Cherry Ames
The first fictional nurse I knew was Cherry Ames. I had several Cherry Ames books that I read, alongside my Nancy Drew books. I wasn't a Cherry Ames wannabe, but I did enjoy reading about her adventures. How many roles could a nurse really take on? If you were Cherry - many.
Look! You can still buy the books, written by Helen Wells.
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| Amazon link |
Sorry folks - I'm a Kindle devotee, but really, some books just should not be ebooks and Cherry Ames books fall in that category.
Jill Danko
Doesn't ring a bell? Jill Danko was a nurse on a show in the 70s called The Rookies. She wasn't a major character; she was the wife of one of the police officers, but she was popular and Kate Jackson, who played Jill, ended up getting quite a bit of screen time.
Major Margaret Houlihan
Played by Loretta Swit in the hit sitcom M*A*S*H, Major Margaret Houlihan was a different breed of nurse. No nonsense, tough, but if you watched the show regularly, you would see that she did have a heart that she guarded very carefully. I think every female nurse should have a little of Hot Lips Houlihan in her. She knew her stuff and she backed up her nurses 100 percent.
Carol Hathaway
A newer name, newer than Jill Danko anyway. Carol Hathaway was a nurse at ER's County General Hospital and was the envy of many women as she became Doug Ross's lover. And who was Doug Ross - he was played by George Clooney.
Nurse Jackie
I have a confession to make. I've never watched one episode of Nurse Jackie. Not my fault though - I don't get the network that runs the show. I've heard a lot about her so I figured the list should include her. She does belong on my list - I've heard enough about her!
What fictional nurses do you remember?
I remember the Cherry Ames books but before that was a series of books about Sue Barton. We followed her from student nurse to visiting nurse to one form of nursing after another. I read them all. I also liked a nurse on a TV show about Vietnam--called China Beach. Dana Delaney played her, I think. Thanks for the memories.
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Ooh, fun list. I don't know Cherry Ames...but I think I would have likde her!!
ReplyDeleteI love Nurse Jackie!
ReplyDeleteHey, let's not forget those gals from China Beach, especially Colleen McMurphy (played by the fabulous Dana Delany.
I also liked ER's Abby Lockheart (Maura Tierney).
I've heard of Sue Barton - in fact, I think I vaguely remember reading about her.
ReplyDeleteWhen my parents moved here from the Netherlands, my mother worked on perfecting her English by reading "throw away" books, like Harlequin Romances. I remember as a teen reading about all those British nurses who ended up meetin stern, brooding doctors, usually from the Netherlands, now that I think about it.
I forgot about Abby Lockheart in ER, but I have to admit, I've never seen China Beach.
Oooh, I LOVED Cherry Ames. Also Sue Barton. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!
ReplyDeleteOh, wow! I'd quite forgotten Cherry Ames and Sue Barton. I read my mum's copies - she did go on to become a nurse, maybe because of them.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I loved Cherry Ames growing up! I had forgotten about that series. Thanks for the reminder; now I'll have to look them up again!
ReplyDeleteSue Barton! I think I read the first three. And, speaking of other memories, I loved the Major Houlihan character on the TV show M*A*S*H - I loved how she evolved during the many years of the series.
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