Breaking Point (partially found TV medical drama; 1963-1964)
Title Card
Status: Partially Found
Breaking Point was a TV medical drama spin-off of the show Ben Casey.[1] It ran for a single season of 30 episodes from September 16th, 1963, to April 27th, 1964, on ABC and starred Paul Richards and Eduard Franz and was created by Meta Rosenberg.[2] It was known for having a wide variety of guest stars including Lillian Gish, Robert Loggia, Rip Torn, and many others.
The show was produced by Bing Crosby Productions.[3] It aired on Mondays at 10 pm EST and competed with East Side West Side on CBS and Sing Along with Mitch on NBC. George Lefferts was the producer, with Sydney Pollack as the director, and Lefferts and Allan Sloane as the writers. Sloane was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama".[4]
Premise
Richards stars as Dr. McKinley Thompson, the chief resident in psychiatry at York Hospital, a fictitious hospital in Los Angeles. Eduard Franz co-starred as Dr. Edward Raymer, the hospital's psychiatric clinical director. McKinley was called Dr. Mac by everyone on the staff, and the stories focused on the people who came to the psychiatric clinic for their help.
Availability
It's unclear if the show was ever aired in syndication after its initial airing and has not had any official home video release or streaming release. As of September 19th, 2023, only 16 of the 30 episodes have been located and all are uploaded to the Internet Archive for viewing.
| # | Episode Title | Original Air Date | Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solo for B-Flat Clarinet | Sep 16th, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 2 | Last Summer We Didn't Go Away | Sep 23rd, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 3 | Fire and Ice | Sep 30th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 4 | Bird and Snake | Oct 7th, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 5 | There Are The Hip, and There Are The Square | Oct 14th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 6 | The Bull Roarer | Oct 21st, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 7 | Crack In An Image | Oct 28th, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 8 | A Pelican In The Wilderness | Nov 4th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 9 | And James Was A Very Small Snail | Nov 11th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 10 | Whatsoever Things I Hear | Nov 18th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive with original network commericals. |
| 11 | Who Is Mimi, What Is She? | Dec 2nd, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 12 | Millions of Faces | Dec 9th, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 13 | The Gnu, Now Almost Extinct | Dec 16th, 1963 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 14 | Heart of Marble, Body of Stone | Dec 23rd, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 15 | Don't Cry, Baby, Don't Cry | Dec 30th, 1963 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 16 | A Little Anger Is A Good Thing | Jan 6th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 17 | And If Thy Hand Offend Thee | Jan 13th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 18 | Better Than A Dead Lion | Jan 20th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive with original network commericals. |
| 19 | A Land More Cruel | Jan 27th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 20 | No Squares In My Family Circle | Feb 10th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 21 | So Many Pretty Girls, So Little Time | Feb 17th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 22 | A Child of the Center Ring | Feb 24th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 23 | The Tides of Darkness | Mar 2nd, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 24 | The Summer House | Mar 9th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 25 | Shadow of a Starless Night | Mar 16th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 26 | Glass Flowers Never Drop Petals | Mar 23rd, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 27 | Never Trouble Trouble Till Trouble Troubles You | Mar 30th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 28 | Confounding Her Astronomers | Apr 6th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
| 29 | I, the Dancer | Apr 20th, 1964 | Lost | No photos or video found. |
| 30 | My Hands Are Clean | Apr 27th, 1964 | Found | Available on Internet Archive. |
References
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=ty21CgAAQBAJ&dq=Breaking+Point+reached+its+limit+with+ABC+executives+when+the+ratings+fell+o%E2%80%BA+after+the+first+few+episodes+from+what+Ben+Casey+had+earned.&pg=PA135
- ↑ Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 128. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
- ↑ Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 117
- ↑ https://www.emmys.com/shows/breaking-point