered generally around paramedics John Gage (played by Randolph Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe), along with the rest of the crew of their station ( among them fireman Chet Kelly , a frequent source of comic subplots). Additionally, the show prominently featured events at Rampart General Hospital, led by  Dr. Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller), Dr. Joe Early (Bobby Troup) and head nurse Dixie McCall (played by Troup's real-life wife, Julie London). The rapport between paramedics Gage (single, and often with some scheme in mind)  and DeSoto (married, and more levelheaded) was  
evident , and presaged the "buddy flicks" that came soon after. 

"Emergency!" lunchbox

One of the strengths of the show was its authenticity. Probably due to the influence of producer Webb, the show used actual equipment ,  procedures, and terminology; even going so far as to cast actual firefighters among the Station 51 crew. And the rescues presented on the program were well-filmed and convincing. Watching Gage and DeSoto climbing a towering construction crane to save an injured worker became a queasy, acrophobic  experience for the viewer as well. 















"Emergency"s blend of action, drama and humor made it popular enough to become a Saturday night fixture for much of the decade. No small feat, as it was scheduled against perennial ratings winner "All in the Family". Indeed, the show was sufficiently popular to inspire an animated 
Saturday morning version, "Emergency Plus 4". I watched both shows faithfully, eager to see what disaster would be encountered cach week.




 A few favorite episodes featured:

 Gage being bitten by a rattlesnake while on a rescue 
An explosion and fire at Rampart Hospital
A thankful patient rewarding the crew of Station 51 with a sackful of cash, which they weren't supposed to accept



Finally: the show had one of the coolest openings on television: 

Any other fans of the show out there?   "Squad 51, KMG365, over"...