Part "Taxi" (TV series) and part "Dr. Kildare", this very funny but often poignant 70's comedy we will often have you in hysterics but at one point, mayy have you in tears. The storyline surrounds an independent ambulance company and their wacky employees, mixed in with feminist Raquel Welch who reminds Bill Cosby, Larry Hagman and other members of the team that headlights belong on automobiles. But she also has a tender side that she shows when she gets to be part of an ambulance driving team that deals with a pregnant woman turned away from the hospital, forced to deliver the baby with a sad twist. Welch gets to be behind the wheel rather than being the dispatch secretary by threatening to sue, and indeed, she reveals that she is quite capable of doing what back then was considered a man's job.
There are a lot of great moments of slapstick, particularly involving an injured woman who accidentally flies down a flight of stairs and onto the street because of incompetence, something out of "The Disorderly Orderly", a very funny Jerry Lewis movie. The great ensemble includes Bill Cosby, Larry Hagman, Harvey Keitel and Allen Garfield, with the company manager definitely resembling Danny DeVito in "Taxi". This film covers a lot of issues while being entertaining, involving civil rights and the health industry, never lecturing the audience but certainly making some important points. Great direction by Peter Yates (who helped write the screenplay) is a plus. A big hit in its time that has been judged unjustly because of its title is one of the few films to deal with the issues of EMT's and the necessary service they provide.
There are a lot of great moments of slapstick, particularly involving an injured woman who accidentally flies down a flight of stairs and onto the street because of incompetence, something out of "The Disorderly Orderly", a very funny Jerry Lewis movie. The great ensemble includes Bill Cosby, Larry Hagman, Harvey Keitel and Allen Garfield, with the company manager definitely resembling Danny DeVito in "Taxi". This film covers a lot of issues while being entertaining, involving civil rights and the health industry, never lecturing the audience but certainly making some important points. Great direction by Peter Yates (who helped write the screenplay) is a plus. A big hit in its time that has been judged unjustly because of its title is one of the few films to deal with the issues of EMT's and the necessary service they provide.