What do an actor playing a doctor and a doctor playing an actor have in common? Neither one is qualified. (Unless of course you’re Ken Jeong, the crazy guy from The Hangover who jumps out of the trunk of the car naked and who in real like just happens to be both a physician and an actor)
Marcus Welby, MD, was an American medical television series that first aired in 1969. It starred Robert Young of Father Knows Best fame. The drama ran for seven seasons. Watched by millions, it was the first show in ABC’s history to be ranked the number one program on television. Advertisers were ready to cash in on Dr. Welby’s fame. Outfitted in his Marcus Welby white lab coat, Robert Young made a commercial advertising Sanka instant coffee, uttering those now famous pop culture words, “I’m not a doctor but I play one on TV.” The American public got fooled into thinking Sanka had to be good for you; fooled being the operative word here. Armed with the fine TV doctor’s healthy endorsement, Sanka out sold all other brands of instant coffee. Was this simply life imitating art or the dawn of reality TV? For certain, the only thing real about reality shows is that they are scripted. The sooner the viewing public come to realize this, the sooner we can be rid of all of these housewives and situations and semi-celebrity soap operas.
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