The original Emergency Series

[Beeb]

Just watched a little of the "Publicity Hound" episode on nbc.com. Good stuff...award winning acting... :wink:

...and in the "where are they now?" file, I saw Kevin Tighe (Roy DeSoto) on "Law & Order: SVU" as the pedophile of the week the other day. Good to know he's still working. I wonder where Randolph Mantooth is these days?

[JPINFV]

Just need to check the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Randolph Mantooth

Kevin Tighe

[JPINFV]

Funny thing is, I remember the MRLs being a lot easier to carry than an LP12. I'd like to see a weight comparison.

Just wondering, but you know that MRL was bought out by Welch Alynn and that WA still sells Portable Intensive Care (PIC) monitor? My old company still uses MRL monitors for CCT calls actually and it seems that the carrying case for the monitor (pouchs for the cables on the sides plus first round drugs on top) is rather functionable.

[Ridryder 911]

Ever so often I will pop in an "Emergency" DVD or get online and watch an episode. I have to admit I get a little melancholy watching them.

I guess I have a different feeling than some. I remember watching them as a young person, and idealizing them to point that they knew what they were doing and they were determined. Alike the series, we too had to fight to be recognized to take care of patients. We used to have bicarb cap flip-offs to see how far someone flip those caps...and yes, we used to start a lot of D5W. Hardly ever started saline then.

The series did not end until after I had completed my Paramedic training. Sure we used to laugh at how unrealistic it was at times, but thank-God it was on, otherwise EMS would had never been distributed across the nation.

The reason I guess I enjoyed the series was it was comical, clean, and had some value and demonstrated professionalism in it. Something that no other EMS show has been able to produce since.

What is scary is there are still communities that still do not provide even that level of care. And that was uhh... 30 years ago?

[Scaramedic]

I got to meet Randolph Mantooth. I had my pic taken with him and had him sign a picture and a Washington State Paramedic Patch. He was a really nice guy, he was touring with their rescue on the way to the Smithsonian. They stopped by EMSA in Tulsa, it was really cool. It was neat to see what people brought to have him sign, Station 51 toy helmets and trucks, patches, fire jackets, you name it.

[NickD]

When Emergency first aired in 1972 I was in the Marine Corps so I didn't get to see much of it. But I've since purchased all the DVDs.

Jack Webb directed the first episode of Emergency and his production company was involved so the show had that trademark Dragnet touch. There was the good natured banter between the boys, the appearance of many well known guest stars, and the over the top way of always making the civilians they came in contact with seem as goofy and out of control as possible. Although, now that I'm involved in EMS, the latter doesn't seem all that far fetched.

There's also a line in the first show that was rather prophetic as Roy is trying to convince Johnny to sign up for the new Paramedic program. And Johnny says something like, "No way, Roy, I'm a rescue man, I don’t know from nothing about medicine." It's also always a big groan to see the boys finish working on someone as the ambulance rolls up with the white coats straight out of Mother, Juggs & Speed.

In EMT school whenever we ran partnered scenarios I always introduced ourselves as Johnny and Roy. The sad part was most of my younger classmates didn't get the reference. Station 51 in the series is actually Station 127 and is still in operation in Carson, California. And many folks stop there for pictures and, if there's nothing going on, you can still get the nickel tour. It's interesting that in the series whenever the boys rolled out there was never much traffic on that street, but it's absolutely in grid lock nowadays.

I've since wondered what drew me so strongly to Emergency when I was younger. And it's too easy to say it had something to do with where I am now. Maybe it was the lights and sirens, the shiny red trucks, and the adventure of it all that stirred my inner wanker before I even knew I had an inner wanker. But I've since outgrown that nonsense and realize it was much more than that. It was something more basic and something most of us still carry to the job everyday. It was plainly and simply Julie Dixon's boobs . . .

NickD

EMT-B

[Chief1C]

Dixie McCall... Julie London

But I guess if you combine Dixie and London, you get Dixon.

[Dustdevil]

Dixie McCall... Julie London

But I guess if you combine Dixie and London, you get Dixon.

LOL! Thirty-five years later, and he still gets all flustered when he thinks about her!

Welcome back, Nick. Don't be a stranger.

[tiedyedbeth]

Thanks for the link. This show is actually one of my first TV memories. It is part of the reason I wanted to become a medic (besides the fact that my dad was one). It seems really hokey to me now, but as a very young child, it was the neatest thing.