905-Wild

Whether a separate project edited into an episode of "Emergency!", or an episode of "Emergency!" meant from the start as a backdoor pilot, this clearly*was* a trial run for another series idea, in this case about animal services.

Unfortunately, it fails on several levels.

First and foremost is dramatic jeopardy. The tension seems forced throughout this very long, slow hour. It's impossible to imagine sustaining a level of interest through multiple episodes of a series.

Then there's dialogue. There's a certain timbre and cadence to a "Joe Friday" lecture. Jack Webb had it (obviously), because he originated it. So did Robert Fuller. David Huddleston simply did not.

Finally, there are the production values. The level of OBVIOUS stock footage breaks the feeling of continuity, without adding anything.

Taken all together, an interesting concept tgat fails in both execution and viability.

This was easily THE BEST episode on EMERGENCY! And I need like 5 seasons of animal rescues! It was definitely ahead of its time. But I'm gonna need them to find a way to recast this, and shoot it in today's time with that 70's flair! I need tiger rescues, and little dogs saved from terrible humans and sent to good homes!

I loved every second! I can't even begin to emphasize how fun this episode was, maybe it is improbable, as I saw someone else say, and maybe a bit cheesy, but that was the 70's! With quick wit humor, and the writing, and whatnot, but under it all, 905-Wild held so much potential and I am so sad that it didn't get its own show! I would've watched it.

Emergency! 905-Wild. Jack Webb wanted to show and praise some other public servants. The Animal Rescue squads with a TV Show of their own.

It wasn't to be, but the pilot appears to have been chopped up and turned into an Emergency! episode. I just saw it and many of the edits show up as what reminds me the way torn film splices from old movies looked.

Getting to see a very young Mark Harmon as one of the stars was really cool. The Emergency! regulars look a bit uncomfortable at times. Probably cause they didn't understand what was going on.

Jack Webb, R.A. Cinader and guys like that who wanted TV shows that really showed how some of our First Responders worked and even their domestic issues, was something I have always thought as valuable. Many mocked his Dragnet deliveries, but he really didn't want the actors to be the stars. Just wanted to show people 'The Facts, ma'am, just the facts'

OK this might not have been the best of the best Emergency episodes ever made but knowing what Animal Control officers go through on their day to day work load this was close to some of the adventures my Dad had gone through working in the City. Of course he never met a Tiger or Lion other then those who played on the Detroit Home Teams. But other then that he did come across some interesting events where they had to rescue Cat's and Other animals in house Attic's and other wild animal you might be surprised to find in a Big City.

I liked seeing a Very Young Mark Harmon in only his third TV appearance I'm surprised that the writers of NCIS haven't made a In-Joke about the team going after a Tiger or other Animal would be a Wink at the followers of Mark Harmon saying see where he got his start?

Back in the 1960s and 70s, television shows were often used to introduce new shows or pilots of possible new shows. It was a cheap way to either make use of a pilot (as often they are never even seen by the public otherwise) or for the networks to try a new show and see how the public responds to it. In the case of "905-Wild", the show was aired as an episode of "Emergency!", though it barely features any of the stars of that show. And, it introduces the public to a cast that might be used if the series is approved by the network.

The show begins with Gage and DeSoto responding to what seems like a normal emergency. However, the injury appears to have been caused by a tiger in a bodega!! So, animal control is called and the remainder of the program follows these workers. The most interesting thing about this proposed show is that a very young Mark Harmon was cast in one of the leading roles.

Although Jack Webb was mostly known for cop shows like "Dragnet" and "Adam-12", he also tried branching out to other types of shows...all of which followed various government officials at work, such as with "Emergency!", "Project UFO" and "905-Wild".

So is it any good? Well, it's not bad. One problem is the portion with Dr. Bracket at the hospital treating a baby goat--this is dumb, improbable and would probably get the hospital shut down. There was no LOGICAL reason for the hospital regulars to be in this episode. Another problem is that the show was very specific and until recently, with shows like those on Animal Planet, there wasn't much like this...so its novelty probably worked against it and I could see why the networks passed on this one. Still, an interesting case of what might have been.