Quincy, M.E. and Andropogon gerardi: Difference between pages
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
remove redundant parent category |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Taxobox |
|||
{{infobox television | |
|||
| name = Big Bluestem |
|||
| show_name = Quincy, M.E. |
|||
| image = Andropogon gerardii.jpg |
|||
| image_width = 240px |
|||
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae |
|||
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]] |
|||
| runtime = 60 to 90 minutes<br>60 minutes (syndication) |
|||
| classis = [[Liliopsida]] |
|||
| ordo = [[Cyperales]] |
|||
| starring = [[Jack Klugman]]<br>[[Robert Ito]]<br>[[Garry Walberg]]<br>[[Val Bisoglio]]<br>[[Joseph Roman]] |
|||
| familia = [[Poaceae]] |
|||
| country = [[Television in the United States|United States]] |
|||
| genus = ''[[Andropogon]]'' |
|||
| species = '''''A. gerardii''''' |
|||
| first_aired = October 3, 1976 |
|||
| binomial = ''Andropogon gerardii'' |
|||
| last_aired = September 4, 1983 |
|||
| binomial_authority = Vitman |
|||
| num_seasons = 8 |
|||
}} |
|||
| num_episodes = 148 |
|||
|}} |
|||
'''Big Bluestem''' ('''''Andropogon gerardii''''') is a tall [[Grass|bunch grass]] native to much of the [[prairie]] and [[Great Plains]] regions of [[North America]]. |
|||
'''''Quincy, M.E.''''' (or simply '''''Quincy''''') is the name of a [[United States]] [[television series]] from Universal Studios that aired from October 3, 1976, to September 5, 1983, on [[NBC]] (and can be seen in the UK on [[ITV3]] and intermittently on the [[ITV]] Network, as well as in syndication on [[WWME-CA|MeTV]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]], on KDOC-TV in Orange County, California, on the [[Retro Television Network]], and in Australia on cable channel [[TV1 (Australia)|TV1]]). It starred [[Jack Klugman]] as Dr. Quincy, a strong-willed [[Medical Examiner]] ([[Forensics|forensic]] [[coroner]]) in [[Los Angeles County]] working to ascertain facts about suspicious deaths. In the process, he frequently comes into conflict with his boss and the police, each of whom have their own (often flawed) ideas about what's going on. |
|||
== Description == |
|||
Many of the episodes follow this formula: |
|||
Big bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of soils and moistures. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 1 – 3m (3 – 10 ft). The stem base turns to a blue-purple as it matures. The seed heads have three spike-like projections, resulting in another common name for big bluestem — "turkey foot." The [[root]]s are deep, and the plants send out strong, tough [[rhizome]]s, so it forms very strong [[sod]]. |
|||
*Somebody dies, seemingly by natural causes. |
|||
*Quincy notices something that causes him to suspect [[foul play]]. |
|||
*He then changes roles from medical examiner to [[detective]]. |
|||
*Quincy's boss gets upset, believing that Quincy is seeing evidence that doesn't exist and that Quincy should work on routine cases. The police get their feathers ruffled as he "shoulders-in" on their territory as well. |
|||
*He argues quite loudly with some bureaucratic individual impeding the case. |
|||
*Quincy solves the murder. |
|||
== Ecology == |
|||
A quote from one episode gives a snapshot of a typical conflict. When Quincy is hospitalized, Sam Fujiyama ([[Robert Ito]]), Quincy's faithful co-worker, takes the reins and finds something fishy about Quincy's condition when everyone else sees no need for suspicion. Hearing this, homicide detective Lt. Frank Monahan ([[Garry Walberg]]) says, "You're pullin' a Quincy on me, and you ain't Quincy!" |
|||
Big bluestem is a late-[[Ecological succession|successional]] grass in prairie ecosystems. It grows in tall, dense stands that shade out other plant species. These stands tend to gradually increase in size over time, unless a disturbance (such as [[fire]]) allows other plant species to re-establish themselves. |
|||
== Uses == |
|||
Early seasons' episodes focused on criminal investigation; a typical episode would find Quincy determining the real murderer in a crime or the real cause of an unusual poisoning case. Later seasons' episodes began to introduce themes of social responsibility; Quincy would find himself involved with a police investigation that reveals situations such as a disreputable [[Plastic surgery|plastic surgeon]] and the reasons his poor surgeries are not stopped, flaws in [[drunk driving]] laws, problems caused by [[punk music]], [[air safety|airline safety]] issues, dumping of [[hazardous waste]], the proliferation of [[handgun]]s, [[Tourettes syndrome|Tourette syndrome]],[[orphan drugs]] and [[anorexia nervosa|anorexia]] among others. ''Quincy, M.E.'' was one of the earlier dramatic series to use a format like this to further a social agenda. The actor Jack Klugman himself even came to testify before the US Congress about some of these issues, (such as orphan drugs in 1982) describing what he had learned about a difficult or complex social concern as a result of its use in one of the show's episodes. |
|||
Bluestem, which has many variants, is considered to be good [[Fodder|forage]] for [[horses]] and [[cattle]], and can also be cut and used for [[hay]]. It has a high protein level. While not considered the highest quality native forage found in the United States, it has long been considered a desirable and ecologically important grass by cattle ranchers and range-land ecologists. Bluestem grass is also used by landscapers and home owners who want to create a 'native' look in their lawns and gardens. |
|||
{{wikispecies|Andropogon gerardii}} |
|||
Unlike the sometimes gruesome ''[[C.S.I.]]'', which often shows decomposing or mutilated bodies in all their gory detail, the bodies being examined on ''Quincy'' are never actually shown; the audience must imagine them. |
|||
[[Category:Andropogon]] |
|||
Although Quincy studies bodies in-depth at his laboratory, he also does plenty of police investigation work technically outside the role of a coroner for the purposes of the show. He could be considered a [[workaholic]]. In every episode where he goes on vacation, it is always interrupted by an intrigue that requires his skills. He then provides copious hours of free work to solve the case. He insists on being intensely thorough in all his work. |
|||
A well-liked man, Quincy lived on a [[houseboat]], frequents "Danny's" pub, and was popular with the ladies. He was married once before but lost his wife Helen to [[cancer]]. Near the end of the seventh season Quincy remarried (Dr. Emily Hanover) and sold the houseboat (Quincy's Wedding). |
|||
The show was based on a [[Canadian television|Canadian television series]], ''[[Wojeck]]'', broadcast by [[CBC Television]] in the 1960s, but had more immediate local inspiration in the person of [[Thomas Noguchi]], Los Angeles's "coroner to the stars". [http://www.who2.com/thomasnoguchi.html] |
|||
The first half of the first season of ''Quincy'' was broadcast as 90-minute telefilms as part of the ''[[NBC Mystery Movie|NBC Sunday Mystery Movie]]'' rotation in the fall of 1976 alongside ''[[Columbo (TV series)|Columbo]]'', ''[[McCloud (TV series)|McCloud]]'' and ''[[McMillan and Wife|McMillan]]'' (formerly ''McMillan and Wife''). The series proved popular enough that midway through the 1976–77 season, ''Quincy'' was [[spin-off|spun-off]] into its own weekly one-hour series. The ''Mystery Movie'' format was discontinued in the spring of 1977; ''Quincy'' was the only one of the rotating series to continue. In 1978, writers Tony Lawrence and Lou Shaw received an [[Edgar Award]] from the [[Mystery Writers of America]] for the second-season episode "...The Thighbone's Connected to the Knee Bone..." (originally aired February 11, 1977). |
|||
In 2008, Klugman sued NBC, asserting that the network had concealed profits from the show which were owed to Klugman.<ref>[http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=307377>1=7703 Klugman Sues NBC Over 'Quincy' Profits].</ref> |
|||
==Influences, parodies and tributes== |
|||
* Comedian [[Jim Norton (comedian)|Jim Norton]] parodies Dr. Quincy on the morning radio show ''[[Opie and Anthony]]''. Norton's alter-ego is known as "Jimcy", and often interrupts news stories involving deaths or accidents to point out some overlooked clue and proclaim "It was MUR-DER, Sam!"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://923krock.com/pages/1566078.php |title=92.3 Krock - Opie & Anthony Show Rundown.}}</ref> Norton (along with Opie and Anthony) also pokes fun at the episode "Next Stop, Nowhere", where Quincy tried to solve a murder at a punk rock club. |
|||
* Canadian band [[The Arrogant Worms]] paid tribute to the show in the song, "Sam, The Guy from Quincy". |
|||
* [[Spoon (band)|Spoon]] recorded the song "Quincy Punk Episode" (a reference to the episode "Next Stop, Nowhere") on their album ''[[A Series of Sneaks]]''. "Quincy punk" is a derogatory term for young people who identify superficially with the punk ethos, a reference to the unconvincing depiction of a punk club in the episode.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/19/quincy-punk-episode.html |title=Boing Boing: Quincy "punk episode", Sept 19, 2008.}}</ref> |
|||
* A character in the British TV show ''[[Peep Show (TV series)|Peep Show]]'' notes that "Columbo... shits all over Quincy". |
|||
* [[Second City Television]] parodied the show as "Quincy, Cartoon Coroner" (played by [[Joe Flaherty]]). <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sctvguide.ca/episodes/sctv_s3.htm#Show_20 |title=SCTV Guide - Episodes - Series 3 (3-20 Cookery Crock / Cartoon Coroner).}}</ref> In this spoof, Quincy was examining the cause of death of [[Sylvester (Looney Tunes)|Sylvester the cat]], and at one point was interviewing [[Tweety Bird]]. |
|||
* [[Mad (magazine)|Mad]] magazine parodied the show in its [[List of Mad Magazine Issues#Mad in the 1980s: 1980-1989|January 1981 issue]] as "Queezy," in which he went overboard investigating a series of deaths from [[botulism]]. At the end, his superior alerted him to a series of deaths of various people connected with recently-cancelled NBC shows (including ''[[A Man Called Sloane]]'' and ''[[Skag]]''). |
|||
* A ''[[Cracked]]'' magazine parody of famous TV shows has Quincy dead on his own examination table, he died of exhaustion while trying to be the entire [[LAPD]]. |
|||
== Trivia == |
|||
{{Trivia|date=June 2008}} |
|||
* Quincy's first name was never verbally mentioned during the entire ''Quincy, M.E.'' TV show run. The only clue to what it was appeared in Episode #33, "Accomplice To Murder", where his [[business card]] is seen with his name written as "Doctor R. Quincy". Jack Klugman says that the question he's most often asked by fans is, "What is Quincy's first name?". He answers, "Doctor!". |
|||
* Quincy had a highly successful surgical practice of his own before joining the [[Los Angeles County Coroner]]'s Office after the death of his first wife from a brain tumour. |
|||
* Quincy was a [[captain]] in the [[United States Navy Reserve]]. |
|||
* The pilot episode of ''[[The A-Team]]'' contains a car chase around the [[Universal Studios Hollywood|Universal Studios]] backlot. During this chase one of the cars crashes into a set which is supposed to be part of Quincy's house, the scene is repeated in the show's title sequence. |
|||
* [[Anita Gillette]], the actress who plays Quincy's wife in the final season of the series, also played Quincy's first wife in an earlier episode where we see her for the only time. |
|||
==DVD Release== |
|||
On June 7, 2005, [[Universal Studios Home Entertainment]] released Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD for the very first time in a 6-disc box set. It is unknown if the remaining seasons will be released at some point. |
|||
{| class="wikitable" |
|||
!DVD Name |
|||
!Ep# |
|||
!Region 1 |
|||
!Region 2 |
|||
|- |
|||
| Seasons 1 & 2 |
|||
| align="center"|16 |
|||
| June 7, 2005 |
|||
| December 5, 2005 |
|||
|} |
|||
==Notes== |
|||
{{reflist|2}} |
|||
==External links== |
|||
*{{imdb title|id=0074042|title=Quincy, M.E.}} |
|||
*{{Tv.com show|id=579|title=Quincy, M.E.}} |
|||
*[http://www.quincyexaminer.com/ The Quincy Examiner - Online Home to Fans of QME] |
|||
*[http://www.siteworld.de/quincy Jack Klugman - Quincy - German Infosite] |
|||
*[http://www.jackklugman.de/ Jack Klugman - Jack Klugman Informationscenter Europe] |
|||
*[http://www.mysterynet.com/tv/profiles/quincy/ Mystery.net - ''Quincy, M.E.''] |
|||
*[http://www.tvfetish.net/TVGold/Drama/Quincy Quincy ME at Stage 1] |
|||
=====tags:===== |
|||
{{articleissues|article=y|trivia=June 2007|unreferenced=November 2007|restructure=November 2007}} |
|||
[[Category:NBC network shows]] |
|||
[[Category:Crime television series]] |
|||
[[Category:1976 television series debuts]] |
|||
[[Category:1970s American television series]] |
|||
[[Category:1980s American television series]] |
|||
[[Category:1983 television series endings]] |
|||
[[Category:Fictional medical personnel]] |
|||
[[Category:Fictional amateur detectives]] |
|||
[[Category:Medical television series]] |
|||
[[Category:Television series by NBC Universal Television]] |
|||
[[Category:TV shows by Stephen J. Cannell]] |
|||
[[Category:Edgar Award winning works]] |
|||
[[Category:Television shows set in Los Angeles, California]] |
|||
[[Category:NBC Mystery Movie]] |
|||
[[Category:Television shows produced by Universal Studios]] |
|||
[[de:Quincy (Fernsehserie)]] |
|||
[[fr:Quincy (série télévisée)]] |
|||
[[it:Quincy (serie televisiva)]] |
|||
[[ja:ドクター刑事クインシー]] |
|||
Revision as of 01:24, 13 October 2008
| Big Bluestem | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Division: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | A. gerardii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Andropogon gerardii Vitman
| |
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is a tall bunch grass native to much of the prairie and Great Plains regions of North America.
Description
Big bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of soils and moistures. Depending on soil and moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 1 – 3m (3 – 10 ft). The stem base turns to a blue-purple as it matures. The seed heads have three spike-like projections, resulting in another common name for big bluestem — "turkey foot." The roots are deep, and the plants send out strong, tough rhizomes, so it forms very strong sod.
Ecology
Big bluestem is a late-successional grass in prairie ecosystems. It grows in tall, dense stands that shade out other plant species. These stands tend to gradually increase in size over time, unless a disturbance (such as fire) allows other plant species to re-establish themselves.
Uses
Bluestem, which has many variants, is considered to be good forage for horses and cattle, and can also be cut and used for hay. It has a high protein level. While not considered the highest quality native forage found in the United States, it has long been considered a desirable and ecologically important grass by cattle ranchers and range-land ecologists. Bluestem grass is also used by landscapers and home owners who want to create a 'native' look in their lawns and gardens.
Wikispecies has information related to Andropogon gerardii.