Long running soapie The Doctors actually started as an anthology series, beginning with rotating stories of three Dr’s William Scott (surgeon), Jerry Chandler (intern) and Elizabeth Hayes (paediatrician), also seen was chaplain Reverend Samuel Shafer, soon Dr Matt Powers was added to line up and by 2 March 1964 the show had become a fully fledged soapie, around this time Chandler and Shafer were edged out of the show.
New characters in the mid sixties included Dr Kate Bartok, hospital custodian Pete Banas, Dr Steve Lloyd, Dr Althea Hamilton Hamilton Davis and brain surgeon Dr Nick Bellini.
Craig Huebing and Joan Anderson married on the show and in real life before leaving the series. The late sixties was dominated by the romantic entanglements of Dr Steve Aldrich, the 1970’s carried on with much the same mixture as before but towards the end of the shows run (it ended in 1982) the Dancy family began to take centre stage.
When the shows ratings began to fall in the late 1970’s various, often ridiculous, plotlines were tried including a plague (resulting from grave robbery) which killed Mona Aldrich and a bizarre magic potion which transformed a sixty year old into a twenty something.
The show didn’t quite make it to 20 years on the box but it did win an Emmy in 1972 for Outstanding Achievement in Daytime Drama.
production details
USA / NBC/ 5000+x30m-e / Broadcast Monday 1 April 1963 @ 2.30pm – Friday 31 December 1982 @ 12.00 noon
cast – key member included
JOCK GAYNOR as Dr William Scott (1963-64)
RICHARD ROAT as Dr Jerry Chandler (1963-64)
MARGOT MOSER as Dr Elizabeth Hayes (1963-64)
FRED J. SCOLLAY as Reverend Samuel Shafer (1963-64)
JAMES PRITCHETT as Dr Matt Powers
ANN WILLIAMS as Dr Maggie Powers (1964-65)
BETHEL LESLIE as Dr Maggie Powers (1965-68)
LYDIA BRUCE as as Dr Maggie Powers (1968-82)
ELIZABETH HUBBARD as Dr Althea Davis (Virginia Vestoff also played Dr Davis for a short while between 69 and 70)
CRAIG HUEBING as Dr Steve Lloyd (1964-65)
DAVID O”BRIEN as Dr Steve Aldrich (1967-82)
PATRICK HORGAN as Dr John Morrison 91970-74)
ANNA STUART as Toni Ferra Powers (1971-77)
ALEC BALDWIN as Billy Allison Aldrich (1980-82)
GIL GERARD as Dr Alan Stewart (1974-76)
LOIS SMITH as Eleanor Conrad (1975-77)
KATHRYN HARROLD as Nola Dancy Aldrich (1976-78)
KATHLEEN TURNER Nola Dancy Aldrich (1978-79)
KIM ZIMMER Nola Dancy Aldrich (1979-82)
JONATHAN HOGAN as Dr Jerry Dancy (1976-77)
TERRY O’QUINN as Dr Jerry Dancy (1981)
JONATHAN FRAKES as Tom Carroll (1977-78)
