Ben Casey
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Ben Casey was a medical drama series which ran on ABC from 1961 to 1966. The show was known for its iconic opening titles, which consisted of a hand drawing the symbols "♂, ♀, *, †, ∞" on a chalkboard, as cast member Sam Jaffe intoned, "Man, woman, birth, death, infinity." Pioneering neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff was a medical consultant for the show and may have influenced the personality of the title character.
It starred Vince Edwards as medical Doctor Ben Casey, a young, intense but idealistic surgeon at County General Hospital. His mentor was Doctor David Zorba, played by Sam Jaffe. At the beginning of the 1965 season, Jaffe left the show and Franchot Tone replaced Zorba as new Chief of Surgery, Doctor Daniel Niles Freeland. The show began running multi-episode stories and Casey developed a romantic relationship with Jane Hancock (Stella Stevens), who had just emerged from a coma after thirteen years.
Ben Casey was seen as a rival to NBC's contemporary medical series, Doctor Kildare.
In 1988, a television movie, The Return of Ben Casey, also starring Vince Edwards, was made.
There was both a comic strip and a comic book based on the television series. The strip was written and drawn by Neal Adams. The daily strip began on 26 November 1962 and the Sunday strip debuted on 20 September 1964. Both ended on July 31, 1966 (a Sunday). The half page format was regarded as the best Sunday format, and one effect by Neal Adams can only be appreciated in the half page -- a globe in one panel is a continuation of Ben Casey's head in a lower panel. The daily strip was reprinted in the Menomonee Falls Gazette.
The comic book was published by Dell Comics for 10 issues from 1962 to 1964. All had photocovers.
The show was often directed by Irvin Kershner.
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Categories: Drama television series | Medical television series | ABC network shows | 1961 television program debuts | 1966 television program series endings | 1960s American television series | Comic strips started in the 1960s | Dell Comics titles | Fictional doctors | Fictional surgeons | Fictional Irish-Americans | Television series by CBS Paramount Television | Television series named after fictional characters
