Dr. Simon Locke (a.k.a. "Police Surgeon") |
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Starring |
Sam Groom as Dr. Simon Locke Jack Albertson as Dr. Andrew Sellers (1971-1972) Larry D. Mann as Lt. Jack Gordon (1972-1974) |
Country of origin | Canada |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 101 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Murray Chercover |
Producer(s) | Wilton Schiller Chester Krumholz |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Production company(s) | Dorian-Bentwood Productions The ValJon Production Company (Dr. Simon Locke) Viacom Enterprises (Dr. Simon Locke) CTV Television Network (Police Surgeon) Sterno Productions Limited (Police Surgeon) |
Release | |
Original network |
syndicated (1971-1974) CTV (1972-1974) |
Original release | 1971 – 1975 |
Dr. Simon Locke (on-screen title is Doctor Simon Locke) was a Canadian medical drama that was syndicated to television stations in the United States from 1971 to 1974 through the sponsorship of Colgate-Palmolive.
The series was initially a medical drama that originated from the fictional rural town of Dixon Mills, where a young physician, Dr. Simon Locke (played by soap star Sam Groom), arrived in town to assist veteran physician Dr. Andrew Sellers (played by veteran actor Jack Albertson). The plot lines were more fitting for a big city medical drama, including a typhoid epidemic, child abuse, and even a murder. The series co-starred Len Birman as Sheriff Dan Palmer and Nuala Fitzgerald as Nurse Louise Wynn.
In 1972, Albertson left the series, and the series was renamed as Police Surgeon, where Dr. Locke moved back to the city and worked for the police department's emergency unit, where he assists the cops in solving crimes that require medical research. The reworked series also starred Larry D. Mann as Locke's superior, Lieutenant Jack Gordon, with Len Birman returning in his role, now as Lieutenant Dan Palmer. The series also featured guest stars such as William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Donald Pleasence, and Keenan Wynn. John Candy made his TV debut in the 1975 episode Web of Guilt.
While this series appeared on some stations in Canada in syndication, CTV, which co-produced this series under network president Murray Chercover, did not offer this series to its affiliates until 1972, when the show became Police Surgeon.