Police Surgeon

Sam Groom carried this show all by himself. He was the kind of doctor we all wish we could find today -- kind, caring, benevolent, and respectful of your wallet. In other words, this show was Science Fiction -- OK I am kidding of course -- except for Sam Groom. He was cool. The last thing I ever remember him doing was commercials for AMC, plugging "The Tough Americans" in response to the Japanese automobile onslaught of the late seventies. Five-year-no-rust-through warranty. Oh -- he also did commercials for Quaker State motor oil -- "Bret Bodine finishes first" in North Wilkesboro -- I am dating myself seriously. Unfortunately, the "tough Americans" didn't play with the Howdy Doody generation. AMC is gone. But Sam Groom is still around somewhere. I wonder what he's doing these days. Sam, if you are out there, CHEERS.

"Dr. Simon Locke" and the ensuing "Police Surgeon" were both admittedly made-on-the-cheap, Canadian television series! With a writing/directing/production team that comprised (in part) veterans of such series as "The Fugitive" and "Mannix" (Wilton Schiller, Chester Krumholz, John Meredyth Lucas, et al), and guest stars that were among the most popular American episodic television actors at the time, both incarnations of the series hardly lacked for talent, yet, apparently the miniscule budget showed the most in the inferior production values! The late, great Jack Albertson starred in the first season of the later-retooled series---and he allegedly left after balking over the insanely primitive working conditions, once even claiming that there were no dressing rooms, and that actors were left with the only option of changing clothes "in the bushes"! If true, there's cheap, and then there's CHEAP! Which is sad, because there was a lot of legitimate talent attached to the series! Perhaps if the production "purse strings" were a little more charitably open, the series could've had a longer run, and been more memorable for the right reasons!

I have only seen four episodes ( all from season one)of this Sam Groom hidden gem. At YouTube. My so far verdict: better than anything at all on/made today or anytime in the last 40 years.

The settings are realistic. And the best part is indeed the highly attractive lady playing Dr. Locke's nurse. She is played by an Irish born actress. Brilliant and great every minute she is on camera. They give her really good snappy lines too. Sadly, I doubt she is on in seasons two and three. I may cease from viewing them because of it with one exception. The also gorgeous Leslie Warren in an ep after this season and I will watch that one!

The first season came on in the afternoons in England and if you had just got in from an awful day at school it offered some sort of cosy sanctuary to be transported to a remote quiet town in Canada. Too young to have noticed production values you just accepted the images as they came. The pace was slow if I remember correctly but just right for a darkening winter's afternoon, and the caring, concerned, doctors Sam and 'wise old sage' Jack Albertson's characters represented were recognizable from real life of that time, but perhaps not today...Then the second season came and it had moved to the big city and called "Police Surgeon" it was now on steriods with flash,bang wallop titles and Dr. Locke was now some sort of 'Mannix' in a white coat, totally lost me as it was also now on late at night.

I haven't seen POLICE SURGEON for at least 30 years! I remember back in the day that it got a lukewarm response, at least from my high school buds, mostly due to the fact that episodes ran only thirty minutes. Of course, so did ADAM 12 and DRAGNET. It could have been that the show was not a Hollywood production to begin with, certainly not a network show, rather a Canadian television import, and run on independent stations in various time slots. It kind of had that on location, indie look, but was in color! Jack Albertson, first season regular, playing the wise, elder doctor to Sam Groom's young, modern on the go doc, may have thrown a PR monkey wrench into the deal as he claimed the producers were extremely cheap. He said actors had no dressing rooms and had to use bathrooms or bushes! He quit the show! Whatever the case, POLICE SURGEON ran four seasons and the plots were interesting, not that unlike ADAM 12, as an example. To note, the supporting actors, even Canadian actors, were quite good. Seasoned pro Larry D. Mann, a familiar face on so many classic tv shows of the 60s and 70s, was wisely brought in during the second season as Lt. Gordon, who assisted Groom in his investigations. Likewise, Sam Groom (as Dr. Simon Locke, a name that seems to always pop up with 70s tv trivia!), an accomplished actor in his own right, did a fine job in the title role and let the record show he did have a teen following in the 70s. Bottom line, it's still out there in reruns, folks! Cant be all that bad! Check for it on dvd, at least a couple of seasons should be available.