St. Elsewhere

[keen on kean]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 7:02pm

I never watched this series when it originally aired, but I have started watching the first season DVDs, and I love it. What a cast! David Morse looks like he is 12 years old, but is wonderfully endearing. Waiting for Denzel Washington and Mark Harmon to get some serious screen time. Reminds me, for some reason, of Hill Street Blues. Perhaps all MTM Productions of that era are similar in tone and production values. Anyone know if the St. Eligiis building is a hopsital for real, and, if so, what it is?

[supportivemom]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 7:17pm

keen- I'm so glad you are watching St. Elsewhere. It was a brilliant series with phenomenal actors. All the actors you mentioned were so good. The man playing Dr. Ansbacher was wonderful. Chad Allen played his son. Even Howie Mandel was great. It's been a long time since I saw this series so I can't remember all the details. Mark Harmon always played such likable guys- but not in this show. Have fun watching the rest! mom

[mominator]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 8:20pm

Another St Elsewhere fan here. Having grown up in Boston proper, it is really neat to see them again.

[bunnywings]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 9:33pm

I loved that show! I used to watch it with my mom. :)

[Jon]

Posted: 10/27/07 at 10:26pm

And it had a great theme song.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:06am

The first couple of seasons are great. But there is a point, and it comes quickly, where it hits rock bottom. I never researched why, but it's like all the creative talent of Season 1 packed up and left and turned the show over to people who had no talent or imagination or brain waves.

There is an episode (it might be a two parter) where Howie Mandel is hallucinating or dreaming. It is one of the worst episodes ever filmed.

The last five minutes of the series finale are pure tv gold. I rate it one of the top 5 series finales.

Am I mistaken or was the show originally supposed to take place in a mental hospital? I thought when it was first announced that's what it was going to be (hence the name St. Elsewhere referring to the mental state of the patients) and somewhere along the way they switched it to a regular hospital. I might be mistaken on that but I had thought I had heard something about that at one point.

Updated On: 10/28/07 at 12:06 AM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:07am

It's STILL my all-time favorite hospital show -- no other one has ever equalled it in terms writing and acting, if you ask me. And yes, it is similar in some ways to Hill Street Blues (my all-time favorite cop show).

[Mamie]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:36am

William Daniels and Ed Flanders are absolute perfection on this show.

Almost the entire cast of Hill Street Blues rate that high as well.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:49am

Is there anyone here (old enough) to have seen and remembered Ed Flanders' magnificent performance in the 1976 ( ? ) Quintero directed production of "Moon for the Misbegotten" on B'way w/Robards Jr. and C. Dewhurst. One of my fave productions of all time.

It was so shocking - about his suicide. What a tragedy.

[Silbee]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 8:27am

I did my level best not to miss this show when it aired, it had everything.

A fabulous Dave Grusin theme tune to boot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgKHqFKDILw

[Jon]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 9:48am

I have "Moon for the Misbegotten" on DVD. Flanders played Dewhurst's father, even though he was the same age as her.

The performance is great, but the old age make-up doesn't work in the close-ups. I wish I had seen it on stage.

[keen on kean]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 11:27am

Ed Flanders is such a rock on this show. You feel all the other characters kind of revolving around him. Mark Harmon hasn't shown up yet (I am only on Episode 6 - real life keeps interrupting). And the liver doctor who is dying of liver cancer - which actor is he?

Ever since I saw Williams Daniels as John Adams in both 1776 and The Adams Chronicles, I always go - What is John Adams doing in a hospital?! I love the scene when he is accepting an award, and clearly very few people have shown up to the award lunch. I worked with a cardiologist in the 1970's who was just like that - SOB but still the one I would have chosen to do the job if I needed cardiac surgery.
Updated On: 10/28/07 at 11:27 AM

[Mamie]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 11:32am

That's a great description of his character. That personality type would be completely wrong for almost anybody else, but anyone who's dealt with either successful cardiovascular or neurosurgeons know that this flamboyant ego goes with the territory. Casting John Adams William Daniels in the role was brilliant.

Posted: 10/28/07 at 8:11pm

I think "St. Elsewhere" refers to a hospital saying- when they are forced to treat an indigent patient with no health insurance, they fix him up as minimally as possible then suggest a transfer to "St. Elsewhere- i.e. Another hospital, home, the street, ANYHERE but here.

I had a friend who worked for the city with the homeless mentally ill. One of the suggested treatments was what the old timers called "Greyhound Therapy": Put them on a bus (one way) to another town.

[mominator]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 8:23pm

If I remember, St. Eligius is actually based on a hospital in Boston, that does have a really bad reputation.

[kooky]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 8:30pm

This show was one of my very ALL TIME favorites.

[Luscious]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 11:20pm

Don't take it too seriously. It's all happening inside a snow globe.

Posted: 10/29/07 at 4:29am

Luscious you ruined it for me! I never saw the last episode and now you've ruined the ending! You should say SPOILER ALERT!!!

[Luscious]

Posted: 10/29/07 at 8:28am

My apologies, Joe. That was really thoughtless of me.
*** SPOILER ALERT **** Guess I shouldn't tell you that Lucy winds up moving to Connecticut and loses her wedding ring in a barbeque grill either.

Updated On: 10/29/07 at 08:28 AM

[madbrian]

Posted: 10/29/07 at 8:53am

I have to agree with Gothampc on this. For me, the show went downhill pretty quickly after the first couple of years.