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St. Elsewhere - Season 1

starring: Ed Flanders, Ronny Cox, Bruce Greenwood, Mark Harmon, Kim Miyori
directed by: Michael Fresco, Victor Lobl, Helaine Head, David Morse, Bruce Paltrow

: St. Elsewhere - Season 1
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
EAN: 0024543260769
Format: Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Label: 20th Century Fox
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
Number Of Items: 4
Publisher: 20th Century Fox
Region Code: 1
Release Date: November 28, 2006
Running Time: 1081 minutes
Sales Rank: 10047
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release Date: October 26, 1982



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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Over its six-season run the ground-breaking critically acclaimed St. Elsewhere was nominated for over 60 Emmy Awards winning 13 of them! This remarkable series with its unique blend of intense medical drama off-beat humor and imaginative storytelling paved the way for later TV classics such as E.R. and Chicago Hope while introducing America to future superstars Mark Harmon Howie Mandel and Oscar(r)-winner* Denzel Washington. Eccentric insightful and intelligent St. Elsewhere is considered to be one of the best dramas ever to air on broadcast television.System Requirements:Running Time 1078 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 024543260769 Manufacturer No: 2236076

Amazon.com:
Beginning its six-year run in 1982, St. Elsewhere was neither television's first ensemble medical drama nor, heaven knows, its last. Yet this four-disc set of all 22 episodes from the first season is a reminder that this was, and still is, one of the very best. Even now, when 'reality' programming blights the landscape like some biblical plague, doc, cop, and lawyer shows remain staples of the medium, and while the likes of C.S.I., E.R., and Grey's Anatomy have it all over St. Elsewhere in the sizzle department--the production values are much flashier, the content sexier, more graphic, and faster-moving, the technology both in front of and behind the camera light years more sophisticated--the older show, despite its somewhat cheesy '70s vibe, is the hands-down winner when it comes to the actual steak. That's because it does it the old-fashioned way: by relying on good writing, vividly-drawn, identifiable characters, and excellent performances by an eye-opening group of actors.

Co-creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey's pilot episode, which establishes the scene at Boston's St. Eligius Hospital (mocked as 'St. Elsewhere' due to its rundown facilities and reputation as a 'dumping ground' for the poor and disenfranchised), isn't especially promising. While we can see right away that the show sports a lighter, more humorous tone than others of its genre, the direction is static, the acting and dialogue are often stiff, and what passes for 'chaos' is pretty tame. But it hits its stride almost immediately thereafter, as the characters (including Howie Mandel's wisecracking Dr. Fiscus, David Morse's driven, committed Dr. Morrison, William Daniels' egotistical, pompous Dr. Craig, and Ed Begley, Jr.'s nerdy Dr. Ehrlich) are more fully realized. The cast, in fact, may be the most impressive ever assembled for a TV program: in the first season alone, the list of actors with regular, recurring, and one-shot appearances includes future movie stars Denzel Washington (a regular, but his role is minor), Tim Robbins, Ally Sheedy, Christopher Guest, Laraine Newman, Ray Liotta, Tom Hulce, Michael Madsen, and Rae Dawn Chong. Sure, some of the multiple storylines are dated: the handling of issues like gun control, immigration, and terrorism seems almost quaint by today's standards, and a running gag concerning ladies man Dr. Samuels' (David Birney) having to inform his many lovers that he has gonorrhea comes off as tasteless and unfunny, notwithstanding that era's low awareness of AIDS and other STDs. But on the whole, this St. Elsewhere set (extras include audio commentary for 'Cora and Arnie,' plus four featurettes) is a reminder of episodic TV at its best. --Sam Graham



Customer Reviews
Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - This is must DVD watching!!
This show is awsome!!! I knew when watching this show that these were excellent actors. The story ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Give St. Elsewhere to Shout! Factory!
Fox, I think it would be better if you licensed St. Elsewher to Shout! Factory, because that company ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Great Show
I always loved this show, and it was a sad day for me when it ended. It wasn't always possible for me ... Read More


Rating: 1 out of 5 stars - Not as good as I remember...
I really remember loving this show when it was on TV, but owning it on DVD now I guess creates comparisons ... Read More


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Great way to spend a little time!
I was very pleased with the St. Elsewhere series. There is an excellent cast and a spectacular story line. ... Read More

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Copyright ©2003, Mark Carey.