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NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > E.R. LIVES ON IN THE MIND OF CHICAGO MAN
E.R. LIVES ON IN THE MIND OF CHICAGO MAN
November 12 2009
Chicago, IL – Television is still a relatively young entertainment medium. It was only a little over fifty years ago that the square box really started to move into the mainstream and has, in that short life, become a fundamental part of our day-to-day 
society. The ubiquity that television has enjoyed has only been matched by profits for television and film executives who have mastered the form like no other in history, maximizing revenues and providing audiences with countless hours of entertainment.
Throughout that short history there have only been a handful of programs that have truly stood out as legendary, both for their popularity and their influence on the medium. ‘The Honeymooners’, ‘All in the Family’, and ‘The Cosby Show’ are just a few of those programs that have helped to shape the format. In the middle part of the 1990’s another show, ‘E.R.’ came on the scene and did what all great shows have done. It
revolutionized the medium, it enjoyed massive popularity, and it made stars of its cast. Eventually, like everything, that had to come to an end, something that happened to the program at the end of last year’s television season. For one Chicago man though it’s as though the program never really ended as it continues to live in his heart and head despite its demise. 
“I watched the show from the very beginning. I still remember that first episode. I was only thirteen but it was the most important thing in my life leading up to the first episode. September 19, 1994, the day that really changed my life forever. I really didn’t realize then how big and important it would be,” said Michael Kenber. “I still have a huge amount of affection for the original cast. Those early episodes still have this kind of resonance in my heart that I don’t think will ever go away. I loved all the casts and all the episodes but it’s those first ten or so episodes that still really get me. They still have the power to just bring me to tears just by thinking about them.”
Kenber has met the majority of the cast members of the show but his one favourite, Eriq La Salle, has consistently eluded his affections.
“The character of Peter Benton has this kind of resonance with me that none of the others have. I don’t know what it is. I’m not black but I still identify so strongly with him, with the way he was, it almost feels like he could have been my brother, or at least my best friend. I’ve got autographs from almost every major and minor character on the show including Doug Ross, but I’ve never been able to get near Peter,” continued Kenber. “There are a lot of other characters that I liked and some that I hated at the beginning and eventually grew to love, like Rocket Romano. He was so mean and nasty at the beginning but eventually you started to understand him. I was actually sad when he lost his arms and then died something I didn’t think would happen at the beginning.”
Doug Ross was portrayed by actor George Clooney for the first five seasons. Rocket Romano was portrayed by actor Paul McCrane for six seasons.
“I was certainly sad when the show came to an end but I knew it was going to happen and I had learned to accept that before the end actually came. It’s was still sad on that last day but I’m a grown up and a realist and I fully understood that things eventually needed to end,” continued Kenber. “I have all the DVD’s, of course, and I regularly visit websites about the shows. Ultimately, though the show lives on inside me. I can still replay most of the episodes in my head, word for word. That’s something that I will be able to pass down to my children, and that they will be able to pass down to their children. That’s gift that I can give to them and it’s the least I can do for the show that gave me so much.”
Eriq La Salle was not available for comment.
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
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