CHINA BEACH: CHAO ONG {FIRST SEASON FINALE} (TV)
Summary
The first season finale 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, Nancy Sinatra performs at a USO show as Laurette tells Boonie about her dreams of stardom as they spend an enjoyable day at the beach. Colleen is surprised when a seemingly unmarked dead body is brought into her hospital, and as she and Natch attempt to spend some private time together, she learns that the body has mysteriously gone missing. Laurette tries to persuade Colleen to go swimming late at night, though Colleen is reluctant to go against regulations. Later, they meet up with Cherry and K.C., agreeing that there are far too many men around. Laurette is excited to find that her old friend Georgia is one of Nancy Sinatra's backup singers, but Georgia coldly rebuffs her and pretends not to know her, and Laurette's dreams are set further back when she is refused a meeting with Johnny Grant.
Laurette's friends attempt to comfort her, though she declares that she has set her sights on beauty school instead and also wants to create a no-boys-allowed hangout for the women. Colleen finally spends the night with Natch, though he takes his privacy precautions too far and they end up trapped in her room, freed only when a thief comes and takes her air conditioner out of the window. Laurette admits that even her happiness with Boonie is not enough to distract her from her showbiz dreams, and Richard returns from a round of golf to needle Colleen about the missing body, hinting that she could be suspended or worse if she is found guilty. When Georgia refuses Colleen's request to let Laurette sing with Nancy, Colleen appeals directly to Grant. Laurette works on her girls' clubhouse and is overjoyed to learn from Cherry that Grant wants her on his tour, though elsewhere Colleen is sternly questioned about the missing body, with her superiors suggesting that she was derelict in her duties because of her relationship with Natch. Richard attempts to reassure her upon hearing that she has been suspended, and Laurette guesses that Colleen was the one to recommend her to Grant. She admits that she is having doubts about leaving for the tour because of Boonie and her friends at China Beach, but Colleen urges her to follow her dream.
Boonie brings Laurette a farewell gift, though she soon discovers that he also gave K.C. the same dress, and though the two women agree that they have never been fond of one another, Laurette asks her to "watch out for him." As she leaves the base with Laurette, Colleen is stunned to meet Lazaro, the missing "dead body," who is actually alive and well, and Cherry, K.C. and Garreau toast to Laurette from inside her private women's space. Their Jeep breaks down outside of an orphanage, and Colleen and Laurette bond with the children inside, with Laurette explaining that she grew up in a similar place and went on to find a "home" with her close friends and loved ones. Later, Colleen decides to take Laurette's free-spirited advice and goes skinny-dipping in the ocean. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: June 8, 1988 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:25
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:55178
- GENRE: Drama, medical
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Drama; Drama, medical; Vietnam War
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1988-1991
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- John Sacret Young … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Rod Holcomb … Supervising Producer
- John Lugar … Producer
- Geno Escarrega … Co-Producer
- William Broyles Jr. … Created by, Writer
- Christopher Leitch … Director
- Paul Chihara … Music by
- John Rubenstein … Theme Music by
- Jacqui Landrum … Choreographer
- William Landrum … Choreographer
- 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
- Gail O'Grady … Cast, Georgia Lee
- Nancy Sinatra … Cast, Herself
- Johnny Grant … Cast, Himself
- Paul Ben-Victor … Cast, Lazaro
- Linda Hoy … Cast, Nurse Beaverbrook
- Susan Krebs … Cast, Nurse Danton
- Sanford Clark … Cast, Air Conditioner Thief
- David Cloud … Cast, G.I. #2
- April Hong … Cast, Orphan Girl
- Karen Huie … Cast, Sister Thuan
- Aaron Lustig … Cast, Dr. Darrow
- John Mariano … Cast, Wakefield
- Sean Moloney … Cast, G.I. #1
- David Officer … Cast, G.I. #3
- Michael K. Woods … Cast, Mike Agnone