The story behind Jack "Boomer" Morrison's nickname, which was inspired by NBC network executives.
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| Clancy (Helen Hunt) meets Boomer (David Morse). |
In "
Hello, Goodbye", the finale of season two, recently-widowed Dr. Jack Morrison (
David Morse), having just barely managed to qualify for the second year of the residency program at St. Eligius, spends a day on the town with his son, Pete. While out and about, he meets a pretty and charming college student named Clancy Williams (
Helen Hunt), who is gathering signatures on a petition for nuclear disarmament. Jack asks, "What is this?", and Clancy replies, "What does it look like, Boomer? It's a petition." They begin a relationship that carries into season three, with a brief re-connection in season four. When Clancy meets the other doctors, she refers to Jack by her pet name for him, "Boomer". The staff picks up on it, and Jack gets referred to as Boomer on and off throughout the rest of the series.
In season three's "
My Aim is True", repeat patient Mrs. Hufnagel (
Florence Halop) introduces herself to a candidate for the position of Dr. Auschlander's assistant, and gives her the lowdown on what really goes on at St. Eligius. "Sodom and Gomorrah. You name it, the doctors at St. Eligius do it. That bleach-blond, Ehrlich, he used to get his jollies by tying up his ex-wife. There's no shame around here. They've even got a doctor here named 'Boomer'." The implication is that Clancy gave him the nickname because of his prowess in the sack. However, we've seen that she started calling him that before they knew each other in the biblical sense.
There's a behind-the-scenes explanation though, and it turns out "Boomer" is an inside joke. From the DVD commentary for "
Cora and Arnie", with producer
Mark Tinker and Emmy-winning guest star
Doris Roberts:
