Synopsis
British-born Ann Atkinson (Lynn Redgrave), as hospital administrator, had three unruly doctors to cope with, and the comedy arose from their interactions. Dr. Charley Michaels (Wayne Rogers) became the main problem for her, because of the romantic angle. She always pulled herself up short just before falling hopelessly in love with him. Dr. Solomon (Ray Buktenica) was junior to Dr. Michaels and was his pal, and he would counterbalance Dr. Michaels's headstrong ways, almost a double act. But elderly Dr. Weatherby (David Wayne) was senior to them all, close to retirement and with a mean streak, which meant that the others were often taking a rise out of the old fellow. The best he could do was to irritate Solomon by constantly getting his name wrong while going his own way.
Other characters who were part of the series were Head Nurse Bradley (Aneta Corsaut), a sympathetic and level-headed influence, Mrs. Phipps (Deedy Peters), a somewhat over-the-hill but enthusiastic candystriper, always forcing her good intentions upon unwilling patients, and Conrad Peckler (Mark L. Taylor), who was brought in as the arch villain of the piece to bring order to the hospital, hated by all.
Ann abruptly returned to England (because Redgrave was fired by the producers) after the eighth episode of season three; her replacement was Jane Jeffries (Sharon Gless), who had a similar love/hate relationship with Dr. Michaels for the final few episodes of the series.
Controversy and cancellation
Lynn Redgrave was fired from the series, following the birth of her new child. She insisted on bringing her daughter to work, in part, because she wanted to be able to breast-feed the baby on schedule, but this was interpreted by the studio as holding out for more money, while being disruptive to shooting requirements. Redgrave sued Universal for breaking her existing contract, but was not rehired, and the suit was dismissed several years later. (The breast-feeding controversy was later spoofed on Second City Television in a sketch titled "Wet Nurse", with Andrea Martin playing Redgrave as a nurse with gigantic breasts solving several crises at a hospital)
Universal replaced Redgrave with Sharon Gless, who was then under a 10-year contract with Universal, but the show's previously excellent ratings suffered from the abrupt and clumsily handled transition (Ann announced her departure in a letter read out loud by Charlie), and the series was cancelled by early 1982 despite still finishing the season in the Top 25.
William Wayne McMillan Rogers III was an American actor, known for playing the role of Captain "Trapper" John McIntyre in the CBS television series M*A*S*H and as Dr. Charley Michaels on House Calls (1979–1982).
Lynn Rachel Redgrave was a British-American actress. She won two Golden Globe Awards during her career.
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Ivan John Clark was an English actor, director and producer. Clark is probably best known for his role as Just William in theatre and radio in the late 1940s and as the former husband of actress Lynn Redgrave, to whom he was married for 33 years. However, he established himself as a stage actor and director after moving to the United States in 1960, and became noted for directing plays featuring his wife in the 1970s beginning with A Better Place at Dublin's Gate Theatre (1973), then in America The Two of Us (1975), Saint Joan (1977–78), and a tour of California Suite (1976). In 1981, he directed an episode of the CBS television series House Calls, in which Redgrave starred.
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House Calls might refer to:
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