Marcus Welby M.D.: Season Two

This is the second season's worth (1970-71) of "Marcus Welby, M.D.," the classic ABC medical series from 1969-76, starring Robert Young as the title character, Dr. Marcus Welby, a kind-hearted yet no-nonsense G.P. (general practitioner) who operated from his combination house/office in Santa Monica, CA. He was joined by James Brolin as Dr. Steven Kiley, who last season had contracted for one year to help Welby out in his caseload after Welby suffered a myocardial infarction (a.k.a. a heart attack). After that first year, Kiley decided to stay on and become a full-time member of the team. The third member of the practice was secretary/nurse Consuelo Lopez, played by Elena Verdugo. Together, Doctors Welby and Kiley ranged all over the L.A. area on house calls, and also worked with Lang Memorial Hospital nearby (shown as the real-life St. John's Medical Center in some exterior shots), therein making "Welby" more than just the standard-issue hospital drama. This is the season when the series went to first place in the ratings, but it would hold that ranking for only this one season; nonetheless, the strong showing here cemented "Welby" as a television classic for the remainder of its run. The series ran on Tuesdays from 10 P.M. to 11 P.M. for the balance of its run, after another ABC classic, the "Movie of The Week," which went from 8:30-10 (however, in its last season, "Welby" would no longer follow the "Movie of The Week"). This #2 ran from Sep. 1970 to the end of Mar. 1971, and here is a list of the 24 outings contained within, with original airdates and disc locations: Disc 1: "A Very Special Sailfish" (9-22-70) "The Worth of A Man" (9-29-70) "Warn The World About Mike" (10-6-70) "Epidemic" (10-13-70) Disc 2: "To Get Through The Night" (10-20-70) "Daisy In The Shadows" (10-27-70) "The Labyrinth" (11-10-70) "The Girl From Rainbow Beach" (11-17-70) Disc 3: "Aura To A New Tomorrow" (11-24-70) "Sounding Brass" (12-1-70) "To Carry The Sun In A Golden Cup" (12-8-70) "All The Golden Dandelions Are Gone" (12-15-70) Disc 4: "Brave On A Mountain Top" (12-22-70) "Another Buckle For Wesley Hill" (1-5-71) "False Spring" (1-19-71) "The Passing Of Torches" (1-26-71) Disc 5: "A Woman's Place" (2-2-71) "A Spanish Saying I Made Up" (2-16-71) "Cynthia" (2-23-71) "Don't Kid A Kidder" (3-2-71) Disc 6: "Elegy For A Mad Dog" (3-9-71) "The Contract" (3-16-71) "The Windfall" (3-23-71) "The House Of Alquist" (3-30-71) The 24 outings of this #2 release from Shout! Factory are divided evenly among 6 discs, as shown above. They are packaged, like #1, in a double-thick plastic keepcase. Each pair of discs is on one of three swinging holders, with one disc on the bottom on one side, and the other on top on the other side. Like the #1 release, which had an episode booklet entitled "Family Practice and General Medicine: An Introductory Guide," this #2 release also has an enclosed guide; here, it's called "Primary Healthcare: Continued Education." It is like the guide of the #1 release, in that it has episode listings and copious photos. The front cover image is of Kiley and Welby in an exam room examining a fluid sample. On top is the release title on a burgundy background with yellow "Welby" title and "Season Two" in white (this is reversed from the #1 release, which had a cover image of all three major players in a hospital hall, and "Season One" in white, with "Welby" title in burgundy on a yellow background). The discs are all light-green in color, and each one has the release title in red on the left, the disc number in a rectangular bar that comes out from the left (with the number in a square box), and on the right, a vertical column that contains a shot from the show, a medical symbol, and disc run time. The video/audio quality is good, but not great. Unlike CBS DVD's releases of "Hawaii Five-O," which were superbly remastered, this release seems to have a lot of film-dust specks to it. I think, however, that this adds to the dated look of this series, in that it was made over 40 years ago. There is an extended version of the opening theme that would start this season. Whereas in #1 the opening theme was only 40 sec. (give or take), this season has a 60-second version. The extended opening theme/title sequence includes the usual visuals of Welby leaving his house/office, getting into his car, and going out on a house call, and then shows the title ("Robert Young as...'Marcus Welby, M.D.'") as Welby removes a gas mask and places it on an oxygen tank, but also incorporates shots of Welby driving around the Santa Monica area, before showing Welby pulling back into the driveway of his house, and then the arrival of Dr. Kiley (Brolin) on his motorcycle; his card (James Brolin as Steven Kiley, M.D.) is shown against a shot of him disembarking from his bike and removing his helmet. There are two different arrangements of this extended opening theme; each alternates with every 2 episodes for the first two discs. Both versions of the title sequence (original and extended) end with a zoom-in shot of the doctors' nameplates, against which Elena Verdugo is credited as a co-star. The closing credits of each episode are set against a wide shot of the front porch of the house that also served as the doctors' place of business, and like the opening theme, the closing theme alternates with every two episodes for the first two discs. At the end of the closing credits, there is a card with the logo of the American Academy of General Practice (this logo was in blue against a black screen), and over it, this credit in yellow: "Marcus Welby, M.D. is produced with the cooperation of the American Academy of General Practice." Finally the Universal logo appears; it is against a zoom-in shot of Universal's globe, and over it in yellow, it reads: Filmed in Universal City, Calif., at UNIVERSAL STUDIOS® MCA-TV Exclusive Distributor (this line is to the right of the MCA globe bug) All things considered, this is a well-made release (albeit without bonuses) of #2 of "Welby," and although this release might not have had any bonuses, the episodes stand by themselves as a very compelling reason to purchase it, and hopefully bring forth a release of #3 (1971-72).

I loved this TV show!

THis is a wonderful doctor show that I grew up watching.

Marcus welby md second season was good series all the disc played all right with no problem at all

It was great to relive Marcus Welby, and some of it’s a bit dated. I wish they would put all seasons on here though.

This was an interesting episode from several levels. One,Geoge Takeis distinked laugh. Two is J R Ewing with thining hair. And three is the topic of ALS. I bet it would be interesting for a modern doctor to watch this episode and compare what he/she knows now about ALS versus what they knew then. George Takeis performance was outstanding.

MARCUS WELBY M.D. SEASON TWO recaptured for me a little bit of what it felt like, growing up in the early 1970's. Aside from reveling in the good manners and GREAT cars, I was surprised at how relevant much of the the medical information remains. The show is well-cast and tightly written; it is drama, not melodrama. I found the characters engaging and believable --so much so that I ended up viewing almost the complete DVD set within the span of a week. I spotted a few celebrated actors making "guest" appearances: Gary Merrill, Walter Pidgeon, Jessica Walter --even Christina Crawford. Fun. Being grieved by the name of God and Jesus Christ being used in a profane fashion, I find my choices in television viewing limited, at best. This show did not offend, and for that I am thankful.

Some of the episodes wouldn't play.

Great dramas

Clásico de la Tv de los años 70. The show is about doctors Marcus Welby, a general practitioner and Steven Kiley, Welby's young assistant.

AWESOME the rest of the seasons of ought to be available to purchase

will really enjoy watching this series again and hope you get the rest of the seasons

Love it! I watch when Im at my trailer and always look forward to that.