Television Reviews : ‘Return of Ben Casey’: Pilot for Possible Series Revival

TV’s bring-’em-back-dead-or-alive kick, which recently gave us a reunion of Dobie Gillis and pals, tries to resurrect another old series tonight with “The Return of Ben Casey” (8 p.m., Channel 13).

Scalpel, please. A pilot for a possible new series (bite your tongue), “The Return” has the good doctor (played again by Vince Edwards) indeed returning to County General after years of military duty. The place is a mess--but immediately Dr. Casey comes to the rescue, shouting at other doctors, bullying receptionists into admitting patients without going through procedures, breaking the rules left and right because he cares . And he alone seems to know what he’s doing.

Just as “The Return of Ben Casey” panders to our fear of hospitals, it also throws every cliche and market-research ploy into the pot--including blatant baiting of the teen-age audience. Not only does the plot revolve around two teen patients, but half the doctors don’t look a day over 15.

The original series, which became ABC’s most popular after debuting in October, 1961 (it lasted until March, 1966), may have been pretty standard fare but it reworked the old Dr. Gillespie/Dr. Kildare setup with style. The best thing about it was Sam Jaffe as the wise older doctor.

When “The Return of Ben Casey” opens, as the original series did, with Jaffe’s voice saying “man, woman, birth, death, infinity,” hope springs. Not eternally, though. That’s it for the late Jaffe, and what follows looks like a collection of hospital sketches from “Saturday Night Live.” The unfunny ones.

Atrociously scripted, ploddingly directed and unevenly acted (with a wooden Edwards the worst offender), this new “Casey” doesn’t even succeed as nostalgia: Only one other original cast member shows up--Harry Landers as Dr. Ted Hoffman. And he’s in and out before you can say “appendectomy.” Rather than a regular slot, this soap-operatic operation deserves a malpractice suit.