'St. Elsewhere' 30th Anniversary: Fun Facts

On Oct. 26, 1982, "St. Elsewhere" premiered. Many dubbed it "'Hill Street Blues' in a hospital," but creators Joshua Brand and John Falsey went on to prove that they were much more than Steven Bochco wannabes. The series lasted for six seasons from 1982 through 1988 and earned numerous awards for the cast and crew. The staff at St. Eligius Hospital included Ed Begley Jr., William Daniels, Howie Mandel, David Morse, Christina Pickles, Denzel Washington, Norman Lloyd, Ed Flanders, Stephen Furst, Bonnie Bartlett, Mark Harmon, and many more. Here are 20 fun facts about "St. Elsewhere". — Amy and Nancy Harrington, Yahoo! Contributor Network

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Photo By Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank, ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images Fri, Oct 26, 2012 8:00 AM PDT

1. Ed Flanders played the part of Dr. Donald Westphall, but before he was handed the role, producers had offered it to Hal Linden of "Barney Miller" fame. Linden had just come off eight seasons of playing the sitcom police captain and wanted a break from TV, so he turned it down.
1. Ed Flanders played the part of Dr. Donald Westphall, but before he was handed the role, producers had offered it to Hal Linden of "Barney Miller" fame. Linden had just come off eight seasons of playing the sitcom police captain and wanted a break from TV, so he turned it down.