Howie Mandel: Remembering Wayne Fiscus in “St. Elsewhere”

Howie Mandel as Dr. Wayne Fiscus in "St.Elsewhere".
Source: https://www.tvmaze.com/characters/
175427/st-elsewhere-dr-wayne-fiscus
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The image is indelibly burned in my brain – a twenty-something comedian blowing up a rubber glove and putting it on his head, crying something in a baby voice. I really was not that impressed, and didn’t find it funny at all.

But first impressions can be deceiving. I came to like that comedian a great deal when he played Dr. Wayne Fiscus in the medical drama “St. Elsewhere” for the entire six-season run of the series.

For most people today, Howie Mandel is a panelist on “America’s Got Talent” and its cousin “Canada’s Got Talent”, but to me he will always be Wayne Fiscus.

St. Elsewhere
There is this image in my mind of Howie Mandel in his lab coat, wearing a Boston Red Sox ball cap and his bushy black hair bulging out the sides. It was part of the advertising for his show “St. Elsewhere”, and some other shows on Channel 7 of the peasant vision dial.

Mandel played Wayne Fiscus, a young doctor who was kind of a goof, hanging out with his pal Victor Ehrlich, another goofy young doctor. The show ran from 1982 to 1988, and Mandel was there through its entire run.

I really only watched “St. Elewhere” its first season or two, but I have some strong memories of Wayne Fiscus.

He talked about his Lithuanian heritage and how his Aunt Serka escaped Lithuania.

Fiscus also chased after a nurse named Shirley Daniels, played by Ellen Bry. However, to complicate matters, he fell into the orbit of pathology resident Cathy Martin, played by Barbara Whinnery. Fiscus ended up cheating on Shirley, and I will never forget how Shirley found out. Cathy Martin worked in the morgue, where she and Fiscus had sex. Shirley smelled formaldehyde on Fiscus, and Fiscus was caught dead to right.

But eventually they would make up – and break up – again.

The rest of the decade and beyond
Howie Mandel would appear on TV’s “Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour” for a week in 1984; and provide the voice of Gizmo in the 1984 movie “Gremilns” and its sequel “Gremlins 2” in 1990. He also appeared in the movies “A Fine Mess” with Ted Danson in 1986; “Walk Like a Man” in 1987; and “Little Monsters” in 1989.

Howie Mandel continued to perform stand-up comedy and appear on TV a lot, most often as some version of himself, right up to the present day.

Parting thoughts
Howie Mandel’s career kind of mirrored Wayne Fiscus. Initially, he goofed around a lot, and was difficult to take seriously. Yet, he turned out to be a competent, skilled emergency room doctor.

The same can be said of Howie Mandel. Initially, he was more of a goof and over the top as a comedian. It made him difficult to take seriously as an actor.

Ultimately, he evolved into a competent comedian, actor and television personality.

And it all started with Wayne Fiscus.