Difference between revisions 150480112 and 150480113 on dewiki

{{Infobox television
  |  show_name = Marcus Welby, M.D.
  |  image = [[Image:Marcus Welby Intro Screen.jpg|270px]]
  |  caption = ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' title card
  |  format = Medical Drama
  |  runtime = 60 minutes
  |  creator = David Victor
  |  starring = [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]]<br>[[James Brolin]]<br>[[Elena Verdugo]]
(contracted; show full)
The opening credits of "Welby" for each episode reminded viewers of the generation gap between the two doctors, Welby driving his long sedan and Kiley riding a motorcycle.

The doctors worked alongside each other in their private practice in [[Southern California]], regularly working in conjunction with the nearby Lang Memorial Hospital.
   At the office, their loyal secretary-nurse and friend was Consuelo Lopez ([[Elena Verdugo]]). Other characters that appeared throughout the years included Dr. Welby's frequent girlfriend Myra Sherwood ([[Anne Baxter]]), his daughter Sandy and her son (first [[Christine Bellwood]], then [[Anne Schedeen]]; and, Gavin Brendan), and Kathleen Faverty ([[Sharon Gless]]), another secretary. Dr. Kiley met and married public relations director Janet Blake ([[Pamela Hensley]]) in 1975, at the beginning of the show's last season on the air.

In one memorable 1974 episode, Young was reunited with his ''Father Knows Best'' co-star, [[Jane Wyatt]]; she played a fashion designer whose marriage to an embittered paraplegic led her to fall in love with the gentle doctor while keeping her marriage a secret most of the episode.  

Its intelligent handling of many varied medical cases - some common, some uncommon - made it an instant hit for ABC. Story lines included [[impotence]], [[clinical depression|depression]], [[brain damage]], [[breast cancer]], [[mononucleosis]], [[venereal disease]], [[epilepsy]], [[leukemia]], [[dysautonomia]], [[rape]], and addiction to [[painkillers]], among others. At its second season (1970–1971), it ranked #1 in the [[Nielsen Ratings]], becoming the first ABC show to top the list. The same year, both Young and Brolin won [[Emmy Awards]] for their work, as did the show for Outstanding Dramatic Series. Young won a [[Golden Globe]] in 1972 for his performance.

The show found itself the center of protests and controversy (including an office sit-in by gay activists) when a leaked script about a homosexual teacher molesting a student was considered to conflate [[homosexuality]] with [[child molestation]].   The network yielded, and pledged to be more sensitive in the future, and the momentum from the incident helped lead to the later formation of the gay media watchdog group [[GLAAD]] (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

==Cancellation==
By the mid-1970s, the once seemingly never ending popularity of medical drama began to wane. Ratings for both ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' and CBS' ''Medical Center'' began to drop, as did the ratings for daytime dramas ''[[General Hospital]]'' and ''[[The Doctors (1963 TV series)|The Doctors]]''. The show ended its run in 1976 after a total of 169 episodes were made.

==Television movies==
In 1984, the reunion movie ''The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.'' aired, with Young and Verdugo reprising their roles. Another movie was made in 1988, ''Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair''.

== Annual Nielsen Ratings ==
{| class="wikitable"
! season !! Ranking
|-
| 1969-70 || #8<ref>[http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1969.htm TV Ratings: 1969-1970]</ref>
|-
| 1970-71 || #1<ref>[http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1970.htm TV Ratings: 1970-1971]</ref>
|-
| 1971-72 || #3<ref>[http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1971.htm TV Ratings: 1971-1972]</ref>
|-
| 1972-73 || #13<ref>[http://www.classictvhits.com/tvratings/1972.htm TV Ratings: 1972-1973]</ref>
|}

<!-- ==Trivia==
{{trivia|date=January 2008}}
* The program marked the debuts of actors [[James Brolin]] and [[Sharon Gless]]. Gless signed a deal to [[Universal Television]], co-starring on this show and had supporting roles on several other shows. At the same time, she was a regular on ''Marcus Welby'', she was also offered a co-starring role opposite [[Eddie Albert]] and [[Robert Wagner]] on ''[[Switch (TV series)|Switch]]''.
* In an episode of ''[[The Partridge Family]]'', Danny is watching an episode of ''Marcus Welby'' and imagines he is suffering from an illness discussed on the show.
* On at least two occasions, ''[[All in the Family]]'' made allusions to ''Marcus Welby''.
* Robert Young, James Brolin & Elena Virgugo are the only actors to appear in every episode of the series.
* Brolin did not appear in nor did he reprised his role as Dr. Steven Kiley in any one of the ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' movies, because he was doing ''[[Hotel (TV series)|Hotel]]'' at the time.
 -->⏎
⏎
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{imdb title|id=0064636|title=Marcus Welby, M.D. (TV Movie/Pilot)}}
*{{imdb title|id=0063927|title=Marcus Welby, M.D.}}
*[http://www.tv.com/marcus-welby-m.d./show/80/summary.html ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' at TV.com]
*{{imdb title|id=0087997|title=The Return of Marcus Welby, M.D.}}
*{{imdb title|id=0095589|title=Marcus Welby, M.D.: A Holiday Affair}}
*[http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/marcuswelby/marcuswelby.htm Encyclopedia of Television: ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'']
*[http://community.webtv.net/Mandy99/MarcusWelbyEpisode ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' episode guide]

{{EmmyAward DramaSeries 1951-1975}}

[[Category:1969 television series debuts]]
[[Category:1976 television series endings]]
[[Category:1960s American television series]]
[[Category:1970s American television series]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows]]
[[Category:Drama television series]]
[[Category:Medical television series]]
[[Category:Nielsen Ratings winners]]
[[Category:Television series by NBC Universal Television]]
[[Category:Television shows set in California]]

[[it:Marcus Welby]]
[[sh:Marcus Welby, M.D.]]