 The nation's health care policy crisis has been one of the most complicated, confusing and contentious issues of the early 21st century. Not so, back in 1962, when Topps summed up the state of the nation's health care situation with just two words—Casey & Kildare.
They were the stars of two of the era's most popular television shows: Ben Casey and Dr. Kildare. Though they were on different networks and approached medicine in different ways, Topps put them together in one set of 110 cards.
Health care seemed so simple back then, no demands for public options, no scare tactics about death panels for the elderly, no arguments about what diseases and treatments would be covered, and no harsh words about the politics of the situation. Topps didn't see the need to use any words at all, harsh or otherwise, on its cards. In fact, the only words are in the numbering system (for example, "#8 in a series of 110 photos"), copyright credits (Bing Crosby Prod., Inc. for the Casey cards and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. for Kildare), plus the Topps identification (T.C.G. Printed in U.S.A.), all on the otherwise blank-backed cards.
The lack of the written word (the cards have neither summary headlines nor narrative explanations) is the reason price guides don't present the usual descriptive checklists. Even the checklist cards in the set itself have only card numbers along with small blocks collectors could check to record the completeness of their collection.
Black-and-white photographs dominate the card fronts with clearly posed publicity shots. And the card set is titled Casey & Kildare for good reason; all of the photos picture one of the two lead characters on each of the set's 55 cards.
The set provides collectors with veritable fan photo albums of Vince Edwards, who played Casey, and Richard Chamberlain, cast as Kildare. Both turned out to be heartthrobs for many females viewers. Chamberlain's poses resemble fashion shots as he's shown in chic sweaters, beachwear and, only occasionally, in hospital scrubs complete with stethoscope. Edwards is more often garbed as a doctor, but occasionally he's in civvies, too, including formal wear. Both doctors are pictured smoking cigarettes, mirroring one of the great ironies of medical behavior. Chamberlain is almost always smiling, with Edwards in more pensive moods.
The only other feature on the cards are facsimile signatures of each of the show's stars on their respective card-front photos, their handwritten clarity providing an ironic touch when you consider the historic stereotype of poor penmanship among doctors. The five cent wrappers present black-and-white portraits of each of the doctors set against red backgrounds while promoting the contents not as cards but as "wallet photos."
Both TV shows enjoyed five-season runs, Casey with 153 episodes on ABC and Kildare with 190 on NBC. The former focused on a noted neurosurgeon, the latter on a young intern, each in a county hospital setting. Both shows have been described as responses by their networks to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow's charge in 1961 that TV programming was "a vast wasteland."
For most of their TV lives, the shows featured episodic stories set in an hour-long format. These tales were, of course, set in those pre-HMO days when spending an hour with your doctor was still possible. However, during their final season, each altered its format; Casey switching to soap opera type serials and Kildare breaking into two half-hour segments, a change which turned out to be a serious medical error.
There have been many comparisons of the two shows but this one seems most insightful: "I'd rather wake up from surgery and see Dr. Kildare's face, but I'd be more likely to survive if Dr. Casey had done the surgery." Some fans have characterized Casey as "the Captain Kirk of medicine," in reference to the proficient commander of Star Trek fame. Ironically, William Shatner, who made Captain Kirk a legend, had been offered the role of Dr. Kildare, but turned it down.
Though Topps easily paired them for a card set, both shows had their unique features. The most enduring is the Ben Casey opening which showed a hand writing "man...woman...birth...death...infinity" in a tribute to symbolism. Dr. Kildare occasionally drew on the show's roots, as exemplified in both the written word and in movies of the 1930s and 1940s. Strangely, both made unique contributions to the music of the era, too, with Casey's theme song becoming a top 40 hit and Chamberlain recording several pop songs appealing especially to the Kildare show's teenage fans.
Because of their popularity, both shows were able to attract impressive guest stars with names like George C. Scott, James Mason, Jerry Lewis, Shelley Winters, Marlo Thomas, Gloria Swanson, James Earl Jones, James Caan, Doris Roberts, Carroll O'Connor, Eartha Kitt, Richard Kiley, Sally Kellerman, Jamie Farr, Telly Savalas, Dick Clark, and Ed Asner routinely appearing in the credits. Even William Shatner was briefly cast as Dr. Noyes on Dr. Kildare, long after he had turned down the title role.
In their early years, both shows did well in the ratings, with Dr. Kildare ranking ninth and Ben Casey 11th in the 1961-62 season. Casey moved up to number seven the following season, with Kildare moving down slightly to 11th. Kildare's 19th spot in 1963-64 completed the two shows' Top 20 Nielsen ratings.
One thing the success of Casey and Kildare did establish was TV has a receptive audience for medical drama. Over the years, many more such shows have come to TV viewers in epidemic proportions, with hits like Marcus Welby, Quincy, General Hospital, ER, China Beach, The Doctor, Scrubs, Medic, Doogie Howser, Nip & Tuck, Grey's Anatomy, St. Elsewhere, House and others (although my personal favorite, Dr. Vinnie Boombatz, gets little recognition except in Rodney Dangerfield reruns). All those programs showed medical drama, which focused on doctors, nurses, hospitals, even specific diseases and special procedures in the medical field, can be just what the doctor ordered in terms of viewer and critical appeal.
But this electronic medicine show hasn't come without detractors. Some analysts claim so much medicine on television has actually contributed to the current health care crisis by raising the public's expectations, especially concerning the latest testing methods. This theory of "shotgun testing," which is so often prescribed in TV dramas, tends to raise not only viewers' anticipation but also increases health care costs. All of which likely makes Topps' Casey & Kildare the only non-sport card set to help cause a national emergency.
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