China Beach
- For the San Francisco, California beach of the same name, see Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
- For the historical Vietnamese beach of the same name, see China Beach.
| China Beach | |
|---|---|
 China Beach Cast | |
| Created by | John Wells and John Sacret Young |
| Starring | Dana Delany Nan Woods |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 64 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | April 26, 1988 – July 22, 1991 |
China Beach is the name of an American award-winning and highly acclaimed dramatic television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to a beach in Vietnam. The ABC TV drama aired for three years (four TV seasons), from 1988 to 1991.
Overview of television series
Created by William Broyles, Jr. and John Sacret Young, the series looks at the Vietnam War from a unique perspective: that of the women, military and civilian, who were present during the conflict. John Wells took over most of the series beginning with the second season — many of the show's cast members would appear later on the Wells-produced series, ER.
Set in a Vietnam locale called China Beach, at the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R (the "Five-and-Dime" Rest & Recreation) facility, the cast of characters includes US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers, and civilian personnel (American, French, and Vietnamese). Very often, however, the series features the experiences of the characters when returning to the U.S., either on leave or at the end of their tour of duty.
The show did not shy away from showing the gruesomeness of war, providing a very gritty view of the experience there.
The producers of the show sought out advice from former Army nurses stationed in Vietnam, notably Diane Carlson Evans.
Unusual story-telling methods were sometimes used: scenes presented in reverse chronology; insertion of animated cartoons to express a character's state of mind; alternating between interviews with former military nurses and scripted scenes; and a visit by the cast to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C..
China Beach was a critically lauded but poorly rated series. ABC stuck with the show for four seasons, but the final season was put on hiatus in fall 1990 and did not air its finale until July 22, 1991. As a result of the strange scheduling, Dana Delany was eligible for (and ultimately won) a Best Actress Emmy in the fall of 1992, a year after the series broadcast its final episode and over a year-and-a-half after many of the scenes were filmed.
Cast
- Dana Delany - 1LT Colleen McMurphy, U.S.A (later promoted to Captain)
- Nan Woods - Cherry White, 1988-1989
- Michael Boatman - SP4 Samuel Beckett, U.S.A
- Marg Helgenberger - Karen Charlene "K.C." Koloski
- Robert Picardo - CPT Dick Richard, U.S.A
- Tim Ryan - CPT Natch Austen, U.S.A , 1988
- Concetta Tomei - MAJ Lila Garreau, U.S.A
- Brian Wimmer - Cpl. Boonie Lanier, U.S.M.C
- Jeff Kober - Staff Sgt. Evan "Dodger" Winslow U.S.M.C
- Chloe Webb - Laurette Barber, 1988
- Megan Gallagher - Airman Wayloo Marie Holmes, U.S.A.F, 1988-1989
- Nancy Giles - PVT Frankie Bunsen, U.S.A
- Ned Vaughn - CPL Jeff Hyers U.S.A , 1989
- Troy Evans - SFC Bob Pepper, U.S.A , 1989-1991
- Ricki Lake - Holly Pelegrino, 1989-1990
Trivia
- The title sequence theme song was "Reflections" by Diana Ross & the Supremes, though several episodes used "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" by Katrina and the Waves with Eric Burdon instead.
- Nancy Sinatra made a guest appearance in the first season finale, recreating her concerts she performed for U.S. troops in 1966 and 1967.
- During China Beach's run, Robert Picardo had a recurring role on another ABC show, The Wonder Years, starring as Coach Cutlip, Robert F. Kennedy Junior High School's obnoxious gym teacher.
- In a 2004 episode of Law and Order: SVU, Dana Delany played Carolyn Spencer, who is accused of shooting a radio show host, B.J. Cameron (Lewis Black), to whose show Spencer objects. Delany's character is defended by Michael Boatman's defense lawyer character, Dave Seaver.
- In the second part of the two-parter, "The World," McMurphy visits a friend in San Francisco. Ironically enough, San Francisco has it's own China Beach.