''China Beach'' is an American war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by American and Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War. The series originally ran on ABC for four seasons from April 27, 1988 to July 22, 1991.

Overview

Created by William Broyles Jr. and

John Sacret Young John Sacret Young (May 24, 1946 – June 3, 2021) was an American author, producer, director, and screenwriter primarily in television, perhaps best known for his work on the show '' China Beach''. Young was nominated for seven Emmys and seven ...

, the series looks at the Vietnam War from the perspectives of the women, military personnel and civilians who were present during the conflict. John Wells took over most of the series beginning with the second season and many of the show's cast members appeared later on another Wells production, '' ER''. Set at the fictitious 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R facility (the "Five-and-Dime"), the series' cast of characters includes US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers and civilian personnel (American, French, and Vietnamese). The series also features the experiences of the characters when they return to the United States, either on leave or at the end of their tours of duty. The show does not shy away from showing the brutality of war; it provides a gritty view of the experience and its aftermath. The show was inspired in part by the book '' Home Before Morning'' (1983) written by the former U.S. Army Nurse Lynda Van Devanter. The show's character Nurse Colleen McMurphy roughly follows Van Devanter's experiences as a nurse in Vietnam. The book takes the reader from Van Devanter's wish to serve her country through the adventure she thought her deployment to Vietnam would be, her culture shock upon returning to "the States", and her struggles with PTSD. The show was cancelled before it could fully address McMurphy's PTSD issues. Van Devanter died in 2002.

Cast

* Dana Delany as First Lieutenant (later

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) Colleen McMurphy, USA – a Catholic girl from

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, and army nurse with the 510th Evac Hospital in Vietnam during the late 1960s. A composite of various real-life Vietnam War nurses, the character illustrates their courage, kindness, and sacrifices during the war, as well as the severe emotional scarring of noncombatant personnel during and following military service; several episodes feature the veterans in their own words, intercut with the storyline. Delany won two Emmy awards for the role. * Nan Woods as Cherry White (seasons 1–2) – a naive Red Cross volunteer ("doughnut dolly") from Iowa, she comes to China Beach to search for her brother Rick, a

Marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

Infantryman, who was reported MIA after the Battle of Khe Sanh. She dies midway through the second season during the Tet Offensive in January 1968. * Michael Boatman as SP5 Samuel Beckett, USA – a draftee and a preacher's son from North Carolina, he works in the Graves Registration unit at China Beach. His job makes him unpopular with most of the other servicemen. * Marg Helgenberger as Karen Charlene "K.C." Koloski – a cynical part-time

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

and civilian volunteer, she comes to China Beach seeking to make her own wealth and fortune. * Robert Picardo as

Dick Richard, USA – a head surgeon and womanizer dealing with being drafted into Army and away from his family, he worked as an OB-GYN when he was a civilian. * Tim Ryan as

Bartholomew "Natch" Austen, USAF (regular in season 1; recurring in season 2) – a jet fighter pilot and McMurphy's love interest. * Concetta Tomei as

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Lila Garreau, USA – a World War II veteran, she is the career Army commanding officer of China Beach. * Brian Wimmer as Corporal Boonwell "Boonie" Lanier, USMC – the friendly China Beach

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and manager of the Jet Set Club. * Jeff Kober as

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

Evan "Dodger" Winslow, USMC – a moody

Marine Force Reconnaissance Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance compa ...

operative, he serves and fights in the jungle mainly to keep other servicemen in his platoon alive. He constantly displays the " thousand-yard stare", a blank facial expression common among soldiers who have seen too much death and destruction in battle. He is a friend of Boonie, McMurphy, and Cherry. * Chloe Webb as Laurette Barber (season 1) – a USO singer from Paoli, Pennsylvania, she is determined to make it big. *

Megan Gallagher Megan Gallagher (born February 6, 1960) is an American theater and television actress. Having studied at the Juilliard School under the supervision of John Houseman, Gallagher began her career on stage, and has appeared in several Broadway theat ...

as Airman Wayloo Marie Holmes, USAF (season 2) – a reporter for the Armed Services Network, she is seeking a career as a world-famous reporter. * Nancy Giles as Private Franklin "Frankie" Bunsen, USA (seasons 2–4) – a female private, she was assigned to the China Beach motor pool. *

Ned Vaughn Ned Vaughn (born November 20, 1964) is an American film and television actor who served as vice president of the Screen Actors Guild prior to becoming the founding executive vice president of SAG-AFTRA. He resigned that position on 21 August 201 ...

Specialist Specialist may refer to: Occupations * Specialist (rank), a military rank ** Specialist (Singapore) * Specialist (arena football) * Specialist degree, in academia * Specialty (medicine) * Designated market maker, in the American stock market * ...

Jeff Hyers, USA (season 3; guest appearances in seasons 2 and 4) – a good-natured combat medic from Georgia, he is killed in action midway through the third season during a routine patrol. * Troy Evans as Sergeant First Class Bob Pepper, USA (seasons 3–4) – a World War II veteran, he is a driver, mechanic, and

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

in charge of the motor pool. He becomes romantically involved with Lila Garreau, whom he later marries. * Ricki Lake as Holly Pelegrino (season 3) – she is a sharp-witted Red Cross volunteer. * guest role: Nancy Sinatra appeared in the first-season finale, re-creating USO concerts she performed for U.S. troops in 1966 and 1967.

Episodes

Over four seasons from 1988 to 1991, the series aired 61 episodes and one pilot movie.

Production

The title sequence theme song was " Reflections" by Diana Ross & the Supremes (the episode "Phoenix" instead used " We Gotta Get out of This Place" by Eric Burdon with

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Reception

''China Beach'' was a critically lauded, but poorly rated series. ABC persisted 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 scheduling, Dana Delany was eligible for (and ultimately won) a Best Actress

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

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.

Awards and nominations

Syndication

''China Beach'' debuted in rerun syndication on the women-focused

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

, on November 4, 1991.

Home media

Before being released on DVD, the series' only home video release was the 97 minute pilot movie on Warner Home Video, in 1990 (cat no. 11971). In December 2012, it was announced that the series, among the most-requested television shows not available through either VHS or DVD following its broadcast run, would be issued on DVD in a box set (including new interviews with cast members and various bonus features) and released on April 15, 2013, through StarVista Entertainment (affiliated with TimeLife). The collection includes 302 songs heard during the series. To mark the show's 25th anniversary, a 21-disc collector's set was released October 1, 2013. Music rights long delayed the release on DVD. More than 250 songs were licensed; seventeen could not be, and were either deleted or replaced.

Possible follow-up novel

John Sacret Young stated prior to the show's October 2013 DVD release that he was working on a follow-up novel, titled ''Reflections'', in which Colleen, now in her 60s and recently widowed, returned to Vietnam and reconnected with the retired Dick Richards and venture capitalist K.C. Koloski. Young had also hoped to adapt it into a TV movie. However, the novel was never published.

References

External links