Jack Webb's long running Emergency! really was ahead of its time, setting the stage for acclaimed dramas to come like E. R. The focus of the show was on the firefighters and hospital workers in Los Angeles and the two main characters were paramedics named Johnny Gage (Randolph Mantooth) and Roy DeSoto (Kevin Tighe) who worked out of Station 51. In each hour long episode we'd see them involved in all manner of incidents, small and large, much like the format used in Webb's earlier police drama, Adam-12.

More often than not, Emergency! was based on real life incidents reported through the Los Angeles paramedic program that started up in the late 1960s and the series was officially sanctioned by the Los Angeles fire department. As such, you get an interesting mix of high drama and very human emotions running through the adventures. But again, like Adam-12 a lot of the enjoyment that is to be had out of the series comes from watching the relationship between the two main protagonists develop over each episode. They've got a great sense of friendship and as their characters develop, the series gets stronger and more interesting. It's also interesting to see the paramedics deal with Dr. Early (Bobby Troup) and nurses Sally Lewis (Deirdre O'Connell) and Dixie MacCall (Julie London) at the hospital, as they very often see things differently than they do. That's not to say that this is a male bonding soap opera, however, as there's plenty of action and danger in each and every one of the hour long adventures presented in this set.

With most of the characters established and genuinely fleshed out in the first two seasons, this third year's worth of episodes gave the writers a chance to focus more on the action and the procedures involved in the day to day activities of a paramedic team. There's still some fun character development (and we even see a fringe character from last season come back in a fun twist) here and the quirky relationship between Roy and John is at the forefront of the show but the action in these episodes seems slightly faster paced and more intense. There's a stronger sense of urgency this time around and the writers and the regular cast members had really hit their stride at this point. The realism behind there series keeps it grounded in reality and that makes for a more interesting show as it's all very believable.

The third season of Emergency! ran from September 22, 1973 through March 23, 1974. The episodes are presented here in chronological order as follows:

Frequency: John's close friends with a cop who is hurt in the line of duty when he gets into a car accident. The paramedics try to get in touch with the hospital but someone is tying up their frequency making that impossible. Meanwhile, at the hospital itself, the crew has to deal with a drunken kid while John and Roy have to help out in the emergency room when the victims of a biker war are brought in. Once that's dealt with, they rush off to a construction site where there's been an accident.

The Old Engine: When Station 51 gets a new fire engine, it inspires our two heroes to invest in an antique fire engine themselves so that they can restore it. While they're tinkering off an on with their new toy, the guys have to deal with a girl who is all hopped up on acid, save a gunshot victim from bleeding to death, and help out a man who has had a heart attack before responding to an out of control warehouse blaze. Ann Doran from Rebel Without A Cause guest stars.

Alley Cat: John comes into the station to find that a stray cat has given birth to a litter of kittens on his bed. The crew get used to having little kitties running around while having to deal with an airplane accident, a man who gets his foot caught in a bear trap (ouch!), a freaked out stage actress and a gas leak at a school before finishing up the day by taking care of a man who was injured in a boating accident.

An English Visitor: Station 51 hosts a visitor from England named Homer who rides along with Roy and John for the day to observe their tactics. Thankfully, their day is a busy one and he gets to watch the two in action as they deal with a fire, a crazy guy who likes to throw knives at people, a car accident, and a machinery accident. Back at the hospital a rock star falls into a coma and Dr. Early has to pull rank on a nurse causing no small amount of drama.

Heavyweight: John hurts his shoulder while saving a pregnant woman from a roaring fire and to make matters worse, the woman soon goes into labor and is completely flipped out to find out her newborn is deformed. Dr. Morton tries to whip John into shape and then he has to help out a kid whose junkie mother electrocuted him. Later on, a kid tries to get back at the man who stabbed his father but manages to endanger his poor, bleeding dad in the process and then John and Roy have to get a guy and his hang-glider out of a tree.

Snakebite: John and Roy decide to relax for a day and go fishing out in the woods with their pal Chet. While they're out there they come across a car accident and help out the people wounded in the crash. Once they head back into town and get back to work, they have to go help out some goons who drove over a cliff in their car and while they're out there, John is bitten on the leg by a rattlesnake.

The Promotion: Roy finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he passes his engineer's test and is in line for a promotion that will take him off of the paramedics team. Meanwhile, fog rolls into California and causes a serious highway accident that the boys have to deal with before responding to a suicide attempt. Later, at a fire, John gets injured and Roy has to save him along with a security guard who is trapped in the blaze.

Insomnia: John is having trouble sleeping lately and it's starting to affect his work which, this time around, includes responding to an explosion at the local marina, helping a father and son who are injured in a car accident, saving a man who gets squashed by an eighteen wheeler at a loading dock and freeing a mentally handicapped guy who falls into a big gravel pit. Back at the hospital, a pothead lies on his death bed and the doctors can't figure out what is killing him.

Inheritance Tax: Station 51 is in for another crazy day as John and Roy rush to save a kid who is trapped in a car that is under some downed power lines. Once that's dealt with, they have to help out a cranky old stockbroker who doesn't want anything to do with them, and help out a man who has been seriously burned at a fire. Complicating things is the fact that an older woman who the guys once helped out has left them an inheritance in her will, while good old Dr. Early helps out two boys who come into the hospital in need of his aid.

Zero: Jo Anne Worley guest stars as a strange woman whose therapist has taught her to scream to release tension, causing the paramedics to be called in to investigate. Later on, Roy and John are asked to appear on a talk show and once the cameras roll, John gets cold feet leaving Roy to hold the bag. Once that's over and done with they have to free a man who gets stuck in a donut machine (!) while the hospital deals with the suicide attempt of an abused boy.

The Promise: John and Roy save an unconscious mechanic from a car fire and then Roy has to deal with an unstable woman who calls the emergency line simply because she likes the guys to show up and keep her company. Later, the woman who adopted the dog John saved last season shows up to give him a puppy before they have to run out and save an old couple trapped in their home. At the hospital, the doctors are stumped as they try to figure out what exactly is wrong with the mechanic the guys brought in for treatment.

Body Language: The boys rush into action when a pilot punctures his lung when he has to crash land, then they run off to deal with a strange overdose problem where two people have ingested copious amounts of daffodil bulbs. A man falls of his horse and hurts himself but doesn't want help and then John's girlfriend thinks he's involved with a woman he saved from a car crash before they have to go treat a rock star who has a heart attack. At the hospital, doctors treat a guy whose managed to somehow get his ears infected by using mothballs improperly.

Understanding: After John donates his beloved guitar to his friend Chet, he and Roy have to run off and save a horse that's been trapped in a fire. From there, the guys land in some hot water when a pair of bank robbers spook a customer into a heart attack and the two have to treat him while the hoods keep their pistols pointed at them. Back at the hospital the doctors have to deal with a man who won't take his insulin and a suicide threat.

Computer Error: While John is preoccupied with getting a flub on his credit card fixed, the guys have to rescue a couple who got into a car accident. Once the doctors take a look at them it looks like the guys spine is wrecked and the girl might be pregnant. From there, Roy and John free a woman who has fallen down a well and then spring a magician when his trick screw up and he gets stuck inside a safe before dealing with a chemical fire at a scrap yard.

Inferno: When a huge forest fire breaks out in the area, everyone is called in except for Roy and John, who are offended by their omission! Instead, they spend the day helping a lawyer who has a heart attack in the middle of a trial until they're eventually called to the roaring forest fire only to get trapped while trying to save a fireman who has gotten into the thick of things.

Messin' Around: Chet starts occupying his time by playing pranks on John until John finally has enough and decides to give him a taste of his own medicine. Duty calls when they have to rush out and rescue a kid who has gotten trapped in his tree house when the tree catches on fire, only for John to have to deal with the boy's flirtatious hot mom. Later, a garbage fire breaks out, a man collapses inside his house, a kid eats some ant poison and three construction workers get injured in an accident.

Fools: A cocky new intern starts at the hospital and it isn't long before he's shooting Roy and John down, calling their abilities into question and more or less treating them like fools. When he makes a bad diagnosis, they have to save the patient and teach him a lesson. Meanwhile, Roy and John have to save a man who got hurt when his chimney blew up, and help out a woman who gets her hand stuck inside her mailbox. Later, an oil refinery catches fire and the paramedics have to save a man who is trapped in the tower.

How Green Was My Thumb?: An older man swallows his dental plate and stops breathing, but thankfully John and Roy get to the scene on time to save him. A younger woman dupes John into thinking that an old woman is hospital bound and so he agrees to water her plants for her while she's gone. At the hospital a young girl gets really ill and needs treatment but her parents won't allow it because it's against their religion. A winery catches fire then John, Roy and Dr. Bracket have to cut open a man who an abdomen problem in his backyard as he won't make it to the hospital on time.

The Hard Hours: Things get hairy at the hospital when it turns out that Dr. Early needs bypass surgery for his heart condition. Meanwhile, John and Roy save an NFL player (Dick Butkus) who is hurt when his kid tackles him and injures him. When a boy makes his own rocket-ship and gets trapped in it, John and Roy have to rescue him and later they free a woman whose toe gets snagged in her tub and a man who manages to electrocute himself.

Floor Brigade: John and Roy figure in their spare time they should start up a part time business and decide the floor cleaning is the life for them. Once they're back at the station and in the thick of things, they have to save a strange and reclusive man who gets trapped in the cave he calls home. John gets hurt in a rescue attempt and then later everyone is called to the scene of a huge and deadly chemical fire while Dr. Morton treats a celebrity who comes into the emergency room.

Propinquity: Roy is having his apartment fumigated and so John puts him up for the night and the two soon find out that they don't make good roommates. Once they're back at work they save a woman from a car accident, and they get her into the ambulance only to have to deal with another accident when the ambulance gets hit. From there they rush to a card game where a man refuses to go with them despite the fact that he's having a heart attack because he figures he's got a winning hand. They finish off their day by responding to an explosion that injures a work team.

Inventions: Pepper Martin of Police Woman guest start in this episode that finds John and Roy entering a contest that requires them to invent new paramedic gear. From there they deal with a man who may be suffering from radiation poisoning before freeing an extremely overweight guy who gets stuck in a ceiling. If that weren't enough, a chemical plant catches fire and they have to rush to the scene.

While every TV series is hit or miss to a certain extent, Emergency! (at least in its first three seasons) almost always comes up a winner. Whether it's by way of a humorous sub-plot like the kittens born in the station or through a serious and dramatic rescue such as the response to a suicide attempt, the show keeps us interested in not only the events but also in the characters. John and Roy, as flawed and goofy as they can be sometimes, are likeable guys and we want them to save the day. The acting is as good if not better than anything else that came out of the seventies prime time boom and the direction and cinematography are tight and professional looking.

NOTE: In very small type on the back of the slipcase packaging for this set there is a blurb which states "May differ from television version" which is a pretty good indication that some of these episodes might be shortened syndicated versions and therefore slightly edited from their original broadcast versions. Without complete versions to compare them to it's tough to say what, if anything, is missing but that's usually a tell tale sign. Also worth noting is that some of the episodes in this set have a different set of opening credits than others. This was not the case with the first two seasons of the series which presented all of the episodes intact with the proper opening credits.

The DVD

Video:

Each of the episodes in this set are presented in fullframe, which is how it should be seeing as that's their original aspect ratio. In terms of overall quality, most of the episodes of the third season of Emergency! do look really nice, but there are some that definitely look better than others. The image isn't perfect as there is some heavy shimmering and mild grain present throughout but, with a few episodes that stand out as exceptions and are on the softer side, the overall level of detail is surprisingly high and the colors come through looking quite good. The black levels stay strong and stable and the nighttime scenes look quite good. Flesh tones look lifelike and natural, not too pink, and there really aren't any issues in terms of print damage or distracting or noticeable debris on the picture.