# Question about Adam-12 and Emergency **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755 "2013-02-19T01:06:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/81 "2013-02-21T16:46:57Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Yeah, that was it! It had four snot-nosed teens helping out. And man was I right about [the crap-a-mation!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TmDvPMifU) Wow. 😛 I’m pretty sure I watched that show at the time. What struck me in watching that opening: - A fire pole? Station 51 was a one-story building! 😃 - The “+4” vehicle looked an awful lot like a [1970s Hot Wheels Ambulance](http://www.mysite4u.com/toys/diecast/hw/70/redline%20hot%20wheels%20heavyweights%20ambulance%20red.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/82 "2013-02-21T16:49:10Z")
One more story, which I’d forgotten about until now… My wife and several of her friends were in Los Angeles a few years ago, for a fan-fic convention (not _Emergency!_, but many of them were fans of the show). They went to visit the actual LA County fire station which was used for the exterior shots of Station 51 in the show. The firemen there were very gracious (they’re accustomed to having the occasional visitor), and they even had special T-shirts for sale (proceeds benefited a fireman’s benevolent fund). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/83 "2013-02-21T21:02:11Z")
I can vaguely remember watching both _Adam-12_ and _Emergency!_ as a kid, but I only remember one specific scene from _Emergency!_, mainly because of my mother’s comment on the scene. The crew was called out because a mother had been preparing to bake her teenage son’s favorite bread (some kind of sweet bread, I guess) for his birthday. The son couldn’t wait for her to bake it, and ate the batter. Which then proceeded to rise in his stomach, creating some obviously very painful bloating. So as the crew scrambled to solve the problem, my mom (who did a lot of baking herself) asked, “Why don’t they just punch it?” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/84 "2013-02-21T21:57:25Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > One more story, which I’d forgotten about until now… > > My wife and several of her friends were in Los Angeles a few years ago, for a fan-fic convention (not _Emergency!_, but many of them were fans of the show). They went to visit the actual LA County fire station which was used for the exterior shots of Station 51 in the show. The firemen there were very gracious (they’re accustomed to having the occasional visitor), and they even had special T-shirts for sale (proceeds benefited a fireman’s benevolent fund). Where is the fire station? I thought I read somewhere that it was a county fire station adjacent to the Universal lot. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/85 "2013-02-21T22:39:26Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > Where is the fire station? I thought I read somewhere that it was a county fire station adjacent to the Universal lot. 2049 E. 223rd St., Carson. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/86 "2013-02-22T01:08:34Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I had the board game. Same here. We always bought the school lunch so I had no need for lunchboxes but I had the board game. Speaking of games, I don’t recall how it worked but a few of us guys would get together for pretend “Emergecy!” during recess. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/87 "2013-02-22T01:24:45Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I can vaguely remember watching both _Adam-12_ and _Emergency!_ as a kid, but I only remember one specific scene from _Emergency!_, mainly because of my mother’s comment on the scene. > > The crew was called out because a mother had been preparing to bake her teenage son’s favorite bread (some kind of sweet bread, I guess) for his birthday. The son couldn’t wait for her to bake it, and ate the batter. > > Which then proceeded to rise in his stomach, creating some obviously very painful bloating. > > So as the crew scrambled to solve the problem, my mom (who did a lot of baking herself) asked, “Why don’t they just punch it?” 😛 I remember that one too! Kind of grossed me out as a kid, seeing him laying on the hospital gurney with this huge lump on his stomach! > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > One more story, which I’d forgotten about until now… > > My wife and several of her friends were in Los Angeles a few years ago, for a fan-fic convention (not _Emergency!_, but many of them were fans of the show). They went to visit the actual LA County fire station which was used for the exterior shots of Station 51 in the show. The firemen there were very gracious (they’re accustomed to having the occasional visitor), and they even had special T-shirts for sale (proceeds benefited a fireman’s benevolent fund). Something I never understood all the years I watched it: That station was two-bays wide **and** it clearly had front & back garage-type doors (i.e. it was ‘drive-thru’). So why the hell did they \*always \*show the paramedics _backing back in?!_ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/88 "2013-02-22T01:27:44Z")
The rear doors were blocked by the BBQ and the hot tub. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/89 "2013-02-22T02:12:21Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > Where is the fire station? I thought I read somewhere that it was a county fire station adjacent to the Universal lot. It’s in a very industrial area (which the exterior shots reflected). ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/90 "2013-02-22T02:34:54Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > MST fans may remember that Tim Donnelly, who played Chet Kelly on \*Emergency!, \*was the lead idiot clone in _Parts: The Clonus Horror_. Remember the famous Dragnet episode about the young couple whose negligent pot-smoking leads to their toddler drowning in the bathtub? Tim Donnelly was the dad. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/91 "2013-02-22T02:49:43Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > Oh yeah… > _Birrrr barrrrr boooorr barrrrr bewwwww barrrr boooo barrr braaaackk!_ probably meant you were going to see the jaws of life, multiple IVs of D5W and Ringers, maybe even some early defibrillation and general mayhem. > > _Birrr barrr braakk_ Eh, probably just a cat in a tree. Oh yeah! A long alarm was going to be something good, often with other fire companies to add to the drama; a short one, not so much. And the defibrillator! As soon as that counter hit 400, all of us watching the TV would shout, “Clear!” ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/92 "2013-02-22T02:54:57Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > Hey, everyone remembers episodes, but who (besides me!) had the _Emergency!_ LUNCH BOX (complete with Thermos)! I had the Adam 12 lunchbox. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/93 "2013-02-22T03:03:08Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > I had the Adam 12 lunchbox. Which depicted the episode where the kid gets his head stuck in a metal gate and Malloy tries to ease it out by applying large dollops of yellow grease to the kid’s ears. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/94 "2013-02-22T03:12:26Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > It’s difficult to see it any other way. > > The radio & early TV incarnation of Dragnet was a great idea: combine the Noir-sh crime drama of the era with elements of the scientific and organizational innovations used by the LAPD. Like most American police forces, the LAPD had been corrupt, inefficient and brutal. Under Chief Parker, whose cheerleader Webb aspired to be, they would labor mightily to shed two of those three. > > In the radio and B&W show, the general public was portrayed as decent people who just wanted to get on with their lives, but were victimized by really bad bastards. But when the show was revived in the late 1960’s, Web had cultural axes to grind, and seems to have become such a wanna-be cop that he internalized their worst attitudes. > > There was a show where the Black community were angry at the cops, but were clearly worked up about nothing. Then there was the show where a cop roughed up a suspect, and Friday came down on him like a ton of bricks. But of course the suspect was pure evil and we still sided with the cop while acknowledging Friday’s higher ideals. And on almost every show, the general public were shown to be idiots because they thought themselves equal to the cops since they’d read true detective magazines. Or they thought the cops were bellhops they were entitled to call any time their lives were fucked up. > > Dragnet took place in an alternate LAPD universe that lacked Dragnet, where people had no means of understanding how great their cops really were. You don’t know what you are talking about ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/95 "2013-02-22T03:54:37Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > 2049 E. 223rd St., Carson. Thanks. It’s cool how they named it the Robert A. Cinader Memorial Fire Station. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/96 "2013-02-22T04:34:41Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > Where is the fire station? I thought I read somewhere that it was a county fire station adjacent to the Universal lot. they renamed the fire station on the studio grounds to Station 51 in 1994 in honor of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/97 "2013-02-22T14:01:21Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > You don’t know what you are talking about Okay. So, please enlighten us. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/98 "2013-02-22T15:10:15Z")
I had a Station 51 fireman’s hat. My older sister was a big fan too, I was around to see it in reruns, which were shown on weekend afternoons if I remember right. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/99 "2013-02-22T15:52:50Z")
> [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](#): > > Remember the famous Dragnet episode about the young couple whose negligent pot-smoking leads to their toddler drowning in the bathtub? Tim Donnelly was the dad. With the mustache, Donnelly did have a sort of Rob Reiner-esque hippy quality to him. And I remember an episode where everyone was trying to open some kind of chinese puzzle ball and getting so frustrated that they were throwing it on the floor to break it open. At the end, Johnny showed them how various parts slid aside to open it. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755/100 "2013-02-22T16:05:25Z")
I had the helmet as well. I also remember seeing in the Sear’s Christmas Catalog the fire helmet and an oxygen tank and face mask. Getting that thing would’ve been sweet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-adam-12-and-emergency/650755.md?page=6)