"Trapper John, M.D." (1979) TV series 1979-1986

Director:

Gregory Harrison

Writers:

Victoria Johns (writer) (3 episodes)
Deborah Zoe Dawson (writer) (2 episodes)
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

23 September 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This series brought the character of "Trapper John" from M*A*S*H in as the Chief of Surgery at San Franscico Memorial Hospital...

Plot Keywords:

Hospital | Doctor | Medical | Period In Title | Medical Doctor

Awards:

Nominated for 6 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Pernell Roberts	...	Dr. John Francis Xavier 'Trapper' McIntyre (151 episodes, 1979-1986)
Brian Stokes Mitchell	...	Dr. Justin 'Jackpot' Jackson / ... (151 episodes, 1979-1986)
Charles Siebert	...	Dr. Stanley Riverside II / ... (151 episodes, 1979-1986)
Gregory Harrison	...	Dr. George Alonzo 'Gonzo' Gates / ... (142 episodes, 1979-1986)
Christopher Norris	...	Gloria Brancusi R. N. / ... (132 episodes, 1979-1985)
Madge Sinclair	...	Ernestine Shoop, R. N. / ... (129 episodes, 1980-1986)
Chris Hutson	...	Nurse / ... (101 episodes, 1981-1986)
Simon Scott	...	Arnold Slocum (82 episodes, 1979-1985)

Series Directed by
Michael Caffey		(32 episodes, 1981-1986)
Earl Bellamy		(18 episodes, 1982-1985)
Bernard McEveety		(15 episodes, 1979-1983)
Barry Crane		(9 episodes, 1979-1982)
Seymour Robbie		(9 episodes, 1980-1982)
Leo Penn		(9 episodes, 1982-1985)
Joseph Pevney		(8 episodes, 1979-1985)
Charles Siebert		(7 episodes, 1982-1986)
Gregory Harrison		(5 episodes, 1983-1985)
Robert Douglas		(4 episodes, 1979-1981)
Bob Sweeney		(4 episodes, 1981-1985)
Alex March		(3 episodes, 1979-1981)
Murray Golden		(3 episodes, 1979-1980)
Vincent Sherman		(3 episodes, 1981-1983)
Jeff Bleckner		(2 episodes, 1981-1982)
Howard Morris		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Victor Lobl		(2 episodes, 1986)

Series Writing credits
Don Brinkley		(151 episodes, 1979-1986)
Frank Glicksman		(151 episodes, 1979-1986)
Deborah Zoe Dawson		(25 episodes, 1979-1986)
Victoria Johns		(25 episodes, 1979-1986)
John Whelpley		(20 episodes, 1981-1986)
Jeff Stuart		(15 episodes, 1980-1984)
Nancy Bond		(11 episodes, 1982-1986)
Kimmer Ringwald		(11 episodes, 1984-1986)
Barry Pollack		(7 episodes, 1983-1986)
Charles Larson		(5 episodes, 1979-1981)
Jack Guss		(5 episodes, 1980-1981)
Deborah Gilliland		(4 episodes, 1982-1985)
Robert Sonntag		(4 episodes, 1982-1985)
Betty Goldberg		(3 episodes, 1981-1982)
Milt Rosen		(3 episodes, 1981)
Phyllis Wapner		(3 episodes, 1982-1983)
Kay Bender		(3 episodes, 1982)
Jeffrey Ferro		(3 episodes, 1982)
Robert M. Young		(3 episodes, 1984-1985)
Gene O'Neill		(3 episodes, 1985-1986)
Noreen Tobin		(3 episodes, 1985-1986)
Jim Rogers		(2 episodes, 1979-1982)
Ray Brenner		(2 episodes, 1979-1980)
Shimon Wincelberg		(2 episodes, 1979)
Kenneth Berg		(2 episodes, 1980-1981)
James Fritzhand		(2 episodes, 1981)
Phil Alden Robinson		(2 episodes, 1981)
Emilie R. Small		(2 episodes, 1982-1985)
Garn Stephens		(2 episodes, 1982-1985)
J. Miyoko Hensley		(2 episodes, 1983-1984)
Steven Hensley		(2 episodes, 1983-1984)
Robert Bielak		(2 episodes, 1983)
John Breckfield		(2 episodes, 1984-1986)
Holly Durham		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Greg Thorneycroft		(2 episodes, 1984-1985)
Carl Sautter		(2 episodes, 1985)
Richard Hooker		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Jack Sonntag	....	associate producer (149 episodes, 1979-1986)
Don Brinkley	....	producer / executive producer (148 episodes, 1979-1986)
Frank Glicksman	....	executive producer / producer (108 episodes, 1979-1984)
Deborah Zoe Dawson	....	producer (40 episodes, 1984-1986)
Victoria Johns	....	producer (40 episodes, 1984-1986)

Series Original Music by
John Carl Parker		(138 episodes, 1979-1986)
Dennis McCarthy		(4 episodes, 1986)
Brian Stokes Mitchell		(3 episodes, 1983-1985)
Nan Schwartz		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)

Series Cinematography by
Frederick Gately		(112 episodes, 1979-1985)
Bradley B. Six		(18 episodes, 1985-1986)
Charles Young		(10 episodes, 1984-1985)
Brianne Murphy		(2 episodes, 1981)
Herb Pearl		(2 episodes, 1982)

Series Film Editing by
Jack Kampschroer		(45 episodes, 1979-1986)
Michael McCroskey		(40 episodes, 1979-1986)
John McSweeney Jr.		(39 episodes, 1980-1986)
Irving Rosenblum		(7 episodes, 1979-1980)
Harry Knapp		(2 episodes, 1980)
Virginia Olah		(2 episodes, 1984)

Series Casting by
Gary Shaffer		(145 episodes, 1979-1986)
Barbara Baldavin		(38 episodes, 1984-1986)

Series Art Direction by
Marvin Summerfield		(148 episodes, 1979-1986)

Series Set Decoration by
Bruce Kay		(60 episodes, 1980-1983)
John Told		(43 episodes, 1983-1985)
James Hassinger		(18 episodes, 1985-1986)
Don Greenwood Jr.		(17 episodes, 1979-1980)
Carl Biddiscombe		(3 episodes, 1979)

Series Makeup Department
Marilyn Patricia Phillips	....	hair department head (1 episode, 1979)

Series Production Management
Mark Evans	....	executive production manager (148 episodes, 1979-1986)
Joseph Silver	....	post-production supervisor (131 episodes, 1979-1985)
Jack Sonntag	....	production manager (110 episodes, 1979-1985)
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	unit production manager (25 episodes, 1985-1986)
Skip Lusk	....	post-production supervisor (18 episodes, 1985-1986)
Jack Oliver	....	unit production manager (8 episodes, 1984-1985)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	first assistant director (60 episodes, 1979-1985)
Robert Sonntag	....	second assistant director / first assistant director (60 episodes, 1982-1986)
Douglas E. Wise	....	first assistant director (34 episodes, 1982-1986)
Ron Kinwald	....	second assistant director / first assistant director (23 episodes, 1985-1986)
William Cosentino	....	second assistant director (21 episodes, 1979-1980)
Chip Chalmers	....	second assistant director (19 episodes, 1981-1982)
Buck Edwards	....	second assistant director (18 episodes, 1980-1981)
John Morrison	....	first assistant director (16 episodes, 1979-1981)
Richard Bremerkamp	....	first assistant director (8 episodes, 1981-1982)
Sol Gordon	....	second assistant director (4 episodes, 1981-1984)
Jack Doran	....	first assistant director (2 episodes, 1979)
Russ Harling	....	second assistant director (2 episodes, 1986)

Series Art Department
Allan Gordon	....	property master (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
John Kline	....	sound editor (1 episode, 1979)
Charles J. Bond	....	boom operator (1 episode, 1985)
Herman Lewis	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
George E. Marshall Jr.	....	boom operator (unknown episodes)
Ron Meredith	....	assistant sound editor (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Charlie Picerni	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Charles R. Young	....	camera operator (22 episodes, 1983-1984)
Owen Marsh	....	camera operator (unknown episodes, 1984-1985)
Curtis Foster	....	best boy (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Barbara Baldavin	....	casting associate / casting (61 episodes, 1981-1984)
C.J. Lyons	....	casting associate (13 episodes, 1980-1981)
Joni Newell	....	casting associate (4 episodes, 1980-1981)

Series Music Department
Lionel Newman	....	music supervision / music supervisor (144 episodes, 1979-1986)
John Carl Parker	....	composer: theme music (11 episodes, 1981-1986)

Series Transportation Department
Chris Haynes	....	driver (1 episode, 1979)

Series Other crew
Walter D. Dishell	....	medical advisor (148 episodes, 1979-1986)
Deborah Zoe Dawson	....	executive story consultant / story editor (105 episodes, 1979-1984)
Victoria Johns	....	executive story consultant / story editor (105 episodes, 1979-1984)
John Whelpley	....	story editor / executive story editor / ... (70 episodes, 1983-1986)
Jeff Stuart	....	story consultant / story editor (50 episodes, 1982-1984)
Kimmer Ringwald	....	story editor / executive story editor (40 episodes, 1984-1986)
Chris Hutson	....	technical advisor / medical advisor (39 episodes, 1979-1981)
Jack Guss	....	story supervisor / story editor (23 episodes, 1980-1982)
Nancy Bond	....	story editor (15 episodes, 1985-1986)
Kay Bender	....	story editor (8 episodes, 1982)
Barbara Avedon	....	story editor (4 episodes, 1981)
Christopher Haun	....	story editor (4 episodes, 1981)
Robert Gary	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes)

Series Thanks
Frank Glicksman	....	in loving memory (1 episode, 1984)

Production Companies

• 20th Century Fox Television

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (original airing)

Runtime:

60 min (150 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The name of Gonzo's RV was the Titanic.

Quotes:

Doctor "Trapper John" McIntyre: Well, it's the money that counts, not the thought.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Being from Another Planet (#5.5)" (1992)

A very good TV show that ended too soon.

A very good medical drama ,hard to believe it first aired 30 years ago. i have caught some of it on youtube including the pilot and it was nice to see the handsome pernell roberts as trapper john. Gregory Harrison as Dr Gonzo Gates also starred - his farewell episode in the last season had to be one of the best episodes I've seen on TV. What I liked most about TRAPPER JOHN MD was how it differed from the other lame M*A*S*H spinoffs. We had AFTERMASH and WALTER -both terrible in the fact that the main characters were taken out of their element and put into stupid generic situations played for laughs with the only reason of getting high ratings due to the popularity of MASH. WALTER didn't even last beyond the pilot and AFTERMASH was done a year later. TRAPPER JOHN MD however worked because it was straight drama with good writing. They had serious situations and real emotion on the show. There would be some laughs and a joke here and there but it was not sitcom type crap ,it was done more to show that these people were human and had a sense of humor and needed to laugh amongst the stress. Especially Trapper who had to hold everything together while keeping his emotions in check. Gonzo also was a great character especially in the pilot where he just takes over in the emergency room.

It's a shame that the show only lasted 7 seasons. Harrison left midway through that last season because he was just tired of the show and then it only lasted 9 more episodes. There was no finale type to that final episode , it was just another regular episode. I do hope they air it in syndication again soon as I enjoy watching the reruns.