MovieChat Forums > China Beach (1988) Discussion > China Beach: Why do you love it?

China Beach: Why do you love it?

posted 19 years ago by XavierInVanCity
17 replies | jump to latest

I started this because I have only recently become a fan of the show.

I'm only 16, and so I never saw this when it was first running. I first saw it when I came home and was surfing, and I saw the opening credits for China Beach.

I was overwhelmed by the incredibly good opening sequence.

So i decided to watch. I loved every minute of it. The acting (with Robert Picardo as a familiar face from Voyager for me) convinced me that this was one of the best shows on television ever. More interesting than MASH, smarter than Tour of Duty and presented from a generally unheard perspective of war.

My favorite episode i've seen was when Colleen McMurphy and KC were captured by VC, and Colleen was forced to operate on the cell's leader, upon learning that american shells had killed their doctor. One of those great "we arn't so different after all" episodes.

[–] Leave_it_to_Weaver 19 years ago

Yeah Frenchman, thats one of my favorite episodes too! The episode is entitled "This Good Earth" or "The Good Earth". I loved how McMurphy and KC's friendship evolved over time and this episode captures one of those moments. As much as I love actors/actresses, if you dont have excellent writing, then you dont have a good show.

[–] schapers1455 17 years ago

I don't know. It's been so long that I can't really remember why I loved it. I saw an episode of it on channel 324 or something like that last summer and while it wasn't as good as I remembered, the quality acting in it was still captivating. Besides, Dana Delany's character was cute as a button. It'll be great seeing her on Desperate Housewives next year.

R.I.P.
Everwood (2002-2006)

[–] harlemsushi 17 years ago

When the show was initially on I had the biggest crush on Colleen McMurphy and just wanted to have babies with her. :) When I tuned in and actually watched it as soon as I heard the theme song (Reflections) to the opening sequence, I was hooked. It was one of the greatest shows ever made and as soon at it gets released on DVD I will run out and buy it.

[–] mkpicazred 17 years ago

I was 9 when this show started, and I don't think I started watching it until '90 or '91, I remember I started watching it on the sly because I was babysitting for my little sister and thus without supervision could get away with watching an "adult" show. It's one of my great memories of those moments when you're a kid and you take a liking to something you can't understand until much, much later. I fell in love with it from the getgo because I love the Supremes and so they snagged me with the intro. And I remember being very enamoured of Boonie. I was scared sh**less of Dodger, and I had this ongoing debate in my head about whether or not I'd like to be McMurphy or KC in real life. Now I think to myself, "Okay, so at age 11 you were debating between being an army war nurse or a hooker/madam?!" Ah, youth. Truly excellent show tho, did some of the best representation of the conflict because it wasn't exclusively showing a bunch of hero white people all the time (I dimly remember feeling very sympathetic toward the Vietnamese citizenry even during the obligatory episode(s) where people thought to be allies were revealed to be VC, it was always done in a very, "well this is what happens to people in a war-torn country" way) and it also brought the French into play (something that is weirdly absent from a lotta lotta movies about 'Nam.) All in all a good show. And it had Ricki Lake!!! Ricki Lake guys!!!

[–] aulfla76 17 years ago

It may not have been historically accurate - as I have been told many times - but it never made any truth claims - it was just a brilliant show. Good writing. Good production values. Damn good music.

And for some reason I cared about the characters. And I began to care about what happened in Vietnam although it was 25 years too late to do anything about that situation.

And to be painfully frank I was twelve years old and Dana Delaney just made me feel all funny.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] mkpicazred 17 years ago

HA! Nice, pfarnell, nice. I agree with your critique, there was a little too much harmonica & staring out into the abyss in the later shows. In re: Jeff Kobers, yeah, a lil' too crazy but I do think that it was one of those shows that started grasping at straws since it never really hit it big.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] LittleEarthquakes 16 years ago

This show originally began airring when I was 9 years-old, and I was instantly in-love with the show. My TV watching wasn't ever really sensored at home, so my being allowed to watch this was never a problem. The writing and acting in this show are so beautifully done, the relationships, the feelings going on, were always absolutely amazing on this show and the soundtrack (which I have valued greatly through the years...I forced my dad to take my to buy it when it came out) is also really good!

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] evixir 15 years ago

Not too long after that episode first aired (I was 13 when the show started) I had a vivid nightmare that the guy who'd captured McMurphy and KC and held the gun on them opened up my bedroom door and fired a single shot right to my forehead. Scarred me for life, that one.

[–] psabin 15 years ago

I love China Beach because the writing and acting is exceptional, but it always has meant so much more to me. I was in high school as the war was escalating, and in college 1968-72. We were very aware of the war, but for those of us in college, it seemed remote. It wasn't until after college that I met and dated men who had served in Vietnam. Some seemed to have survived OK, and others had some post traumatic stress. Still, the actual details of the war experiences were not discussed much.

I don't think that I (or the American TV audience) was ready for "China Beach" until 20 years later, but we needed to see it. It must have been very lonely for those boys coming home to such a naive country after the war, and they carry those experiences, and the loneliness and isolation, all these years later.

I've been transferring some of my (very bad) VHS tapes to DVDs (why did I tape these episodes in SLP???!). I still cry during almost every episode. It's profoundly sad. I guess we'll have another "China Beach" show in twenty years, except it will be about some base in Iraq.

[–] dmoreno27 15 years ago

I think this video says it all!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-lFaYjHJe4&feature=related

Donna~

"WAR is OVER-if you want it!!!"...*John Lennon*

[–] debbiebuster2001 15 years ago

I am like the poster psabin, I grad from High school in 69. I'm not sure how many people under 30 realize how tumultuous and revolutionary these times were. We lost RFK, MLK, and the Tet offensive (escalation)in the war was in 68. When this show came on, I wasn't sure even in 88 if the US was ready to watch it. This war was so controversial and the way some of the troops were treated when they returned from Viet Nam was shamefull. And I agree with posts about the writing, acting, subject matters,cinematography, etc being what made the show as remarkable as it was.
I traded my vhs tapes for a better dvd version from a tv afficianado and I have the whole series. I have yet to watch it. I want to devote time and re-enjoy and experience this important show. It was way above the avg TV show and tv guide listed it as one of the most influential/best dramas ever. The awards, accolades, etc are a testament to that as well.
I have an orig script from the show cause I wrote the main writer and he sent it to me. Nice. These posts have prompted me to take the dvd's out and I'm going to start the series again, better than most of tv now. I'm sure it will blow me away again.

[–] dcram76 9 years ago

I've always wondered why nobody has ever heard of this show. I talked to a couple people and they said that it hit a nerve with the american public. As a writer, however, I actually preferred this show over MASH.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] huwdj 8 years ago

I don't think this show was shown in the UK. Tour of Duty turned up in a late night slot and I remember enjoying that but didn't know anyone else who watched it. I came across China Beach on IMDb because so many interesting people were in it at some time. Now that I'm watching it I'm surprised it's not more famous - and of course I'm a little in love with Nan Woods. I think it's aged better than ToD which I also watched a few episodes of recently but that could be the effect of the low budget fighting scenes when compared with more recent films.