City Hospital (American TV series)

City Hospital
Melville Ruick as Dr. Barton Crane in City Hospital, 1953
GenreMedical drama
StarringAnne Burr
Melville Ruick
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Original release
ReleaseMarch 25, 1952 (1952-03-25) –
October 1, 1953 (1953-10-01)

City Hospital, one of the first medical dramas on American television,[1] was broadcast from 1951 to 1953, first on ABC and later on CBS.

Schedule

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The ABC version began on November 3, 1951, and ended on April 19, 1952. It was broadcast on CBS from March 25, 1952, until October 1, 1953, creating a period of about three weeks when both networks carried the show.[1] The ABC version was on alternate Saturdays.[2] The CBS version was aired on Tuesday nights until June 1953, alternating with Crime Syndicated. Then it moved to Thursday nights, alternating with Place the Face.[3]

Cast and premise

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The show starred Anne Burr as Dr. Kate Morrow and Melville Ruick as Dr. Barton Crane. Set in a large metropolitan hospital, the show dealt with both the professional and the personal sides of doctors' lives. Crane was City Hospital's medical director, and episodes usually related to him directly or as he was advising other doctors. Having Crane, a female doctor, "was rather uncommon for medical shows of this period."[3]

John Cannon was the announcer.[4]

Production

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Walter Selden was the producer, and Cort Steen was the director. Writers were Julian Funt and Robert Newman. Sponsors were Carter's Pills, Nair, Arrid, and Rise.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 166. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ Gould, Jack (April 9, 1952). "Radio and Television: 'City Hospital Is Video Program Presented From Both Dramatic and Medical Viewpoint". The New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (24 June 2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-307-48320-1. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Terrace, Vincent (2014). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 190. ISBN 978-0-7864-8641-0. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. ^ Plotnik, Gene (November 17, 1951). "Television-Radio Reviews: City Hospital". Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
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