30 Years Before Gibbs, Mark Harmon Played an Officer in Failed ‘Emergency!’ Spinoff

Actor Mark Harmon has had one of the most prolific careers in Hollywood, remaining a familiar face on both the big and small screens for the past four decades. He dominated the 1980s after his breakout role as Dr. Robert Caldwell on NBC’s St. Elsewhere and his beloved turn as Freddy Shoop in the classic comedy Summer School.

In what was intended as a backdoor pilot, Harmon was featured as Officer Dave Gordon in a 1975 episode titled “Wild,” which was meant to launch a new TV series of the same name about L.A. County animal control. The episode followed Harmon and his team as they dealt with escaped and mistreated animals, including a baby goat in desperate need of medical attention.The episode was directed by Webb and featured blaxploitation star Albert Popwell as his partner, Officer Les Taylor. It also included a cameo by Harmon’s father, Tom Harmon, who played a newscaster.It was not Harmon’s debut, since he had previously appeared in the short-lived spinoff Ozzie’s Girls, about Ozzie and Harriet Nelson renting out a room to two young women, but given the popularity of Emergency!, his work on the drama gave his burgeoning career a boost.