More about Berton Roueche...

We talked about Berton Roueche and The Medical Detectives in class today, and one of the things that came up was the pacing of the stories (well, of the one we read for class, " ").  The general understanding seemed to be that an editor today would really slash the pieces to give them a faster pace.  I guess that is true, but I couldn't help but think about "House, M.D.," where the stories are, in a lot of ways, just as slow to unravel (all those false starts, dead ends, and red herrings [off-topic: where does the phrase "red herring" come from?  I will need to check]), but they just jazz up the narrative with pretty faces & bodies, and mildly salacious bits.  And generally a more dramatic opener, I guess.  But I really kind of like Roueche's understated tone.  In any case, I got a little distracted in class wondering just how much the House writers and creators were influenced by Roueche (turns out liquid forms of caffeine are not, in fact, substitutes for food - after a day of iced coffee & Coke, and some pretzels, when my head wasn't spinning, it was wandering!), and thought I would look it up when I got home.  The results of my search (God bless Google and Wikipedia, how did I waste time before?) are below, and the full entry is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)

Conception

In 2004, co-creators David Shore and Paul Attanasio, along with Attanasio's business partner Katie Jacobs, pitched the show (untitled at the time) to Fox as a CSI-style medical detective program,[3] a hospital whodunit in which the doctors investigated symptoms and their causes.[4] Attanasio was inspired to create a medical procedural drama by The New York Times Magazine column "Diagnosis", written by physician Lisa Sanders.[5] Fox bought the series, though the network's then-president, Gail Berman, told the creative team, "I want a medical show, but I don't want to see white coats going down the hallway".[6] Jacobs has said that this stipulation was one of the many influences that led to the show's ultimate form.[6]


After Fox picked up the show, it acquired the working title Chasing Zebras, Circling the Drain[7] ("zebra" is medical slang for an unusual or obscure diagnosis).[8] The original premise of the show was of a team of doctors working together trying to "diagnose the undiagnosable".[9] Shore felt it was important to have an interesting central character, one who could examine patients' personal characteristics and diagnose their ailments by figuring out their secrets and lies.[9] As Shore and the rest of the creative team explored the character's possibilities, the program concept became less of a procedural and more focused upon the lead role.[10] The character was named "House", which was adopted as the show's title as well.[7] Shore developed the characters further and wrote the script for the pilot episode.[3] Bryan Singer, who directed the pilot episode and had a major role in casting the primary roles, has said that the "title of the pilot was 'Everybody Lies', and that's the premise of the show".[10] Shore has said that the central storylines of several early episodes were based on the work of Berton Roueché, a staff writer for The New Yorker between 1944 and 1994, who specialized in features about unusual medical cases.[4]

Shore traced the concept for the title character to his experience as a patient at a teaching hospital.[11] Shore recalled that, "I knew, as soon as I left the room, they would be mocking me relentlessly [for my cluelessness] and I thought that it would be interesting to see a character who actually did that before they left the room".[12] A central part of the show's premise was that the main character would be disabled in some way.[13] The original idea was for House to use a wheelchair, but Fox rejected this. Jacobs later expressed her gratitude for the network's insistence that the character be reimagined—putting him on his feet added a crucial physical dimension.[10] The writers ultimately chose to give House a damaged leg arising from an incorrect diagnosis, which requires him to use a cane and causes him pain that leads to a narcotic dependency.[13]

1. ^ Mitovich, Matt (July 28, 2009). "Fox Moves Up Two Fall Premieres; Plus a Glee Video Preview". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/News/FallTV-Fox-changes-1008485.aspx. Retrieved July 28, 2009.



2. ^ Challen, p. 41.


3. ^ a b c Frum, Linda (March 14, 2006). "Q&A with 'House' creator David Shore". Maclean's. Rogers Communications. http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=20060320_123370_123370. Retrieved January 2, 2007.


4. ^ a b Gibson, Stacey (March 2008). "The House That Dave Built". University of Toronto Magazine (University of Toronto). http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/cover-story/the-house-that-dave-built/. Retrieved April 5, 2008.


5. ^ Challen, p. 96.


6. ^ a b c d e f MacIntyre, April (November 17, 2008). "'House M.D.' interview: Katie Jacobs talks Cuddy, Cameron and House triangle". Monsters and Critics. http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1443308.php. Retrieved January 6, 2009.


7. ^ a b c d e f "House… and Holmes". Radio Times (BBC Magazines Ltd.): p. 57. January 2006. http://www.radiotimes.com/content/show-features/house/house-and-holmes-parallels/.


8. ^ a b c d e f Jensen, Jeff (April 6, 2007). "Full 'House'". Entertainment Weekly: pp. 44–47. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20016394,00.html. Retrieved April 10, 2009.


9. ^ a b c d Jacobs, Katie; Laurie, Hugh; Shore, David; Singer, Bryan. (2005). House Season One, The Concept. [DVD]. Universal Studios.


10. ^ a b c Werts, Diane (January 29, 2009). "Fox's medical marvel stays on top". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117999278.html?categoryid=3530&cs=1. Retrieved April 5, 2009.


11. ^ a b c Jensen, Jeff (April 8, 2005). "Dr. Feelbad". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1043940,00.html. Retrieved December 7, 2008.


12. ^ a b Shore, David (2006). "Developing The Concept". Hulu.com. The Paley Center for Media. http://www.hulu.com/watch/21606/house-house---developing-the-concept#s-p2-st-i1. Retrieved September 16, 2008.