DVD Request: "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series"

[stevearino]

Dear To Whom It May Concern,

I have a proposal for 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment: to issue for the first time ever on DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Download, a Brand-new DVD Compilation titled "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series," all 137 hour-long episodes of the hit 1980s Hospital Drama "St. Elsewhere" Complete, Uncut, and Unedited, as originally aired on the NBC Television Network from 1982-1988.

Before I continue, I'm aware "St. Elsewhere: Season One" was already issued on DVD in 2006, albeit with none of the other 5 Seasons making it to DVD, but frankly, I think that should change by issuing a "Complete Series" DVD of "St. Elsewhere," which if you ask me is one of the more Popular Shows NOT to have a Complete DVD set.

Created by Bruce Paltrow, "St. Elsewhere" originally aired on NBC from October 26, 1982 - May 25, 1988 spanning 6 seasons of 137 episodes; the series centered on the staff and patients of St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts--among them Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), the Chief of Services at the Hospital; Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels), the Brilliant Heart Surgeon with an arrogant Ego to boot; and Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd), the elder Statesman who, after a series-long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke in the Series Finale, only to return to Earth as Dr. Westphall's own father (more info on that later).

Among the first-year Hospital Residents at the start of the Series included Dr. Phil Chandler (Denzel Washington), a Resident with Great Potential, though Unsure of Himself; Dr. Wayne Fiscus (Howie Mandel), the Comic Relief character; and Dr. Victor Ehrlich (Ed Begley, Jr.), Dr. Craig's protege and a recent Medical School graduate.

Several cast changes as well as additions came over the course of the Series--among them future "NCIS" star Mark Harmon as Dr. Bobby Caldwell, who later tested Positive for AIDS and succumbed to the Disease a year after leaving St. Eligius (after Mark Harmon left "St. Elsewhere" in reality for a Movie Career that didn't quite pan out, thus eventually returning to TV with "NCIS"); Stephen Furst as Dr. Elliot Axelrod, an overweight Resident who died in the next-to-last Episode (in a case of life imitating Art, after a long fight with Type 2 Diabetes, Stephen Furst died in real life last year at age 63); and Ronny Cox (late of the Burt Reynolds movie "Deliverance") as Dr. John Gideon, who took over as Chief of Services at the start of the Fall 1987 TV season.

FYI: Though "NYPD Blue," created by Steven Bochco, gets the credit, 6 years earlier, in 1987, "St. Elsewhere" delivered the FIRST Deliberate Bare Buttocks on Network TV. In his final regular episode (before returning for the Series Finale), actor Ed Flanders mooned Ronny Cox as well as the TV Home Audience watching that night.

Though never ranking above #49 in the Nielsen Ratings throughout its run, in the end, "St. Elsewhere" was canceled NOT due to Poor Ratings, but because MTM Enterprises, Inc. (the Series' Studio) wanted more money than NBC (the Series' Network) could afford for a 7th Season.

The Series Finale telecast on May 25, 1988 was one of the most memorable moments in Network TV History. Among other events: Mark Craig left St. Eligius after wife Ellen (played by actor William Daniels' real-life wife, Bonnie Bartlett, since 1951) accepted a job in Cleveland, Ohio as the Chief of Food Services at THEIR local Hospital; Dr. Westphall (less than a year after the Hospital was taken over by the fictional Ecumena Corporation based loosely on the real-life Humana Corporation) returned after Dr. Gideon left and St. Eligius was bought back by the Catholic Arch Diocese; Dr. Daniel Auschlander, after a Series long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke; Dr. Wayne Fiscus ended his Hospital Residency after 3 years (the series took place in a 3-year Timespan); and the entire 6-year run of "St. Elsewhere" was revealed to be the Figment of the Imagination of Dr. Westphall's severely Disabled son with severe Autism, Tommy (Chad Allen).

In the last scene of the show, Dr. Daniel Auschlander, after earlier dying of a Stroke, returned to Earth as Dr. Westphall's own father, himself a Widower helping Donald raise Tommy; likewise, Dr. Westphall wasn't really a Doctor at all, but rather was a Career Construction Worker.

In the years since, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" have flourished in Syndication--as well as on Cable Networks such as Nick at Nite (where reruns aired from April 29, 1996 - July 4, 1997), TV Land, Bravo and the American Life cable channel.

Tentatively, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment shall release "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series" on DVD, Blu Ray and Digital Download on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at a cost of $69.99 wherever Home Video is Sold.

Likewise, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment shall also issue DVD sets of all 6 seasons of "St. Elsewhere" in Individual Seasons at a cost of only $19.99 per season wherever Home Video is Sold.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino

[Willbo]

Would love to see this happen.