Dr. Simon Locke
A young doctor moves from city to rural town.
Dr. Simon Locke is a Canadian medical drama that was syndicated to U.S. television stations from 1971 to 1974 under Colgate-Palmolive sponsorship. After its first season, the show was retitled Police Surgeon. The series originated from the fictional rural town of Dixon Mills, where a young physician, Dr. Simon Locke (played by soap opera star Sam Groom), arrives to assist veteran physician Dr. Andrew Sellers (played by veteran actor Jack Albertson), facing pushback and resistance from local citizens. Plot lines included a typhoid epidemic, child abuse, and even a murder. The series co-starred Len Birman as Sheriff Dan Palmer and Nuala Fitzgerald as Nurse Louise Wynn.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Creator
- Chester Krumholz and Wilton Schiller for Dorian-Bentwood Productions
- Executive producers
- Wilton Schiller; Murray Chercover for CTV
- Producer
- Chester Krumholz
- Country
- Canada
- Network
- Syndication (1971–1974); CTV (1972–1974)
- First aired
- 1971
- Last aired
- 1975
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series began as a medical drama set in the fictional rural town of Dixon Mills. Dr. Simon Locke, played by soap opera star Sam Groom, arrives to assist veteran physician Dr. Andrew Sellers, played by Jack Albertson, facing resistance from local citizens. Storylines included a typhoid epidemic, child abuse, and a murder. Len Birman co-starred as Sheriff Dan Palmer, and Nuala Fitzgerald as Nurse Louise Wynn. In 1972, Albertson left and the show was renamed Police Surgeon. Locke moved back to the city to work for the police department's emergency unit, helping solve crimes requiring medical research. Birman returned as Lieutenant Dan Palmer; in the third season Larry D. Mann played Lieutenant Jack Gordon. Nerene Virgin played Ellie the Dispatcher in over thirty episodes, known for her "3-M-D-9" radio call. Guest stars included William Shatner, Leslie Nielsen, Donald Pleasence, Michael Ansara, Martin Sheen, and Keenan Wynn. John Candy made his 1974 TV debut in episodes "Target: Ms. Blue" and "Web of Guilt". Delroy Lindo appeared in bit parts in episodes filmed in 1974.
Syndication/current airings
The series initially aired in syndication on some Canadian stations. CTV, co-producer under president Murray Chercover, withheld it from its affiliates until 1972, when it was retitled Police Surgeon. In December 2014, the Retro Television Network started airing reruns of Police Surgeon. The show was removed from their schedule by December 2023.
Filming locations
The first season of the show, which took place in the fictional Dixon Mills, was largely filmed around the Ontario communities of Kleinburg, Nashville, and Vaughan, with many scenes shot on rural roads. Kirby Road and the bowstring arch bridge over the Humber River in the Nashville Conservation Reserve were frequent locations. The episode "Crash" was shot near the intersection of what is now Rutherford Road and Pine Valley Drive, while "Two Points of a Pitchfork" used the Humber River bridge on Huntington Road, just north of Kirby Road, as a checkpoint during a typhus outbreak. The Card Lumber yard in the Nashville area of Kleinburg appeared in "Hero," and farmhouses in the region stood in for the homes of rural patients. Winter episodes from the first season were filmed in Toronto's Rouge Park and Scarborough area. The Valley Halla Estate house, now part of the Toronto Zoo, served as the doctor's office and home. One episode featured a mute boy climbing the old Markham water tower, and other winter scenes were shot at Highland Creek in Scarborough and the old ski hill on Twyn Rivers Road in Pickering. Beginning with the second season, the show was renamed and moved to a big-city setting, with all filming shifting to Toronto, though the city was never named on screen. Most of this work took place in Etobicoke, specifically the Mimico and New Toronto neighbourhoods, along with local plazas, industrial sites, and train yards. Stock footage of the ambulance van driving on the highway came from the Gardiner Expressway near Sunnyside and downtown. One episode included scenes inside the Westwood Theatre, and another featured a Gray Coach bus ride along the Gardiner. Street scenes were filmed along Lake Shore Boulevard West near the motel strip, including the Westpoint Motor Hotel & Restaurant, Dutch Sisters Inn, and Seaway Towers Motor Hotel. Train yard footage was captured at CN's Mimico train yard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Dr. Simon Locke?
Dr. Simon Locke was created by Chester Krumholz and Wilton Schiller for Dorian-Bentwood Productions.
How many episodes of Dr. Simon Locke are there?
Dr. Simon Locke has 104 episodes across 4 seasons.
When did Dr. Simon Locke end?
Dr. Simon Locke last aired in 1975.
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