"Emergency" was a show that had it all....gripping medical drama combine with high adventure and cliffhanging excitement. As a child growing up,it was a Saturday night staple during its run on NBC that lasted six seasons and 122 episodes airing from January 15,1972 until May 28, 1977 with six made for television movies based on the series airing from January 7,1978 until July 3, 1979. The series was produced under Jack Webb's production company Mark VII Limited Productions and Universal Television and was the creation of producer Jack Webb along with Robert A. Cinader and Harold Jack Bloom who served as executive producers. "Emergency!" premiered as the mid-season replacement for two NBC situation comedies that were abruptly canceled..."The Don Adams Show",and "The Good Life" on its Saturday night schedule in January of 1972.
Basically,it was a show about paramedics but a whole lot more. The show not only follow the lives of two paramedics DeSoto(played by Kevin Tighe),and Gage(played by Randolph Mantooth)at Station 51 of the Los Angeles County Fire Department who risk their lives saving people in daring but sometimes dangerous situations,but it also follows the staff and doctors at Mayfair Rampart General Hospital,particularly the details in the lives of Dr. Brackett(played by Robert Fuller),and Dr. Early(played by Bobby Troup),and the head nurse McCall(played by 50's recording artist Julie London). Its premiere episode from January 15,1972(which was also the pilot episode of the series)was the most gripping ever,which in turn begins the partnership of Gage and Desoto and the situations they encounter(which in a riveting and powerful episode Nurse McCall is injured when she tries to save a woman from a burning car hanging inches over a steep cliff,and its up to Gage and Desoto in a race against time to save them both). This also featured in the pilot episode Martin Milner and Kent McCord from "Adam-12"(also another successful Jack Webb produced series for NBC).
The producer and creator of this show was Jack Webb(the man who was Joe Friday from Dragnet)who made "Emergency!" one of the best action- adventure series ever to come out of the 1970's which during that time he was producing shows like "Adam-12","The District Attorney aka "The D.A.",and "O'Hara-US Treasury")and it was so successful on its prime time Saturday night line-up against strong competition with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show",and "All In The Family". The series was such a colossal hit that NBC also green lighted under the supervision of Jack Webb its own Saturday Morning cartoon show under the title "Emergency Plus-4" that aired on NBC's Saturday Morning schedule on September 8,1973 featuring the voices of Randolph Mantooth and Kevin Tighe.
