Medic (TV Series) White Is the Color (1954) User Reviews

We lost one lets save the other

[kapelusznik18 · 7/10 · 30 March 2016]

****POILERS**** White hot inaugural "Medic" episode has Dr. Konrad Styner, Richard Boone, in the role of a biblical King Solomon in having to decide which of the two patients under his care or operation to save: The mother Estelle Collins, Beverely Garland, or her new born baby girl. As for Estella she's as good as dead on arrival with her suffering from terminal 4th stage leukemia but there's still a chance to save her baby girl who's blood may not be effected by the disease but time is quickly running out on her.

With Estella's concerned husband Larry, Lee Marvin, pacing back and forth in the recovery room Dr. Styner and his staff work round the clock to save his new born baby as the baby's mom is declared dead during the operation. Nail biting final moments as the new born baby is given mouth to mouth-with a straw by Dr.Styner- as well as hot and cold baths to keep its heart beating and in the end miraculously survives the some five hour operation. Lighting up a cigarette-in the operating room no less- and getting a tap on the back a sweating Dr. Styner got the job done and can now relax in the hospital swing room sipping a hot cup of coffee as well as watching the latest episode of "Dragnet" on TV.

P.S Both Beverly Garland and Lee Marvin would soon star in their own TV crime series some three years later with Graland playing police undercover woman Casey Jones in "Decoy" and Marvin as the tough Let. Frank Ballinger in "M-Squad".

Good Episode About a Leukemia Case Study

[mrb1980 · 9/10 · 19 March 2016]

While it's treatable today, back in the 1950s leukemia was a true death sentence. The word must have been a really scary one to someone recently diagnosed, because medical science could do very little back then.

Young and expecting couple Estelle and Larry Collins (Beverly Garland and Lee Marvin) learn from Dr. Konrad Styner (Richard Boone) that Estelle has leukemia and has a limited time to live. Determined to save the baby, Estelle and Larry consent to life-prolonging treatment. The baby's born in a rather tense sequence and Estelle dies, after which Styner and his assistant proceed to puff on cigarettes (!).

The idea of Garland and Marvin as a young couple seems a little odd but it certainly worked well in this fine episode. However, during the show I kept thinking of Garland in 1950s monster movies and Marvin in violent war films! Boone is fine as always, even though he has a face made for radio. Anyway, this is a good first episode in this fine medical series.

Strong First Episode

[dougdoepke · 8 August 2014]

Dr. Styner battles to save a new-born's life following the leukemia induced death of the young mother.

There's lots of nail-biting drama in the delivery room as various measures are exerted to get the new-born to breathe. It's a battle against time. In this first series episode, Styner shows himself to be a no-nonsense doctor. It's also Lee Marvin as rarely seen. He's the young father, and has to show softer emotions, unlike his later iconic roles. Then too, the series' generally high quality is not surprising given the folks behind the scenes—composer Victor Young, photographer Stanley Cortez, producer Worthington Miner, writer James Moser. Each of these talents had outstanding careers either in the movies (Young & Cortez) or in TV (Miner & Moser). So, no wonder this initial entry is a strong one.

(In passing—I doubt if this entry were made today that Dr. Styner would light a cigarette at episode's end.)