SHOUT! Factory DVD Request: "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series"

[stevearino]

Dear Brian,


I have a proposal for SHOUT! Factory: to make a deal with 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (as of 2019 a banner of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) for SHOUT! Factory to issue, for the first time EVER on DVD, "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series," showcasing all 137 hour-
long episodes of the hit '80s Hospital Drama "St. Elsewhere" 100% Complete,
100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, as originally aired on the NBC Television
Network.

Created by Bruce Paltrow, "St. Elsewhere" originally aired for 6
years on NBC from October 26, 1982 - May 25, 1988; the series centered on a group of first-year Residents at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts who were Residential Students of Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders), the Hospital Chief of Services.

Among Dr. Westphall's first-year Residents at the start of the series
included Dr. Wayne Fiscus (Howie Mandel), the Comic Relief character; Dr. Wendy Armstrong (Kim Miyori), the Oriental American who at the end of Season 2 Died by Suicide; and Dr. Phil Chandler (Denzel Washington), the unsure-of-himself Hospital Resident.

Other principal characters seen throughout the series' run included Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels), the brilliant Hospital Heart Surgeon with an even bigger selfish ego; Dr. Ben Samuels (David Birney), who in the series' Pilot developed and soon recovered from Gonorrhea; and Nurse Shirley Daniels (Ellen Bry), who shot and killed Resident Peter White (Terence Knox), after Peter proved to be a Serial Rapist.

Joining the cast regularly in Season 2 were Mark Harmon (futurely of "NCIS" and ex brother-in-law of Ricky Nelson) as Plastic Surgeon Dr. Bobby Caldwell, who left St. Eligius after becoming HIV Positive and eventually dying off-camera of AIDS later in the series (after Mark Harmon left "St. Elsewhere" for a short-lived film career before returning to TV with "NCIS"), and Nancy Stafford (futurely of the '80s Courtroom Drama "Matlock") as Hospital Administrator Joan Halloran, who apparently had a one-time rendezvous with Caldwell.

In 1987, Ed Flanders was fired after many years of being difficult to work with; in response to his firing, in his last regular episode before the Series Finale (more info on that later), Ed delivered, 6 years before "NYPD
Blue," Network TV's first full Deliberate Moon, baring his Naked Ass On Camera in front of actor Ronny Cox (joining the cast at the start of Season 6
as new Hospital Administrator Dr. John Gideon) and the NBC Network TV Audience watching that night.

The Series Finale of "St. Elsewhere" on May 25, 1988 was one of
Network TV's most memorable moments. Among many other notable events: Dr. Craig and his wife, Ellen (Bonnie Bartlett, William Daniels's real-life wife
since 1951), relocated to Cleveland, Ohio after Ellen got a job as the Food
Services Administrator at the local Hospital; Dr. Gideon resigned from his Hospital Position; Dr. Fiscus finished his 3-year Hospital Residency; Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd), after a series-long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke; Dr. Westphall returned to the Hospital after nearly a year's Absence; and the entire 6-year run of "St. Elsewhere" was revealed to be the figment of the imagination of Dr. Westphall's severely Autistic son, Tommy (Chad Allen). Likewise, Donald Westphall was never REALLY a doctor at all, but rather a Career Construction Worker, while Dr. Auschlander was actually Westphall's own father, Daniel. Like Father, Like Son, Daniel Westphall was a Widower who, after Donald's wife died, helped Donald raise Tommy.

In the years since the finale telecast, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" aired on Nick at Nite from April 29, 1996 - July 4, 1997, making its Nick at Nite debut as part of the all-night debut sneak peek of sister network TV Land (then officially called Nick at Nite's TV Land). After the sneak peek, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" began airing weekdays on TV Land from April 30, 1996 - October 1, 2000, as well as on Saturday nights on Nick at Nite from May 4, 1996 - July 6, 1996 as part of the weekly "Nick at Nite's TV Land Sampler" block.

Reruns of "St. Elsewhere" appeared on Nick at Nite for the final time on July 4, 1997 as part of the "Greatest Episodes" week-long marathon simulcast on both Nick at Nite and TV Land that week.

Presently, only Season One of "St. Elsewhere" since 2006 is available on DVD as of this writing, but with SHOUT! Factory's help, Brian, I FIRMLY believe that SHOUT! Factory can rescue "St. Elsewhere" from the DVD Graveyard, just as it earlier did with "Hill Street Blues" (which "St. Elsewhere" is often compared to).

Tentatively, SHOUT! Factory shall issue "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series" on DVD on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at a cost of only $39.99 wherever DVDs are sold, with dozens of Bonus Features spread out over the course of the DVDs--among them the original Unaired Version of the Pilot with Josef Sommer as Dr. Westphall and David Paymer as Dr. Fiscus, respectively, the roles in the series played by Ed Flanders & Howie Mandel; "Norman Lloyd: Hollywood's Oldest Living Memory," a direct-to-DVD featurette where Norman Lloyd, who portrayed Dr. Auschlander throughout the series' run, reflects from his L.A. home his 106 years (as of November 8, 2020) on Earth and his own personal memories during his lifetime; and "Ed Flanders Remembered," a direct-to-DVD tribute to Ed Flanders where the living cast members of "St. Elsewhere" fondly remember their fallen comrade, Ed Flanders, who shot and killed himself at age 60 on February 22, 1995 at his home in rural Denny, California, his death ruled a Suicide; though he left no note, Ed Flanders' Suicide was due to Chronic Back Pain he endured throughout his lifetime, made worse after surviving a 1988 Car Accident shortly after the series' end.

FYI: William Daniels, while appearing as Dr. Craig on "St. Elsewhere," also played the role of KITT the Car on another '80s Classic--"Knight Rider"--airing Friday nights at 8 P.M. ET on NBC.

Similarly, as noted earlier, Norman Lloyd, now age 106, maintains his longevity by being an Avid Exerciser, playing Tennis regularly; his wife, Peggy Herdansky (with whom he has 2 grown children, including his grown daughter, Josie, who followed Norman into Showbiz), died at age 98 in 2011, 75 years after their wedding.

As I'm also sure you know, Howie Mandel, who turned 65 last November, has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), as do I, although Howie's OCD is more extreme than mine comparatively.

On "Deal or No Deal," Howie always Bumped fists with Contestants instead of shaking hands due to extreme Germaphobia; however, in 2015, on "America's Got Talent," as a Judge, Howie, while under Hypnosis on TV, was able to, since making his OCD public, shake hands under the Hypnosis of Chicago Hypnotist Chris Jones.

Another Bonus Feature I'd LOVE to see on the "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series" DVD set is classic Nick at Nite & TV Land Promos for "St. Elsewhere" as seen on both channels from 1996-2000.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino

[favoriteshow]

The six seasons of St. Elsewhere are on Hulu, and it can be watched commercial free with a Hulu Plus subscription. Not sure if it's uncut and unedited though.

[stevearino]

Dear Brian Ward,

I have a proposal for SHOUT! Factory: to make a licensing deal with 20th Television (as of 2017 a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) for SHOUT! Factory to issue and release, for the first time EVER on DVD, "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series," a loving showcase of all 137 hour-long episodes of the hit '80s Hospital Drama "St. Elsewhere" 100% Complete, 100% Uncut, AND 100% Unedited, just the way that each episode originally aired on the NBC Television Network.

Created by Bruce Paltrow, "St. Elsewhere" enjoyed a successful 6-year run on NBC from October 26, 1982 - May 25, 1988; the series centered on the staff and patients of the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Donald Westphall (Ed Flanders) was the Hospital Chief of Services who taught a number of recent Medical School graduates undergoing their 3-year Residency at St. Eligius--including Dr. Jack Morrison (David Morse), a Boston transplant via Washington state who was a caring doctor to most of his Patients; Dr. Wayne Fiscus (Howie Mandel), a Lithuanian American resident who served as the Comic Relief character (no doubt due to Howie's real-life experiences as a Stand-Up Comedian before biting the acting bug) when things got too serious; and Dr. Phil Chandler (Denzel Washington), the unsure-of-himself Resident Surgeon who was a sometimes ally to Dr. Jack Morrison.

Other Principal Characters included Dr. Mark Craig (William Daniels), a Heart Surgeon who was great at saving lives but a royal ass pain to his fellow Hospital employees; Dr. Ben Samuels (David Birney), a fellow St. Eligius surgeon; and Dr. Daniel Auschlander (Norman Lloyd), who after a series-long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke at the end of the series.

By comparison to his "St. Elsewhere" character, Norman Lloyd was a life-long Avid Exerciser, playing Tennis regularly (up to age 100) and taking Brisk Walks every chance he got until his death at age 106 on May 11, 2021 at his Los Angeles home of Natural Causes, falling asleep and never waking up overnight.

Born in Jersey City, New Jersey on November 8, 1914, Norman Nathan Lloyd was raised soon afterwards in New York City--initially via its Manhattan and later Brooklyn boroughs--of mixed Jewish ethnicity (Hungarian and Russian).

During the Great Depression, Norman's dad, Max (ne Perlmutter), died when Norman was a young teenager; like fellow "St. Elsewhere" actor William Daniels (now age 96, having been born on March 31, 1927 in New York City, New York and raised in its Brooklyn borough), Norman gradually shed his Brooklyn accent he grew up with as a young-adult man during the 1930s, after having gotten his start as a Regional Stage Actor as a young child and teenager.

Norman was 67 years old when he began his 6-year run on "St. Elsewhere."

By comparison, Ed Flanders (born on December 29, 1934 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) had a rough life from a young age: his mother died when Ed was a young teenager, having been killed in a car accident; the youngest of 3 children, including an elder sister and brother, Ed was raised after his mother's death by his aunt and uncle while his brother, Francis, lived with their father and his sister, Rene, went to a convent; at the end of his final regular "St. Elsewhere" episode before the Finale, Ed Flanders delivered Network TV's First Full Deliberate Nudity by Baring his Naked Ass to both Ronny Cox (formerly of the Burt Reynolds film "Deliverance," joining the cast that season as new Hospital Chief of Services Dr. John Gideon) and the Viewing Public that night with his departing line, "You can Kiss My Ass, Pal!" On February 22, 1995, after a lifetime of Debilitating and Chronic Back Pain, Ed Flanders, 60 years old, shot and killed himself at his rural Denny, California ranch, survived by 4 children--including an 8-year-old son, Evan, from his third and last marriage to Cody Lambert (who divorced him in 1991 when Evan was very young) as well as 3 grown children (including Ian, the only child from his marriage to actor Will Geer's daughter, Ellen) and 2 older grown children from his 1st marriage.

Per his People Mag obituary, Ian Flanders recalled his father Ed telling him, "They pay me to wait, I act for free." Ed Flanders' death was ruled a Suicide, after which Ed was Cremated with his Ashes spread in the Pacific coast.

Despite never ranking above #49 in the Nielsen ratings, "St. Elsewhere" enjoyed a loyal following among the 18-49 Age demographic; in the end, however, NBC cancelled "St. Elsewhere" in March 1988 NOT because of Low Ratings, but because NBC was unwilling to give more money to the show's production company, MTM Enterprises, Inc., to continue another season.

The Series Finale telecast on May 25, 1988 was one of the more memorable moments in Network TV History--among other notable events: after Gideon resigned to take a job in San Francisco, Dr. Westphall returned to his old job with open arms from his fellow Doctors; Dr. Craig, after a heated discussion with wife Ellen (Bonnie Bartlett), decided to go to Cleveland with Ellen, thus leaving "St. Eligius" behind; as noted earlier, Dr. Auschlander, after a series-long battle with Liver Cancer, died of a Massive Stroke unrelated to the Cancer; Drs. Fiscus and Morrison ended their respective 3-year Hospital Residencies and left St. Eligius permanently for the last time after their last day; and the entire 6-year run of "St. Elsewhere" was revealed to be the figment of the Imagination of Dr. Westphall's Autistic son, Tommy (Chad Allen).

In the last scene, Westphall was revealed to really be a Construction Worker, and Auschlander returned to Earth as Westphall's own father, Daniel Westphall, helping him raise Tommy, who looked all day at a snow globe.

After the show ended, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" aired briefly in rerun Syndication on local TV stations e.g. WGN-9 Chicago; after its Syndication run was over, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" began airing on Nickelodeon on April 29, 1996, initially as part of the all-night inaugural sneak peek of sister network TV Land (then officially called Nick at Nite's TV Land); afterwards, reruns of "St. Elsewhere" began airing regularly on Nickelodeon on Saturday nights at 11 P.M. ET as part of a weekly rotating Saturday-night Programming Block airing from 10 P.M. to 12 A.M. ET called "Nick at Nite's TV Land Sampler" from May 4, 1996 - July 6, 1996, followed by a one-night only return to Nickelodeon as part of a week-long simulcast event with TV Land from June 30, 1997 - July 4, 1997 titled "TV Land and TV Guide's Greatest Episodes."

After its Nickelodeon run was over, reruns moved exclusively to TV Land until October 1, 2000, after which it aired on the Bravo cable network for a short time starting on October 2, 2000, along with companion show "Hill Street Blues" (another series airing in reruns during this time on Nickelodeon).

Tentatively, Brian, SHOUT! Factory shall issue and release "St. Elsewhere: The Complete Series" on DVD on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at a cost of ONLY $59.99 wherever DVDs are Sold, with Tons of Bonus Features spread out over the course of the DVDs--among them "Ed Flanders Remembered," a direct-to-DVD featurette in which the surviving "St. Elsewhere" cast remember the life and legacy of Ed Flanders; "Norman Lloyd: A Life Well Longed and Lived," another direct-to-DVD featurette, this one focusing on the life and legacy of Norman Lloyd, who as mentioned earlier lived to the amazing age of 106.

Sincerely,
Steve Arino