Classic TV comes back: Marcus Welby M.D. on DVD from Shout!

By April MacIntyre Mar 15, 2010, 20:44 GMT

Marcus Welby, courtesy of Shout! Factory

Back in the old days (1960s) Doctors made housecalls, and they didn't ask what your insurance coverage was in their first questions.  On TV, Marcus Welby was America's doctor, with his white lab coat, stethoscope and reassuring smile. 

We were all going to be A-okay.

Producer and director Steven Spielberg even helmed an episode of the long running series.

On May 4, 2010, Shout! Factory and the NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group will bring classic television’s most popular and acclaimed medical drama to DVD with Marcus Welby M.D.: Season One.

Starring Robert Young as the kind and caring family practitioner Dr. Marcus Welby and James Brolin as the studly motorcycle-riding associate Dr. Steven Kiley, "Marcus Welby" was the highest rated medical drama on TV for seven consecutive seasons.

In addition to series regular Golden Globe-nominated actress Elena Verdugo, Young and Brolin are joined by a list of notable guest stars including Anne Baxter, David Cassidy, Robert Guillaume, Vera Miles, Belinda Montgomery, Butch Patrick, Richard Thomas and many others. 

Available for the first time on DVD, the collectible 7-DVD set of Marcus Welby M.D. Season One contains all 26 episodes, featuring a rare episode entitled The Daredevil Gesture, directed by Steve Spielberg, plus a rarely seen two-hour made-for-TV movie A Matter of Humanities which set the stage for this successful one-hour television series.

This series will make you weep for the old days when HMO might have stood for "hold the mayonnaise and olives" or something like that.

Background:

Marcus Welby, M.D. aired on ABC from 1969–1976, earning it a top spot in the medical drama lexicon and paved ways for such popular hits as House, M.D., Grey’s Anatomy and Royal Pains. Robert Young plays Dr. Marcus Welby, a dedicated family physician who made house calls a priority in life.

From week to week Welby was tasked with some of the most devastating disorders and serious situations an M.D. can face, but confronted them with a fierce honesty and dedicated compassion that made him a virtual superhero with a stethoscope. But he couldn’t do it alone.

Enter Dr. Steven Kiley, portrayed by the strapping James Brolin in his first regular television role. As any doctor will tell you, looks can be deceiving. The show mixed up the common formula, with the older and wiser Welby embracing the unorthodox treatments while the young gun, Kiley, had the straitlaced approach. The chemistry was electric, and the results were positively award-winning, as both actors earned Emmys® for their roles.

Marcus Welby, courtesy of Shout! Factory

Bonus Feature:

Original 2-Hour Pilot Movie: “A Matter Of Humanities”

Dr. Marcus Welby enlists the help of a young Doctor Steven Kiley to help run his Santa Monica practice.  Originally aired on March 26, 1969, this two-hour made-for-TV movie set the stage for the one-hour series that would be viewed regularly in about one of every four American homes that year.

 www.shoutfactory.com.