Ben Casey is an American medical drama television series that aired on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, ✳, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe said "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff served as a medical consultant for the show.
31-489: Vince Edwards (born Vincent Edward Zoine ; July 9, 1928 – March 11, 1996) was an American actor, director, and singer. He was best known for his TV role as Dr. Ben Casey and as Major Cliff Bricker in the 1968 war film The Devil's Brigade . Edwards was born in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn , New York City, New York, to Julia and Vincento Zoine, an Italian-American bricklayer. He and his twin brother, Anthony, were
62-696: A Top 10 hit with the teenage tragedy song , " Tell Laura I Love Her ". In the UK, Decca Records made the decision not to release the latter recording on the grounds that it was "too tasteless and vulgar," and destroyed about twenty thousand copies that had already been pressed. A cover version by Ricky Valance , released by EMI on the Columbia label, was Number One on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks. In 1960, Peterson created his own record label with his manager Stan Shulman, called Dunes Records, and enlisted
93-658: A Top 30 hit.) His last charting US-Top-30 hit was " Missing You ". By the mid-1960s he had become something of a phenomenon on the west coast of the United States, appearing live in numerous concerts with Keith Allison. His performances at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, produced by Fred Vail , beginning in 1963 helped fuel a revival of "The Wonder of You", as well as launching his new relationship with MGM Records , an alliance that produced two albums : The Very Best of Ray Peterson which featured most of
124-583: A hypnotized Rob addresses the bald Mel Cooley as "Dr. Zorba", a rare instance of the show referencing another TV series. In Who's Minding the Store? (1963), Jerry Lewis watches Ben Casey on TV. The veterinarian in The Simpsons , first introduced in the episode " Dog of Death " performing surgery on Santa's Little Helper , was based on Ben Casey. In addition, the Springfield Hospital motif played at
155-684: A result of the show's success and his own popularity, Edwards released several music albums and appeared in the all-star war film The Victors in 1963. He was represented by one of Hollywood's first "super agents", Abby Greshler of Diamond Artists in Hollywood. When the Ben Casey television series ended, Edwards returned to acting in motion pictures with a major role in the 1968 war drama The Devil's Brigade , together with films such as Hammerhead (1968), The Desperados (1969), and The Mad Bomber (1973). In 1970, Edwards starred in another TV series,
186-407: A romantic relationship with Jane Hancock ( Stella Stevens ), who had emerged from a coma after 15 years. At the beginning of season five (the last season), Jaffe left the show, and Franchot Tone replaced Zorba as the new chief of neurosurgery Creator James E. Moser based the character of Ben Casey on Dr. Allan Max Warner, a neurosurgeon whom Moser met while researching Ben Casey . Warner served as
217-454: Is on Monday night”. There is a street named Ben Casey Drive in San Antonio, Texas. Cleveland, Ohio's late-night movie program The Hoolihan and Big Chuck Show and its successor program The Big Chuck and Lil' John Show regularly aired comedy skits under the title "Ben Crazy" that parodied Ben Casey . The skits opened with a spoof of the chalkboard sequence, adding one more symbol at
248-611: The Ben Casey-lookalike doctor as Vince. Dr. Vince yells back in Ben Casey fashion that he’s doing all he can. Ray Peterson Ray Peterson (April 23, 1935 – January 25, 2005) was an American pop singer who is best remembered for singing " Tell Laura I Love Her ". He also scored numerous other hits, including " Corrine, Corrina " and " The Wonder of You ". Ray T. Peterson was born in Denton, Texas on April 23, 1935. At
279-482: The Dunes singles, and The Other Side of Ray Peterson, which included many of his nightclub songs. He later moved to Nashville , Tennessee , and by the 1970s when the hit records stopped coming, Peterson became a Baptist Church minister and occasionally played the classic hits music circuit. In 1981 he released a Christian folk rock album called Highest Flight , which was also released as My Father's Place . Peterson
310-468: The Vietnam War, the term "Ben Casey" was used by American troops as slang for a medic. In the popular Japanese medical drama Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon the office cat is named Ben Casey. In season 6, episode 32 of Leave It to Beaver , after his plans fall through on a Saturday night, Beaver Cleaver says that it would be “just me and Ben Casey”, and Wally corrects him and says that “Ben Casey
341-459: The books featured photographs of Edwards as Casey, or in the case of the third novel, a drawing of a doctor with Edwards' appearance. In 1988, the TV movie The Return of Ben Casey , with Vince Edwards reprising his role as Casey, aired in syndication. Harry Landers was the only other original cast member to reprise his role (as Dr. Ted Hoffman). The film was directed by Joseph L. Scanlan . The pilot
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#1733104359072372-540: The end — a dollar sign ($ ), accompanied by a laugh track. "Big Chuck" Schodowski, one of the hosts of the show, said that the skits continued to air for so many years after the 1966 cancellation of Ben Casey that younger viewers probably did not recognize the opening and that real-life doctors would send in ideas for skits, some of which were used on the show. Dickie Goodman released a novelty song in 1962 titled "Ben Crazy" that parodied Ben Casey as "Ben Crazy" and Dr. Zorba as "Dr. Smorba", and it parodied Dr. Kildare ,
403-565: The fact to a longtime friend, director William Friedkin , who said that he had "sacrificed a good portion of his career to an addiction." In his last years, Edwards and his wife Janet attempted to educate others about the dangers of gambling. After his death, his wife said, "One of the messages that Vince wanted to share is that gambling is NOT glamorous, despite today's suave-sounding euphemisms, such as 'gaming'." Edwards died of pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles, California, on March 11, 1996. He
434-545: The help of record producer Phil Spector with " Corrine, Corrina ". Peterson's dramatic ballad , "I Could Have Loved You So Well", written by Barry Mann and Gerry Goffin and produced by Spector, only reached #57 on the U.S. chart. He then tried another death disc , "Give Us Your Blessing", but this time the record only made #70 in the Hot-100. (The later song was covered by the Shangri-Las five years later and became
465-498: The main character on another popular 1960s medical drama series . Goodman's recording used his "break-in" technique of sampling lines from then-popular songs to "answer" comedic questions; it sampled the Ben Casey title sequence and theme. The record reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Flintstones featured several parodies of Ben Casey: In "My Husband Is Not a Drunk", a 1962 episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show ,
496-429: The original Battlestar Galactica . He was also the voice of Jake Rockwell in the 1986 animated series Centurions . Twenty-two years after the series ended, Edwards returned to television as Dr. Ben Casey in a 1988 TV movie, The Return of Ben Casey . He made his last film, The Fear , in 1995. After the filming he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer . During his acting career Edwards ventured occasionally into
527-515: The program's original technical advisor in 1961. According to an article in TV Guide (September 30 – October 6, 1961), he worked with the actors to show them how to handle medical instruments, Ben Casey had several directors, including Irvin Kershner and Sydney Pollack . Its theme music was written by David Raksin , and it is played in 5/4 time signature; a version performed by pianist Valjean
558-402: The recording studios and there were a number of singles released in his name. The most important one was never issued, and in 1959 Ray Peterson was credited with the first version of " The Wonder of You " which became an international hit for him and for Elvis Presley - however, the very first recording was made by Vince Edwards. Edwards was a compulsive gambler for many years, acknowledging
589-502: The series and Vince Edwards were nominated for Emmy awards. Additional nominations at the 14th Primetime Emmy Awards on May 22, 1962 went to Sam Jaffe, Jeanne Cooper (for the episode "But Linda Only Smiled"), and Joan Hackett (for the episode "A Certain Time, a Certain Darkness"). The show began running multi-episode stories, starting with the first five episodes of season four; Casey developed
620-537: The series is in bold text . Both a comic strip and a comic book were based on the television series. The strip was developed and written by Jerry Capp (né Caplin) and drawn by Neal Adams . The daily comic strip began on November 26, 1962, and the Sunday strip debuted on September 20, 1964. Both ended on July 31, 1966 (a Sunday). The daily strip was reprinted in The Menomonee Falls Gazette . The comic book
651-523: The series is in bold text . On October 9, 2019, CBS Home Entertainment released the first season on DVD in 2 volume sets. Due to the combination of The Beverly Hillbillies and The Dick Van Dyke Show , Ben Casey returned to its original Monday-night time slot in the fall of 1964, remaining there until its cancellation in March 1966. Daytime repeats of the series aired on ABC's weekday schedule from 1965 through 1967. NOTE: The highest average rating for
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#1733104359072682-593: The short-lived Matt Lincoln . In 1983, he played the main protagonist, Hawk, in the sci-fi film Space Raiders . He continued to act in film as well as in guest spots on television, including roles in The Rhinemann Exchange (1977), Evening in Byzantium (1978), and the pilot episode of Knight Rider , "Knight of the Phoenix", in 1982. He directed a number of episodes in a variety of television series including
713-483: The start of a Hospital-based scene is based on the opening of the Ben Casey musical theme. In his song "One Hippopotomi", a parody of " What Kind of Fool Am I? " by Anthony Newley , Allan Sherman sings the lyrics: "When Ben Casey meets Kildare, that's called a paradox." In the 1966 Batman episode “Rats Like Cheese”, the Dynamic Duo are brought to a hospital because Mr. Freeze froze them solid. Chief O’Hara refers to
744-734: The time of his death, sources gave 1939 as his year of birth. As a boy he had polio . Having a four- octave singing voice , Peterson moved to Los Angeles , California , where he was signed to a recording contract with RCA Victor in 1958. He recorded several songs that were minor hits until " The Wonder of You " made it into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 15, 1959. The song also did well in Australia, stopping at #9 on its chart. The song would later be recorded by Elvis Presley , with whom Peterson became friends. Peterson scored
775-536: The youngest of seven children. He studied aviation mechanics at East New York Vocational High School , graduating in June 1944 at the age of 15. An excellent swimmer, he worked as a lifeguard at Coney Island and swam for the Flatbush Boys Club. He was a standout on his high school swim team, also playing on the school's baseball and track teams. He studied at Ohio State University on an athletic scholarship . He
806-576: Was a Billboard Top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at number 28 on 23 June 1962. Filmed at the Desilu Studios , the series was produced by Bing Crosby Productions. Vince Edwards appeared on the television series Breaking Point as Ben Casey. The episode was "Solo for B-Flat Clarinet" and debuted 16 September 1963. Both Ben Casey and Breaking Point were produced by Bing Crosby Productions. Cast members of Breaking Point also had guest roles on Ben Casey . The most frequent time slot for
837-564: Was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California . Ben Casey The series stars Vince Edwards as medical doctor Ben Casey, the young, intense, and idealistic neurosurgeon at County General Hospital. His mentor is chief of neurosurgery Doctor David Zorba, played by Sam Jaffe , who, in the pilot episode, tells a colleague that Casey is "the best chief resident this place has known in 20 years." In its first season,
868-460: Was not picked up by the major networks to bring the series back. In 1962, the series inspired the semicomic rock song "Callin' Dr. Casey", written and performed by songwriter John D. Loudermilk . In the song, Loudermilk refers to the TV doctor's wide-ranging medical abilities and asks whether Casey has any cure for heartbreak. The song reached number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During
899-703: Was part of the university's team that won the United States Swimming National Championships . After two years at Ohio State, he transferred to the University of Hawaii where he spent much time training as a swimmer for the Olympics. While in college he was involved in theater productions. Edwards studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts ; his classmates included Anne Bancroft , John Cassavetes , and Grace Kelly . In 1950, he
930-539: Was published by Dell Comics for 10 issues from 1962 to 1964. All had photo covers, except for that of the final issue, which was drawn by John Tartaglione . From 1962 through 1963, the paperback publisher Lancer Books issued four original novels based on the series. They were Ben Casey by William Johnston , A Rage for Justice by Norman Daniels , The Strength of His Hands by Sam Elkin, and The Fire Within , again by Daniels, small-print standard mass-market size paperbacks of 128 or 144 pages each. The covers of
961-575: Was signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures , making his film debut as Vincent Edwards in 1951's Mister Universe . The following year he played the lead role in Hiawatha . Although he had major roles in several films, including film noirs The Killing (1956) and Murder by Contract (1958), it was not until he was featured as the title character in the highly successful Ben Casey television series that he achieved stardom. The medical drama , which he occasionally directed, ran from 1961 to 1966. As