The Doctors

[Matt]

I have a script for a 1968 episode (#1365) in my collection that I pulled out and looked at recently and I noticed something I've never noticed (nor ever heard reference to) before. Right above the production number on the cover page in the upper right hand corner is "Easterly Productions". I've never heard of them. I wonder if it's the specific production company who produced the show for Colgate-Palmolive. I wonder what happened to them.

Oh, and for the record, Episode #1365 was taped on Wednesday, February 21, 1968, and aired on Friday, February 23, 1968. Rita Lakin is listed as the writer. Robert Myhrum is the director. Allen Potter is the producer.

[DRW50]

That's fascinating.

[Paul Raven]

Would love to see that script posted in this thread.Any chance???

[DRW50]

videos gone

Edited October 18, 2014 by DRW50

[edgeofnight]

Happy 97th Birthday Meg Mundy!

[DRW50]

Loved Meg on AMC. I also really like what I've seen of her on The Doctors. One of many actors who never got the credit they deserved.

[DRW50]

video gone

Edited October 18, 2014 by DRW50

[Matt]

Here is a transcription of the vintage "The Doctors" script I have in my collection...

On the Cover Page:

EASTERLY PRODUCTIONS

Production #1365

THE DOCTORS

WRITTEN BY: RITA LAKIN

DIRECTED BY: ROBERT MYHRUM

PRODUCED BY: ALLEN POTTER

TAPE DATE: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1968

AIR DATE: Friday, FEBRUARY 23, 1968

Page 2...

CAST

DR. MATT POWERS

DR. MAGGIE POWERS

DR. NICK BELLINI

DR. ALTHEA DAVIS

PHILIP TOWNSEND III

NATHAN BUNKER

POWELL

SETS

1. BOARD ROOM

2. ANTEROOM

3. PERMANENT

The actual script...

FADE IN:

MAIN TITLE

ANNCR: (VO)

And now... THE DOCTORS... dedicated to the brotherhood of healing...

FADE OUT:

COMM. #1

ACT ONE

FADE IN:

PERMANENT

SHORT TIME LATER

(NICK IS AT THE DESK, TALKING INTO THE PHONE. HE HOLDS A WRITTEN MESSAGE)

NICK:

...I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, Dr. Crawford, but I've been.. in a meeting. Look, I got your message here about the research seminar. I'll be glad to attend. Yeah, thanks -- Put me down for that date. (FROWNS) Yeah -- things are just great around here. Bye!

(MAGGIE ENTERS)

(HANGS UP PHONE) Maggie.

MAGGIE:

Hello, Nick.

(DEEPLY CONCERNED)

How is the hearing going? Is Matt all right?

NICK:

Matt's okay, but the hearing's miserable.

MAGGIE:

(ALARMED) Why? What happened? What went wrong?

NICK:

What went wrong was me. I blew the lid off everything. Between Bunker and that stiff-necked Philip Townsend, I got so mad I told everybody off.

MAGGIE:

O.K. Break it to me gently. What did you say?

NICK:

I told them that what happened with me and Althea was our own doing and how could they blame Matt for it?

MAGGIE:

But that's the truth. (PAUSE) I know. It wasn't what you said -- it was how you said it.

NICK:

(FORLORNLY) I owe you and Mat an apology. If Bunker wins out and Matt gets fired, I'm the one to blame.

MAGGIE:

No, Nick. Give the board the benefit of the doubt. They're good when they have no axe to grind. They'll realize that one one -- not Matt or you or Althea... ought to be punished for what happened.

NICK:

(NOT CONVINCED) Sure -- but Bunker is out for blood and I don't think truth or plain horse sense is going to sidetrack him.

MAGGIE:

Who's testifying now?

NICK:

Althea, I guess. She went in right after me and she hasn't come out yet. I don't envy her -- that seat she's in is a hot seat!

CUT TO:

BOARD ROOM

SAME TIME

(ALTHEA IS BEING QUESTIONED BY THE BOARD. BUNKER IS WATCHING CONFIDENTLY, MATT IS OBVIOUSLY WORRIED)

PHILIP:

... Dr. Davis, do you know why Elizabeth Wilson moved out of your apartment so abruptly -- after all those months of a pleasant, congenial relationship?

ALTHEA:

Yes. (SHE STOPS)

PHILIP:

Go on, Dr. Davis.

ALTHEA:

You know the facts. She was angry and hurt. Her engagement was broken off because of my pregnancy.

PHILIP:

How did you feel about that, Dr. Davis?

ALTHEA:

How was I supposed to feel? Rotten! I never intended to hurt her.

POWELL:

But you did, didn't you. By your questionable behavior, another person was driven to destructive acts.

MATT:

Just a minute. Aren't you taking this a little far?

PHILIP:

I see where Mr. Powell is going.

MATT:

Well, I don't.

PHILIP:

No action stands by itself. What Dr. Davis did affected Miss Wilson. What Miss Wilson did in running away and ending up on a twelfth story ledge affected all of Hope Memorial.

ALTHEA:

That's not fair. What I do is my own business. Liz...

PHILIP:

(OVERRIDING) Is it, Dr. Davis? You are employed by this hospital. This hospital is here for one purpose and one purpose only. To serve the people of this city.

ALTHEA:

But I'm a good doctor....

PHILIP:

No one has questioned your ability.

ALTHEA:

But you are... By innuendo.

PHILIP:

I am merely saying that your behavior with Dr. Bellini was not in the interests of this hospital.

ALTHEA:

And I say again, what I do in my private life is my business.

BUNKER:

May I, Mr. Townsend?

(PHILIP NODS)

(TO ALTHEA) People in public service have no private lives. People look to you for help and solace. How can they look up to you if your emotional behavior is tarnished... Sordid by all moral standards.

ALTHEA:

How dare you say that to me...

MATT:

Easy, Althea... Take it easy.

ALTHEA:

How dare he twist my actions like that. What Nick and I had... No, you have no right to say those things to me. You have no right to sit in judgment of us. Are you so noble? Is your life so perfect... Have you never made any mistakes...?

PHILIP:

(RAPS GAVEL) Dr. Davis. We have already been through the histrionics of your colleague, Dr. Bellini. You might spare us more of the same.

MATT:

Now look here, Philip.

PHILIP:

(LOOKS AT WATCH) Can it wait, Matt? We've been in session for almost two hours. I suggest that we take a short break. We'll meet back here in exactly ten minutes.

(RAPS GAVEL AGAIN, RISES, STARTS TO EXIT)

(THE OTHERS ALSO EXIT. MATT GOES TO ALTHEA, PATS HER COMFORTINGLY ON THE ARM)

ALTHEA:

(WITH A WAN SMILE) How am I doing, Coach?

MATT:

Fine -- just fine.

ALTHEA:

Sure.

(MATT FORCES AN ENCOURAGING SMILE AT HER)

FADE OUT

COMM. #2

ACT TWO

FADE IN:

SHORT TIME LATER

(BACK END OF PERMANENT)

(MAGGIE IS WAITING FOR ELEVATOR. MATT ENTERS AND CROSSES TO WATER COOLER)

MAGGIE:

Oh -- Matt! Is it over?

MATT:

No, we're just taking a break. I thought I'd better come out and check my messages.

(LEAFS THROUGH THE MESSAGES HE TAKES FROM THE DESK)

They haven't even got to me yet, they're still working on Althea.

MAGGIE:

How's she doing?

MATT:

Bunker and Philip Townsend are putting the pressure on her. They're rough.

MAGGIE:

Where is she now?

MATT:

She went to the lounge -- said she wanted to be alone with her thoughts for a few moments.

MAGGIE:

Poor Althea. I can understand why Bunker is doing it -- if he breaks her down, it's a way of getting at you. But Philip Townsend -- why would he want to give her a bad time?

MATT:

We both know that Philip Townsend the Third is the most moral, straight-laced, self-righteous individual in town.

MAGGIE:

(GLUM) Yes.

MATT:

And since Althea hasn't lived up to his idea of what's right -- therefore she's all wrong.

MAGGIE:

But it's so unfair! Nothing is all that black or white. Where are the shades of grey?

MATT:

I'm afraid he won't allow for them. Look -- he's not the chairman of the hospital board by coincidence -- As the grandson of the founder of Hope Memorial his word is law.

MAGGIE:

But he's not the only member of the board -- won't some of those other men stand up against him?

MATT:

It's the Townsend money that keeps this hospital going. When he talks, they listen.

MAGGIE:

Then Bunker is bound to win.

MATT:

Maybe not. Whatever his faults Philip Townsend has a strong sense of justice. It's part of what he calls his "moral fibre". He'll always listen to both sides of a question and he'll never reach a decision unless he's absolutely convinced that it's the right one.

MAGGIE:

Do you think we still have a chance?

(PHILIP ENTERS)

PHILIP:

Matt, we'll be ready to reconvene --

(CHECKS HIS WATCH AGAIN)

-- in exactly a minute. Please don't be late -- you know how I feel about starting my meetings on time.

MATT:

Right, Philip -- I'll be there.

PHILIP:

Thank you.

(TO MAGGIE, VERY FORMAL AND COURTLY)

Good afternoon, Dr. Powers. How nice to see you.

MAGGIE:

It's nice to see you,Mr. Townsend.

(PHILIP STARTING TO EXIT, LOOKS AT HIS WATCH AGAIN)

(HE EXITS. MATT AND MAGGIE GRIN AT ONE ANOTHER)

MATT:

See what I mean? A very precise man.

MAGGIE:

(GRINS) Precisely! (THOUGHTFULLY) And you're right, Matt -- maybe we do have a chance.

(MATT HURRIES TOWARD THE BOARD ROOM)

CUT TO:

BOARD ROOM

SAME TIME

(THE PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING BUNKER AND ALTHEA, ARE TAKING THEIR PLACES. PHILIP ENTERS, GOES TO HIS CHAIR AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE. MATT AND A COUPLE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS ENTER, SIT DOWN)

PHILIP:

(CHECKS HIS WATCH, WAITS AN INSTANT, THEN RAPS HIS GAVEL)

This hearing is now in session again. (TURNS TO ALTHEA) Are you ready to resume, Dr. Davis?

ALTHEA:

Yes.

PHILIP:

Very well then.

(CONSULTING A SMALL NOTE PAD)

According to my notes, before we broke Dr. Powers was about to make a statement. Matt?

MATT:

No, that's all right -- I'll save it for later.

PHILIP:

Are there any other questions for Dr. Davis?

BUNKER:

Yes, a very brief one, if I may.

PHILIP:

Go ahead.

BUNKER:

Thank you. (TO ALTHEA) Dr. Davis --

ALTHEA:

(WARILY) Yes, Mr. Bunker?

BUNKER:

When you found that you were pregnant, did you know immediately that Dr. Bellini was the father?

ALTHEA:

(ANGRILY) Of course!

BUNKER:

Knowing this, did you ever consider marrying him?

ALTHEA:

(A PAUSE, THEN)

No. No, I didn't.

BUNKER:

Could you have married him?

ALTHEA:

Yes, I could have. But I didn't want to.

BUNKER:

Why not?

ALTHEA:

That's my business. Not yours.

BUNKER:

Dr. Bellini wished to do the right thing for you and the child, yet you preferred being an unmarried mother and allowing your baby to be born with the stigma of being illegitimate!

ALTHEA:

Stop it. This is the twentieth century. People don't feel that way any more. People shouldn't marry because they have to. There's love... and feelings... and needs...

(SHE BREAKS OFF)

BUNKER:

Weren't you being selfish, Dr. Davis? You were only thinking about yourself... how you felt about it -- what you wanted to do -- not the inevitably harmful effect on the child!

(BEFORE ALTHEA CAN ANSWER, TO PHILIP)

That's all the questions I have at the moment, Mr. Townsend.

(TO ALTHEA, PLEASANTLY)

Thank you, Dr. Davis, you've been most informative.

FADE OUT

COMM. #3

MIDDLE BREAK

ANNCR: (VO)

The second half of THE DOCTORS is brought to you by...

(DISSOLVE TO COMMERCIAL CARD AND TEN-SECOND BILLBOARD)

COMM. #4

ACT THREE

FADE IN:

BOARD ROOM

CONTINUOUS

(ALTHEA FACES THE BOARD, WAITING FOR MORE QUESTIONS)

POWELL:

Dr. Davis, when you found that your pregnancy was becoming a difficult one and that you needed treatment, why did you choose to go to the Medical Center at Harrington?

ALTHEA:

I couldn't very well come here to Hope Memorial.

POWELL:

(OVERRIDING) No you certainly couldn't. I would just like to comment on Dr. Davis' choice of words -- revealing her own recognition that her situation was indeed an indication of the shame she felt --

MATT:

That's unfair. It was out of consideration for Hope Memorial that she went elsewhere.

ALTHEA:

(FURIOUSLY) Harrington has an excellent reputation. We weren't going to some shady underhanded place. We were merely going some place other than Hope. That's why we picked it.

POWELL:

I see. Thank you -- that answers my question.

BUNKER:

(RAISING HIS HAND)

Mr. Townsend --

PHILIP

Yes, Mr. Bunker?

BUNKER:

I'm a little surprised that Mr. Powell didn't pursue his question further. Dr. Davis' answer contained some interesting implications.

PHILIP:

For example?

BUNKER:

For one thing, did you notice that she said "I guess that's why we chose that particular hospital." To whom does she "we" refer to, Dr. Davis?

ALTHEA:

I -- I didn't realize I'd said "we".

BUNKER:

Oh, yes, you said "we," Dr. Davis, I assure you. We all heard it over and over again. And "we" implies that you didn't make your choice of a hospital alone. Now, who was the other party who helped you with the decision?

(ALTHEA REFUSES TO ANSWER)

Could it have been Dr. Bellini? No -- he knew nothing about the problems you were having. Elizabeth Wilson? No -- she had already moved out of the apartment and the two of you were hardly on the friendliest of terms.

PHILIP:

Mr. Bunker, I assume you have a purpose in this line of questioning.

BUNKER:

I certainly do, Mr. Townsend. I'm getting to it now.

(TURNS TO ALTHEA)

Dr. Davis, who was the person who helped you with this choice -- who worked, so to speak, in collusion with you to shield your condition from the people with whom you normally associated?

ALTHEA:

Why do you keep harping on that? I told you -- I went to Harrington because it's a fine hospital, that's all there is to it!

BUNKER:

Not quite, Dr. Davis. I submit that your confederate in this scheme to prevent your pregnancy from becoming public information was Dr. Matthew Powers!

(AS SHE REMAINS SILENT)

Was it, Dr. Davis? Was it Dr. Powers who helped you to find a small, private, out-of-the-way hospital where what you ahd done could be successfully hushed up? Answer me, Dr. Davis!

MATT:

(JUMPING TO HIS FEET)

Leave her alone, Bunker! Stop badgering her.

PHILIP:

(RAPPING HIS GAVEL)

Matt, sit down!

BUNKER:

(IGNORING THE GAVEL)

All I want from her is the truth!

PHILIP:

(POUNDS THE GAVEL HARDER)

Gentlemen -- quiet! Gentlemen!

MATT:

(DOESN'T REALLY HEAR HIM)

Your kind of truth!

PHILIP:

(POUNDING THE GAVEL STILL HARDER)

Dr. Powers! Mr. Bunker! Let's not turn this hearing into a brawl! Now quiet down -- both of you!

MATT:

(SITTING DOWN) I'm sorry, Philip. It won't happen again.

BUNKER:

Yes, I appologize, Mr. Townsend. I'm afraid I lost my temper.

(TURNS TOWARD MATT)

I hope you will accept my apology, too, Dr. Powers.

(AS MATT NODS, GRUDGINGLY)

Thank you. Sometimes I get carried away.

(MATT REACTS ANGRILY, STARTS TO ANSWER, THEN THINKS BETTER OF IT AND REMAINS SILENT)

PHILIP:

Can we get on with the hearing now? Quietly and orderly? And with no further demonstrations?

(MATT AND BUNKER NOD THEIR AGREEMENT)

Mr. Bunker, you were making a point in reference to Dr. Davis and the Medical Center at Harrington.

BUNKER:

Yes. I would like to repeat my original question. Dr. Davis, was Dr. Powers a party to your decision to go to Harrington?

(ALTHEA, AN UNHAPPY GLANCE AT MATT, THEN:)

MATT:

I'll answer your question -- yes.

BUNKER:

You see how simple it was?

(TURNS TO PHILIP) I have no further questions in this area, Mr. Townsend. I merely point out that Dr. Powers' collaboration with all the cloak-and-dagger maneuverings, is clear proof that he was well appraised of, in fact -- a party to -- the illicit activites that were taking place at Hope Memorial.

PHILIP:

Anything else, Mr. Bunker?

BUNKER:

No -- nothing. I've heard everything from Dr. Davis that I need to hear.

PHILIP:

Do the members of the board have any more questions?

(THEY SHAKE THEIR HEADS)

Then that will be all, Dr. Davis. Thank you for coming.

(ALTHEA GLANCES FORLORNLY AT MATT, WHO TRIES TO SMILE ENCOURAGINGLY AT HER. THEN SHE EXITS)

PHILIP:

Who is your next witness, Matt?

MATT:

(RISING, MOVING TOWARD THE WITNESS CHAIR)

I am.

(CAMERA MOVES IN ON MATT AS WE:)

FADE OUT

COMM. #5

ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

ANTEROOM

SAME TIME

(ALTHEA IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE DOOR TO THE BOARD ROOM, FROM WHICH SHE HAS JUST EXITED, MAGGIE ENTERS, HURRIES TO HER)

MAGGIE:

Althea, I was worried about you. Are you all right?

ALTHEA:

I -- I guess so. Oh, Maggie, what a shambles -- I said something then they twisted it around and then I lost my temper and made it worse. I know I hurt Matt, I'm sure of it... and Nick and Liz and myself and the whole hospital --

MAGGIE:

(HER ARM AROUND ALTHEA, TO COMFORT HER)

If you told the truth, that's all anybody could ask of you.

ALTHEA:

(IRONIC) Truth... It's like the old story of the 5 blind men who were asked to describe an elephant -- each one "saw" a different kind of truth! Townsend -- Bunker -- they made everything I said sound tawdry. Why?

MAGGIE:

I don't know. Maybe it's because they see so much cheapness and dishonesty around them so they see it even when it isn't there. (PAUSE) Come on, old friend. Let me get you a cup of coffee.

(THEY GO OFF TOGETHER -- BOTH VERY DOWN)

CUT TO:

BOARD ROOM

SAME TIME

(MATT IS SEATED IN THE WITNESS CHAIR, FACING THE BOARD)

PHILIP:

Matt, I'd like to say something before you begin. From what I heard from Dr. Bellini and Dr. Davis, I see no recourse other than to have them both dismissed.

MATT:

Philip...

PHILIP:

Hear me out. These two doctors, members of the staff of Hope Memorial engaged in illicit physical acts which brought about the pregnancy of Dr. Davis. It was fortunate -- and I regret having to say such a thing -- but it was fortunate for Hope Memorial that Dr. Davis lost her child.

MATT:

I must protest...

PHILIP:

Wait, Matt. Fortunate in that the hospital was spared the embarrassment of having one of its staff ministering to her patients in an advanced state of pregnancy. Dr. Davis commented on this being the twentieth century. Yes, it is the twentieth century and we have with us threat of atomic annihilation and space flights to the moon, but in the area of morality, we are still, perhaps in your eyes, primitive people. But old fashioned morality still exists with most of us. And I say, thank heaven for it. I believe it is all we have to save our civilization form ruin. I would like to ask you what you would have done if Dr. Davis had not lost her child.

MATT:

I had Dr. Davis' resignation in my desk drawer. I would have brought it to you and asked that you not accept it.

PHILIP:

But we would have. Would you have let her go?

MATT:

I would have fought you on it.

PHILIP:

At the risk of your own job?

MATT:

Yes.

PHILIP:

Why, Matt?

MATT:

You talked a moment ago about atomic annihilation and space flights. Oh, yes indeed we live in an advanced civilization and you say morality is our only hope. I say it is not so much morality, it is the right of each individual to live his life in the best manner he knows how. I say the hope of the world lies with the individual. He must be his own judge of his own acts and he must be responsible for these acts. You spoke, too, of Dr. Davis' acts affecting Liz Wilson's behavior. No, I don't agree with this. Liz Wilson made her own choices -- right or wrong. Althea Davis cannot be condemned for what Liz Wilson chose to do to herself.

(PAUSE) Yes, I kenw about Dr. Davis' pregnancy and I concealed this information from you. But I too was behaving as an individual responsible for my own decisions. These two doctors are fine people and fine physicians. There is no way to measure the amount of care and service they have given unstintingly to their patients over the years. And not once when they administered aid to a patient did they sit in judgment of that patient... They did not say to the man at the edge of death on an operating table -- but do you deserve to live? What kind of citizen have you been? Whom have you harmed? What kind of morality do you practice? They worked efficiently to save his life. Who are we to make any value judgments about other people? There is an almighty God to sit in final judgment. It is not for mortals. Surely I don't have to remind you of the words in the Bible -- "Who that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone..." Bunker. This hearing came about because you wanted me to lose my job. In so doing you were willing to let two fine doctors lose their life's work. Surely that is a sin in itself. A kind of immorality. You are without charity or humility. Wanting revenge is also an immoral act. How many more things have you done through these years in the name of your newspaper, have been cruel, immoral, mindless destructive acts? And who is to stand in judgment of you? So, what you say here today in essence is this -- Dr. Althea Davis and Dr. Nick Bellini were caught. Therefore they should be punished. Like the motorcycle policeman who let five others speed by, but ticketed the one he caught. No I won't go by these arbitrary rules of right and wrong you set up here today. I will not easily let you sacrifice the careers of two fine doctors. I will not let you throw down the drain years of selfless dedication to medicine. Not without a fight. And if you feel they deserve to go, then so do I. I do not condone whatever they did in their private lives, but nor will I condemn them. I have no more to say. Do what you will.

(MATT STEPS DOWN AND WALKS OUT. ALL LOOK AFTER HIM, DEEPLY MOVED)

FADE OUT

COMM. #6

[Paul Raven]

Fantastic post.Thank you Matt.Does anyone know the background to this? How did Liz come to be on the ledge and why did Nick and Althea's relationship have a bearing on this? Why was Liz living with Althea?

[DRW50]

This is incredible. I'm sure this took so much time to type up. I love getting a glimpse into these characters - the dialogue is so strong and powerful, and the characterizations are sharp. No one like Althea would be on a soap now.

[teplin]

That was quite a monologue for James Pritchett! He was always one of my favorites from the show, though they tended to make his character too much of a prig in later years.

[jam6242]

I don't remember this particular story but I loved Nick & Althea! Thanks for posting Matt!

[saynotoursoap]

Liz came from a very dysfunctional family. Her mother and father argued constantly, because Liz's mother was pathologically repressed. Think Connie Ford's portrayal of Sandra Dee's mother in A Summer Place. She eventually had a nervous breakdown. When they left town, Liz became the ward of Althea. Liz put Althea on a pedestal. She represented the high moral character of her mother and the strength of a modern professional woman. Althea's affair with Nick and subsequent out of wedlock pregnancy severely disillusioned Liz, who rebelled by taking an experimental drug that Mike Powers created. Liz hallucinated and went out on a window ledge at Hope Memorial. Phillip Townsend rescued her, but he became obsessed with her innocence and purity and later kidnapped her. Many of the stories in that era dealt with the ambiguity between the idea of doctors as gods, and their natural fallibility as human beings. The stories were morality plays, and hey were wonderful. In my opinion, soaps took a wrong turn when they moved away from that and started making everyone -even the heroes- commit criminal acts.

[DRW50]

Thanks for the extra details. So at this time, did viewers know Phillip was obsessed, or did they see him as viewers did? What eventually happened to Liz?

I guess Althea lost her baby.

[Paul Raven]

Summaries from eps available to view at The Paley Center

Friday April 19th 1963

Circumstances force a reluctant doctor to take on a surgical procedure that he does not feel ready to perform. Dr. Frank Dickson and Dr. Bill Scott are concerned about a patient who is suffering from an ulcerated colon that requires surgery. But with a serious wrist injury, Dr. Scott is unable to perform this delicate operation. Dickson is the only other qualified physician on duty, but ever since he lost a patient in surgery, he has been too scared to operate again. Dickson, Scott, and Hayes endure a tense couple of hours, but their professionalism shines during this test of nerves.

Monday April 1st 1963 (Premiere episode)

Dr. William Scott's faith in medicine is shaken when a neglected young girl inexplicably dies on the operating table. His colleagues Dr. Jerry Chandler, Dr. Elizabeth Hayes, and Chaplain Sam Shafer try to reason Scott out of his funk, but the disillusioned doctor can only grimly clutch the doomed child's shabby doll and wonder at the point of it all. An answer comes in the form of a newborn infant with a congenital defect preventing it from taking food -- the baby's plight reminds Scott that his surgical skill has real purpose, after all.

Thursday July 1st 1976 (margaret DePriest is headwriter)

Steve hatches a plot involving the press and gets personal with Stacy, Nick and Althea reunite, and there are strange goings-on with Scott and Eleanor. When Steve sees the newspaper headlines about Joan Dancy's coma, he makes a quick call, advising a reporter to come to the hospital in disguise to get exclusive photographs. Soon after, Carolee comes to see Steve to express her feelings for him; and he becomes intimate with her, against his better judgment. Meanwhile, Nick has moved back in with Althea on a trial basis, and she finds that she is falling in love with him all over again. It's not clear whether their relationship will flourish, but the spark of passion between them is strong. Finally, Eleanor is scared that her sanity is slipping, unaware that much of her mental stress is caused by the tricks that Scott is playing on her.

Edited January 29, 2012 by Paul Raven