The 100-minute show is dated in many respects but interesting for its cast, and to a lesser extent for its place in the development of the hospital drama genre; clearly this was a big step forward toward a more realistic style. The transfer is old and fairly ragged, but okay.

Dr. Joseph Gannon - Man in a Suitcase star Richard Bradford, in the role that was later played on Medical Center by Chad Everett - is a respected younger surgeon whose mentor, Dr. Lee Forestman (Edward G. Robinson) is dying of heart disease. Heart surgeon Dr. Easler (Maurice Evans) replaces three of Forestman's valves but that's not enough - he needs a heart transplant.

Meanwhile, Gannon's latest patient, wealthy Raymond Hanson (William Windom) has suffered multiple pulmonary embolisms after a fall in his home, during an argument with wife Joanna (Kim Stanley). Gannon learns Hanson has signed papers donating his body to the Medical Center - and his heart is a perfect match for the critically ill Forestman. Despite agonizing over the deteriorating condition of his mentor with girlfriend 'Mike' (Shelley Fabares), Gannon does everything he can to keep Hanson alive. But it's no use, and the rich man's heart is eventually transplanted into Forestman's chest.

This doesn't sit well with Joanna. Thanks to a conniving but failing medical student of Gannon's, Tim Martin (Don Quine), she learns of Gannon's relationship to Forestman, and files suit against the young doctor.

Operation Heartbeat is of interest mainly for its all-star cast of character actors, many of whom were at the time as associated with features as much as television. Though prominently featured on Warner Archive's DVD case (I direct your eyeballs about three inches to the upper-right) Edward G. Robinson spends most of the film flat on his back, on the operating table (several times) or behind an oxygen tent. Though not a particularly challenging role he's terrific as almost always, and in one scene, perhaps saying goodbye to Gannon as he's prepped for his final surgery, Robinson is quite touching. ("If I should run out of gas ....")

Maurice Evans and James Daly (as Dr. Paul Lochner, who'd return for Medical Center) had both recently played orangutans in Planet of the Apes (1968); Edward G. Robinson was himself originally cast as Dr. Zaius, the part eventually played by Evans, but dropped out. I doubt there was a lot of "Apes" nostalgia on the Operation Heartbeat set, but probably this association came up once or twice.

Besides heavyweights like Robinson and Stanley, the last-third of the picture, which unfortunately regresses into a Perry Mason-like courtroom melodrama, features more terrific character actors: J.D. Cannon is excellent as Gannon's attorney, Kevin McCarthy is amusingly, deliberately hammy as Stanley's grandstanding one, and jowly Robert Emhardt is the judge. More stars: the racially diverse hospital staff includes an Asian chief resident (James Shigeta) and black consulting doctor (William Marshall). Audrey Totter, also on the series, turns up briefly as a nurse.

Operation Heartbeat was a step in a more realistic direction and away from soapy predecessors like Ben Casey and Dr. Kildare earlier in the decade. The TV-movie at least was filmed in and around a real university hospital, while the fairly good studio sets (including a multi-level operating theater) incorporated lots of real or at least realistic-looking, technologically advanced medical equipment. Procedures are described with more scientific accuracy and the procedures are authentically dramatized, at least in 1969 TV terms.

The drama is served less well. The basic premise, that a surgeon would be allowed to treat both Hanson and Forestman, with all the obvious conflicts of interest, seems awfully improbable, or that the hospital would permit him to visit with Hanson's widow at home, after the transplant surgery has been completed.

Richard Bradford is fine in the leading role; it's not clear why he lost out to Chad Everett on the series; perhaps it was his prematurely graying hair, especially noticeable in scenes opposite white-haired Daly.

One final note: The transplant storyline was quite timely. The show premiered on April 17, 1969. Except for the first human-to-human heart transplant famously performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in December 1967, most of the major breakthroughs in this field occurred throughout 1968 and early-'69 - just as this aired.

Video & Audio

Operation Heartbeat is in full-frame format. The colors are somewhat faded, there are visible scratches at the heads and tails of reels, and there's video noise here and there, but overall the presentation is okay. As stated above, director Boris Sagal seems to have shot it with both 4:3 full-frame and 1.75:1 theatrical matting in mind, and it looks fine zoomed to 1.78:1. The mono audio is acceptable. There are no Extra Features save for that trailer, no subtitle or alternate language options.

Parting Thoughts

Though no better than so-so, Operation Heartbeat is worth a look for its cast and place in the development of the medical drama television drama. Recommended.

Stuart Galbraith IV's latest audio commentary, for AnimEigo's Tora-san DVD boxed set, is on sale now.