Medic (TV series)

This article is about the 1950s American series. For the similarly titled 1990s British series, see Medics (UK TV series). For the 2010s Polish series, see Medics (Polish TV series).

Medic is an American medical drama television series that aired on NBC from September 13, 1954, to November 19, 1956.^[1] It was television's first doctor drama to focus attention on medical procedures.^{[citation needed]}

Medic
Richard Boone as Konrad Styner, 1955.
Genre	Medical drama
Created by	James E. Moser
Directed by	John Brahm George M. Cahan Bernard Girard Worthington Miner James E. Moser Ralph Francis Murphy Lonnie D'Orsa Ted Post Richard Wilson
Starring	Richard Boone
Narrated by	Richard Boone
Theme music composer	Victor Young Edward Heyman
Opening theme	"Blue Star"
Composer	Victor Young
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	59 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Worthington Miner
Producer	Frank LaTourette
Cinematography	William A. Sickner Lester Shorr
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	Medic TV Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 13, 1954 (1954-09-13) – August 27, 1956 (1956-08-27)

Created by James Moser,^[1] Medic tried to create realism (City Hospital and The Doctor had not), which would typify subsequent medical shows. Moser had previously written for the radio shows Dragnet and Dr. Kildare.^{[citation needed]}

Synopsis

Medic episodes were introduced and narrated by Richard Boone, playing Dr. Konrad Styner, who sometimes also appeared in the stories.^[2] Fifty-nine segments aired from September 1954 to November 1956.

The series was introduced each week by theme music written by Victor Young. Eventually, with lyrics added by Edward Heyman, the song became popular under the title "Blue Star."^[2]

Episodes

Main article: List of Medic episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	28		September 13, 1954 (1954-09-13)	June 13, 1955 (1955-06-13)
2	31		September 5, 1955 (1955-09-05)	August 27, 1956 (1956-08-27)

Production

Worthington Miner was the producer.^[1] The series was broadcast on Mondays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time.^[2]

Episodes were based on case histories from the Los Angeles County Medical Association. Filming was done at actual clinics and hospitals, often with real-life doctors and nurses as part of the cast.^[2]

Home media

On November 15, 2011, Timeless Media Group released Medic- The Groundbreaking Hospital Series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time.^[3] The six-disc set features 44 of the 59 episodes of the series, as these are the only episodes for which Timeless was able to obtain the rights. This is believed to be due to only 44 of the prints being salvageable.^{[citation needed]}

Guest stars

Notable guest stars included:

• Claude Akins
• Corey Allen^[4]
• Charles Bronson
• Charles Cane^[4]
• Cindy Carol
• Lee J. Cobb
• Richard Crenna
• Bobby Driscoll
• Jean Engstrom (three episodes - all in 1955)
• Beverly Garland
• Sam Gilman^[4]
• Dennis Hopper^[1] (his acting debut)^{[citation needed]}
• Lee Marvin
• Vera Miles
• Ainslie Pryor (two episodes - both in 1956)
• Denver Pyle
• Dick Sargent
• John Saxon^[1]
• Robert F. Simon
• Robert Vaughn^[1]
• Michael Winkelman

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Recipient	Notes
1955	Emmy Award	Nominated	Best Written Dramatic Material	James E. Moser	For episode "White Is the Color"
		Nominated	Best Television Film Editing	Jodie Copelan	For episode "White Is the Color"
		Nominated	Best Original Music Composed for TV	Victor Young	-
		Nominated	Best Individual Program of the Year	-	For episode "White Is the Color"
		Nominated	Best Dramatic Series	-	-
		Nominated	Best Actress in a Single Performance	Beverly Garland	-
		Nominated	Best Actor Starring in a Regular Series	Richard Boone	-
		Won	Best Direction of Photography	Lester Shorr	For episode "I Climb the Stairs"
1956		Nominated	Best Producer - Film Series	Frank La Tourette	-
Won		Best Cinematography for Television	William A. Sickner	For episode "Black Friday"
1957	Nominated	Best Musical Contribution for Television	Sidney Fine	For orchestration of Victor Young's music
1956	Directors Guild of America Award	Nominated	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television	Ted Post	For episode "Mercy Wears an Apron"