CHINA BEACH: WAITING FOR BECKETT (TV)
Summary
One in this drama series set during the Vietnam War, which focuses on the women stationed at China Beach, a combined U.S. Armed Forces hospital and USO recreational facility located near the South China Sea. In this episode, Colleen finds a tense Beckett asleep in the morgue, while elsewhere a mysterious soldier watches as Cherry deals with some rowdy GIs. Colleen tells Boonie and the others that Beckett needs some "emergency cheering-up," and another officer, Price, questions Garreau about Kim, who works at the bar, wondering if she is "clean." The unnamed soldier sneaks into Cherry's room and reads through her letters from Rick, and Price, revealed to be an Army criminal investigator, hunts for a deserter, Filmore Cross, though Colleen defends the man's understandable fear. The soldier, obviously Cross, finds Cherry and begs for her help, saying that he is her brother's friend and is trying to escape as Rick did, though she is reluctant to break the rules. Boonie takes Beckett to the beach and attempts to give him a surfing lesson with Laurette's help, though Beckett is clearly distracted by darker worries.
Garreau attempts to counsel a fretful Cherry, and Cross tells Cherry that he needs to buy a fake passport in order to escape to Europe. At the beach, Price questions Beckett, Boonie and Laurette about the deserters, saying that they will "drag anybody down" with them in order to flee. Cherry seeks KC's help in securing the passport, swearing that Cross is not a coward and deserves her help as her brother's friend, while elsewhere Beckett plays a lonely game of poker in the morgue. Colleen finds him and attempts to engage him in conversation, admitting her own fears about Natch, who is off on an assignment. Price talks to KC at the bar and guesses that she knows something about Cross' whereabouts, and Cherry asks Beckett to allow Cross to hide in the morgue for the time being. KC and Cherry visit the unscrupulous "Mr. Cat," who doubles his price for the passport and demands $3,000, which they do not have. Boonie takes Beckett to a brothel and encourages him to enjoy himself, but Beckett is too consumed with thoughts of death to relax with the women.
KC tells Cross that they did not acquire the passport, and though he swears that his wealthy doctor father will send him money once he reaches Europe, she calls him out on his fibs and accuses him of "hustling" the big-hearted Cherry. Colleen too warns Cherry against trusting Cross, and Kim takes a sleepless Beckett to a nearby rice field, also a landmine-ridden cemetery, and offers him some wise words about honoring the dead by carrying on with one's duties despite the sorrow. Price confronts Cherry, who awkwardly claims that she knows nothing about Cross, but when Cross suggests stealing KC's jade jewelry to raise the $3,000, Cherry questions him about his so-called "friendship" with Rick and finally realizes that he has indeed been using her. He pulls on a gun on her, but Price and his men quickly arrive and capture him. As Boonie and Laurette spend a blissful night on the beach together, Cross flees from the MPs and, overwhelmed by his traumatic experiences, purposefully runs into the minefield. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: April 30, 1988 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:57:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:12823
- GENRE: Drama, medical
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, medical; Vietnam War
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1988-1991
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Alka-Seltzer antacid relief
- TV - Commercials - Breyers ice cream
- TV - Commercials - Caress soap
- TV - Commercials - Colgate Plus toothbrushes
- TV - Commercials - Hefty trash bags
- TV - Commercials - Huggies SuperTrim diapers
- TV - Commercials - Irish Spring soap
- TV - Commercials - JCPenney stores
- TV - Commercials - Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Maybelline Sheer Essentials cosmetics
- TV - Commercials - Nabsico Ritz crackers
- TV - Commercials - Neet hair remover
- TV - Commercials - Ragu tomato sauce
- TV - Commercials - Sprite soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Tampax tampons
- TV - Promos - "20/20"
- TV - Promos - "ABC Presents A Royal Gala"
- TV - Promos - "Baby M"
- TV - Promos - "China Beach" upcoming episode
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "That's Incredible" reunion show
- TV - Promos - ABC World News Tonight
- TV - Promos - The Preakness Stakes
CREDITS
- John Sacret Young … Executive Producer, Created by
- Rod Holcomb … Supervising Producer
- John Lugar … Producer
- Geno Escarrega … Co-Producer
- William Broyles Jr. … Created by
- Kevin Hooks … Director
- Terry McDonell … Writer
- Paul Chihara … Music by
- John Rubenstein … Theme Music by
- Dana Delany … Cast, Nurse Colleen McMurphy
- Nan Woods … Cast, Cherry White
- Michael Boatman … Cast, Pvt. Samuel Beckett
- Marg Helgenberger … Cast, K.C. Kolowski
- Robert Picardo … Cast, Dr. Dick Richard
- Tim Ryan … Cast, Capt. Natch Austen
- Concetta Tomei … Cast, Maj. Lila Garreau
- Brian Wimmer … Cast, Cpl. Boonie Lanier
- Chloe Webb … Cast, Laurette Barber
- Jonathan Perpich … Cast, Lt. Price
- Jay Pickett … Cast, Filmore Cross
- Marion Kodama Yue … Cast, Kim
- Réal Andrews … Cast, Patient #3
- Edward Blanchard … Cast, Donnie
- Duane Edwards … Cast, Patient #1
- Dom Magwili … Cast, Mr. Cat
- Jedd Matthieu … Cast, Radio Man
- Nancy Omi … Cast, Bar Girl
- Debi Parker … Cast, Bar Girl
- Andrew Rivas … Cast, Patient #2