Emergency! (1972) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Jack Webb

Writers:

Harold Jack Bloom (writer)
Robert A. Cinader (writer)

Release Date:

15 January 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Plot:

Story of how the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Sheriff's Department and paramedics work together to save lives. |

Plot Keywords:

Paramedic | Rescue | Medical | TV Series Pilot | Firefighting

Cast

Robert Fuller	...	Dr. Kelly Brackett M.D. / F.A.C.S
Julie London	...	Nurse Dixie McCall
Bobby Troup	...	Dr. Joe Early
Randolph Mantooth	...	Paramedic John Gage
Kevin Tighe	...	Paramedic Roy DeSoto
Martin Milner	...	Officer Pete Malloy
Kent McCord	...	Officer Jim Reed
Jack Kruschen	...	Senator Mike Wolski
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Art Balinger	...	Battalion Chief
Lew Brown	...	Man with ulcer
Colby Chester	...	Fireman Tony Freeman
Virginia Gregg	...	Wilma Jacobs, RN
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Woman in trouble
Ron Kelly
Marco López	...	Paramedic Trainee (as Marco Lopez)
Ron Pinkard	...	Dr. Tom Gray
John Price	...	Firefighter Specialist Price, LACoFD
Don Ross	...	Man at boatyard
Dean Stewart	...	Paramedic 99
Herb Vigran	...	Committee chairman
Kathryn Kelly Wiget	...	Joanne Desoto
Kurt Wilhelm	...	Firefighter, Station *54, LACoFD

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Carson, California, USA

Company:

Mark VII Ltd.

Trivia:

The fire engine used for most of the series run has an interesting history. It was donated new by the manufacturer, Ward LaFrance, with the condition that the engine be put in active service after the show. Universal turned it over to the LA Country Fire Department (which runs the fire station on Universal's lot). The LA County Fire Department traded the engine to the Yosemite Fire Department for their 1930 vintage engine that went to the LA Country Fire Museum. Yosemite Fire Department still uses the engine to this day. The Yosemite Fire Department had to raise the ceiling of their firehouse by 3 inches to accommodate the new engine.

Quotes:

Battalion Chief: Gage.
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir?
Battalion Chief: That special training program. Remember? We were talking about it a couple of days ago?
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir. The para-something-or-other...
Battalion Chief: Paramedics. The first class just finished last week.
Paramedic John Gage: Good.
Battalion Chief: I'm supposed to encourage all our young rescue personnel to volunteer for the next class.
Paramedic John Gage: Yes sir. Wellll, I guess I'm just too stupid to take advantage of such an opportunity.
Battalion Chief: I know it's work. No raise in pay. But, it just might be worthwhile.
Paramedic John Gage: It might be, if I wanted to be an ambulance attendant; but I don't. Chief, I'm a rescue man. I trained to be a rescue man and I like being a rescue man. Now, why should I die from improvements?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "Adam-12" (1968)

show that made ER and CSI possible

Although I don't remember the first run of Emergency!, I remember seeing it in syndication from 1976 to 1980. For my friends and I, it was the THE show to watch. I was 8 in 76 and yes I loved this drama. Yes I did like shows like Happy Days and Mork and Mindy and Kotter and Whats Happening! . But this was the first drama show I (and my friends) would stop a backyard whiffle ball game to see. It had ACTION! It had CAR CRASHES!! It had FIRE!! Now as an adult I see that without a show like Emergency and Adam 12, Shows like Hill Street Blues would not have happened, St. Elsewhere and ER would not have happened, Third Watch would not have been and CSI(Vegas, Miami and NY) and Law and Order would not be. I got season 1 of Emergency and am enjoying it as much maybe even more now!