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Dr. Simon Locke/Police Surgeon - who ran that cheapie from Canada?

B

BoscoGoldBear

Guest
In "The Complete Encyclopedia Of Prime Time TV Shows", there was a lengthy tirade about how this 1971-1974 syndicated PTAR medical drama got on the air in the first place. Basically speaking, authors Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh called this series one of the worst ever. It survived for three years (?!?!?) only because its sponsor, Colgate Palmolive, like the young female demos that this series did for a while. (For whatever reason these demos followed Sam Groom from New York-based "Another World" to the Toronto-based series.)

My question: what TV stations ran this putrid show? WJAR (10/NBC) in Providence is one answer; I'm not sure that any Boston station stooped quite that low. ;D
 
Most if not all markets were still airing this show, and at good times, either in the 10:30 ET/9:30 CT Sunday slot (for that season it belong to the affiliates) or a 7:30 ET/6:30 ET weeknight slot:

Here's some major market listings:
New York, WNEW-5, 11 PM Saturday
Chicago, WBBM-2, 9:30 PM Sunday
Los Angeles, KNBC-4, 7:30 PM Monday
San Francisco, KRON-4, 7:30 PM Saturday
Washington DC, WRC-4, 11:30 PM Sunday
Boston, WNAC-7, 11:00 PM Sunday
Detroit, no stateside clearance but I believe CKLW-9 had it
Atlanta, WAGA-5, 10:30 PM Sunday
Pittsburgh, KDKA-2, 10:30 PM Sunday

Remember, the show was free to stations other than the barter minutes. I've always wanted to see an episode of this, mainly because I would like to see how they can justify a police department needing a surgeon?


--Mike
 
I think both shows aired in Fort Wayne as well...

Seems like WPTA/21 (ABC) aired "Dr. Simon Locke" weeknights (can't remember what night) at 7 (when prime time still began at 7:30), and WANE/15 (CBS) aired "Police Surgeon" early Sunday evenings (this may have been before "60 Minutes" moved to Sundays).

BTW, wasn't "Quincy" loosely based on another cheapo Canadian cop show starring none other than John "Double Secret Probation" Vernon?
 
MikeB said:
I've always wanted to see an episode of this, mainly because I would like to see how they can justify a police department needing a surgeon?
Click to expand...

Maybe the British have an explanation -- in 1960, ITV had their own "Police Surgeon", which starred Ian Hendry. That series was short lived, and all but one episode are gone, but it helped provided the genesis of a more-well-known series -- "The Avengers".
 
The first season WXIA carried it in Atlanta, Saturdays
at 4 PM. It moved to WAGA when it became Police
Surgeon.

WFMY Greensboro, NC, carried Police Surgeon Mondays
at 7:30.

In the June 17, 1972, issue of TV Guide is an article
about the disaster that was Dr. Simon Locke. Co-star
Jack Albertson reported having to change clothes in
the bushes and not being allowed to see the "rushes,"
or results of the day's filming. He never saw an episode
until it went on the air, and after the first one he announced
he was going to quit. "You have a contract," the producers
reminded him. "After what I just saw there's not a jury in
the world that would convict me," he responded.
 
Are there any episodes of this "classic" on Youtube and clones? I had never heard of it before, but now I must see it just for the trainwreck factor.
 
MikeB said:
Most if not all markets were still airing this show, and at good times, either in the 10:30 ET/9:30 CT Sunday slot (for that season it belong to the affiliates) or a 7:30 ET/6:30 ET weeknight slot:

Here's some major market listings:
New York, WNEW-5, 11 PM Saturday
Chicago, WBBM-2, 9:30 PM Sunday
Los Angeles, KNBC-4, 7:30 PM Monday
San Francisco, KRON-4, 7:30 PM Saturday
Washington DC, WRC-4, 11:30 PM Sunday
Boston, WNAC-7, 11:00 PM Sunday
Detroit, no stateside clearance but I believe CKLW-9 had it
Atlanta, WAGA-5, 10:30 PM Sunday
Pittsburgh, KDKA-2, 10:30 PM Sunday

Remember, the show was free to stations other than the barter minutes. I've always wanted to see an episode of this, mainly because I would like to see how they can justify a police department needing a surgeon?


--Mike
Click to expand...


All the NBC owned stations carried Simon Locke, which would have included WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland..
 
Tim L said:
MikeB said:
Most if not all markets were still airing this show, and at good times, either in the 10:30 ET/9:30 CT Sunday slot (for that season it belong to the affiliates) or a 7:30 ET/6:30 ET weeknight slot:

Here's some major market listings:
New York, WNEW-5, 11 PM Saturday
Chicago, WBBM-2, 9:30 PM Sunday
Los Angeles, KNBC-4, 7:30 PM Monday
San Francisco, KRON-4, 7:30 PM Saturday
Washington DC, WRC-4, 11:30 PM Sunday
Boston, WNAC-7, 11:00 PM Sunday
Detroit, no stateside clearance but I believe CKLW-9 had it
Atlanta, WAGA-5, 10:30 PM Sunday
Pittsburgh, KDKA-2, 10:30 PM Sunday

Remember, the show was free to stations other than the barter minutes. I've always wanted to see an episode of this, mainly because I would like to see how they can justify a police department needing a surgeon?


--Mike
Click to expand...


All the NBC owned stations carried Simon Locke, which would have included WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland..
Click to expand...

From what you wrote, Tim, and from the earlier post, 3 out of 5 NBC O&O's carried it. The exceptions: WNBC/4 New York (Metromedia's WNEW/5 carried it instead) and WMAQ/5 Chicago (CBS O&O WBBM/2).
 
I'm pretty sure "Police Surgeon" ran on Armed Forces TV in Europe . I kinda-sorta recall seeing it.
The reference to "cheapie" in the first post could sum up how much of AFRTS TV programming was obtained in those days. If they could buy a package of a dozen awful movies as opposed to putting that money toward one GOOD movie, the dozen doozies was always the choice.
(Maybe "Police Surgeon" was in the "buy a program-get one free" offerings?)
 
clichemoth said:
Are there any episodes of this "classic" on Youtube and clones? I had never heard of it before, but now I must see it just for the trainwreck factor.
Click to expand...

stange as it is but there actually is very little Canadian TV on you tube and I am pretty sure elsewhere as well. Wonder why? The CBC has some stuff on their site but I have yet to see anything from CTV or Global. Then again I did hear awhile back that CTV went after You Tube about some of their clips making it on their site.

I would love to see that infamous Toronto sitcom The Trouble With Tracy to see how bad it really was.
 
Now that I think of it, Dr. Simon Locke aka Police Surgeon may have been 20 or so years ahead of its time. There was a CBS TV series which ran from the 1990s into this decade about a surgeon who did police work as a hobby, much to the consternation of his police officer son. You probably know which TV series I'm writing about already - Diagnosis: Murder starring DVD and his real life son Barry as his police officer son. ;D
 
...well, it's safe to suspect that one could fit the entire annual budget for "Dr. Simon Locke"/"Police Surgeon" into Dick Van Dyke's seasonal salary for appearing on "Diagnosis: Murder" and have enough room left over to add Scott Baio's salary and rattle them around inside the cavity ;-) ...
 
mleach said:
clichemoth said:
Are there any episodes of this "classic" on Youtube and clones? I had never heard of it before, but now I must see it just for the trainwreck factor.
Click to expand...

stange as it is but there actually is very little Canadian TV on you tube and I am pretty sure elsewhere as well. Wonder why? The CBC has some stuff on their site but I have yet to see anything from CTV or Global. Then again I did hear awhile back that CTV went after You Tube about some of their clips making it on their site.

There are several episodes of Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys on Youtube that haven't gotten yoinked yet. Never had any luck finding much Red Green even on the Youtube clones that most blatantly flout the law, though.

I would love to see that infamous Toronto sitcom The Trouble With Tracy to see how bad it really was.
Click to expand...
 
Originally, in Pittsburgh WIIC [now WPXI] ran "Dr. Simon Locke" Fridays at 10:30 after the NBC World Premiere Movie. The following year KDKA-TV picked up the by-then renamed "Police Surgeon" and initially airedit on Saturday afternoons, later Thursdays, then Sundays until 1975. [Even though production ended by then].
 
BoscoGoldBear said:
My question: what TV stations ran this putrid show? WJAR (10/NBC) in Providence is one answer; I'm not sure that any Boston station stooped quite that low. ;D
Click to expand...

Aw. It wasn't that putrid. I was 15 and enjoyed it--but then it had Jack Albertson and Sam Groom. The police surgeon bits wee boring.

I remember LOCKE being on Channel 6 in Providence, not Channel 10. 10 got the good stuff like PM MAGAZINE. 6 was the ABC station at that time and got most of the dregs. I also remember it being on WBZ in Boston, Channel 4. It was whoever had the Boston Celtics games rights in 1972, because I missed half an episode because the stinkin' basketball game ran long.
 
Unregistered said:
Aw. It wasn't that putrid. I was 15 and enjoyed it--but then it had Jack Albertson and Sam Groom. The police surgeon bits wee boring.

I remember LOCKE being on Channel 6 in Providence, not Channel 10. 10 got the good stuff like PM MAGAZINE. 6 was the ABC station at that time and got most of the dregs. I also remember it being on WBZ in Boston, Channel 4. It was whoever had the Boston Celtics games rights in 1972, because I missed half an episode because the stinkin' basketball game ran long.
Click to expand...

You mean danderson didn't perform CPR on *this* embalmed thread???

ixnay
 
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