EOAG Exclusive Photos…’The Doctors’, NBC Studio 3B
Thanks to Bob Batsche, and Glenn Mack, we have these these rare color photos that they took on the set in 3B, and thanks to Chuck Snitchler, we have a shot of the slate from the first color episode which would air December 4, 1967, but was taped almost a month before.
On April 1, 1963, ‘The Doctors’ replaced Merv Griffin’s first daytime talk show in the 2:30 time slot, where it remained for nearly sixteen years. This is an extraordinary feat considering the competition, which included long-running favorites such as ‘House Party with Art Linkletter’ on CBS and ABC’s ‘Dating Game’. On occasion, it was also up against one of the longest-running soap operas in television history,’The Guiding Light’ on CBS.
In a move the proved fatal, NBC moved ‘The Doctors’ to 12 noon eastern on March 29, 1982. The show aired its final episode on December 31, 1982, some three months before it would have celebrated its 20th anniversary on NBC.
Frankly, I am stunned that NBC, or any network, would offer any programing at noon on a weekday in the 80s, as there was always a half hour of local news at noon. I have seen a mid 70s CBS daytime schedule that leaves open the 12 – 12:30 block for local programing. I wonder why NBC didn’t do that? Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee
As I remember it…and I could be wrong, but…didn’t NBC once show the original “Jeopardy!” with Art Fleming at noon from the mid-1960’s to the early 1970’s, and that they, as did CBS, had a half-hour local break at 1 pm Eastern/Noon Central?’
I like the little peacock that somebody drew next to “color” on the slate.
James Pritchett, Elizabether Hubbard, Gerald Gordon and others.
I worked on The Doctors for a while as a cameraman. It was a very demanding show under the director Norman Hall. Although these shots were with the TK 41’s and turret lenses, even when they were replaced with the TK 44’s which had zooms instead of turrets, Norman Hall demanded the cameras still dolly as opposed to zooming. A dolly move is a totally different look as opposed to a zoom move. The show had many fine performers. Elizabeth Hubbard went on to do the soap As The World Turns on CBS and had a lead part as “Lucinda” and Kathleen Turner who was also on The Doctors went on to do films with Michael Douglas. Kathleen Turner had the best legs in show biz. She was beautiful. Near the end of The Doctors run they started replacing tech crew members because ratings were slipping, but the real reason for ratings decline was the writing and time slot.
Nice job Bob & Russ! I’ll be leaving the ole factory in December!
Worked on the show when it was in B&W, as an cable man, just a kid actually. Seemed to recall my cameraman was named Erni DeRosa? Was a long time ago.
There’s stuff from The Doctors all over You Tube. To differentiate from the current, non-soap-opera syndicated show with same title, use “Hope Memorial” as your search. Here’s a 1971 credit roll … eagle eyes will see Stan Zabka as the Associate Director … https://youtu.be/_30jMb5QlWg Amazing how they did that show for years in tiny studio 3B.
When I did The Doctors it never faded to black at the end….they used blue
And another thing (not Det. Colombo) The Doctors was kind of an outlier in the soap world as it wasn’t sponsored or owned by Procter & Gamble. It was Colgate-Palmolive that owned it. Betcha a lot of these ads ran in the ’70s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7BvEldVEHU
Great comments everyone, but can anyone identify the actresses in my shot with the TK41’s on either side? I’ve never been able to find out.
Is that correct? I thought CONCENTRATION was the last black & white show on NBC when it converted the year before.
@Glenn Mack–The comedic Sally Gracie as “Martha” is the actress in the 1st shot, and the great trailblazing Conrad Roberts as “Dr. Ed Stark,” who continues to act in film & TV, is in the 2nd photo.
Michael Duca, you’re correct about Concentration. This article mistakenly identifies the December 4, 1967 episode as the first colorcast of The Doctors. It was not. The Doctors went to color beginning with the October 17, 1966 episode. This is simply the first episode of its syndicated run on Retro TV.