House Calls (TV series)

House Calls was a sitcom that lasted three seasons and 57 episodes, from December 17, 1979 to May 27, 1982, on CBS television, produced by Universal Television and based upon the 1978 Universal movie starring Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Art Carney and Richard Benjamin.

Cast

• Wayne Rogers -- Dr. Charley Michaels
• Lynn Redgrave -- hospital administrator Ann Atkinson (first and second season)
• Sharon Gless -- hospital administrator Jane Jeffries (third season only)
• David Wayne -- Dr. Amos Weatherby
• Ray Buktenica -- Dr. Norman Solomon

Staff

• Producer: Jerry Davis

Scenario

British born Ann Atkinson (Redgrave / Gless), as hospital administrator, had three unruly doctors to cope with, and the comedy arose from their interactions. Dr. Michaels (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 (Buktenica) was junior to Dr. Michaels and was his pal, and he would counterbalance Dr. Michael's headstrong ways, almost a double act. But elderly Dr. Weatherby (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.

Controversy

Lynn Redgrave was fired from the series, following the birth of her new child. She insisted in bringing her daughter to work, especially 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 she never was rehired back into the series and the suit was dismissed several years later.

Universal replaced Redgrave with Sharon Gless, but the replacement did not help the ratings, and as a result, the series was cancelled by early 1982. Gless would later go on to Cagney and Lacey the following year, but Redgrave never found another hit show.

Universal decided not to put reruns of House Calls into syndication; while some say it was due to the Redgrave controversy, the actual fact may be that there were not enough episodes produced for a series to be put into syndication.

Nielsen Ratings

Season	Ranking
1979-80	#14
1980-81	#8
1981-82	#23

Awards

Rogers was nominated for an Emmy, as was Redgrave, who was also nominated for a Golden Globe.

External links

• House Calls at IMDb
• Press Announces Suit
• SCTV Spoof
• John Clark: The Redgrave Controversy