The Doctors Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Thank you for the clarification. 

Wasn't Catherine Shaw somehow connected to the Aldrich clan? Because didn't Mona go on a warpath after Jason was killed against Nola and wanting custody of Jessica? 

Given what we've gone through now with COVID, I am wondering what fans (who watched in real time) think of the plague story through modern eyes. 

I think I share the same sentiments that I'd love for more of the last 2 years to pop up as kooky as the show sounded around that time. 

I have to go back and rewatch the finale, but was Nola gone? I am wracking my brain now to remember if she was in the finale. 

[DRW50]

Per Wiki, she left in July 1982 for maternity leave, and only returned briefly for Mona's funeral.

[dc11786]

Off the top of my head, I believe the Shaws had been in business with the Aldriches back in Boston and Catherine loved Jason. I think Catherine worked as Nola's nanny for Jessica while spying on Nola for Mona. 

I was very curious to see the plague story mostly because the final year seems like an attempt to embrace the hijinks from "General Hospital" while still keeping the hospital at the center. 

Nola leaves mid-1982 I believe because Zimmer goes on maternity leave. I believe she returns for a brief appearance in September, 1982, to resolve her story (she was pregnant and Billy thought he was the father, but he wasn't). 

[NothinButAttitude]

Thank you! I knew I didn't remember seeing her in the finale. 

Reading about Nola/Billy was icky as she was his aunt. I am sure they needed to find something for her to do outside Jason, but that wasn't it. 

I am interested to know how everyone felt about the shift in Billy in the final years of the show. 

So Nola brought Catherine on and it backfired. Interesting. 

Lastly, I said this a page ago, but you could tell the show was trying to keep up with GH. The hospital siege that I watched the other night highlighted that despite it being good. 

[Khan]

I've always said that it was a shame that Kathleen Turner had left the show already when Alec Baldwin joined.  I feel like his Billy and her Nola would have been FIRE together.

[JWDrama1980]

Has anyone have a guide/list of the missing episodes that have not been uploaded to the It's real good tv app. It appears that some episodes that aired on Retro channel are not uploaded. For example, June 24, 25, 26, 1968 episodes are missing and June 27, 1968 is uploaded twice as 27-28. 

By coincidence I have these missing episodes from this week, so i know that they aired on Retro.  

 

 

 

[Jdee43]

I don't know if there's a list anywhere. I tried to compile one, but it's difficult. There are some episodes that aired on Retro that aren't on the site. There are also episodes that are on the site that never aired on Retro. The Oct. 31, 1968 episode never aired on Retro during its first run.

When they revamped the site last year, they did add a few episodes that aired on Retro and weren't on the site: Feb 14, 1968, Aug 1, 1968. But there are a few that still aren't on: like 1 from April 1968, 6 at the end of June 1968, 8/5/68, the real 9/25/68. Who knows if they'll ever fix that now with the free site. They haven't changed anything since last year. 

Edited July 9, 2024 by Jdee43

[JWDrama1980]

It's a complicated mess trying to figure out which episodes have aired on Retro, episodes that have been uploaded in the app, and which episodes are just missing.  

The first episode currently missing from the app is what IMDB list as: 

S1.E1403 ∙ Episode #1.1403

Wed, Apr 17, 1968

Maggie becomes reacquainted with Ed. Althea labels Ralph a fanatic cultist. Matt questions Nick about the exact words Lila used when Nick and Althea thought she wanted them to treat her. Ed asks Nick about rumors around the hospital regarding the Andersons. Nick and Ed argue about getting involved with patients. Althea fills Maggie in on the details of the Andersons and potential legal problems for Hope Memorial. Maggie vows that this time, she'll be beside Matt when he needs her.

 

 

[Jdee43]

It's also hard to figure out the preemptions. For example, on the site, there is no 12/19/68. Is that a missing episode, or is it a preemption? If it's a preemption, is the preemption on the right date? The Another World Home Page says Another World was preempted on 12/24/68. Maybe that's the right date for the preemption of The Doctors too?

I think there was at least one preemption for The Doctors in April 1968, but again, not sure of the exact date of it. The Another World Home Page has Another World being preempted on 4/4/68 and on 4/9/68. Maybe the Doctors, which aired right before it, was preempted those days too? But then the realgoodtv site has episodes for those dates. Again, it's confusing. 

[JWDrama1980]

I believe the Doctors was only Pre-Empted on the April 9, 1968. MLK JR was assassinated on April 4, 1968 at 6:01 pm Central Time. The coverage of the assassination most likely didn't impact any of the NBC soaps in the lower 48 states, unless Another World aired at 4pm in the Pacific Time Zone in some markets. 

I have noticed, the app switches between airdates and production/tape dates, how often I'm not sure. The most noticeable that i have found so far is in October of 1971; the app shows no episodes between 10/23/1971 - 11/01/1971 (6 airdates). According to the jason47.com/days/preemptions, the Playoffs and the World Series aired on 10/4/1971, 10/5/1971, 10/6/1971, 10/11/1971, 10/12/1971, 10/14/1971 (6 airdates); the app shows episodes of the Doctors aired those days.

The Doctors was most likely was preempted during the Playoffs/World Series and production took a break from filming on 10/23/1971 - 11/01/1971.

 

[Liberty City]

 

[JWDrama1980]

I found this interesting. March 21, 1968 - Days of Our Lives was preempted due to Nelson Rockefeller Dropping out of the Presidential Race. Both the New York Times and the L.A. Times (#1 & # 2 markets) had listings for the pre-planned conference. New York Times listed a game show called The Baby Game in the 2:30pm listing instead of The Doctor. The LA Times lists The Doctors "may be pre-empted."

A Newspaper article states that Rockefeller had 8 minutes for his conference. 

I still have no idea if The Doctors was preempted that day or not

 

 

Please register in order to view this content

[applcin]

I hadn't watched the show in over a year but the last couple of weeks I picked up where I left off (March 1972) and binge watched to the end of that year. Admittedly, I did ff stuff, particularly the redundant flashbacks and the constant retelling of conversations from person A to person B to person C, etc. Anyway, I had a couple of story questions since I'm not sure if I missed certain things, or they were pre-empted or just not shown.

The day that David Elliot started as Billy Allison, they referenced that Billy knew he wasn't Dan's son and that he was Toni's half brother. Prior to my pause from the show, shortly after Stephanie's birth, I don't remember Billy being sat down and told this. Did it happen onscreen? I know Billy was off-camera a lot that year but they kept mentioning him.

Did Mama Simpson and Andrew Winters get married off camera? I saw the weeks building up to it and then it's mentioned that they are on their honeymoon, so that got me confoozed. 

Please register in order to view this content

I did recognize some of the guest actors who appeared this year early in their careers (James Sloyan, John Pleshette) and like to look up the names of those I don't recognize. Was kind of amused to find out that the guy playing the head of the Board, Judge Bowman, was Lydia Bruce's husband. He seemed quite older than her but wasn't really. Or that the Vito actor was once married to Jennifer Darling (Callahan in the 70s bionic tv shows). BTW, is the little girl who played the abused Mary Nell the sister of the actress playing Greta? I noticed they have the same last name and there's a resemblance.

I know this might be sacrilege and I don't slight Meg Mundy at all but Mona tends also to be ff material for me. Also, I don't know if it's the specific writing during this period or if it's just the way things were done back then but I found so much of the dialogue (and monologues) so repetitive that I would be like, okay another 10 minutes of Cathy going off the rails or another chat between Matt and Maggie rehashing their conversations with Nick and Althea...I tended to ff a lot of that when I got the initial gist of it.

Some of the camera angles were pretty rough, expecially catching the studio mics on camera so often. And the scene where Vito was supposed to have slapped Toni was so badly done I was wondering what the heck happened.

I noticed James Lipton in the writing credits and have heard that his soap work was not particularly loved by fans. 

[Paul Raven]

@JWDrama1980 The Baby Game was ABC's 2pm game show, not NBC. It ran after Newlywed Game and was followed by Children's Doctor,5 min info tips and then GH at 3pm.

That listing incorrectly lists Baby Game as Channel 4 instead of 7.

 I assume The Doctors aired on CH 4 that day.

[JWDrama1980]

Thanks for the clarification.

Please register in order to view this content