Customer Reviews

Emergency!: Behind the Scene

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first thing I noticed about this book is that the publisher, Jones and Barlett, is primarily a medical publisher -- they publish professional books for doctors, nurses and EMS workers. And indeed, in the preface, the authors write that they assume their readers to be primarily firefighters, firefighter hopefuls, and EMS workers. Fans of the tv show "Emergency!" aren't even on the list.

The content of the book is, perhaps due to this confusion, somewhat schitzophrenic. The authors try to do many things, and so fail to do any of them very well.

There is a fairly interesting, but all too brief history of EMS services and the paramedic program in Los Angeles.

There are brief biographies of the actors, including a fairly lengthy list of non-regulars, many of whom went on to bigger and better things. (And, as has been mentioned, they managed to misspell Bobby Troup's name every time.)

There is an excruciatingly detailed discussion of the various vehicles that appeared on the program, both the squads and the engines. Also described in great detail are the important rescue equipment (the biophone, Jaws of Life and so on) and the uniforms.

Then we get extremely brief summaries of the episodes themselves, with guest casts, air dates, and so on. (Information that is available, often in much more detail, from IMDB or other on-line sources.) A few episodes include some background trivia, but none go into any depth.

Finally we are offered information on various spin-off programs and films, tie-in merchandise, and some discussion of the long-term influence of the show.

What is lacking is, to a large extent, much of the 'behind the scenes' stuff promised in the title. Given that the DVD sets themselves are completely lacking in extras (no commentary tracks, documentaries, etc.) I had hoped to be able to read here some detailed discussion of how various stunts were done, memories of cast and crew, and so on. There is precious little of that. Also, presumably due to copyright issues, while there are photos of several real early paramedics and their vehicles, there are no stills from the program.

This book was an great read, but if the authors are really "fans" of "Emergency!" then how did the misspelling of Bobby Troup's last name get by them? The spelling throughout the book is "Troop"! (as in "F-Troop" --- whoops, wrong program!). I also noticed a couple of other factual errors about Universal Studios and Jack Webb that should have been caught, too.

These may sound like small issues, but it does detract from the overall quality of the book. I would have given this book five stars except for the big boo-boos.

When this book arrived through Amazon my first impression while flipping through the pages was "oh, one of those books." Took me a month to sit down and actually read it from cover to cover. And lo and behold I realized first impressions were off centered. This book is great!

Dates when each episode was filmed, production numbers, production info, everything you want in a reference guide of this type. The trivia is detailed and if you enjoy watching the series on DVD I recommend you buy this book too so you can get a background knowledge of each episode. Certainly a companion piece. Photos of inter-office memorandums, details about the props, all of it. Definately worth grabbing.

I bought this book as a suggestion from Amazon when I bought the 3rd and 4th seasons of "Emergency!". I spent a whole weekend reading this book. This is a MUST HAVE for anyone that likes the tv show. Personally, I wish I had been a firefighter, but I had terrible eyes and I couldn't qualify as a fireman, although I eventually became an Advanced EMT. I *so* much wanted to be able to work with John and Roy, and Doctors Brackett and Early. But enough about me. :-)
If you enjoy "trivial trivia" of the series, you'll find it here in this book. Everything from the history of "Station 51", the fire engines (including the cross-country trip of the new pumper), the squad rescue trucks, who everyone was that appeared on every episode, all the people off the screen, and where they all are now.
I'm a fire buff, and I'm telling you - buy this book.
"Squad 51. KMG-365."

As a longtime fan of Emergency!, I really enjoyed this book and appreciate the authors' efforts. The episode guides alone, with their extras about each episode as well as episode details, are worth the book's price. The book includes extensive information about the show itself as well as the Paramedic program and those who were instrumental in getting Emergency! aired and keeping it a high-quality show. My only criticism, and it certainly should not stand in your way of purchasing the book, would be that the book could have used a tighter hand in editing. There are a few typos as well as some sections that could have flowed better, but the content is top-notch. BUY THIS BOOK!!!

This is a great addition to any book collection!! It gives lots of interesting behind the scenes information about the tv series.

If you are an Emergency! fan, you will need to get this book. It gives great background about the episodes and a synopsis of each episode. It even has information about the Emergency! movies and unfilmed scripts from the show.

I loved Emergency! when I was growing up. My husband got this for birthday. I am almost finished reading it but may restart again just to make sure I didn't miss anything

This is a good book for any Emergency! fan. This book is a history of the show and shows what effect it had on paramedics and firefighting. I really enjoyed the book and especially the episode guide.

True there are a few typos like characters names spelled incorrectly but don't let that stop you from buying the book and reading it. the book takes me back to Saturday Nights at 8:00 on NBC when I used to watch the TV show. If your an Emergency! fan buy and read the book.

I've read this book and as a writer/filmmaker, it gives me a unique insight into what it took to make a series of this type. On another edge, as a person who follows and admires the work of our firefighters/EMS, this is also an insight into what the early days of the Paramedic program were like in Los Angeles County and probably anywhere else in the country that started one of these programs. Finally, if you're not in either one of the groups I previously mentioned and are probably just a self described "TV Junkie", you know this was probably one of your favorite series of the time, so I think it's a must that you read this book and you'll know why you loved this series so much.

Authors Richard Yokley and Rozanne Sutherland have put together a finely crafted book that satisfies everyone's point of view on this series and its impact on every series of this genre that came later. I have to give it a five star rating hands down.

I also recommend Mr. Yokley's other book, "TV Firefighters." It came out before this one and, hold on to your hats, it looks at the entire spectrum of fire and EMS shows from the early fifties till the present time.

All of it is excellent reading!