Ben Casey
| Ben Casey | |
|---|---|
Vince Edwards as Ben Casey and guest star Kathleen Nolan, 1964.
|
|
| Created by | James Moser |
| Starring |
Vince Edwards Sam Jaffe Bettye Ackerman Nick Dennis Jeanne Bates John Zaremba Ben Piazza Jim McMullan Franchot Tone Stella Stevens Marlyn Mason Harry Landers Linda Lawson |
| Theme music composer | David Raksin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 153 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Bing Crosby Productions |
| Distributor |
Worldvision Enterprises Paramount Domestic Television CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format |
Black-and-white Color |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | October 2, 1961 – March 21, 1966 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | The Return of Ben Casey (TV movie, 1988) |
Ben Casey is an American medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity."Neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff was a medical consultant for the show and may have influenced the personality of the title character.
The series starred Vince Edwards (credited as Vincent Edwards) as medical doctor Ben Casey, a young, intense but idealistic surgeon at County General Hospital. His mentor was Doctor David Zorba, played by Sam Jaffe. The show began running multi-episode stories, starting with the first five episodes of Season 4; Casey developed a romantic relationship with Jane Hancock (Stella Stevens), who had just emerged from a coma after fifteen years. At the beginning of Season 5 (the last season), Jaffe left the show and Franchot Tone replaced Zorba as new Chief of Neurosurgery, Doctor Daniel Niles Freeland.
Creator James E. Moser based the character of Ben Casey on Dr. Allan Max Warner, a neurosurgeon whom Moser met while researching "Ben Casey." Warner served as the program's original technical advisor in 1961. He worked closely with the actors, showing them how to handle medical instruments, according to an article in TV Guide (September 30-October 6, 1961).
"Ben Casey" had several directors including Irvin Kershner and Sydney Pollack. Its theme song was written by David Raksin; a version performed by pianist Valjean was a Top 40 hit in the United States.
...
Wikipedia