And I think the show missed its moment by having to wait so long for the music rights. A lot of what was new then doesn't seem so new now. I'm new to it, and, frankly, it's 25 years old. I am not going to claim to be an expert on the show. Some are better fleshed out than others, but each is believably portrayed.
Other characters came and went, but most stories involved this core. And Brian Wimmer is Boonie Lanier, an amiable Marine who serves as a lifeguard on the beach. Jeff Kobler is Dodger Winslow, a scary, silent Marine. Concetta Tomei is Lila Garreau, who oversees entertainment that's crucial to rest and recreation. Robert Picardo (with hair!) is Dick Richard, a womanizing surgeon.
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Michael Boatman is Samuel Beckett, who runs the Graves Registration Unit at the base.
Koloski, a sometime prostitute who's in Vietnam to strike it rich. Her character is loosely based on Lynda Van Devanter, whose book Home Before Morning served as the inspiration for the show. Delaney played Colleen McMurphy, a nurse. The show was always respectful to the real people who had served in Souvenirs, from the third season, interviews with real-life veterans work into the story.ĭelany anchored the show, but like ER later (John Wells served as an executive producer for both), every character had his or her turn in the spotlight eventually. Plus, it often told its stories from the perspective of the women involved.
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The writing and acting are outstanding (Delany in particular shines), and the producers came up with storytelling devices that would be used in such later series as The West Wing but were genuinely innovative at the time. But I'm a sucker for military shows and movies, and was urged to give it a try.Ĭhina Beach isn't just a good show, it's a unique one, one that deserves a loftier place in the dramatic television pantheon. Too much like a M*A*S*H knockoff, I figured. (The list price starts at just under $200.)įull disclosure: I didn't own a television for most of the show's run. Motown and late '60s, early '70s rock helped paint the portrait of the experience of the men and women at war when you need Aretha Franklin's version of Respect to punctuate a scene, nothing else will do.īut finally the rights were cleared and the series became available, in a massive, pricey boxed set. Music rights, as is often the case with a DVD delay, were the issue, and in this case, the music is crucial to the show. If you have a hankering for Seinfeld or All in the Family, buy the boxed set or stream it. Most shows of note have been available on DVD for a long time. Although it was never a ratings hit, the network kept it afloat for four seasons. It racked up Emmy nominations and won a few, including two for Dana Delany for best actress in a drama and one for Marg Helgenberger for best supporting actress. It told the story of the 510th Evacuation Hospital and the people who staffed it during the Vietnam War.Ĭritics lauded the show for its intense realism and creative storytelling. and John Sacret Young, ran on ABC from 1988 to 1991.
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