'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, Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank Fri, Oct 26, 2012 8:00 AM PDT

16. "St. Elsewhere" helped launch the careers of not only several of the series’ leading actors, but also several guest stars. Up-and-coming standup comedian Howie Mandel shot to fame playing Dr. Wayne Fiscus, David Morse had had only three professional gigs before signing on as Dr. Jack Morrison, and Denzel Washington was also a newcomer when he took the role of Dr. Philip Chandler. Mixed in among the hundreds of guests stars that portrayed ... more
16. "St. Elsewhere" helped launch the careers of not only several of the series’ leading actors, but also several guest stars. Up-and-coming standup comedian Howie Mandel shot to fame playing Dr. Wayne Fiscus, David Morse had had only three professional gigs before signing on as Dr. Jack Morrison, and Denzel Washington was also a newcomer when he took the role of Dr. Philip Chandler. Mixed in among the hundreds of guests stars that portrayed patients, nurses, doctors, and more were future Oscar winners Helen Hunt and Tim Robbins, as well as then-unknown actresses Patricia Wettig and Jane Kaczmarek. less