The Doctors (1963) - General Discussion

[tessaray]

Currently airing vintage episodes OTA around the country on Retro TV and live streams at 3:00 (CT) on the website: https://www.myretrotv.com/ 

Quote

Dr. Matt Powers is head of Hope Memorial Hospital in the town of Madison, concerning himself with the staff and patients with their attending dramas. He is primarily supported by his wife Maggie, their good friends Dr. Althea Davis and Dr. Nick Bellini, and eventually the extensive Aldrich family over the years. (IMDB)

Occasional (weekly?) recaps on their FB page. https://www.facebook.com/watchretrotv/ 

 

[tessaray]

Finally got a chance to watch the show online today. (We don't get Retro Television over the air in my area.)  

I only have vague recollections of The Doctors from when I was a kid, though I know I watched it for a few years off and on when not in school. I didn't remember James Noble, who was on today, though - it took a few minutes to wipe the memories of him on Benson. It will be fun to see if I remember Elizabeth Hubbard when she turns up, as she was one of my favorite soap actresses.   

[BookWoman56]

I remember watching this as a kid; the standard lineup we had for afternoon soaps was Days of Our Lives, The Doctors, and Another World. I remember some aspects of it fairly well, but also as a springboard for several actors who went on to bigger roles. 

[tessaray]

I had a pang when the voice at the end said to stay tuned for Another World.  😞  DOOL was my first soap but my sister and I really loved AW.  

It took a little searching but they are in early February of 1968 right now.  I think I may have to sub to their streaming site for a while and start watching from the beginning (well, 1967), because I'm usually busy at 3:00 (Central) even if I'm at the computer.   

The 60s fashions are fun to see. And all those old fashioned, silent close-ups with the dramatic music. 🙂 The hospital is that awful green though. I once tried to describe to my kids how horrible hospitals used to be - that would be a good screen clip to illustrate the point. 

[WendyCR72]

If I recall reading, The Doctors debuted the same day as General Hospital did, April 1, 1963. And now there are no hospital soaps. (GH stopped pretending to be such ages ago.)

[AZChristian]

I was once at Universal Hollywood during a writers' strike.  Many members of the actors union were out front picketing and schmoozing with fans (trying to talk them into not going into Universal).

I posed for a picture with Gil Gerard.  He smiled and said, "Your kids will love that you had your picture taken with Buck Rogers."

I smiled back and said, "Never watched Buck Rogers.  You'll always be Dr. Alan Stewart to me."

Robert Blake was also there . . . BEFORE he killed his wife.

[tessaray]

My husband watches old tv westerns and Bethel Leslie probably guest starred in most of them.. It felt so weird to see her in a soap. 

So a question for those of you who watched The Doctors long term - what were the major story lines you remember.  Honestly, I was so young when I watched about all I remember was being wrapped up in Nick and Althea. 

[dbklmt]

So glad they added a thread for The Doctors from the time when it turned into a soap opera.  😀

I added Retro TV to my Roku about 3 weeks ago.  I was watching The Doctors when it was shown on Retro TV by their Los Angeles affiliate which disappeared about a year ago.  It was shown for 1 hour daily but then on weekends it was on for two hours with two different story timelines one for Saturday and one for Sunday.  It made for fun viewing because usually the weekend storylines were from much later in the series than on the weekdays which started not at the beginning as they're doing now.  Wished they would show two episodes daily as they did when they were being shown on the Retro TV network. 

The storylines being shown now were written by Rita Lakin and are from June 1967-June 1968.  What I'm seeing now are stories with many characters who are long gone except for Matt Powers, Nick Bellini and Althea Davis.  Characters like Carolee Simpson and Steve Aldrich who will become principals and help carry the show for many years are fun to watch and can't wait until they reshow the episodes when they're married.  One of my favorite storylines was when Carolee went missing and was presumed dead thanks to the evil Dr. Ann Larimer played superbly by Geraldine Court 😍  That won't happen for a long time until they reach the years 1973-1977 😮

I don't remember seeing Bethel Leslie as Maggie Powers, but I'm enjoying seeing her portrayal.  It won't be long till Lydia Bruce who will always be Maggie Powers for me takes over the role since we're already in 1967.  Wonder why she left the series since she played the role from 1963, but most of that was when it was a weekly story format and not a soap opera which began in 1967.  

One of my favorite villains on the show is Dr. Karen Werner who causes lots of trouble and heartache for Steve Aldrich and Matt Powers.  She was on the show for 9 years 1967-1976.

I loved the episode they had last week when Martha Allen played by Sally Gracie 😍 had her 1st day at work in the lab which hardly changes over the years with Dr. Nick Bellini.  The whole storyline with Liz Wilson, Nick Bellini and Althea Davis has been good and one that I never remember happening from years ago.  Liz was mostly sympathetic in later years and played the role for a long time, 284 episodes from 1967-1970.

Will think about storylines that I've watched from what was shown on the Retro TV networks that I've seen and liked and will post them later.

    

[tessaray]

I looked up Rita Lakin and didn't realize she writes (wrote?) mysteries. Her memoir looks like a good read too.

[ByaNose]

I would probably watch The Doctors app more on my Roku if it didn’t keep getting hung up. It’s the only “channel” I have problem. I power the whole thing off to get back to a different screen.

I didn’t watch The Doctors in it's original run (I’m 55) but I’ve heard & read enough about it to understand what’s going on. I think it’s hysterical that Nick Bellini was a popular character. He’s worse than Victor Newman. All he does is yell. Was that a character thing or an actor choice? Oddly enough, I remember when he was on General Hospital. But what time he was older and Luke and Laura were just getting started so his run wasn’t as memorable. He was a good looking guy though. 

[tessaray]

I think it was primarily his good looks and the macho swagger didn't hurt.  That attitude hasn't aged well but at the time, I'm sure it was swoon-worthy.  I haven't had a chance to watch regularly enough to see if the Nick and Althea ship holds up, though. 

I did catch it the other day and the actress who plays Karen reminds me of someone and I can't figure out who.  

[ByaNose]

3 hours ago, tessaray said:

I think it was primarily his good looks and the macho swagger didn't hurt.  That attitude hasn't aged well but at the time, I'm sure it was swoon-worthy.  I haven't had a chance to watch regularly enough to see if the Nick and Althea ship holds up, though. 

I did catch it the other day and the actress who plays Karen reminds me of someone and I can't figure out who.  

I suspect it was found attractive to have a macho man on their screen everyday. Of course, I’m watching it 40 years later & I'm like WTF? What hospital would hire this guy?! LOL!!!! It is fascinating to watch just for the all extras in the background alone. It just shows how the soaps today don’t have the budget for atmosphere people. Now, with COVID it will be worse. It will just be the main characters and that’s it. 

[danderson400]

On 6/30/2020 at 6:09 PM, tessaray said:

I had a pang when the voice at the end said to stay tuned for Another World.  😞  DOOL was my first soap but my sister and I really loved AW.  

It took a little searching but they are in early February of 1968 right now.  I think I may have to sub to their streaming site for a while and start watching from the beginning (well, 1967), because I'm usually busy at 3:00 (Central) even if I'm at the computer.   

The 60s fashions are fun to see. And all those old fashioned, silent close-ups with the dramatic music. 🙂 The hospital is that awful green though. I once tried to describe to my kids how horrible hospitals used to be - that would be a good screen clip to illustrate the point. 

My grandmother used to watch Another World. 😀 And she heard Mel Brandt say stay tuned for Another World in color.  My grandmother, with all the work she had done, got enough money so she could watch it and The Doctors in Living Color. 

[dbklmt]

Friday, July 24th's episode Bethel Leslie was not in the show.  They made no announcement as to who was playing the role temporary or not.  I wondered if this was when Lydia Bruce would take over the role, but I discovered that this episode was from March of 1968 when Bethel Leslie came down with the measles, and Kathleen Murray was in to substitute until Miss Leslie returned.  Lydia Bruce was called in for eight weeks while Bethel made a movie and returned. But when Bethel didn't return, Lydia Bruce took over permanently in August of 1968.  It must be about two months away before Lydia will first be seen 😀.  Wondering with this time frame whether Bethel will ever be seen on the show again?

[danderson400]

Who are the cast members in this photo? I can spot Jada Rowland, Shawn Campbell, David O'Brien, James Pritchett, Jennifer Houlton, and  Jim Storm, but who's the nurse? and Jim Storm is wearing a doctors uniform  and sitting in a wheelchair. I'm a bit curious about the nurse, and which actress would have played her. EDIT: it's Laura Julian.

Edited August 8, 2020 by danderson400

[danderson400]

Apparently Greta is not having a very good day.

 

 

[danderson400]

Not just Greta, but Sara seems to be having a hard time too. I think she(the actress) was later on St. Elsewhere?

 

 

[danderson400]

On 7/18/2020 at 1:24 AM, ByaNose said:

I would probably watch The Doctors app more on my Roku if it didn’t keep getting hung up. It’s the only “channel” I have problem. I power the whole thing off to get back to a different screen.

I didn’t watch The Doctors in it's original run (I’m 55) but I’ve heard & read enough about it to understand what’s going on. I think it’s hysterical that Nick Bellini was a popular character. He’s worse than Victor Newman. All he does is yell. Was that a character thing or an actor choice? Oddly enough, I remember when he was on General Hospital. But what time he was older and Luke and Laura were just getting started so his run wasn’t as memorable. He was a good looking guy though. 

My grandmother was a big fan of The Doctors in the late 70s.   I don't remember much of it expect for the announcer,  Mel Brandt (who was also known for his announcing the animated "Laramie Peacock" color opening in the 1960s and 1970s) who was as much a part of the series as much as Johnny Olsen or Rod Roddy was to The Price Is Right. I just can't see the opening titles without Mel Brandt saying "The Doctors is brought to you in part by the Colgate-Palmolive Company" after the theme.

Edited August 11, 2020 by danderson400

[danderson400]

I want to know, when did this logo debut? One version was orange/peach, the other blue.

 

 

Edited August 13, 2020 by danderson400

[dbklmt]

Today's episode (10/2/2020) on Retro TV was the debut of Lydia Bruce as Dr. Maggie Powers which she would play from 1968-1982 😍.  I enjoyed watching Bethel Leslie who I don't remember seeing in its original run, but I was so happy to see the actress that I identify with for this character.  One noticeable thing right away was that Lydia Bruce was almost as tall as James Pritchett and she had a wig that was reflective of Bethel Leslie's hairstyle.  She entered the show just days after Jami Fields debuted as Althea's daughter, Penny; later Penny would be played by Julia Duffy.

The episodes that I've seen since July 8th have really been eye opening with characters that I knew but didn't really know what they were like in their earlier days on the show.

Liz (Pamela Toll) who I liked during the character's run was not very likeable when she was first introduced playing the role of a girl on the prowl for men like Nick Bellini and Steve Aldrich. 

Wow!  Steve Aldrich was a sleazeball unlike the heartthrob good guy he would become during his long run from 1967-1982.  Had no idea that he actually raped Dr. Karen Werner producing his first child; I believe his name was Erich.  The rape episode was really hard to watch! 😮  It made me realize how important soaps were in the '60's with storylines dealing with highly controversial subject matter.  Both General Hospital with the seduction/rape of Luke & Laura and The Doctors dealt with this subject in 1968.  I think it was probably the only time I felt any sympathy for Dr. Karen Werner during her run on the show.

   

[catlover79]

On 8/13/2020 at 9:15 AM, danderson400 said:

I want to know, when did this logo debut? One version was orange/peach, the other blue.

 

 

March/April 1977.

[dbklmt]

Today's episode for 10/26/2020 marked the debut of Rick Edelstein as co Head Writer with Rita Lakin from June 1968.  They would write the show together for one year when Rick Edelstein would become the sole Head Writer in June 1969 and then depart in November of the same year.  

[dbklmt]

Wow!  Today's episode (Oct. 29, 2020) on Retro TV jumped 3 years from 1968 to most likely some time in 1971 since the intro always states that it's the Emmy Award winning The Doctors which won their first of 3 Emmy's that year.  The Head Writers now are Eileen & Robert Mason Pollock with Robert Cendella who wrote from September 1970 to February 1976.  

Anna Stuart 😍 was featured as Toni Ferra Powers, the wife of Mike Powers which she played on the show from 1971-1976.  Carolee Simpson just a front desk nurse yesterday is now the wife of former playboy, Steve Aldrich. 

This episode featured his son Erich going to live with his evil mother, Dr. Karen Werner 😝.   They mentioned Ann Larimer to be played by the magnificent Geraldine Court.  I think this is the beginning of one of my favorite stories in which Carolee discovers Ann, Steve's former girlfriend in his arms and assumes they are involved.  She flees to NYC where she has a mental breakdown and is sent to a hospital.  Ann discovers where she is and arranges to have her committed to a faraway mental institution.  It makes for a really good story so I'll be turning in to watch this one unless tomorrow they decide to return to 1968 and continue with the story that I watched yesterday the romance of Steve and Karen Werner which leads to the birth of their son, Erich.  

[dbklmt]

The Retro TV jumping 3 years lasted only one day.  Today it was back to 1968 and the developing story of Steve Aldrich and Karen Werner with Erich the end result 🙃.    

[tessaray]

I've only been able to catch the show here and there but the highlight of today's episode was Althea's LBD - as compared to that pink thing Maggie had on.

 

[catlover79]

On 7/6/2020 at 10:51 AM, AZChristian said:

I was once at Universal Hollywood during a writers' strike.  Many members of the actors union were out front picketing and schmoozing with fans (trying to talk them into not going into Universal).

I posed for a picture with Gil Gerard.  He smiled and said, "Your kids will love that you had your picture taken with Buck Rogers."

I smiled back and said, "Never watched Buck Rogers.  You'll always be Dr. Alan Stewart to me."

What did he say to that? 😁

[AZChristian]

9 hours ago, catlover79 said:

What did he say to that? 😁

He grinned from ear to ear.

[catlover79]

3 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

He grinned from ear to ear.

Awww!! 😁

[MsTree]

Someone mentioned on another forum that The Doctors starts airing on Retro TV next week, but (in doing a search) it looks like it has been airing for quite some time. Can someone tell me what time it airs during PST? Thanks!

[dbklmt]

13 hours ago, MsTree said:

Someone mentioned on another forum that The Doctors starts airing on Retro TV next week, but (in doing a search) it looks like it has been airing for quite some time. Can someone tell me what time it airs during PST? Thanks!

On the Retro TV app that I use on Roku it shows only 1 episode Monday thru Friday at 1 pm PST.  They are currently on the episodes in August of 1968 when Karen Werner got pregnant by Steve Aldrich.  Maggie now played by Lydia Bruce mistakenly thinks that the father was Matt Powers and caused a split in their marriage with Matt being banished to a hotel 😲.  The current writers Rita Lakin and Rick Edelstein are responsible for bringing in lots of characters that were long-running during the series daytime run  Current storylines are Althea and Nick reuniting with the introduction of Penny Davis now being played by a young Jami Dawes; Liz Talbot's friendship with the comical Jody (C.C. Courtney) 😀; the introduction of Martha (Sally Gracie) in the lab with the mystery of lab assistant Ed Stark and Anna Ford.  The adult version of Mike Powers first played by Peter Burnell should debut by the end of this week.  

 

BOO!  They did it again jumping in time except this time BACKWARDS all the way to the Christmas Day episode for 1967 which I've already seen.  This had better be a one day mistake or I'm done watching! 

Edited December 21, 2020 by dbklmt
ETA new information about Retro TV 12/21/2020 episode

[MsTree]

Thanks dbklmt!  My cable TV lineup includes Retro TV, although in my on-screen guide it's listed as "Retro plex". Assuming Retro TV and Retro plex are the same network, I went to 1pm, but no sign of The Doctors.  Silly question, but is Retro TV strictly a streaming channel? If so, I probably won't be watching. Good thing I saw the originals in the 60s, along with the rest of the NBC soap line-up of Days and Another World.

[dbklmt]

13 hours ago, MsTree said:

Thanks dbklmt!  My cable TV lineup includes Retro TV, although in my on-screen guide it's listed as "Retro plex". Assuming Retro TV and Retro plex are the same network, I went to 1pm, but no sign of The Doctors.  Silly question, but is Retro TV strictly a streaming channel? If so, I probably won't be watching. Good thing I saw the originals in the 60s, along with the rest of the NBC soap line-up of Days and Another World.

Unfortunately Retro Plex is a different channel.  Retro TV had an over-the-air channel where I live in L.A. until it was changed over a year ago and is not available here now.  They own the rights to The Doctors and when they added their app several months ago to Roku The Doctors became available beginning with the first soap episodes in 1967.  They're currently in August of 1968.  Looks like what you read online was that Retro TV was going to do Xmas episodes this week and they are.  Yesterday it was 1967 and today's is from 1968.  It will be interesting to see whether they jump one year tomorrow or maybe it will be later.   Loved that both episodes ending with Matt wishing the audience a Merry Christmas around the Christmas tree with cast members!  Remember when all the soaps did that; not anymore.

The complete series of The Doctors can be watched at Retro's subscription online service for a price--No thanks!

https://www.watchthedoctors.com/home   

Edited December 22, 2020 by dbklmt

[NatsumeRika]

Doing a bit of research into the show.  Does anyone know anything about Mercedes Ruehl's character Nurse Ursula?  Looks like she was in the background of 60-some episodes, but I can't find anything else.  Thank you!

[tessaray]

I didn't realize she was on the show but YouTube confirms it. It's weird, I didn't even really believe that was her at the desk until about about 2:12-ish when she has a few lines.

[hypnotoad]

I have never watched this show but I see the episodes are on the it's real good tv app. The app doesn't work on my roku (the ad before the episode starts works just fine and then it crashes) but does work fine on my apple tv. I think it will be fun to explore an old soap which has to feature better writing than anything on the shows currently left. At least I hope so. I'll post more once I get a few episodes watched. I sure hope someone will be here!!

[tessaray]

It's a different vibe. The pace is definitely slower. The writing is probably better but the acting ranges from very good to hurts to watch. (Especially the young actors but then soaps always were a training ground.)

I'm not sure where they're at right now, it's been awhile since I checked the channel out.  

[hypnotoad]

The first episode available on the app is from 1967, the first day of Dr Karen from Germany. She met Dr Anger in the Chief of Staff office and Dr Anger picked a fight with her. Later Dr Anger got into a physical fight with another dr over Althea ... I think.

I'm used to slower moving older soaps and enjoy them very much. I've been watching Dark Shadows too.

[graight]

I enjoy watching The Doctors as I remember watching it in junior high and high school in the late 60s and early 70s.  Where are you up to now?