SAND DUNES AND SCALPELS, SURFBOARDS AND SHRAPNEL,
BLUE SEA AND RED BLOOD, R&R AND CPR...
THIS OCTOBER, RETURN TO TELEVISION'S FAVORITE BEACH WITH A SPECIALLY-PRICED DVD SET OF A GROUNDBREAKING TV SERIES SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE
VIETNAM WAR
Available EXCLUSIVELY at Walmart on October 8,
This 19-Disc Set Features All 62 Complete Episodes from the Golden Globe®-Winning Series and More Than Five Hours of Bonus Programming, Including Audio Commentaries, Exclusive Interviews, Highlights from the 25th Anniversary Reunion and More!
I only heard about this release a couple weeks ago, and jumped at the opportunity to review the 19-disc set, which is available only at Walmart, as I am huge CHINA BEACH fan. If you were a child of the 70's and 80's, then you probably found yourself tuning in each week to watch CHINA BEACH, when it aired on ABC from 1988-1991. Next to the Sunday night movie night, this was a must see television series, that everyone in my house watched, parents included. If you aren't familiar with this popular series, it takes place during the Vietnam War in an evacuation hospital. Next to ER, this was my favorite medical drama on television at that time. This series gave a unique perspective of the Vietnam War, which some of my relatives and close family friends fought in. Each week we were introduced to women, civilians and military personnel, who passed through the "Bac My An Beach" 520th Evacuation Hospital, as well as the Five-and-Dime Rest and Recreation facility. It really did give a first hand look at the grittiness and dangers of war -- something you wouldn't expect to see on television. I think this is why the show was so popular and resonated with a lot of people, both young and old, as they either fought in the war themselves, or knew someone who did, so the raw emotions and story lines hit close to home. War and its aftermath were largely discussed week in and week out, and this went on for 4 seasons. One major topic however was never fully discusses as the show was cancelled before the whole story could play out -- that of Nurse Colleen McMurphy's PTSD as a result of the war and her deployment to Vietnam as a US Army Nurse.
It has been many years since I have seen a CHINA BEACH episode, so it was nice to receive this complete series set, with so many great bonus features. My husband had never seen the show, so it gave me an excuse to start from the very beginning and watch each and every episode with him. We started this series last week and have already made it through the first season. It didn't take my husband long to get hooked on the series. After the first 10 minutes of episode 1, season 1, he was hooked, and wanted to watch more. We can't wait for the weekend to get here as that is when we can fit in a handful of episodes in the evenings, after the girls are in bed. It has been hard for me to hold my tongue and not give away any spoilers to my husband. Even though I haven't seen the show in forever, after watching the first few episodes, the whole story and episode plot lines came rushing back to me, and this made me more excited to get through all the episodes to relive some of my favorite parts from this popular television drama of the late 80's/early 90's.
If you were/are a CHINA BEACH fan and have always wanted to own the complete series on DVD, now is your chance. Just head to your local Walmart or go to Walmart.com to order the CHINA BEACH: The Complete Series, which hit Walmart store shelves (exclusively) today. This is one television series you will want to own on DVD, and will enjoy watching it over and over again.
More about the new CHINA BEACH: The Complete Series Collection, available starting today exclusively at Walmart:
"From the moment CHINA BEACH debuted in 1988, with its iconic opening credits set to the Supremes' "Reflections" as its theme song, it was hailed as groundbreaking television. In an era of testosterone-driven war movies, the series, created by award-winning journalist and Vietnam vet William Broyles Jr. and John Sacret Young, delivered the Vietnam war from a unique perspective: that of the women, military personnel and civilians who were present during the conflict.
Part EVAC hospital, part USO entertainment center, China Beach, also known as the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R center, was an outpost of craziness and compassion that captured an extraordinary group of characters -- US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers and civilian personnel -- in a unique, exotic place where so many things came together: horror and laughter, heroism and sacrifice. Many episodes and story lines were based on real-life stories of those who served, stories brought to rich life by a supremely talented ensemble cast featuring many actors beginning to make their marks on the industry, including Dana Delany (First Lieutenant/Captain Nurse Colleen McMurphy), Marg Helgenberger (K.C. Koloski), Michael Boatman (SP4 Sam Beckett), Robert Picardo (Captain Dr. Dick Richard) and Ricki Lake (Holly Pelegrino). The other side of the camera boasted such accomplished talents as multiple Emmy Award®-nominee Writer/Director/Executive Producer John Sacret Young and producer John Wells, who would go on to executive produce "ER" and "The West Wing."
Additionally, one of the hallmarks of the series was the use of music -- iconic, emotional music from the '60s and '70s featuring everyone from Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, to Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder and dozens of other popular performers - and Time Life spent over a year clearing the rights to hundreds of musical copyrights, so that the DVD collection would be released with nearly all of the original classic rock and soul music songs from the original broadcasts. The 300+ songs featured throughout the series include "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, "Nowhere to Run" by Martha and the Vandellas, "Baby, I Need Your Loving" by the Four Tops, "My Girl" by the Temptations, "I Got You (I Feel Good)" by James Brown, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann, "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison,"Piece of My Heart" by Big Brother & the Holding Company, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher, and the iconic theme "Reflections" by Diana Ross & the Supremes.
A critically-acclaimed fan favorite during its four year run (1988-1992), the highly touted show and its cast were the recipients of numerous industry accolades and awards including one Golden Globe® for Best Drama (1990), two Best Actress Emmy® Awards for Dana Delany (1989, 1992), a Best Supporting Actress award for Marg Helgenberger (1990), a People's Choice Award for "Favorite New Dramatic TV Program" (1989), a prestigious Peabody Award, a Humanitas prize, a Writers Guild award, and 29 Emmy® Award nominations in total."
BONUS FEATURES
- Episode commentaries
- Exclusive interviews
- Behind-the-scenes featurettes INCLUDING highlights from the 25th anniversary cast reunion PLUS deleted scenes AND a gag reel!
# # #
CHINA BEACH: THE COMPLETE SERIES
Type: DVD/19 Discs
Running Time: 54 hrs, 21 mins. +
Genre: TV DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audio: Stereo
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