Though I was pretty young when this show was out, I remember distinctly how the show would start each time with the symbols for Man, Woman, Death and Infinity being written on a chalk board. Does anyone else out there remember this as well?
I really wished I had been older back than to enjoy this show and Dr. Kildare as well.
joeann:
I wish I weren't old enough to remember this but I do. However, it was actually Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity. I was just trying to remember what symbols they used for "birth" and "death" and I found a clip of the beginning of the show on this website:
http://www.vinceedwards.tv/casey1.html
Steve
Thanks Steve for taking me down Memory Lane. I didn't remember that it was Sam Jaffe's voice stating Man, Woman, etc. I didn't remember the Birth part either.
Thanks again!
It could have been Birth. I thought he said Earth, but Birth makes more since.
shareIt was definitely birth. The entire pompous presentation was parallel construction.
I kinda doubt the hairy-chested Vince Edwards had ever seen the Infinity symbol before he came on this show.
Vince was the poster boy for, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
Note to starry-eyed women chasing MDs: The way the medical education system socializes doctors makes it overwhelmingly likely that he is an asshole, a lot like a pro athlete.
JFC, what a nasty bitter summation. 🤣
Though pretentious, the symbolic presentation sounds clever, even existential. Nothing wrong with that.
"Starry-eyed women chasing MDs"? There are plenty of starry-eyed women who are MD's. The show was set in the 60's, but we are not living 60 years ago.
Interesting comments. Not pleasant, but worthy of consideration.
Physicians have a high status in society in all first world countries.
I think your comparison is flawed. Pro athletes and doctors are very different. They do share a high income and status but their mindset is quite dissimilar.
Vince was not a great actor but I thought he was good in this series. I recently watched a couple of episodes. I hadn't seen Ben Casey in many years.
The athletes and physicians are similar in their very common belief in their omnipotence and entitlement.
Onan, I vastly prefer female health care practitioners over males, so I know a lot of female MDs, some of whom have saved my life. My comment pertained to the female viewing public OUTSIDE of the medical community who often wanted to marry “a doctor” and be one-half of a “Doctor and Mrs.” team without knowing the realities of what it can be like to be married to a medical pro. The entertainment industry often presents idealized representations of male MDs to pander to the often-unrealistic idea the public has about them as spouses. And, yes, my assessment of the opening segment is harsh. I dislike smarm in all its forms. Sam Jeffe had long fright-hair for the same reason why the stuck Denise Richards in eyeglasses: to convey the instant impression that “this one is SMART.” I didn’t buy it when I was 6. I don’t buy it now.
I remember that and the theme music, too. Want me to hum it to you?? ;-)
John
Hi joeann 21,
I sure do.
There was a Cleveland TV station who did spoofs of Ben Casey (Ben Crazy). They started this spoof on the blackboard, with, man, woman, birth, death, infinity, same as on the real TV program, but added a dollar sign as the final symbol, then did some silly, inane, yet funny skits about this TV series.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x43ee0_hoolihan-big-chuck-ben-crazy-gross_fun
http://www.google.com/search?q=ben+crazy&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=&oe=
I remember watching this as a little kid and liking that opening. I was really into symbols.
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Man, that's a lot of Jujubes.