The Doctors

[amybrickwallace]

I found and eventually connected with Eileen Kearney on FB. I had originally PM'ed her and sent along a couple of photos of her as little Greta Powers with her on-screen parents, Jim Pritchett and Lydia Bruce, asking if she was the same Eileen Kearney. Here are some of what she's written to me:

"That's me! Thank you for the info!!! And thank you for watching! I have returned to acting and you can follow my recent progress on imdb.com."

Like other members of the cast, she was unaware of Retro airing the reruns. Assuming Retro keeps going, we should be seeing Eileen as Greta within the next couple of months. Her brother Mark was one of her co-stars; the first actor to play Billy Allison.

"The cast were wonderful. James Pritchett, Lydia, etc. Carolee Campbell was very sweet. A great experience all around."

"It's so nice that people are rediscovering the show. I used to get the nicest fan mail when I was on the show. I always answered every one! I even saved some to this day. You've brought back so many wonderful memories! 30 Rock is correct! Sometimes we would run into Doc Severinson on the elevator."

"The "rabbit" storyline is pretty wild! Takes little Greta to some pretty dark places!!!!"

"I told my brother Michael about the show. He was on it in the early 70's. not sure what character he played. Mark, my dear brother, has passed on but I know he is smiling down on us. He played Billy Allison. Next a guy named Bob Hennessey played Billy. I met him about 6 months ago at Screen Actors Guild. And just by chatting we realized we had been on the same show....just missed each other. He took over for Mark when we left the show and moved to LA. I invited Bob to join the FB group and he is thrilled about the renewed interest just like me!"

I also gave her the contact info for Luken (who owns Retro TV) and SFM (who owns the rights to the show), and Eileen has really become a champion for the reruns to keep going and for the release of the show on DVD.

[Paul Raven]

May 1982 Gerald Staub new exec producer.

That's lovely news about Eileen.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Paul Raven

[amybrickwallace]

Here is more from Eileen Kearney. We saw her brother Michael in this week's episodes as the boy with the earache who was writing on the hospital walls. I asked her if that was him:

"That's him. I watched it last night!!!! Was going to tell him later. I also invited him to join the FB group. I forgot he was even on TD. He was on secret storm as a regular. He and I are getting such a kick out of all this. Michael was quite the child star. Worked with. Burt Lancaster, Joanne Woodward, Geraldine Page etc etc. God willing I will continue to build a body of work as a character actress."

Here's what else she had to say about her time on the show and some of her co-stars:

"I had a crush on David O'Brien...he was so handsome and very nice. Gerald Gordon was cool. I didn't have too many scenes with him at all if my memory serves. Peter Burnell was wonderful. Really nice to me. He doesn't look anything like I remember....which is so strange. The coolest lady on the set was Carolee Campbell. She was a doll and her husband Hector Elizondo was also very nice. It was a pretty fast paced schedule so there wasn't much time for fooling around or practical jokes. My brother Mark and I used to enjoy wandering around the sets. Sometimes we'd leave candies and little things in the nooks & crannies of the sets. It was our own little secret. I do remember I had to learn how to hold the bunny otherwise its back feet would just kick away. I got the knack of it. He was big bunny. I do not recall if he had a name. I just called him thumper because of his back feet."

"Life is so full and busy and sometimes the nostalgia and goofiness of soaps is a great escape. I guess they were so popular back in the day!"

On Ginger Gerlach, who played Julie Forrest (Mike's first love interest post-Nancy):

"I was very close to Ginger Gerlach who played my babysitter. Unfortunately she passed away of a drug overdose - tragic. She was a really nice young woman. She had a little dog named Daisy. I remember at the time my mom was very vague about the circumstances. It wasn't until years later I knew what really happened. My mom, grandma, granddad, kept us all so grounded. We were just kids who happened to act. And we loved it!"

The cherry on top was getting a PM from Michael Kearney as well, after I posted a picture of him I had found on a Google search onto the FB group page:

"Thanks for the memories.....I was on "The Doctors" for about a year around 1970ish. The photo you posted is from "The Swimmer" in 1966. I assume the one that Jeff posted is from The Doctors. FYI, Mark and I were 11 months apart. I'm the oldest. We weren't twins, but many thought we were because we were so close in age and looked so much alike. Thank you all for remembering us."

[MontyB]

Just want to say I'm enjoying the show on RetroTV. I can't tell you how much I love Carolee Campbell. By the time I really got into the show Jada Rowland had just taken over. Of course, I adore her, but Campbell is a hoot.

[DanMan869]

This is a question for MontyB and everyone: Not having seen much of Jada Rowland as Carolee, did she play the role/was it written with the same wry sense of humor or was she a totally different (but acceptable) Carolee Aldrich? Carolee Campbell WAS a real hoot as Miss Simpson!

[jam6242]

I accepted Jada Rowland as a recast Carolee because I had liked her on the Secret Storm. But her Carolee wasn't as fun as Carolee Campbell's (albeit for very good reasons).

[MontyB]

To piggyback on Jam6242's response,  Jada played the role way more seriously, but  who could not love Jada. She and David O'Brien had the same type of chemistry. 

 

 

 

[Paul Raven]

I think that by the time Jada took over the character of Carolee had changed.It will be interesting to see how CC plays all the trauma coming up courtesy of the Pollocks.

I was thinking how it would have ben a good move for Soap Opera Digest to provide summaries of the show and run a few features on the show.It would be great publicity for Retro TV and increase viewership as well as giving SOD something else to offer.

[~bl~]

I'd love it if SOD did that, but it would cause them a lot of work as they'd have to have someone dedicated to watching the show to write the summaries. They don't have anyone watching the show to write the summaries they put in the magazine and use what the show gives them. Also access to the channel in some areas is impossible, and I doubt they'd have someone summarizing off of a web feed, which may or may not work. When The Doctors started airing there was no New York station carrying RTV. I do wish they'd have done where are they now articles with people.

[allmc2008]

when will the opening and closing music change?  Also, when do the Pollocks take over?

[slick jones]

Mike after Mrs. Bennett leaves...a theme song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-lJZiqZaGA

[jam6242]

Perfect!   I had to re-watch Mike's scream a few times (because it's one of those "so bad it's good" things).

[robbwolff]

Did you guys notice this bit when Mike was in the park some episodes back? It was when he met up with the little girl. He was sitting on the bench, bouncing her ball, and singing in a rhyming manner. He said, "M, my name is Michael and I'm come from Madison." Coincidence or the first on air-reference to the city's name?

 

 

 

 

[DanMan869]

Robb, I'd like to think that it was all planned that way, but I bet Rick Edelstein picked a (city) name that would alliteratively go along with the game Mike was playing. HOWEVER, I think it's altogether possible that, behind the scenes, that was probably noticed as the first time the show was placed somewhere. Whenever it was finally being "regularly" referenced, I would hope that somehow, whichever writing team started using it that way, referenced back to that episode. Does anyone know what year the show began referencing being set in "Madison"?

[robbwolff]

Well, Rick Edelstein's stint as head writer is over. As of the episodes airing today (August 31), Ira Avery is being credited as head writer. I guess Edelstein's stint lasted a mere four months.