and I really don't know what to do. There's so much tension in the atmosphere. I'm in a panic that I might not get through. Hey, nurse is that a warning sign or can you make me feel fine? Take me up to the emergency room and give me something to relieve the pain..." For the record, that's how the Lou Rawls song went.
Is it scary that I know that? I got my first VCR in 1983. I actually have almost all of the episodes of this show on tape. Ladies and gentlemen, this E/R had one of the very best ensemble comedy casts of all time.
Elliot Gould played Dr. Howard Sheinfeld, a lazy, womanizing much-married father of two teens who lost everything in his most recent divorce and is forced to work overnights in an ER to make ends meet. Mary McDonnell played Dr. Eve Sheridan, the uptight, fussy but sexy chief of the ER staff. George Clooney played "My Place" Ace in a role that pre-dated even his recurring shot on "The Facts Of Life", egad! Corrine Bohrer totally won my over as the adorable Cory, she of the major crush on Sheinfeld. The inimitable Conchata Ferrell was Nurse Thor, wife of Bud and a big, loud softy. She was amazing. Lynne Moody was Nurse Julie, the lovelorn. Shuko Akune was the hilarious Maria "Stay back of the white line!". And Bruce Young was her sweetheart, cop Fred. Oddly enough, Sheinfeld had his George Costanza for a bit when Jason Alexander showed up as the ludicrous hospital administrator, Stickley. Jonathan Silverman played Sheinfeld's teen son. The chemistry with this cast was remarkable. And there's another coincidence with the current ER series. This show was set at the Clark Street ER in Chicago.
I watched the show because of the actress who played Sheinfeld's daughter, Pamela Segall. Pammy gets no respect. Her name wasn't even in the IMDb listing for the show. I added it tonight. Maybe you're thinking you've seen that name somewhere before. If you've ever watched the credits for "King Of The Hill" in the last 8 years you have. She's the voice of Bobby Hill. She's also a delight in front of the camera --- an adorable, terrific comedienne and a heartbreaker in dramas. I highly recommend the Christian Slater/Mary Stuart Masterson romance for a look at Pammy as the quirky, cool best friend.
Just another bit of trivia, Pamela Segall was a semi-regular "The Facts Of Life", too. The season before Clooney came aboard.
I don't know how in the world anyone will ever get a shot at seeing this E/R. It's too bad. It didn't deserve such a quick, cruel death.
