New York Times Article About the First Ones

More classic articles about the show; here's how it looked at the beginning.

Bookending my post with People's story about "The Last One", here's a very early review of the series which ran in the New York Times between the third ("Down's Syndrome") and fourth ("Cora and Arnie") episodes of the series, "NBC's Stylish St. Elsewhere".

His observations give a good insight into what was fresh and strong about the series when it debuted:

The camera keeps moving, the stories keep changing, the tone and mood keep shifting. But the series, created and produced by Joshua Brand and John Falsey, is holding together remarkably well. The younger actors, especially those mentioned above, have already established their characters solidly. The scripts do manage to explore generally unusual areas in the hospital-story genre, including, in next week's episode, the sensitive issue of astronomical bills.

And he wishes that the better-known actors in the series won't be lost in the shuffle at this early point of the series:

Their talents are in brief but impressive evidence at the close of tonight's show, when Mr. Lloyd recalls for Mr. Flanders how he used to go to the opera as a child with his father. It is the kind of passing moment that makes ''St. Elsewhere'' something very special and rewarding.

Dr. Auschlander (Norman Lloyd) reminisces
about going to the opera as a child.

Fortunately, his wishes were granted. Norman Lloyd, despite being billed as a featured player in season one, ends up getting a lot of screen time and things to do, and gets promoted to the main cast for the remainder of the series. (In an early episode, someone, Ben Samuels I think, comments about Auschlander's liver cancer and bets that he won't last six months.) And Ed Flanders' performance in season one was rewarded with an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

I mentioned recently how St. Elsewhere is often remembered for its audacity and quirkiness, but like John O'Connor observed here, the show is rich with little moments like this one, ones that where the characters are fleshed out into people with depth. Touches like these make me like and care about characters on television shows.

New York Times Article on the VHS Boxed Set

From 1998, when the videotape boxed set The Very Best of St. Elsewhere was released.

Here's one from the New York Times archives, about how "St. Elsewhere Taught Us To Be Careful Watchers". In particular, this article refers to how season four viewers, watching "Cheek to Cheek", would have to remember how Mr. McAllister (Jack Bannon) ended up in prison for murdering his wife's killer, wannabe radical terrorist Andrew Rhinehardt (Tim Robbins, in one of his first professional roles), all the way back in the series' fourth episode, "Cora and Arnie". Those storylines will eventually receive posts of their own, unless I give this up.

Mr. McAllister (Jack Bannon) spots Footsteps of
Spring, not Johnny Jump-Up, on Dr. Westphall's
native plant poster.

More mention of Robert Thompson's Television's Second Golden Age, which had been published about two years before the boxed set came out. The "careful" watching referred to in the review's title was one of the things I enjoyed about St. Elsewhere when I started watching. Because of Prime's airing schedule in the 90's, I saw the seasons backwards, starting with 6, then 5, then 4, and then 1, 2 and 3. Though many people, when watching a TV show or reading a book, would hear a character refer to an event that happened before and be confused and therefore disenchanted, I've never had that problem. I'd just assume that I was the one who didn't know what was going on, make a reasonable assumption as to what they meant, and go on enjoying the story.

What made St. Elsewhere stand out, even compared to Hill Street Blues, was this awareness of its own history. I have an apparently freakish (I've been told) memory for details, so this kind of stuff really appeals to me. Upon this latest viewing, I've noticed that they don't really start with the references to past episodes until season 4.

Four seasons later, and Drs. Chandler and Kiley are
still debating: Johnny Jump-Up or Footsteps of Spring?

The example Thompson cites in his book is how on the episode following "Cheek to Cheek", Phil is buying flowers for Roxanne, and tells Kiley, "Roxanne loves Johnny Jump-Ups," to which Kiley replies, "too bad, those are Footsteps of Spring". In Cora and Arnie, after Katherine McAllister dies, Mr. McAllister is in Dr. Westphall's office, admiring the native plant poster Lizzie gave him because his office was too stark, and McAllister points at a flower and guesses, "Viola Tri-Color?" Westphall replies, "Johnny Jump-Up," and McAllister looks closer and reads that no, it's Footsteps of Spring. If you remember that scene, you're reminded of the drastic difference between the man then and now.

I received the Very Best of St. Elsewhere boxed set as a Christmas present in 2003, as it was the only legitimate video of St. Elsewhere on the market at the time. The selection of episodes was "Bypass" and "Cora and Arnie" from season one, "Drama Center" from season two, "My Aim Is True" from season three, "Time Heals (Parts 1 & 2)" from season four, "After Life" from season five, and "The Last One" from season six. This selection gives you two key episodes from the Rhinehart/McAllister story, plus the beginning, end, and aftermath of Peter White, ski-masked rapist.