A frequently underrated and long-running family series, “Dr. Christian” comes across today more as a quiet anthology of small-town life than as a straight medical drama, bringing the people of the small town of River’s End to life thru the eyes of the kindly Dr. Paul Christian (Jean Hersholt, in the role for which he is best remembered) and his sensitive nurse, Judy Price (Rosemary DeCamp). The series involved the good doctor in a wide range of dramatic situations in the lives of local residents—family crises, ill-starred romances, ethical dilemmas, and sometimes even actual illnesses—in a series of polished and well-written productions that still have the power to engross listeners some sixty years after their original broadcast.
