- Marcus Welby, M.D.
-
Marcus Welby, M.D. 
Marcus Welby, M.D. title cardFormat Medical drama Created by David Victor Starring Robert Young
James BrolinTheme music composer Leonard Rosenman Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of seasons 7 No. of episodes 169 (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) David Victor Producer(s) David J. O'Connell
Allen SecherCamera setup Single-camera Running time 45–48 minutes Production company(s) Universal Television Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution Broadcast Original channel ABC Audio format Monaural Original run September 23, 1969 – July 29, 1976 Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell. The pilot, A Matter of Humanities, had aired as an ABC Movie of the Week on March 26, 1969.
Contents
Overview
As with most medical dramas of the day, the plots often concerned a professional conflict between well-meaning physicians. Here, Dr. Welby's unorthodox way of treating patients was pitted against the more strait-laced methods of Dr. Steven Kiley (James Brolin). The catch with this particular program was that the roles were reversed in that Dr. Kiley was much younger than Dr. Welby. In the similar series Medical Center, it is the older doctor who is more orthodox and the younger who is radical.
The opening credits of "Welby" for each episode reminded viewers of the generation gap between the two doctors, Welby driving his long sedan and Kiley riding a motorcycle.Welby had served in the US Navy as a doctor during the war, and was a widower. He owned a sail boat and enjoyed the ocean.
The doctors worked alongside each other in their private practice in Santa Monica, California, regularly working in conjunction with the nearby Lang Memorial Hospital. (This was later revealed in exterior shots to be the real-life St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California now renamed simply as Saint John's Health Center.) At the office, their loyal secretary-nurse and friend was Consuelo Lopez (Elena Verdugo). Other characters that appeared throughout the years included Dr. Welby's frequent girlfriend Myra Sherwood (Anne Baxter), his daughter Sandy and her son Phil (first Christine Belford, then Anne Schedeen, as Sandy and Gavin Brendan as Phil), and Kathleen Faverty (Sharon Gless), another secretary. Dr. Kiley met and married public relations director Janet Blake (Pamela Hensley) in 1975, at the beginning of the show's last season on the air.
Young and Wyatt on Marcus Welby, M.D.
In one 1974 episode, Young was reunited with his Father Knows Best co-star, Jane Wyatt; she played a fashion designer whose marriage to an embittered paraplegic led her to fall in love with the gentle doctor while keeping her marriage a secret most of the episode.
Medical features
Its handling of many varied medical cases – some common, some uncommon – made it an instant hit for ABC. Story lines included impotence, depression, brain damage, breast cancer, mononucleosis, sexually transmitted diseases, epilepsy, leukemia, dysautonomia, rape, Alzheimer's Disease and addiction to painkillers, among others. At its second season (1970–1971), it ranked #1 in the Nielsen ratings, becoming the first ABC show to top the list. The same year, both Young and Brolin won Emmy Awards for their work, as did the show for Outstanding Dramatic Series. Young won a Golden Globe in 1972 for his performance.
Controversy
The show twice found itself at the center of controversy and protests by gay activists. In response to the 1973 episode "The Other Martin Loring", about a middle-aged man whom Welby advised to resist his homosexual impulses, the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) zapped ABC, occupying its New York headquarters and picketing.[1] The next year, "The Outrage" sparked nationwide demonstrations because its story of a teenage student's being sexually assaulted by his male teacher conflated homosexuality with pedophilia. Seven sponsors refused to buy television advertising time, and 17 television network affiliates refused to air the episode.[2][3] This was the first known instance of network affiliates refusing a network episode in response to protests.[4]
Episodes
Main article: List of Marcus Welby, M.D. episodesGuest stars
Guest stars included (alphabetically by last name):
Nielsen ratings
season Ranking 1969–70 #8[5] 1970–71 #1[6] 1971–72 #3[7] 1972–73 #13[8] It was the first show in ABC's history to become the #1 show on television.
Cancellation
By the mid-1970s, the popularity of medical dramas began to wane. Ratings for both Marcus Welby, M.D. and CBS' Medical Center began to drop, as did the ratings for daytime dramas General Hospital and The Doctors. Previous episodes initially went into syndication in the fall of 1975 as Robert Young, Family Doctor (to avoid confusion with the first-run episodes still airing on ABC). The show ended its run in 1976 after a total of 169 episodes were made. Young frequently joked afterwards, "I knew it was time to quit when I started taking time off to play golf!"[citation needed]
Television movies
In 1984, the reunion movie The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. aired, with Young and Verdugo reprising their roles. Another movie was made in 1988, Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair.
DVD releases
In May 2010, Shout! Factory (under license from Universal Studios Home Entertainment), released the first season of Marcus Welby, M.D. on DVD in Region 1.[9] The DVD includes the two-hour pilot, A Matter of Humanities. Season 2 was released on October 12, 2010.[10]
DVD Name Ep # Release Date Season 1 26 May 4, 2010 Season 2 24 October 12, 2010 References
- ^ Capsuto, p. 92
- ^ Capsuto, pp. 106–109
- ^ Tropiano, pp. 18–21
- ^ Alwood, p. 150
- ^ TV Ratings: 1969–1970
- ^ TV Ratings: 1970–1971
- ^ TV Ratings: 1971–1972
- ^ TV Ratings: 1972–1973
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Marcus-Welby-MD-Season-1/13247 Marcus Welby, M.D. - Shout! Factory Newsletter Announces Spring DVD for Season 1
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Marcus-Welby-MD-Season-2/13963
Bibliography
- Alwood, Edward (1998). Straight News: Gays, Lesbians and the News Media. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231084374.
- Capsuto, Steven (2000). Alternate Channels: The Uncensored Story of Gay and Lesbian Images on Radio and Television. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0345412435.
- Tropiano, Stephen (2002). The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV.. New York, Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. ISBN 1557835578.
External links
- Marcus Welby, M.D. at the Internet Movie Database (TV Movie/Pilot)
- Marcus Welby, M.D. at the Internet Movie Database
- Marcus Welby, M.D. at TV.com
- The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D. at the Internet Movie Database
- Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair at the Internet Movie Database
- Encyclopedia of Television: Marcus Welby, M.D.
- Marcus Welby, M.D. episode guide
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series (1951–1975) Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1951) · Westinghouse Studio One (1952) · Robert Montgomery Presents (1953) · The United States Steel Hour (1954) · The United States Steel Hour (1955) · Producers' Showcase (1956) · Gunsmoke (1958) · Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre (1959) · Playhouse 90 (1960) · Hallmark Hall of Fame (1961) · The Defenders (1962) · The Defenders (1963) · The Defenders (1964) · The Fugitive (1966) · Mission: Impossible (1967) · Mission: Impossible (1968) · NET Playhouse (1969) · Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970) · The Bold Ones: The Senator (1971) · Elizabeth R (1972) · The Waltons (1973) · Upstairs, Downstairs (1974) · Upstairs, Downstairs (1975)
Complete List · (1951–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama (1969–1989) Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969) · Medical Center (1970) · Mannix (1971) · Columbo (1972) · The Waltons (1973) · Upstairs, Downstairs (1974) · Kojak (1975) · Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) · Roots (1977) · 60 Minutes (1978) · Lou Grant (1979) · Shōgun (1980) · Hill Street Blues (1981) · Hill Street Blues (1982) · Dynasty (1983) · Murder, She Wrote (1984) · Murder, She Wrote (1985) · L.A. Law (1986) · L.A. Law (1987) · thirtysomething (1988) · China Beach (1989)
Complete List · (1969–1989) · (1990–2009) · (2010–2029) Categories:- 1969 television series debuts
- 1976 television series endings
- 1960s American television series
- 1970s American television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American drama television series
- Best Drama Series Golden Globe winners
- Emmy Award winning programs
- English-language television series
- Medical television series
- Nielsen Ratings winners
- Television series by NBC Universal Television
- Television shows set in California
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
