Dr. Christian#ep36

The program debuted as The Vaseline Program: Dr. Christian of River's Bend.{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=From Radio to the Big Screen: Hollywood Films Featuring Broadcast Personalities and Programs |date=2014 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-1558-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mCXOAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Joining+the+CBS%22&pg=PA149 |access-date=December 7, 2019 |language=en}} Dr. Christian practiced in the Midwest town of River's End with the assistance of Nurse Judy Price (Rosemary DeCamp, Lurene Tuttle, Kathleen Fitz, Helen Claire). With the opening theme music of "Rainbow on the River," Dr. Christian was introduced on CBS November 7, 1937, on The Vaseline Program, aka Dr. Christian's Office and later Dr. Christian, sponsored by Chesebrough Manufacturing Company's Vaseline.

The small-town physician's good humor, innate common sense and scientific training helped drive off a series of villainous types who tried to interfere with the peaceful lifestyle of River's End, as well as dealing with personal problems among his many patients and the majority of those who lived in town. The program was also unique in that, by the mid-1940s, listeners contributed the majority of the scripts (some were "professionally polished" before they were used), and an annual script-writing competition introduced in 1942 was the highlight of every season- top prize: the $2,000 "Dr. Christian Award" {with several $500 "runner-up" prizes}; among the later winners were Rod Serling and Earl Hamner, Jr. Produced by Dorothy McCann, the radio series became a popular success, continuing on CBS until January 6, 1954.

Image:Drchristianad.jpg]]

Hersholt was so strongly identified with the role that he received mail asking for medical advice.

There were various spin-offs; Hersholt co-wrote a Dr. Christian novel and made a series of six family films as Christian for RKO from 1939 to 1941.

In release order:

• Meet Dr. Christian (1939)
• The Courageous Dr. Christian (1940)
• Dr. Christian Meets the Women (1940)
• Remedy for Riches (1940)
• Melody for Three (1941)
• They Meet Again (1941)

In 1956, the Dr. Christian character made the transition to television in a 39-episode syndicated Ziv Television series, scripted by Gene Roddenberry, with Macdonald Carey as his nephew Dr. Mark Christian. Jean Hersholt appeared for the last time as Dr. Christian in the first episode, officially turning his medical practice over to his nephew. Shortly after filming the episode, Hersholt died on June 2, 1956.

Among the series' guest stars was Mason Alan Dinehart, who played Danny Martin in the 1957 episode entitled "Typhoid". Stacy Harris appeared in the same segment as Warren.

In the episode "The Sprained Thumb" of the 1950s TV show The Honeymooners, Ralph Kramden sarcastically asks Trixie Norton, "Well, Dr. Christian, have you got any more suggestions?"The Honeymooners - Season Two, Episode One. https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B075SHTQG7/ref=atv_dp

{{Episode table |overall= |season= |title= |director= |writer= |airdate= |episodes=

{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=1

|EpisodeNumber2=1

|Title=The Thin Line

|DirectedBy=Herbert L. Strock

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=Albert E. Lewin and Burt Styler|t=Jerry Adelman & Jack Laird}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|10|01}}

|ShortSummary= A noted citizen is seriously injured by an auto and the driver claims the man stepped in front of his car. His story is doubted and Dr. Christian tries to learn the truth.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=2

|EpisodeNumber2=2

|Title=The Fighter

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=|t=Leonard Freeman}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|10|08}}

|ShortSummary= An unscrupulous fight promoter advises Jackie, an arrogant young boxer, to believe his own publicity and Dr. Christian feels he must intervene for safety reasons.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=3

|EpisodeNumber2=3

|Title=Escaped Convict

|DirectedBy=Herbert L. Strock

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=|t=Ellis Marcus}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|10|15}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian deals with a man who may die at any time but still can handle a gun with threatening ease.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=4

|EpisodeNumber2=4

|Title=Homecoming

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|10|22}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian helps a recovering mental patient return to his home and business and then finds the patient is totally unfamiliar with his past life.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=5

|EpisodeNumber2=5

|Title=The Guardian

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Arthur Weiss

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|10|29}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian promises a dying mother that he will look after her daughter and finds himself embroiled in a major family argument.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=6

|EpisodeNumber2=6

|Title=Michael Higgins

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy= Lee Berg

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|11|05}}

|ShortSummary= Though injured, foreman Mike Higgins stubbornly refuses to stop working.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=7

|EpisodeNumber2=7

|Title=Insurance Policy

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|11|12}}

|ShortSummary= Walter Brandon takes out a large life insurance policy and dies shortly afterwards. His widow Betty has enormous feelings of guilt which sends her closer to a nervous breakdown unless Dr. Cristian can help.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=8

|EpisodeNumber2=8

|Title=Parolee

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=|t=Lee Berg}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|11|19}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian thinks he can help a troubled young man by have his imprisoned brother paroled. But after the older sibling is released it doesn't take long for Christian to realize he's responsible for an enormous mistake.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=9

|EpisodeNumber2=9

|Title=Orphan

|DirectedBy= Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|11|26}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian tries to save an orphaned teen-ager from her scheming relatives.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=10

|EpisodeNumber2=10

|Title=Locked Memory

|DirectedBy=James Sheldon

|WrittenBy=Jack Rock

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|12|03}}

|ShortSummary= A Korean War veteran is convinced he accidentally killed his buddy while on a night patrol. The event's trauma has caused him to lose his speech and Dr. Christian works with the man to overcome his past.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=11

|EpisodeNumber2=11

|Title=Intern

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=Vincent Fotre

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|12|10}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian steps in to heal a breach between a young intern and his father when the latter asks the boy to give up the study of medicine.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=12

|EpisodeNumber2=12

|Title=Cameraman

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy= William R. Cox

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|12|17}}

|ShortSummary=

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=13

|EpisodeNumber2=13

|Title=The Legacy

|DirectedBy=James Sheldon

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|12|24}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian inherits an estate of a recently deceased patient, and has his hands full with the woman's squabbling relatives.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=14

|EpisodeNumber2=14

|Title=

|DirectedBy=

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=|t=}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1956|12|31}}

|ShortSummary= A patient with a bad heart refuses doctor's orders about exerting himself. It's up to Dr. Christian to convince the man to take better care of himself.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=15

|EpisodeNumber2=15

|Title=Truck Driver

|DirectedBy=Lew Landers

|WrittenBy=Lou Huston

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|01|07}}

|ShortSummary= A man is fired after getting into a fight with his co-worker. Dr. Christian, with the assistance of his secretary Betty, tries to get the driver his job back at the trucking firm plus get at the reason for the altercation.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=16

|EpisodeNumber2=16

|Title=Bullet Wound

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Gene Roddenberry

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|01|14}}

|ShortSummary= A criminal is wounded and his two brothers decide to get him medical attention. They kidnap Dr. Christian and force him to operate under adverse conditions.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=17

|EpisodeNumber2=17

|Title=Revenge

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Lee Berg

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|01|21}}

|ShortSummary= Rufus Corning blames Christian for his wife's death in surgery and vows revenge.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=18

|EpisodeNumber2=18

|Title=Company Control

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=Jack Rock

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|01|28}}

|ShortSummary= When the president of a chemical company has a heart attack, crooks move in and take over the business.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=19

|EpisodeNumber2=19

|Title=The Farm Story

|DirectedBy=Herbert L. Strock

|WrittenBy=Doris Hursley and Frank Hursley

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|02|04}}

|ShortSummary= A father takes his son on a camping trip not realizing that the boy has a rheumatic heart.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=20

|EpisodeNumber2=20

|Title=Vaccine

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Leonard Heideman

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|02|11}}

|ShortSummary= The dread disease, "Bubonic Plague" gives Dr. Christian a bad time when he learns of its spread in an outlying community and that delivery of the Navy's supply of life-saving serum will be delayed.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=21

|EpisodeNumber2=21

|Title=Mother's Boy

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=Jack Laird

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|02|18}}

|ShortSummary= A struggle to patch up a broken home to save the health and happiness of a small boy faces Dr. Christian.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=22

|EpisodeNumber2=22

|Title=Haunted House

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|02|25}}

|ShortSummary= Janis Sommers is convinced her husband is trying to kill her. Dr. Christian is called in to evaluate the wife to see is she's mentally competent or telling the truth.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=23

|EpisodeNumber2=23

|Title=Hit and Run

|DirectedBy=Herbert L. Strock

|WrittenBy=Vincent Fotre

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|03|04}}

|ShortSummary= Johnny Haven and his friends are accused of being involved in a tragic auto accident. When they convincingly protest their innocence Dr. Christian decides to conduct his own investigation.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=24

|EpisodeNumber2=24

|Title=The Bite

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=Don Brinkley

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|03|11}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian tries desperately to save the life of a little boy bitten by a black widow spider.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=25

|EpisodeNumber2=25

|Title=Once a Cop

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=William R. Cox

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|03|18}}

|ShortSummary= A retired policeman tries to prevent a robbery in which his daughter's boyfriend is involved.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=26

|EpisodeNumber2=26

|Title=The Alien

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Jack Laird

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|03|25}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian comes to the assistance of a man who entered the United States illegally.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=27

|EpisodeNumber2=27

|Title=The Payoff

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|04|01}}

|ShortSummary= An man has been unjustly imprisoned years for a robbery he didn't commit. Upon release he retrieves the loot after learning its location. Dr. Christian tries to convince him to turn over the stolen cash.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=28

|EpisodeNumber2=28

|Title=Plane Crash

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Jack Rock

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|04|08}}

|ShortSummary= Judy is a patient of Christian's who is expecting her first baby. Husband Andy is a pilot and when he disappears after his plane crashes the doctor must endeavor to save Judy and her unborn infant's lives.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=29

|EpisodeNumber2=29

|Title=Amnesia

|DirectedBy=Felix E. Feist

|WrittenBy= Irving H. Cooper

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|04|15}}

|ShortSummary= Ruth Belford loses her memory after an auto accident rigged by her husband, and Dr. Christian is brought in to help her overcome the experience.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=30

|EpisodeNumber2=30

|Title=Mark! Danger!

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Stuart Jerome & P.K. Palmer

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|04|22}}

|ShortSummary= A series of mysterious accidents threatens to halt work on a top-secret project.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=31

|EpisodeNumber2=31

|Title=Fear

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=Lee Berg

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|04|29}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian is stranded in a mountain lodge with a murderer.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=32

|EpisodeNumber2=32

|Title=Typhoid

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=Joel Rapp

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|05|06}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian learns of a typhoid outbreak and the focus turns to youthful Danny Martin, who fears that he, like his mother, is a typhoid carrier.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=33

|EpisodeNumber2=33

|Title=Poison Control

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=George Callahan

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|05|13}}

|ShortSummary= A desperate secretary takes some poison and is admitted to the hospital. As Dr. Christian's patient he must figure out how to save her life as the toxin has no antidote.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=34

|EpisodeNumber2=34

|Title=The Philanthropist

|DirectedBy=Paul Guilfoyle

|WrittenBy=Gene Roddenberry & Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|05|20}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian is left a large sum of money in someone's will. He is baffled as he has no recollection of the person as a former patient.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=35

|EpisodeNumber2=35

|Title=The Secret

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=Leonard Heideman & Stuart Jerome

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|05|27}}

|ShortSummary= A man with just one year left to live decides to do everything he's ever dreamed of doing.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=36

|EpisodeNumber2=36

|Title=Champion

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=Jack Laird

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|06|03}}

|ShortSummary= A boxer, after working hard for his big chance, is about to fight for a championship belt. Dr. Christian learns from an examination that the pugilist will likely go blind from a blow to the head.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=37

|EpisodeNumber2=37

|Title=Blackmail

|DirectedBy=Eddie Davis

|WrittenBy=Jack Laird

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|06|10}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian trusts his nurse Betty implicitly and when she's accused of blackmailing patients he's outraged. Christian works diligently to clear Betty's name.

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=38

|EpisodeNumber2=38

|Title=Question Of Suicide

|DirectedBy=

|WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|s=|t=}}

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|06|17}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian tells a man he is perfectly healthy and then faces a major problem when the man suddenly dies, is it murder or suicide?

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=39

|EpisodeNumber2=39

|Title=Rabies

|DirectedBy=Lew Landers

|WrittenBy=Lee Berg

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957|06|24}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian invites controversy when one of his older patients is bitten by a rabid dog. The physician feels the man's weak heart will fail with given the shots and he proposes an alternative solution

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{{Episode list

|EpisodeNumber=40

|EpisodeNumber2=40

|Title=Old Man

|DirectedBy=Henry S. Kesler

|WrittenBy=Jack Laird

|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1957||}}

|ShortSummary= Dr. Christian has a delicate task as an older man is having difficulty adjusting to moving in with one of his children.

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• [https://archive.org/details/Dr.Christian_911 Free OTR: Dr. Christian (175 free episodes)]

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/index_e.html Jean Hersholt: The Complete Andersen]
• [http://ctva.biz/US/Medical/DoctorChristian.htm Dr. Christian] at CVTA
• [http://www.otrsite.com/logs/logd1014.htm Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: Dr. Christian]
• {{IMDb title|0048858}}

{{Dr. Christian}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Christian}}

Category:1930s American radio programs

Category:1940s American radio programs

Category:1950s American radio programs

Category:Radio programs adapted into films

Category:Radio programs adapted into television shows

Category:Television series based on radio series

Category:1956 American television series debuts

Category:1957 American television series endings

Category:1950s American medical drama television series

Category:Black-and-white American television shows

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States

Category:CBS Radio programs

Category:Television series by Ziv Television Programs

Category:Television shows set in the Midwestern United States