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Ben Casey

Ben Casey
Kathy Nolan Vincent Edwards Ben Casey 1963.JPG
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 (1961-10-02) – March 21, 1966 (1966-03-21)
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.


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