Ironside has been airing on RTV for some time now. A bit of a ground-breaker, as people with disabilities were rarely depicted on TV at the time, and the notion of Ironside continuing to be an effective police chief in spite of his physical limitations must certainly have been inspirational to real-life disabled viewers.
But, as a well-known cop on another show might say, "there's just one thing that bothers me." Isn't it interesting that, two decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ironside never seems to experience any wheelchair access issues? He manages to maneuver in and out of all sorts of buildings, and all around San Francisco, with no apparent difficulties. IRL, most big cities were not terribly wheelchair-friendly in those days.
I theorize that he probably did encounter some barriers, but we just don't see them on-screen because, frankly, it would slow down the pace of the show, and add nothing to the plots. Much as Jack Bauer probably takes a whizz or wolfs down an energy bar at some point during each day depicted on 24, yet we never see it, I figure there were times when Ed and Mark had to unceremoniously carry Ironside and his chair up steps or stairs, but there would be no point in depicting the act on-screen.
I also wonder if the show was a contributing factor in Raymond Burr's gradual ballooning to Wellsian proportions. After all, he spent 8 seasons basically sitting. He got far more exercise just walking around courtrooms as Perry Mason.
But, as a well-known cop on another show might say, "there's just one thing that bothers me." Isn't it interesting that, two decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Ironside never seems to experience any wheelchair access issues? He manages to maneuver in and out of all sorts of buildings, and all around San Francisco, with no apparent difficulties. IRL, most big cities were not terribly wheelchair-friendly in those days.
I theorize that he probably did encounter some barriers, but we just don't see them on-screen because, frankly, it would slow down the pace of the show, and add nothing to the plots. Much as Jack Bauer probably takes a whizz or wolfs down an energy bar at some point during each day depicted on 24, yet we never see it, I figure there were times when Ed and Mark had to unceremoniously carry Ironside and his chair up steps or stairs, but there would be no point in depicting the act on-screen.
I also wonder if the show was a contributing factor in Raymond Burr's gradual ballooning to Wellsian proportions. After all, he spent 8 seasons basically sitting. He got far more exercise just walking around courtrooms as Perry Mason.
