Characters / Trapper John, M.D.

San Francisco Memorial Staff

Dr. "Trapper" John McIntyre, M.D.

Portrayed by: Pernell Roberts

A veteran of The Korean War, now Chief of Surgery at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. A freewheeling hotshot doctor in his younger days, age and the weight of responsibility have mellowed him significantly.

See here for tropes applicable to his time in Korea.

Tropes:

• Adaptational Backstory Change: In the original novel, film, and TV series, he was from Boston, but it's implied that this version of Trapper has always lived in San Francisco.
• Adaptational Name Change: A minor one, but in every other appearance his full name has been John Francis Xavier McIntyre, while here his middle name begins with a T.
• Badasses Wear Bandanas: He seems to think so, as he wears one nearly every time we see him active despite lacking the hair to tie back with it.
• Bald of Authority
• Carpet of Virility: He refuses to have his ribs taped after an injury in one episode because he dreads the thought of removing it.
• Cool Old Guy: Surgical skills aside, the man is pushing 60 and drives flashy cars, has a lavishly furnished house and a taste for nice suits and leather jackets, knows martial arts, has interests running the gamut from opera to basketball, and is adored by his younger colleagues.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Roughly twice Gonzo's age.
• Mentor in Sour Armor: Serves this role to the younger staff members, particularly Gonzo. He'll be the first to warn them of the unfortunate realities of the situation at hand, but he always has the best interests of his team and their patients at heart.
• Older and Wiser: He's had a lot of growing up to do since his time in Korea.
• Reasonable Authority Figure
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: A source of frequent tension between him and Gonzo. It's often revealed after Gonzo reads him his rights that Trapper has already set in motion his own plan to fix the current problem.

Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, M.D.

Portrayed by: Gregory Harrison

A passionate young upstart surgeon who Trapper takes on as something of a protege after learning that he also served in a MASH unit in Vietnam. He retires from medicine after suffering a stroke midway through Season 7, which ultimately spelled the end of the series.

Tropes:

• Ambiguously Bi: There's no question of his attraction to women, but his relationship with Trapper at times seems to border on the sexual, and, as we find out in "Straight and Narrow", homophobia is a particular Berserk Button of his. Lampshaded in the same episode when a high-profile case involving a gay patient kicks up an inquiry into the orientations of hospital staff. He and Trapper fall under immediate suspicion, even before they're seen walking arm-in-arm and bickering about domestic chores, and Gonzo later knowingly taking Stanley to a gay bar to meet someone (work-related, but he never clarifies). By the end of the episode the apparent misconception has yet to be corrected, and Gonzo gives a vague answer when his girlfriend asks why he became so emotionally invested in this particular case.
  • He gives a similar non-answer in "BOOM!" when Trapper responds to his mention of a "beautiful cop"^note the cop in question is a woman, which was still quite rare at the time with a coy "Is there something about you I don't know?"
• Base on Wheels: He lives in a beat-up motorhome in the hospital parking lot, dubbed "The Titanic".
• Briar Patching: A favorite technique of his in dealing with uncooperative patients.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Gonzo is hot-headed, unpredictable, and idealistic, but he's a damn good doctor.
• The Casanova: His love life is the source of much hospital gossip. He gets as far as proposing in "That Old Gang Of Mine", but his relationships always fall through for one reason or another by the end of the episode because Status Quo Is God.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Something his friends tease him for frequently, but he's almost always vindicated by the end of the episode.
• Deceptive Legacy: Learns in "King of the Road" that the father he'd spent nearly 30 years hating for abandoning him and his mother had in fact tried to keep the family together, and it was his mother who refused to go with him.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: His long, unkempt curls from the first season are gradually reined in over the years as he matures.
• Ignored Expert: His outside-the-box answers to patients' problems are often shot down by those in authority, or the patients themselves, leading him to take things into his own hands.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Roughly half Trapper's age.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: In "King of the Road", an eccentric patient admitted under a false name is revealed to be George Gates Sr., who walked out on the family 27 years earlier. Not only is the truth more complicated than he thought (see Deceptive Legacy), but the man turns out to have terminal cancer.
  Gonzo: He never gave me a chance to love him, and now he won't even let me hate him.
• Mr. Fanservice: He frequently appears onscreen in very little clothing.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: The only person who ever calls him George is his mother. When formal introductions are called for he defaults to G. Alonzo or simply Alonzo. Given that he's named after his Disappeared Dad, this may not be surprising.
• Rare Blood Type: Fitting for a man with Chronic Hero Syndrome, he's O-, a universal donor.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: His modus operandi.
• Trademark Favorite Drink: His fondness for wine is one of the things he and Trapper bond over.

Dr. Stanley Riverside II, M.D.

Portrayed by: Charles Siebert

The persnickety Chief of Emergency Services, whose father is Chairman of SFM's Board of Directors. Marries dentist E.J. Willoughby in the Season 4 two-parter "Truth and Consequences". Their son, Stanley Riverside III, is born the next season.

Tropes:

• Ancestral Name: Although he's named after his father, he's 'the Second' rather than 'Junior', presumably because it sounds fancier. His son, naturally, is Stanley Riverside the Third.
• Defrosting Ice King: Begins the series as a straightforward antagonist (much in the vein of Frank Burns), but he softens over time as he grows closer to the rest of the cast and begins to seek independence from his father.
• Dr. Jerk: Fits the arrogant-but-dedicated mold.
  • As the series progresses he proves himself to be a Dr. Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
• Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: In "Straight and Narrow", when Gonzo reveals that he's taken him to a gay bar, he makes his exit while loudly proclaiming that he's going to see his (non-existent) girlfriend.
• Lonely Rich Kid: The kind that never grew up. He claims he was "dearly loved" as a child, but only describes the ways his father provided for him materially. He was raised almost entirely by his nanny, and when she reappears in his adult life it's as part of a plan to scam him out of a large sum of money by preying on his longing for a mother figure.
• Non-Idle Rich: His father being Chairman of the Board is no coincidence, but it's clear that Stanley doesn't need the money he makes as a doctor, especially in the unglamorous world of emergency work. His desire to help people is genuine.
• The Unseen: His father, Stanley Riverside Sr..
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Desperately wants his father's approval. Much of his Character Development is about him breaking away from this mindset, establishing a life and identity of his own and admitting to himself that he's been emotionally neglected his entire life.

Ernestine Shoop, R.N.

Portrayed by: Madge Sinclair

Trapper's scrub nurse following Starch's retirement, later promoted to Nursing Supervisor. An immigrant from Jamaica, she was running a successful line of gyms when Trapper convinced her to rejoin the world of medicine.

Tropes:

• Black Boss Lady: A successful businesswoman when we first meet her, she becomes this again when she's put in charge of the nurses.
• If It Tastes Bad, It Must Be Good for You: Only takes the job on the condition that Trapper take better care of his own health, particularly by drinking vegetable juice, which he always protests.
• Mama Bear: Don't mess with her nurses.
• Pom-Pom Girl: Was one in her youth.
• Twofer Token Minority: Black, and one of two women in the main cast.

Gloria Brancusi, R.N.

Portrayed by: Christopher Norris

A socially-conscious nurse at San Francisco Memorial whose kind heart sometimes gets her in over her head.

Tropes:

• '80s Hair: Goes through several of these styles over the years, including a mullet for most of Season 5.
• Cassandra Truth: Multiple episode plots involve her telling the doctors one of these.
  Trapper: Gloria... Have you been smoking those funny little cigarettes?
• Children Raise You: Faces a steep learning curve when she decides to adopt Andrea, a precocious, chronically ill orphan who had given up on finding a permanent home.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Blonde and attractive, and compassionate to a fault.
• Hospital Hottie: Downplayed. Originally given the nickname "Ripples" in reference to her figure, but by the end of the first season, the nickname was dropped.
• Love Hurts: The poor girl does not have good luck in the romance department.
• M.D. Envy: Gets accused of this in "Supernurse" after receiving a certification that allows her to provide more advanced cardiac care without a doctor present.
• Soapbox Sadie: She can frequently be seen wearing a campaign badge for some noble cause or another, and gets upset when a new, stricter dress code forbids them.
  • In "Cause For Concern", she breaks up with her long-term boyfriend (whom she had been planning to leave SFM to move to Omaha with) after he tells her not to bring up the Equal Rights Amendment when she meets his conservative parents.
• You Go, Girl!: One of the better athletes on the staff, and resents not being taken seriously for it on account of her gender.

Dr. Justin "Jackpot" Jackson, M.D.

Portrayed by: Brian Stokes Mitchell (credited as Brian Mitchell)

A resident in the Emergency Department at San Francisco Memorial who can be found hustling whenever he's not working (and sometimes even then).

Tropes:

• Alliterative Name: Justin Jedediah Jackson.
• Black and Nerdy
• The Gambling Addict: He's always looking for a way to make a wager, hence the nickname.
• The Intern: Technically only until he takes his board exams in "Second Sight", at which point he becomes a full-fledged resident, but he's still The Baby of the Bunch until J.T. enters the picture.
• The Lancer: Usually the first to back Gonzo's latest scheme, especially the ones that Trapper can't be seen supporting.
• The Whitest Black Guy: Accused of this a handful of times, in part due to being mixed-race.

Dr. John "J.T." McIntyre, M.D.

Portrayed by: Timothy Busfield

Trapper's son, introduced in Season 6 upon his graduation from medical school. After an over-the-top prank costs him a prestigious internship, Trapper gets him a spot on the staff of San Francisco Memorial.

Tropes:

• Class Clown: Like his father before him.
• One-Steve Limit: Goes by "J.T." to mitigate some of the confusion of having two John McIntyres running around, but there is still a gag in his debut episode where he and Trapper both arrive upon hearing a page for "Dr. McIntyre".
• Spin-Offspring: In keeping with the film's continuity rather than that of the TV series, he was born after Trapper returned to the States from Korea.

Clara "Starch" Willoughby, R.N.

Portrayed by: Mary McCarty

Trapper's scrub nurse at the beginning of the series, who has worked with him since Korea. Gets married and moves away sometime before the start of Season 2, as actress Mary McCarty passed away shortly after production finished on the first season.

Tropes:

• Improbably Predictable: After knowing Trapper as long as she has, she has his habits down to a science.
• Like an Old Married Couple: With Trapper.
• Quitting to Get Married: Gets married and retires to Sacramento between the first and second seasons.
• Remember the New Guy?: Said to have worked in the same MASH unit as Trapper in Korea, but neither the film nor the series had a nurse that went by Starch.
• Sassy Secretary: Not actually Trapper's secretary (something he points out to her in "Have You Hugged Your Nurse Today?"), but she fits the archetype.

Arnold Slocum

Portrayed by: Simon Scott

San Francisco Memorial's Chief Administrator and supplier of bureaucratic red tape.

Tropes:

• Obstructive Bureaucrat: As the man responsible for allocating the hospital's funds, this is his primary role.

Relatives

Melanie McIntyre (neé Townsend)

Portrayed by: Jessica Walter

Trapper's ex-wife, with whom he is still very much emotionally involved.

Tropes:

• Amicable Exes: It's noted several times that she and Trapper get along better now than when they were married. Even after he's fulfilled his alimony payments, they keep in regular contact, and they celebrate the anniversary of their divorce with many of the same traditions they once celebrated on their wedding anniversary.
  Starch:: Screwiest divorce I've ever seen.
• Empty Nest: "Quarantine" and "A Family Affair" both see her struggling with this.
• Sex with the Ex: At least once.

Dr. E.J. Riverside, D.D.S. (neé Willoughby)

Portrayed by: Marcia Rodd

Stanley's wife as of the Season 4 episode "Truth and Consequences", a free-spirited dentist from a very different walk of life. In Season 5, she gives birth to their son, Stanley Riverside III.

Tropes:

• Maternity Crisis: Goes into labor three weeks early with Stanley nowhere to be found, as he's disappeared without telling anyone to attempt to prove a point by running a marathon.
• M.D. Envy: Feeling unfulfilled in general dentistry, she considers taking a residency at UCLA in dental surgery.

Only Known By Their Initials: Ethel Jean isn't her style.

• Same Surname Means Related: Presumably Averted in relation to Starch, though it never comes up as the latter had left the cast long before E.J.'s introduction.
• Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Fills this dynamic with the much more reserved Stanley.
• Sweet Tooth: Ironically, given her profession.
• Unabashed B-Movie Fan: Attempts to take Stanley to a horror movie on their first date.

Andrea

Portrayed by: Robin Ignico

Gloria's adoptive daughter. Introduced as a troublesome frequent patient at SFM, her age and chronic illness had led her to give up hope of a permanent home when Gloria decided to take her in.

Tropes:

• Little Miss Snarker: Has quite the attitude, especially when we first meet her.
• Mommy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Meets her biological mother in "Mother Load", now a successful businesswoman, then a young single mother without the resources to take care of a severely ill child. Andrea forces her to show her true colors by faking an episode, where she again gets cold feet while Gloria refuses to leave her side, dispelling any question of who Andrea belongs with.