Trapper John, M.D.

Trapper John, M.D.
Genre Medical drama
Created by Richard Hooker
Developed by Don Brinkley
Frank Glicksman
Starring Pernell Roberts
Gregory Harrison
Charles Siebert
Madge Sinclair
Brian Mitchell
Christopher Norris
Timothy Busfield
Lorna Luft
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 7
No. of episodes 151 (list of episodes)
Production
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 45–48 minutes
Production company(s) Frank Glicksman Productions
Don Brinkley Productions
20th Century Fox Television
Distributor 20th Century Fox Television
(1984-1985)
20th Television
Release
Original network CBS
Original release September 23, 1979 (1979-09-23) – September 4, 1986 (1986-09-04)
Chronology
Preceded by MASH (1970 film)
Related shows M*A*S*H
AfterMASH

Trapper John, M.D. is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film MASH (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, California. The show ran on CBS from September 23, 1979, to September 4, 1986. Roberts played the character more than twice as long as had Wayne Rogers (1972–75) on the TV series M*A*S*H; Roberts took over the role played by Elliott Gould in the film.

Overview

Trapper John, M.D. focuses on Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre (Pernell Roberts) 28 years after his discharge from the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M.A.S.H. or MASH) in the Korean War. During that time after the war, the character had mellowed considerably. He did not merely learn how to stop fighting the system but became a part of it, in a sense, as the Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. Trapper shows tremendous compassion toward his patients, often violating "established hospital procedures."

Working with Trapper is an aspiring young professional named Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates (Gregory Harrison), who has a lot in common with Trapper, having also served in a MASH (albeit during the later Vietnam War). His sense of humor and love of life also reflect elements of Trapper's younger days. In the show, Gonzo resides in a motor home (dubbed "The Titanic") in the hospital parking lot.

The cast of Trapper John, M.D. season 6 (1984-1985); Pernell Roberts is seated at center.

The show also involves many supporting characters that serve as hospital staff.

  • Stanley Riverside II (Charles Siebert) is a pompous, status-seeking, but nonetheless capable doctor whose father is the head of the hospital board of directors. He later marries a dentist named E.J. (Marcia Rodd)
  • Justin "Jackpot" Jackson (Brian Stokes Mitchell) is a young doctor always interested in wagers.
  • Gloria "Ripples" Brancusi (Christopher Norris) is a young nurse who later adopts a sickly, homeless girl, Andrea. Her nickname was dropped after the first few episodes.
  • Clara "Starch" Willoughby (Mary McCarty) is an experienced nurse who had served in the Korean War with Trapper. McCarty died after the first season. In the show's continuity, at the beginning of season 2 her character is said to have gotten married, retired, and moved away.
  • Ernestine Shoop (Madge Sinclair) replaces Starch as the experienced older nurse from season 2 onwards. Sinclair picked up three Emmy nominations for her work as the dedicated, dignified Nurse Shoop.
  • Arnold Slocum (Simon Scott) is the hospital administrator who often clashes with Trapper and Gonzo, though there is strong mutual respect between all parties. Slocum -- though charged with operating within regulations and keeping to a budget -- clearly has sympathy and compassion for the patients. Scott suffered from Alzheimer's and made his final appearance in season six before retiring from acting.
  • In season six, Trapper's son, J.T. McIntyre (Timothy Busfield), graduates from medical school and arrives at the hospital to work on his internship. He stays for the remainder of the run.

Season 7 changes

The show underwent a number of changes during Trapper John's seventh and final season.

  • Christopher Norris left the series at the end of season six. Her character Gloria is replaced by new nurse Libby Kegler (Lorna Luft) at the start of season seven.
  • Simon Scott, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, had made his final appearance partway through season six. At the beginning of season seven, his character of hospital administrator Arnold Slocum is said to have retired. Slocum is replaced by the beautiful and mature administrator Catherine Hackett (Janis Paige).
  • Added as a recurring player beginning with the season's third episode is ER service helicopter pilot and surgeon, Dr. Andy Pagano (Beau Gravitte).
  • Mid-way through the season, Gregory Harrison elected to leave the show. The character of Gonzo is written out, as he retires from medicine after having suffered a stroke. Gonzo is replaced by Dr. Jacob Christmas (Kip Gilman), a doctor who loses his wife in an accident, and is forced to become a single parent to his young son while adjusting to his new work environment.

Only nine further irregularly-scheduled episodes of Trapper John were produced after Harrison's departure.

After Harrison's last episode, the show was off the air for three weeks, then brought back on a different night before being pre-empted three times in the next four weeks. A top 30 hit for most of its run, Trapper John, M.D. fell out of the top 30 during season seven, and was cancelled by season's end.

The final four episodes were aired late in the summer of 1986, well after the show's cancellation had already been announced.

Cast


Recurring:

  • Jessica Walter as Melanie McIntyre, Trapper's ex-wife. (10 episodes, seasons 1-2, 4-7)
  • Richard Schaal as Dr. David Sandler, who becomes Melanie's fiancé. (8 episodes, seasons 2-4, 6-7)
  • Beau Gravitte as Dr. Andy Pagano, ER service helicopter pilot and surgeon. (10 episodes, season 7).

Character actress Lurene Tuttle guest starred six times in different roles.

Production

Spin-off status

After Trapper John, M.D. premiered, the producers were taken to court by the producers of M*A*S*H, which had also featured Trapper John McIntyre as a character played on that series by actor Wayne Rogers. Although Rogers had left M*A*S*H in 1975 and the character was no longer being used on the series, the producers believed Trapper John, M.D. was a spin-off of their series and thus felt entitled to royalties. The producers of Trapper John, M.D contended that their series was a spin-off of the 1970 motion picture MASH, which itself was an adaptation of Richard Hooker's MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The court sided with the producers of Trapper John, M.D.; as a result, the producers of the M*A*S*H series did not receive any royalties from Trapper John, M.D., with the common threads being 20th Century Fox Television as producers of both the M*A*S*H television series and Trapper John, M.D., and the movie studio in general producing both series and the film MASH.[1]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedNielsen ratings[2]
First airedLast airedRankRatingTied with
122September 23, 1979 (1979-09-23)March 30, 1980 (1980-03-30)1921.2N/A
218November 23, 1980 (1980-11-23)May 17, 1981 (1981-05-17)1720.7Fantasy Island
Diff'rent Strokes
325October 4, 1981 (1981-10-04)May 16, 1982 (1982-05-16)1521.1Hart to Hart
422September 26, 1982 (1982-09-26)April 3, 1983 (1983-04-03)1818.7Gloria
522October 2, 1983 (1983-10-02)May 6, 1984 (1984-05-06)3017.0N/A
623September 30, 1984 (1984-09-30)May 5, 1985 (1985-05-05)2916.8N/A
719October 6, 1985 (1985-10-06)September 4, 1986 (1986-09-04)N/AN/AN/A

References

  1. ↑ "7 weird spin-offs that were nothing like the originals". Digital Spy. 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  2. ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (Ninth Edition). Ballantine Books. p. 1689-1690. ISBN 978-0-345-49773-4.
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