HEATHER CASEY
Contributing Writer
After a few years with the Naval Reserves and the University of
Colorado, "I went to Hollywood to find my fame and fortune and was lucky
enough to do so," said Ron Pinkard, "Emergency!"'s Dr. Mike Morton. He spent
only three days in Hollywood before he got his first job.
Photo Courtesy John McMahon
Ron takes a short break between the hundreds of autographs
he signed throughout the day
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Soon after, in 1971, Pinkard was hired to appear in one episode of
"Emergency!," but his character worked so well that one day turned into
seven years. It was his training in the Navy that made him so believable
as a doctor, Pinkard said, because it taught him about medicine and about
handling tools with a sense of urgency and reality.
Pinkard's character was a mixture of his real personality and of
what seemed appropriate for the show at the time. "If you look at my
character there's not a whole lot of 'ha ha,'" Pinkard said. "I think
that's pretty close to me - I have a certain seriousness." Dr. Morton was
also serious, however, because racial tensions were a concern and the show
did not want to detract from the professional and respectable appearance
of the black character, Pinkard said.
Despite his serious character, Pinkard had a good time making the
show. "It was always a gaggle of fun," Pinkard said. "It was never, 'Oh,
geez, I've got to go to work today."
The effect of the show that Pinkard sees as most important is the
interest it created in paramedic and emergency medicine.
Pinkard isn't very surprised that people are still interested in
"Emergency!" "It still has a certain value," he said. "I'm proud and
pleased to be a part of this." He appreciates the show's following and is
hearing from more fans than ever, thanks to the internet, he said.
After "Emergency!" Pinkard played Detective Sgt. Dodson on
"General Hospital" for five years. Because of his experience as an actor
he then became the Navy's Hollywood liaison and worked on movies like
"Flight of the Intruder," "Top Gun" and "Hunt for the Red October," where
he was responsible for communicating between Hollywood and the Navy and
moving everyone and everything on and off military ships and bases.
Pinkard retired from the Naval Reserves as a full commander in
1993. Since 1991 he has been Deputy Director of the Mayor's Office of
Art, Culture & Film for the city of Denver, Colo., where public safety has
been his biggest concern in overseeing projects in his area.
Pinkard is
prepared to retire from this position as the last term of the current
mayor runs out, and, "What I will do in the future," he said, "is totally
open to the imagination."
