Breaking Point is an American medical drama that aired on ABC from September 16, 1963, to April 27, 1964, with reruns continuing until September 7, 1964. The series, which was a spin-off of Ben Casey, starred Paul Richards and Eduard Franz. The series was created by Meta Rosenberg.
Background The NBC drama The Eleventh Hour was the inspiration for creation of Breaking Point, the characters of which were first seen on the September 9, 1963, episode of Ben Casey. Following that development, Ben Casey moved to Wednesday nights, and Breaking Point took its Monday night slot.
Producer George Lefferts was partially inspired to create Breaking Point on the back of the success of an earlier show that also dealt with mental health issues, Special for Women.
Synopsis Richards starred as Dr. McKinley Thompson (known as "Dr. Mac" to most of the staff), resident in psychiatry at York Hospital in Los Angeles. Franz co-starred as Dr. Edward Raymer, the hospital's psychiatric clinical director.Alex McNeil, Total Television, New York: Penguin Books, 1996, 4th ed., p. 117 Following the lead of the "semi-anthology" format developed by such then-current shows as Naked City or Route 66, the guest stars were often the focal characters of any given episode, as episodes focused more on problems of people who sought help at the clinic than on activities at the clinic itself.
Guest stars
Bettye Ackerman Martin Balsam Shelley Berman James Callahan Michael Callan John Cassavetes Dabney Coleman Rosemary DeCamp James Daly Bradford Dillman Dianne Foster Anthony Franciosa Clint Howard Lillian Gish Virginia Gregg James Gregory Susan Harrison Mariette Hartley Joey Heatherton Kim Hunter Russell Johnson Piper Laurie Carol Lawrence John Larkin Barry Livingston Robert Loggia Scott Marlowe Kevin McCarthy Ralph Meeker Burgess Meredith Alan Napier Kathleen Nolan Sheree North Edmond O'Brien Arthur O'Connell Jack Oakie Eleanor Parker Walter Pidgeon Robert Redford Hari Rhodes Mark Richman Cliff Robertson Ruth Roman Gena Rowlands Robert Ryan Telly Savalas Vito Scotti Jan Sterling Susan Strasberg Rip Torn Jack Warden
Episodes
Production Breaking Point was produced by Bing Crosby Productions. George Lefferts was the producer, with Sydney Pollack as the director. Lefferts and Allan Sloane were the writers. It was broadcast on Mondays from 10 to 11 p.m. Eastern Time. Its competition included East Side West Side on CBS and Sing Along with Mitch on NBC.
Award nomination Sloane was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama".
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