Whither Emergency?

One might ask, why would one do a radio show at this time with the theme "emergency"? & one might respond to the one asking, "Are you perchance living outside of the United States Of America in the year 2025?" & probably the one asking would respond, "Why yes! How did you know?" & one would almost certainly say, "Because were you living in the United States Of America in the year 2025, you would say with all honesty, that every day feels like an emergency."

Although that might make one think that a show about emergency in the middle of an emergency could be seen as masochistic or just dully redundant. & the one making the radio show might say in response, "Oh. I didn't think about that." & it would be too late to think of something else.

Self Help Radio's show with the theme "Emergency" airs tonight on KBOO from midnight to 2am. That's on the air in Portland at 90.7fm & online everywhere at KBOO dot fm.

Preface To Emergency: That 1970s Television Show

(image from the IMDb)

Being a child of the 1970s, & growing up poor with a working mother, I watched a lot of television. I watched pretty much anything, although I preferred cartoon, sitcoms, sci-fi/fantasy shows, & cop shows. But I had a soft spot for the show Emergency!, which aired from 1972 - when I was four - till 1979, when I was eleven. Almost certainly I saw the bulk of it in reruns. I only just now discovered they made several television movies of the show, & will seek them out. But if you had to ask me my most indelible memory about the show - it was this one:

(screengrabbed from here)

It's not that I didn't love the character of John Gage - I totally did - but I really, really, really loved the name "Randolph Mantooth." I have forgotten most of the plot lines & most of the characters (except Julie London as Nurse Dixie McCall) but I will never not be fascinated by the name Randolph Mantooth. It sounds like an exclamation, like something Perry White should say instead of "Great Caesar's Ghost!"

It holds a special meaning for me now because it was the sort of name that would crack my friend Russell up. He'd tell me he saw a movie on television the other night, & I would say, with excitement, "Did it star Randolph Mantooth?" It would always make him laugh.

Dang I wish I had time to watch some of these shows before the Self Help Radio Emergency show. At least you know I'll play the theme.