Emergency! #2

The classic TV series Emergency! is my wife's favorite show all-time. Though I really think it's Little House on the Prairie as I'll notice her watching that all the time. True, the Michael Landon production is on TV literally 12 hours a day on Hallmark and other related networks while Emergency! is in rerun maybe 1 or 2 hours daily. 

Emergency! was first a TV movie then a fill-in mid-season replacement that ran on NBC until 1977. It then ran as a series of TV movies of the week before officially being cancelled by 1979. So having Charlton Comics produce a comic book right as the show had peaked in 1976, might not have been the smartest of franchise opportunities. But then again, Charlton wasn't really known for it's brilliant business decisions, struggling to survive behind DC, Marvel and Dell/Gold Key who dominated the market at this time.

This issue sees Fireman-paramedics Roy DeSoto and Johnny Gage being sued by a neighbor of Roy's. During an off-shift cookout, the man choked on a mouthful of steak from admittedly eating too fast. Only he's filed a lawsuit claiming disability paralysis in one of his legs thanks to Johnny's lifesaving technology using the Heimlich Maneuver! 

This plot might seem a little implausible. Mind you that the Good Samaritan laws which protect citizens from being sued for well-intentioned acts during an emergency, weren't even a thing until the late 1990s. Plus the whole idea behind a paramedic rescue squad was still in its infancy in 1976. Though California led the way with the program, people were still finding ways to manipulate the system and any lawyer who chased ambulances was eager to help their clients earn a litigious payday. (Sadly, this doesn't seemed to have really abated in nearly 50 years of progress.)

This issue also has a 2-page prose story. It sees Dr. Early and nurse McCall protecting a shooting victim from the thugs who've arrived at Rampart Hospital looking to finish the job. 

Once again, Dr. Early, portrayed by jazz legend Bobby Troup, is nowhere to be found in the comic story; but he pops up in the prose backup. I suspect that Charlton didn't want to pay another licensing fee to put essentially the 5th lead actor's likeness in the book. Charlton was notoriously cheap and I'm pretty sure someone high up said that they could make an Emergency! comic book without Dr. Early, when anyone who is a fan of the show knows that in reality you can't!

I consider this book to be my wife's. And it really is. Though I have bought now 3 of the 4 comics based on the NBC classic series (there was also a 4 issue magazine that had comics stories inside), my wife has possession of these issues. Where in the heck she puts them (and whether she's actually read them or not) is beyond me. 

It was like finding a missing episode of the show! With a cover by Joe Staton and early art by John Byrne in the backup, it's a classic read that my wife and I cherish. But if I ever get the chance to craft a holiday special based on this groundbreaking series, you can be sure it's going have Bobby Troup/Dr. Early in it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating 9 out of 10 stars.

The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 21

Yesterday was the last day that I referred to that random pop culture generator to help with my Advent. Days 22-25 will be devoted to individual franchises of my choosing. But before we approach those personal favorites, I wanted to spend today looking at ornaments devoted to some classic TV shows that might have been overlooked.

When I think of Classic TV, my mind first goes to I Love Lucy. I think there were several Christmas themed episodes to the 1950s sitcom. But perhaps the most beloved episode is the one where all the adults dress up as Santa to give Little Ricky a Christmas to remember only for the real McCoy to be hiding among the group the whole time. This resin ornament from Charlton Cards has Lucy as Santa along with the title and original air date of the classic episode that has aired as a colorized holiday special on CBS for the past several years.

After I Love Lucy, when I think of classic TV, I immediately go to Leave It To Beaver. The kid-centric sitcom was the TV show that wouldn't die with most of the original cast returning to TV for a LITB reboot that at one point in time aired on TBS. This ornament found on Etsy is a double-sided clear globe decoration that bears the TV's original logo and a little bit of fake snow, garland and a ribbon.

Another classic series that I just couldn't get enough of as a kid was The Andy Griffith Show. Being from North Carolina, to have a popular TV show set in your home state, especially when everything else was in California or New York, was really cool. Even if most of the characters in this show were made up of hicks, hillbillies and boobs. Esty has several eye-appealing aluminum ornaments that bear stills taken from the series. To me, the one of star Andy Griffith playing a guitar is the most festive of the bunch and I love the flowing shape too.

Jumping ahead some, I'm spending this part of the Advent with the grooviest family in all of TV history. Yes, I am talking about The Brady Bunch. This isn't just 1 ornament by 4 in total. From Charlton Cards, this 2001 ornament is of a metal lunch box, the required thermos and a sandwich and shiny red apple. Unfortunately, the whole family isn't represented here. Instead of Dad, Mike Brady, Alice has been slid down to his spot and the Brady Bunch logo is placed in the center square. I'm wondering if the estate of late actor Robert Reed prohibited his likeness from being on the ornament...

My wife's favorite TV show is the 1970s medical drama, Emergency! Though an officially licensed ornament has never been released in honor of that show, there are a few craft made ornaments. I selected this bright red star available on Teeshirtplace.com. With its shape, this almost looks like a badge that you might expect paramedics Gage or DeSoto wearing.

Personally, it's not Christmas without watching several holiday themed episodes of the medical dramedy, MASH. Running an impressive 11 years, about 8 years longer than the actual war in which the series is set, MASH showed the horrors of war while also being funny. Of my all-time favorite episodes, 2 of them are set during the holidays. 'A War For All Seasons' takes place throughout all of 1951 starting and ending on bookending New Years while 'The Day After Christmas' has the 4077th taking a page out of the British soldiers book by with enlisted men and officers switching places during Boxing Day. 

To honor one of my all-time favorite TV shows, I am sharing this really cool ornament from Etsy. It's of all the signs posts that tell where some of the medical staff are originally from. As the Christmas episodes focus on Hawkeye, BJ and the rest of the 4077 having to spend the holidays away from their loved ones, I really thought this ornament was the perfect representation of the series. 

Another classic from the 70s was the long-running Garry Marshall venture, Happy Days. Set during the 50s and going into the 60s, it originally focused on the Cunninghams, a typical nuclear family. However, it was the greaser biker Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler, who stole the show and later took over after Ron Howard left in order to focus on his directing career. To honor that series, I chose this 2006 American Greetings ornament that represents a juke box with the image of several of the stars of the show.  A spinning record on a juke box was what started each episode as the theme song played. When a button is pushed, the machine lights up and a snippet of the theme plays. 

Another Garry Marshall created sitcom was the Happy Days spin-off Mork and Mindy. Running from 1978-82, it starred up-and-coming comedian Robin Williams as the off-the-wall alien Mork from the planet Ork. This 2013 Hallmark ornament has Mork in his spaceman costume sitting in the remains of his spaceship, a giant egg. With his hand up to his ear, Mork is more than likely talking to his superior, Orson. 

1978 also introduced American families to a powerful and ruthless family from the Great State of Texas. The Ewings were a wealthy family that got it's wealth thanks to oil and the TV show they existed on was called Dallas. The show gave birth to the opulence of TV dramas such as Dynasty and Beverly Hills 90210. The star of the show was clearly JR Ewing, played deftly by Larry Hagman. Known as the man you love to hate, the whole world seemed to stop when JR was shot by an unknown assailant in the show's third season finale in 1980. As I remember seeing that classic moment in TV history live when it happened from my grandmother's house, I'm including this awesome craft made ornament found on Etsy. (And in case you are wondering, JR lived!)

In the 80s, action and adventure ruled the airwaves. The most action packed series in this decade was NBC's The A-Team. This amazing acrylic snowflake ornament bears the images of the A-Team: team leader Hannibal, muscle man B.A., wildman pilot Howling Mad Murdock and the pretty boy of the group, Face. And yes- you are not dreaming. This ornament lights up in green and a couple of other flashing colors when you flip a switch. 

Let's wrap things up with the longest running series on TV- The Simpsons. Though only the first 11 seasons are considered classic right now, the prime-time cartoon is instantly iconic. For that show, I choose this awesome ornament based on the meme that shows Homer disappearing into a giant hedge. The bauble has chunks cut out helping to add to the illusion of Homer becoming one with your Christmas tree. I think the design of this metal ornament is just brilliant!

Emergency! #4

Issue #4 was the final issue of this series. While poor sales of the series wouldn't surprise me considering how much Charlton Comics was floundering by the mid-70s, I think the fact that Emergency! was in it's last season had more to do with it.

Based on the first issue, which I reviewed earlier this week, the story here followed the show's formula a lot more closely. Gage rescues a movie star from a car crash during a rescue call. When photographers capture the actress planting a smooch on Johnny as they exit the ambulance, it sets up a whirlwind romance. Sure, the staff of Rampart Emergency and the crew at Station 51 give the paramedic his fair share of ribbing. That he can deal with. But when the actress starts showing up at all of Squad 51's calls, Johnny finds that he may have to call things off.

At least 2 episodes of the live action version of Emergency! actually involved the paramedics and their rescues being impacted by 'fans.' A third episode had Roy dealing with a former patient who develops a crush on him after he rescues her from an action. But that paramour is never seen on screen. 

A big scene of this issue takes place at the mansion of the starlet. While it wasn't common to have the action take place during Roy and John's free time; it did happen occasionally. One episode that comes to mind is when the guys get invited to a Hollywood actor's house party after they rescued him from an angry bear. 

What was unusual for that scene is that it features in only the second time in franchise history Roy's often mentioned wife Joanne. Until this issue, her only appearance was in the pilot 2 hour TV-movie, 'The Wentworth-Townsend Act.' For a limited one-time brief role with maybe only 2 lines in her only scene, the artist of this issue actually did a reasonable job of capturing the likeness of the actress who played Joanne DeSoto, Kathryn Kelly Wiget. As for who is the illustrator of this issue, once again it's a young John Byrne (Sensational She-Hulk).

As for the likenesses of actors Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth, once more they are spot on. My favorite character, Dr. Early, played by jazz legend Bobby Troup, pops up in the story this time. And Dr. Brackett is in the background in one or two panels. Both good likenesses. But no nurse Dixie! Also missing are the regular crew of Engine 51. No Chet, Mike or Marco. We see someone named Capt. But it's not Captain Stanley nor the actor who portrayed him on TV, Michael Norell. I know that because the character didn't have a thick mustache!

I wonder why none of the minor characters are used in either issue I read. Was it all because of the licensing of likenesses? Seems like such a minor thing. But with Charlton known for being a notoriously penny-pinching publisher, it wouldn't surprise me one bit. 

Again as with issue #1, there's a short prose story. It involved Squad 51 getting called to a domestic disturbance and being held hostage by a gunman. It was a clever story. But like the main illustrated feature, it had an abrupt ending. Let me tell you, that feature ending actually had me scared. The word 'end 'was so tiny that I overlooked it completely. Thus when I turned a page and saw ads, I was afraid that my wife's issue was missing pages. Coming across such a print error has happened to me before. It's infuriating. But thankfully that wasn't the case here.

A much better issue than felt more like an Emergency! comic than just a random story about first responders. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Emergency! #1

Inspired by having just finished an old issue of Dr. Kildare and a back issue surprise that I'll be getting to tomorrow, I raided my wife's tiny comic book collection. My bride is a huge fan of the TV show Emergency! Running on NBC for most of the 1970s, the show followed the crew of station house 51. With the newly formed paramedic program, fire fighters John Gage and Roy DeSoto were tasked with saving the people of Los Angeles County while educating Californians about emergency services. 

At the time of the show, there were roughly 2 dozen paramedic crews operating in a county the size of Connecticut with a population of Chicago occupying it. The landscape varies from densely packed urban sprawl to sparse wilderness areas filled with cliffs, coastline and lush forests. Thus, Roy and Johnny were expected to save lives hanging from the sides of buildings as well as in the middle of a raging wild fire while being coached via a primitive form of cellular phone by the doctors at Rampart Emergency!

This premiere issue based on the TV show doesn't really follow the format of the series. The story has Roy and John responding to a warehouse fire. Then about 10 pages are devoted to a pair of police officers that have never once appeared on the show, trying to find the owner of the building. On about page 12, we return to the paramedics who learn that the fire was a case of arson and radioactive material stored inside has been stolen. With their shift over, Roy goes home for his wife's birthday. Johnny decides to play detective and with the help of the LAPD, finds the culprit and the stolen material. 

I don't understand why a third of the story focused on characters not even on the show. Sure, cops appear on the series from time to time. But, they're secondary characters at best and not once has the action ever shifted away from Roy and John over to the other boys in blue. Yes, occasionally, Roy and Johnny play detective to help solve a crime or some sort of injustice. But they've never done it off the books in the kind of Dirty Harry without guns sort of way like in this issue.

The artwork for this issue was by comics legend X-Men's John Byrne. Equally legendary is the cover artist, Joe Staton (Dick Tracy). So, I was kinda puzzled by a goof made by him at the beginning of the story. Roy tells John that they need to put on air masks before entering the warehouse fire. Yet, that never happens. Plus, I thought that the ending in which the doctors of Rampart callously watch a patient die alone from radiation sickness was just so very unlike the characters. But that sort of blame is on the writer of which whose name escapes me.

I've learned over the past couple of years that some TV/Movie comic adaptations were rush jobs. The purpose of these books was advanced advertising, mostly to kids. In some cases, the characters had yet to be cast and nor were the sets built. There weren't even established scripts to cull from! So the authors and illustrators had to use a lot of creative license. The earliest Dell Star Trek comics were guilty of this. But Emergency! #1 debuted in 1976; several years after the show had already been on air. So, I really don't understand why the departure from the established tropes of the live action original.

The prose short story, included in order for the publication to maintain its first class postage status, captures the show's format almost perfectly. It's about an elderly man who lives alone and how the paramedics rallied around the guy to keep him active and social. Not the most perfectly written story as at one point Johnny tells Dr. Early over the bio-phone to give the patient an IV. That should be the other way around.

Issue #1 wasn't the worst TV adaptation I've ever come across. (A 1980s version of Lost in Space has that current distinction). It's just that a majority of the flaws that occur in this book are things you'd expect in early run books. Not something to find in stuff based on properties already established on TV. Nice renderings of the actors who play Roy and Johnny. And a very youthful but amazing capture of songstress Julie London who played head nurse Dixie McCall. 

It's a good overall interpretation of Emergency! Only it doesn't quite feel like an episode of the 70s medical adventure drama.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 22

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah. As with every Advent that contains an opening eve of those eight crazy nights, I devote today's post to my Jewish princess. Today, I am talking about one of my wife's all-time favorite toys: The Emergency! Board Game.

Based on the TV show of the same name, this 1973 board game was produced by Milton Bradley. The board was a winding maze of roads that lead to various locales. When you landed on certain spaces, you drew a card it which the 911 dispatch told you of an emergency. 

A child is choking at the park!
An elderly gentleman is having a heart attack at the apartments!
A woman has gone into labor at the super market!

With your miniature fire truck playing pieces, you used a spinner to race to the scene and then make it to Rampart Hospital as soon as possible. Once the patient was safely taken to the emergency room, you were to head back to headquarters for your next adventure. The first squad to complete 3 rescues won the game!

My wife had this game as a little girl because Emergency! was her favorite TV show. I think if you asked her now, it probably still is. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, she lost the game. 

Years later, I found her a copy of the game for sale on eBay! I think I got it for her for Christmas. I'm pretty sure I did. I might have gotten it for Valentines. Or our anniversary. Or her birthday. Or just because I love her. Maybe Hanukkah? Nah! I would have gotten her gelts for that. 

Anyways, you can be sure that as soon as she opened her present, we had to play the game. As board games go- it's a pretty simple game with a Candyland premise. But when it comes to board games from the 1970s- being based on a franchise product, the Emergency! board game was really good. 

Board games based on TV and movies from 1960-1989 often are not fondly remembered for being player friendly. The artwork on the box is memorable. The board might be pretty awesome. But game play is often confusing, difficult or boring. Sometimes all three! Case in point- the Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four game. Oh my god, was that one of the most headache inducing games based on a licensed product ever!

As my Advent gift for you today, here's a tour of the actual L.A. station in which Squad 51 was based out of on the 70s series. Be sure to note that a rerun of Emergency! plays on the TV in the lounge. It's very meta!

Enjoy!

(Note: I realize that for a Hanukkah post, I have included images based on Christmas. Do you know how impossible it is to find Hanukkah images of the TV show Emergency!? If you are a fan of Roy and Johnny and you have the skills to make some sort of Jewish holiday themed Emergency! images, please share them with me and I'll replace them holiday pics I put up in this post!)

1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 24

Kevin Tighe as Roy DeSoto, Randolph Mantooth as John Gage (L-R)

    My wife's birthday is today. So I thought I would devote today's A Madman Turns 40 to her favorite TV show as a kid and all-time: Emergency!
   
 The show ran from 1972 until May of '77 on NBC. The series starred Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe as paramedics John Cage and Roy DeSoto. Roy is and was my bride's favorite.

The only appearance of Roy's wife, Michelle (center),
taken from the 2-hour pilot.

      At the time of this show, 911, emergency medicine and the paramedic program was in it's infancy. Most episodes revolved around the perils Roy and John would face answering emergencies throughout Los Angeles County. From injured hang gliders to over turned RVs, Roy and John would save the day. Many of these places are remote and without the paramedic program, the victims traditionally would have died from their injuries.

The show's theme was crafted by Nelson Riddle.

Riddle also created the 1966 Batman theme.

    Roy and John were more often than not assisted by their firefighting brothers at Station 51. Mike drove the truck, Engine 51 with wiseacres Chet and Marco assisting with rescues and manning the hoses. Together, the crew put out fires, saved people from power lines, and even had to tackle a sniper once.The man in charge was Captain Stanley (there was another Chef for the show's first season and as a rule in our household, we don't talk of him.)

Squad 51 and Engine 51 leaving the firehouse on call.
Hopefully, they are going to put out a brush fire.
Those episodes are my wife's favorite.

    Roy and John drove the Squad car. In those days, ambulance companies were all privately owned and you had to wait for their arrival. Usually Roy rode in the back of the ambulance with Johnny following them to the nearest hospital which always managed to be Rampart Hospital. (They could be in San Diego and the nearest hospital would still be Rampart in LA...)

    The staff at Rampart consisted of 3 doctors, Kelley Brackett, who despite initially being hesitant of the paramedic program, became Roy and John's biggest advocate. Young M.D. Mike Morton started off as brash and trying to throw his weight around but eventually became a skilled doctor. Bobby Troup rounded out the trio as Dr. Early, an elder statesman with a healthy sense of humor. His in-real life wife, singer Julie London played nurse Dixie McCall, a Korean War nurse who ran Rampart's nursing staff like clockwork.

     Not only was Troup and London married in reality, London was the ex-wife of series creator and producer Jack Webb. Yes- that Jack Webb of Dragnet Fame. Talk about a way to avoid paying alimony- you get not only your ex a steady gig but her hubby too! 

An early photo of husband and wife duo,
Bobby Troup and Julie London.
Pun NOT intended!

   Jack Webb's production company Mark VII Limited crafted a total of 129 episodes. Along with the live action series, an animated version aired from 1973-76 called Emergency+4. There was also action figures, toy emergency kits, comic books, board games, and a couple of lunch boxes marketed during the shows run.

During Emergency's first season, characters from Adam-12,
another Mark VII show, made cross-over appearances.
But in a season 4 episode, Johnny is upset that a
call keeps him from watching Adam-12 on TV.
Cue Wa-waaaah music...

    As mentioned earlier, Emergency! ran until 1977. But the show wasn't over then. Over the next 2 years, a total of 6 movies of the week continued the adventures of Roy and John. At this point in their careers, the guys had become captains and went to various cities to educate and observe in their paramedic programs. My wife has mixed emotions about these films as Roy and John play some really diminished roles in them.

     Though Emergency! has technically been off the air for 40 years, the show's legacy lives on. Hundreds of young boys and girls were inspired by the show to pursue a career as a fireman, EMT, or doctor thanks to this show. For a couple of brief years, Emergency! aired in rerun on TV Land and inspired another generation to the point that another favorite show of my wife's, Chicago Fire, have an Engine #51 and at least twice had characters mention how the show impact them to serve others. 

First Season Promo for my wife's new favorite show.

      Before I go to celebrate my wife's special day, I want to share with you her present. It's an episode from a short-lived 1974 TV show called Sierra. In this episode, Roy and John from Emergency! crossover to help the rangers at the Sierra National Park establish their own paramedic program. Even though Roy and John have a very limited role, this is something my girl has never seen before, so it's like finding her a lost episode. (Sorry it's in 6 parts and not in the best quality...)

   Enjoy...

   Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6