On July 9th, Randolph Mantooth lost his battle with a longtime illness at the age of 89. On Saturday, he got his Last Call with his Emergency co-star and lifelong best friend, Kevin Tighe.
Tighe got in the driver’s seat of Squad 51, which is part of the Los Angeles County Fire Museum, and placed his friend’s ashes on the seat beside him. Then, DeSoto and Gage departed Station 127, where Emergency was shot, one last time, as a man played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.
Why would an actor get such a tribute? Back in 1972, there were only a few paramedic squads stationed throughout the country. But as the show’s popularity grew, so did the number of paramedics. Something we all take for granted in a time of need actually came from a television show.
But it was much more than a television show for Mantooth and Tighe; the two continued to be part of the firefighter family even after the show ended its first run in 1979.
In fact, the two actors recently worked as producers on the documentary Into the Unknown, which followed the lives of paramedics.
Emergency, which still airs in syndication, has saved millions of lives since it debuted 54 years ago. Therefore, the LA County Fire Department wanted to give one of their own a proper sendoff. And that is what he got.
I am not going to lie; it brought a tear to my eye because Emergency is one of my favorite shows. So when I learned about its legacy, I loved it even more, and I loved the actors who were part of it.
You probably didn’t know this, but Universal Hollywood has its own fire station, and the truck and squad go by 51. So every time I see them come down to my neighborhood, I get a little smile on my face. Then, I look to see if Gage and DeSoto are behind the wheel. But they were never there. And now, I will never know what it would have been like to see Randolph Mantooth, who had the best name in Hollywood, in person.
Thank you, Mr. Mantooth, for your service.
