Dottor Simon Locke

"Dr. Simon Locke" and the ensuing "Police Surgeon" were both admittedly made-on-the-cheap, Canadian television series! With a writing/directing/production team that comprised (in part) veterans of such series as "The Fugitive" and "Mannix" (Wilton Schiller, Chester Krumholz, John Meredyth Lucas, et al), and guest stars that were among the most popular American episodic television actors at the time, both incarnations of the series hardly lacked for talent, yet, apparently the miniscule budget showed the most in the inferior production values! The late, great Jack Albertson starred in the first season of the later-retooled series---and he allegedly left after balking over the insanely primitive working conditions, once even claiming that there were no dressing rooms, and that actors were left with the only option of changing clothes "in the bushes"! If true, there's cheap, and then there's CHEAP! Which is sad, because there was a lot of legitimate talent attached to the series! Perhaps if the production "purse strings" were a little more charitably open, the series could've had a longer run, and been more memorable for the right reasons!

I watched this show in England in the seventies, and actually preferred it to many of the other American series of the period that were treated much less harshly by the critics. It was formulaic, so I was puzzled why I felt that way. Eventually I decided it was because it was only 30 -minute episodes. Most of the hour-format series seemed to take 30- minute plots and stretch them to approach an hour, so that copious commercial breaks wouldn't hurt. Taking an exactly similar plot and pacing it for 30 minutes (showing in England, without the monstrous commercial breaks) was better.

I have only seen four episodes ( all from season one)of this Sam Groom hidden gem. At YouTube. My so far verdict: better than anything at all on/made today or anytime in the last 40 years.

The settings are realistic. And the best part is indeed the highly attractive lady playing Dr. Locke's nurse. She is played by an Irish born actress. Brilliant and great every minute she is on camera. They give her really good snappy lines too. Sadly, I doubt she is on in seasons two and three. I may cease from viewing them because of it with one exception. The also gorgeous Leslie Warren in an ep after this season and I will watch that one!

"Police Surgeon" was in fact the second and third seasons of a syndicated half hour TV series that began life as "Dr. Simon Locke" in its' first season. Sam Groom, a likable enough actor, played as Dr. Simon Locke, a young doctor who, in the "Police Surgeon" incarnation of the series, moves from the Dixon Mills small-town physician of the first season to a surgeon with the medical unit of a big-city police department (Toronto?) for the second and third seasons. Larry Mann was also featured during the last two seasons as Lieutenant Jack Gordon of the police department. As seemed to be the norm in all hospital/doctor series of the time, Dr. Locke seemed to spend more time playing detective each week than did Lt. Gordon who would seem to show up close to the end of each weekly episode to "wrap-up" the case and take the criminal (pursued and apprehended by Dr. Locke) to jail.

Both "Dr. Simon Locke" and "Police Surgeon" were cheap, by the numbers, first run syndication TV series that ran from 1971-1974 but were watchable none the less.

I haven't seen POLICE SURGEON for at least 30 years! I remember back in the day that it got a lukewarm response, at least from my high school buds, mostly due to the fact that episodes ran only thirty minutes. Of course, so did ADAM 12 and DRAGNET. It could have been that the show was not a Hollywood production to begin with, certainly not a network show, rather a Canadian television import, and run on independent stations in various time slots. It kind of had that on ___location, indie look, but was in color! Jack Albertson, first season regular, playing the wise, elder doctor to Sam Groom's young, modern on the go doc, may have thrown a PR monkey wrench into the deal as he claimed the producers were extremely cheap. He said actors had no dressing rooms and had to use bathrooms or bushes! He quit the show! Whatever the case, POLICE SURGEON ran four seasons and the plots were interesting, not that unlike ADAM 12, as an example. To note, the supporting actors, even Canadian actors, were quite good. Seasoned pro Larry D. Mann, a familiar face on so many classic tv shows of the 60s and 70s, was wisely brought in during the second season as Lt. Gordon, who assisted Groom in his investigations. Likewise, Sam Groom (as Dr. Simon Locke, a name that seems to always pop up with 70s tv trivia!), an accomplished actor in his own right, did a fine job in the title role and let the record show he did have a teen following in the 70s. Bottom line, it's still out there in reruns, folks! Cant be all that bad! Check for it on dvd, at least a couple of seasons should be available.