Herbert Lom plays cool-headed, rational, Harley Street psychologist Dr Corder in 26-episodes over two series, made in 1963 and 1964. Each episode typically sees Dr Corder involved in a situation that requires that he leaves his consulting rooms and plays a more active role in helping to solve a crime and/or see that someone who is mentally ill is not punished unnecessarily and receives adequate treatment.
This series is over fifty years old now and the world has changed somewhat, in both public view of mental health issues as well as treatment approaches. Nonetheless the essential features of the series hold up pretty well and watching episodes from this series isn't just a nostalgia-fest, (although it obviously contains that element if you want it to).
On the whole this series is very well made, with an excellent and atmospheric theme tune and good production values. Dr Corder himself is slightly enigmatic and something of a pillar of strength, not having a wife to share his troubles with, and having a teenage daughter to look after; but then again despite seeming a bit of a flibbertigibbet she gets him out of the soup occasionally too. Whether the psychological diagnoses and treatments portrayed are/were accurate I cannot say, but I do note that the producers did employ a mental health professional as a consultant, so I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
The idea of the working life of a public health professional (typically going above and beyond the call of duty) being a backdrop for a drama series was hardly a new idea, even then, but I do wonder if the producers of 'Quincy' took a leaf out of this show's book when making theirs; numerous elements seem comparable to me. However, unlike Quincy perhaps, this show's mere 26 episodes mean that it is much less likely that watching one will leave you with the sensation of a dead horse being mercilessly flogged.
This series was well-cast, and has numerous small and cameo roles played by actors who went on to greater things, so nearly every episode is worth watching on this basis alone. At the time of writing, 'The Human Jungle' is being broadcast on 'Talking Pictures' UK TV channel at the antisocial hour of 4a.m. . Having caught a few episodes accidentally, my PVR is now set to record them.
Yes, it is something of a period piece, but it is more than just that, too.
