Medical Dramas

I realized after listening to a few of the Doc Sixgun shows on the latest RUSC Radio Station (Westerns), that there are actually quite a few doctor or medical drama serializations available from the golden age of radio.

The remedies are a far cry from today’s modern medicine, but the issues are timeless, and while the cases may have changed, these shows were the originals which gave rise to the popular television genre we still enjoy today. I guess they were the equivalent of our modern day Fox or ABC cable versions, such as House, Grey's Anatomy (and all those others which Joy is a fan of!)

The Story of Dr. Kildare is one of our favorite old time radio medical dramas. It came to the air in 1950 and starred Lew Ayres, an American actor who had actually studied medicine at the University of Arizona before beginning his career in radio and later movies and television.

Dr Kildare was a young, idealistic doctor who worked at Blair General Hospital, described as "a clump of gray-white buildings planted deep in the heart of New York, where life begins, where life ends, where life goes on."

It doesn't sound very appealing, huh?

But, as Dr Kildare wandered through the acclaimed hospital, fighting with hospital administrators, arguing with stupid patients and trying to get through each day of drama, death and bureaucracy - you really did begin to bond with the character.

There are 60 episodes of Dr Kildare available on RUSC, from its two-year run. I really do wish there were more available, but I guess if I do want a fix of Dr Kildare, I can always watch the movie, television series or read the comic book, since it became such a hit!

Another medical drama available on RUSC, is a brand-new South African series which Joy has recently been adding, called Medical File. Each show takes you step-by-step, through a factual reconstruction taken from clinical case histories, with the doctors who were actually there. It's pretty gripping stuff!

There were several other radio shows that had a similar medical twist. These include dramas such as Family Doctor, Dr Christian, and Dr Paul. Then there were comedies, such as Doctor at Large and its predecessor, Doctor in the House. Wartime medical coverage from The Doctor Fights. Gun-toting wanderers in the wild west, such as Doc Sixgun. Education for juveniles from Dr Tim Detective, and finally, the grisly tales from Dr Victor Frankenstein, or controversial Dr John Brinkley.

I'd love to learn of any more medical dramas you can remember listening to in years gone by. Do feel free to comment below.

Happy listening my friends,

P.S. Let's vote on who is your favorite OTR doctor. Enter your winner using the poll to the right --->>