Ben Casey
 |
Dr. Maggie Graham (Bettye Ackerman) and Vince Edwards as the title character |
Ben Casey was a medical drama
series which ran on
ABC from
1961 to
1966. The show was known for its iconic opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing symbols on a chalkboard, as cast member
Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Pioneering neurosurgeon
Joseph Ransohoff was a medical consultant for the show, and may have influenced the personality of the title character.
It starred
Vince Edwards as Doctor Ben Casey, a young, idealistic
surgeon. His mentor was Doctor David Zorba, played by Sam Jaffe. At the beginning of the
1965 season, Zorba left the show, and
Franchot Tone came in as the new Chief of Surgery, Doctor Daniel Niles Freeland. The show began running multi-episode stories, and Casey developed a romantic relationship with Jane Hancock (
Stella Stevens), who had just emerged from a
coma after thirteen years.
Ben Casey was seen as a rival to the contemporary medical series,
Doctor Kildare.
In
1988, a television movie,
The Return of Ben Casey aired, also starring Vince Edwards.
There was both a
comic strip and a
comic book based on the tv series. The strip was written and drawn by
Neal Adams. The
daily strip began on
26 November 1962, the
Sunday strip on
20 September 1964, and both ended on the last day of July, 1966 (a Sunday). The
half page format was the best Sunday format, and one effect by Neal Adams can only be appreciated in the half page -- a globe in one panel is a continuation of Ben Casey's head in a lower panel. The daily strip was reprinted in
Menomonee Falls Gazette.
The comic book was published by
Dell Comics for 10 issues from 1962-1964. All had photocovers.
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Ben Casey on TV Tome
