Taxi
ER
November 25, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
An emergency room in a Chicago hospital.
A multi-racial cast.
Humor covering up the pain of working in a trauma situation.
Sounds like ER.
It is ER. But it’s not the one that immediately comes to mind.
Not the one that debuted in 1994.
Not the one that was a cornerstone of NBC’s Thursday night lineup for fifteen years.
This ER lasted only one season.
It was a sitcom based on a 1982 play. It was a nicely written, nicely acted, nicely produced show that aired on CBS during the 1984-85 season.
Elliott Gould plays Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, a twice divorced doctor who moonlights at Clark Street Hospital’s Emergency Room to pay his alimony bills. With Gould’s veteran comedy instincts, ER seems like a good idea for a sitcom. And it was, particularly in hindsight considering
the show’s talent, star power, and ensemble performances.
Conchatta Ferrell plays veteran nurse Thor. She later appeared on L.A. Law as entertainment attorney Susan Bloom. Currently, she stars as Berta, the wisecracking maid on Two and a Half Men.
Mary McDonnell took over the role of Dr. Eve Sheridan, Sheinfeld’s boss and potential love interest. Five years after ER, McDonnell captured America’s attention in Dances With Wolves. Marcia Strassman, Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter, plays Sheridan in the ER pilot.
Pamela Adlon plays Jenny Sheinfeld, the daughter of Dr. Sheinfeld. She voiced Bobby Hill on the long-running cartoon series King of the Hill.
Before he found fame, accolades, and notoriety as Larry David’s alter ego on Seinfeld -- George Costanza -- Jason Alexander played hospital administrator Harold Stickley on ER.
Lynne Moody plays young, love-seeking, good-natured nurse Julie Williams. In a bit of inspired crossover casting, Sherman Helmsley brought his George Jefferson character to ER as Julie’s uncle in a guest appearance.
Luis Avalos plays Dr. Tomas Esquivel. Avalos is probably best known to Generation Xers from The Electric Company.
And, of course, George Clooney. He appears on both ER shows. In the sitcom, he is Ace -- a heart-throbbing, pulse pounding, personality plus paramedic with rock and roll dreams. The name of his band is The Body Fluids.
Ace’s nickname reinforces his reputation as a ladies man -- My Place Ace. Coincidentally, Tomas reminisces about his younger days with a corresponding nickname -- Mi Casa Tomasa.
Like Night Court, Barney Miller, or Taxi, ER revolved around the workplace. But the potential romance between Sheinfeld and Sheridan, the wonderful acting and writing, and the quirky patients who populated the emergency room at Clark Street Hospital were not enough to keep ER from flatlining.
ER holds a special significance for me. In one episode, a guest character named Dr. Krell makes an appearance. Dr. Sheinfeld remarks on the name. He says, If I wasn’t a Sheinfeld, I’d like to be a Krell.
david@davidkrell.com
An emergency room in a Chicago hospital.
A multi-racial cast.
Humor covering up the pain of working in a trauma situation.
Sounds like ER.
It is ER. But it’s not the one that immediately comes to mind.
Not the one that debuted in 1994.
Not the one that was a cornerstone of NBC’s Thursday night lineup for fifteen years.
This ER lasted only one season.
It was a sitcom based on a 1982 play. It was a nicely written, nicely acted, nicely produced show that aired on CBS during the 1984-85 season.
Elliott Gould plays Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, a twice divorced doctor who moonlights at Clark Street Hospital’s Emergency Room to pay his alimony bills. With Gould’s veteran comedy instincts, ER seems like a good idea for a sitcom. And it was, particularly in hindsight considering
the show’s talent, star power, and ensemble performances.
Conchatta Ferrell plays veteran nurse Thor. She later appeared on L.A. Law as entertainment attorney Susan Bloom. Currently, she stars as Berta, the wisecracking maid on Two and a Half Men.
Mary McDonnell took over the role of Dr. Eve Sheridan, Sheinfeld’s boss and potential love interest. Five years after ER, McDonnell captured America’s attention in Dances With Wolves. Marcia Strassman, Julie Kotter in Welcome Back, Kotter, plays Sheridan in the ER pilot.
Pamela Adlon plays Jenny Sheinfeld, the daughter of Dr. Sheinfeld. She voiced Bobby Hill on the long-running cartoon series King of the Hill.
Before he found fame, accolades, and notoriety as Larry David’s alter ego on Seinfeld -- George Costanza -- Jason Alexander played hospital administrator Harold Stickley on ER.
Lynne Moody plays young, love-seeking, good-natured nurse Julie Williams. In a bit of inspired crossover casting, Sherman Helmsley brought his George Jefferson character to ER as Julie’s uncle in a guest appearance.
Luis Avalos plays Dr. Tomas Esquivel. Avalos is probably best known to Generation Xers from The Electric Company.
And, of course, George Clooney. He appears on both ER shows. In the sitcom, he is Ace -- a heart-throbbing, pulse pounding, personality plus paramedic with rock and roll dreams. The name of his band is The Body Fluids.
Ace’s nickname reinforces his reputation as a ladies man -- My Place Ace. Coincidentally, Tomas reminisces about his younger days with a corresponding nickname -- Mi Casa Tomasa.
Like Night Court, Barney Miller, or Taxi, ER revolved around the workplace. But the potential romance between Sheinfeld and Sheridan, the wonderful acting and writing, and the quirky patients who populated the emergency room at Clark Street Hospital were not enough to keep ER from flatlining.
ER holds a special significance for me. In one episode, a guest character named Dr. Krell makes an appearance. Dr. Sheinfeld remarks on the name. He says, If I wasn’t a Sheinfeld, I’d like to be a Krell.
The Ultimate TV Network
July 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
david@davidkrell.com
If I created the ultimate television network, the prime time program lineup would probably look like this:
On Sunday, I would start with the legends. I Love Lucy at 8:00pm followed by The Jack Benny Program at 8:30pm.
The pairing makes sense since Lucille Ball and Jack Benny were not only show business icons, but also neighbors in real life. They lived next door to each other on North Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills.
Then, we turn to the rural heavyweights. The Andy Griffith Show at 9:00pm and The Beverly Hillbillies at 9:30pm.
Sunday nights should be nice and easy, after all. And what's nicer and easier than our friends in Mayberry and the hillbilly transplants to the land of Rodeo Drive?
At 10:00pm, The Sopranos.
On Monday nights, I would pair The Dick Van Dyke Show and Mary Tyler Moore in the 8 o'clock hour, followed by M*A*S*H and Murphy Brown in the 9 o'clock hour.
At 10:00pm, St. Elsewhere.
Tuesday nights would start with family comedy. The Cosby Show and Family Ties 8:00pm and 8:30pm respectively.
Everybody Loves Raymond at 9:00pm and Two and a Half Men at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Law & Order.
Wednesday nights would start with sophistication.
Frasier at 8:00pm and The Odd Couple at 8:30pm. I'm sure Felix Unger would have enjoyed talking wine, opera, and art with the Crane brothers.
The 9 o'clock hour would consist of You'll Never Get Rich starring Phil Silvers as Sergeant Bilko and The Twilight Zone.
At 10:00pm, Hill Street Blues.
Of course, Thursday nights would truly be Must See TV with Cheers, Taxi, Seinfeld, and Friends followed by ER at 10:00pm.
Friday night would be another family-friendly night, starting with The Brady Bunch at 8:00pm and The Wonder Years at 8:30pm.
At 9:00pm, Friday Night Lights, a depiction of a west Texas town obsessed with high school football.
At 10:00pm, The Wire.
Saturday night begins with cartoons.
The Simpsons at 8:00pm and King of the Hill at 8:30pm.
The Honeymooners at 9:00pm and Curb Your Enthusiasm at 9:30pm.
At 10:00pm, Homicide: Life on the Street, an undervalued, underrated, and underwatched program during its tenure on NBC in the 1990's.
Reasonable minds can differ.
Should Happy Days be in the lineup instead of The Brady Bunch?
What about L.A. Law, thirtysomething, Scrubs, or All in the Family?
What's the standard for making the linuep?
All good questions.
For now, it's merely instinctive.
Programs can be replaced.
Or I can start another network.
Badge of Honor
June 26, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential boasts an outstanding cast.
Guy Pearce.
Russell Crowe.
Kevin Spacey.
Kim Basinger.
Danny DeVito.
James Cromwell.
David Straithairn.
But it also has a treat for fans of classic television.
In the setting of 1953, the popular television show of the day is Badge of Honor, a direct nod to Dragnet.
Kevin Spacey's character of Detective Jack Vincennes is Technical Director on the show.
He's a friend of the show's star, Brett Chase. Television veteran Matt McCoy plays Chase. McCoy is probably most recognizable to Seinfeld fans from his guest appearances as Lloyd Braun, childhood rival of George Costanza.
Vincennes clearly enjoys the aura of celebrity.
In an early scene, he's dancing with a girl who is enamored with Jack's glamourous nexus to Brett Chase and the world of television.
Indeed, Vincennes is a Hollywood detective.
Badge of Honor plays a highly significant role in the relationship between Pearce's novice Detective Edmund Exley and the veteran Detective Jack Vincennes.
When Exley has to figure a scheme to rat out certain cops, he convinces the higher-ups to use Vincennes' Badge of Honor job as leverage against him so he'll testify against the bad apples in the department.
He knows Vincennes lives for the glory that the show gives him.
With the police department's threat of disallowing Vincennes' association with Badge of Honor, Vincennes agrees to testify.
Vincennes counters, however, and tells Exley he simply testified against old-timers who were close to retirement anyway. He gets to keep his Badge of Honor job. The bosses are satisfied.
Vincennes plays his Hollywood connections like Yitzhak Perlman plays the violin -- with sheer expertise.
He has an information-sharing arrangement with Sid Hudgens, a sleazy tabloid writer played by Danny DeVito.
Think Louie DePalma of Taxi with a typewriter but with more cunning, deceitfulness, and an absolute lack of morals.
Vincennes gains fame with Hollywood busts of celebrities and Hudgens increases circulation with stories of the same.
Vincennes becomes embroiled in the investigation at the heart of L.A. Confidential.
And later in the movie, we see that Jack Vincennes does a 180-degree turn with his own morals. He fatally pays for his conscience.
In L.A. Confidential, we actually see a snippet of Badge of Honor, the show within a movie. And the famous phrase attributed to its real-life counterpart appears as a clear nod -- Just the facts.
The first incarnation of Dragnet occurred in the same time frame as L.A. Confidential, 1951-1959.
david@davidkrell.com
Based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential boasts an outstanding cast.
Guy Pearce.
Russell Crowe.
Kevin Spacey.
Kim Basinger.
Danny DeVito.
James Cromwell.
David Straithairn.
But it also has a treat for fans of classic television.
In the setting of 1953, the popular television show of the day is Badge of Honor, a direct nod to Dragnet.
Kevin Spacey's character of Detective Jack Vincennes is Technical Director on the show.
He's a friend of the show's star, Brett Chase. Television veteran Matt McCoy plays Chase. McCoy is probably most recognizable to Seinfeld fans from his guest appearances as Lloyd Braun, childhood rival of George Costanza.
Vincennes clearly enjoys the aura of celebrity.
In an early scene, he's dancing with a girl who is enamored with Jack's glamourous nexus to Brett Chase and the world of television.
Indeed, Vincennes is a Hollywood detective.
Badge of Honor plays a highly significant role in the relationship between Pearce's novice Detective Edmund Exley and the veteran Detective Jack Vincennes.
When Exley has to figure a scheme to rat out certain cops, he convinces the higher-ups to use Vincennes' Badge of Honor job as leverage against him so he'll testify against the bad apples in the department.
He knows Vincennes lives for the glory that the show gives him.
With the police department's threat of disallowing Vincennes' association with Badge of Honor, Vincennes agrees to testify.
Vincennes counters, however, and tells Exley he simply testified against old-timers who were close to retirement anyway. He gets to keep his Badge of Honor job. The bosses are satisfied.
Vincennes plays his Hollywood connections like Yitzhak Perlman plays the violin -- with sheer expertise.
He has an information-sharing arrangement with Sid Hudgens, a sleazy tabloid writer played by Danny DeVito.
Think Louie DePalma of Taxi with a typewriter but with more cunning, deceitfulness, and an absolute lack of morals.
Vincennes gains fame with Hollywood busts of celebrities and Hudgens increases circulation with stories of the same.
Vincennes becomes embroiled in the investigation at the heart of L.A. Confidential.
And later in the movie, we see that Jack Vincennes does a 180-degree turn with his own morals. He fatally pays for his conscience.
In L.A. Confidential, we actually see a snippet of Badge of Honor, the show within a movie. And the famous phrase attributed to its real-life counterpart appears as a clear nod -- Just the facts.
The first incarnation of Dragnet occurred in the same time frame as L.A. Confidential, 1951-1959.