“Rampart, this is squad 51 . . . stand by for vitals”
Using a semi-documentary style that producer Jack Webb had previously used with Dragnet, Emergency! followed the everyday events of Squad 51 of the Los Angeles County Fire Dept’s Paramedic Rescue Service (whose mascot was a dog named Boots).
Paramedics Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) and John Gage (Randolph Mantooth) were the stars and these two Rescue Squad heroes were always first on the scene.
They would pop open the “Trauma Box” and radio the casualties details and vital signs to ‘Rampart’. The emergency staff of Rampart General Hospital provided the backup assistance the two Fire Officers needed.
Each episode showed several incidents, some humorous, some tragic – just like a real shift with the Rescue Squad.
A typical day’s work might include helping an overweight woman who was having trouble breathing because her girdle was too tight, helping a maintenance worker who had broken his back in a 100-foot-fall, saving children trapped in an abandoned building when a wrecking crew began demolishing it and rescuing a woman parachutist who was stuck in a tree.
Back at Rampart General, the injured were treated by Dr Kelly Brackett, Nurse Dixie McCall, Dr Joe Early and Dr Mike Morton.
Investigating the injured parties’ misfortunes were Captain Hammer and Captain Hank Stanley, while firemen Chet Kelly, Marco Lopez and Mike Stoker were often involved in rescues along with Roy and John.
Former bandleader Bobby Troup, who played surgeon Joe Early, was married in real life to Julie London (pictured at left), who played Nurse McCall. She had previously been married to producer Jack Webb.
Although Emergency! ended its five-year run in 1977, special two-hour movie versions were periodically aired during 1978.
An animated Saturday morning spin-off of the show titled Emergency +4 aired on NBC from September 1973 to September 1976.
Fireman Roy De Soto
Kevin Tighe
Fireman John Gage
Randolph Mantooth
Nurse Dixie McCall
Julie London
Dr Joe Early
Bobby Troup
Dr Kelly Brackett
Robert Fuller Dr Mike Morton
Ron Pinkhard
Captain Hank Stanley
Michael Norell Captain Hammer Dick Hammer
Fireman Chet Kelly
Tim Donnelly
Fireman Marco Lopez
Marco Lopez
Fireman Mike Stoker
Mike Stoker
Officer Vince
Vince Howard
Investigating the injured parties’ misfortunes were Captain Hammer and Captain Hank Stanley, while firemen Chet Kelly, Marco Lopez and Mike Stoker were often involved in rescues along with Roy and John.
