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MEDICAL CENTER: LIFE, DEATH, AND MRS. ARMBRUSTER (TV)

Summary

One in this series of medical dramas about the cases of Dr. Paul Lochner, chief of staff at a Los Angeles university hospital called Medical Center, and his friend and colleague, Dr. Joe Gannon, a young professor of surgery. Dr. Gannon discovers that Phoebe Armbruster, one of the janitorial staff at the Center, has been feeling faint recently and wants to give her a physical. Her son, Danny Armbruster, is a resident at the Center. Danny and Dr. Gannon disagree on how to treat a patient; Dr. Gannon recommends surgery but Danny decides to try his own methods without Dr. Gannon's knowledge. The patient dies and a committee is called to examine Danny. He tells Dr. Gannon he truly believed the patient would not survive surgery and asks him not to mention the matter to his mother. Dr. Gannon examines Mrs. Armbruster and informs her of an irregularity in her heart; he wants to run further tests to ascertain her condition. She worries about not being able to help her son, who intends to start his own practice after his residency at the Center. She makes it clear that her life revolves around her son. The committee about Danny's actions meets and Dr. Gannon sticks up for him, asking that they not fire him and pointing out that all doctors make mistakes. The head of the Center's janitorial staff, Arlo McNally, talks to Mrs. Armbruster about her situation, frustrated that she seems more concerned with her son than her own well-being. Danny visits her to tell her that he was fired by the committee; he blames Dr. Gannon for his dismissal. Later, Dr. Gannon attempts to apologize to Dr. Armbruster, saying that he attempted to block their decision, but Danny claims that he has many job offers coming in and that he'll survive. Mrs. Armbruster confronts Dr. Gannon, also blaming him for her son's dismissal. She feels betrayed by him and the next day she uses McNally to essentially shut down the Center's maintenance operations, causing all manner of trouble. Dr. Gannon gets McNally to restart operations at the Center. Mrs. Armbruster and McNally argue over her overprotective behavior towards her son. She tries to storm out, but collapses due to her heart problems and is rushed to a bed in the Center. Mrs. Armbruster is stabilized and McNally visits her later, apologizing for yelling at her. He still believes that she is unnecessarily coddling her son. Danny visits her, informing her that both he and Dr. Gannon agree that she should receive a coronary angiography. He claims he has many job offers but she knows he is lying to make her feel better. Danny wants Dr. Gannon to perform surgery on her despite her animosity towards him. She gives Dr. Gannon an ultimatum: she refuses surgery unless her son is given his job back, a request which Dr. Gannon cannot fulfill. Her condition soon worsens and Dr. Gannon speaks to Danny about it. Danny admits that he has received no job offers and Dr. Gannon points out that Mrs. Armbruster imagines Danny to be perfect and refuses to see his faults. He advises Danny to set her straight, although Danny feels that this will be devastating to her. However, Danny eventually works up the nerve to tell his mother the truth about his dismissal. Both of them burst into tears. The next day, Mrs. Armbruster leaves her bed to go into the boiler room, where she starts breaking things out of frustration. Dr. Gannon finds her there; she feels as though she's worthless but Dr. Gannon counters that she seems to want to die merely to make her son feel guilty. Finally, he convinces her to undergo the surgery, and she embraces a more realistic vision of her son. Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: CBS
  • DATE: February 23, 1976 10:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 0:50:07
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:15163
  • GENRE: Drama, medical
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, medical
  • SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1969-1976
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Al C. Ward … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Frank Glicksman … Executive Producer, Created by
  • Don Brinkley … Producer, Writer
  • Chad Everett … Director
  • John Parker … Music by
  • Lalo Schifrin … Theme Music by
  • Chad Everett … Cast, Dr. Joe Gannon
  • James Daly … Cast, Dr. Paul Lochner
  • Totie Fields … Cast, Mrs. Armbruster
  • Ron Rifkin … Cast, Danny Armbruster
  • Stanley Adams … Cast, Arlo McNally
  • Audrey Totter … Cast, Nurse Wilcox
  • Jeanne Sorel … Cast, Chairwoman
  • Peter Tomarken … Cast, Resident
  • Arthur Adams … Cast, Committee Member
  • Ben Freedman … Cast, Tannenbaum
  • Virginia Hawkins … Cast, Nurse Canford
  • James McKenna … Cast, Student
  • Sigmund Frohlich … Cast, Orderly
  • Barbara Baldavin … Cast, Nurse Holmby