Saturday, October 20, 2018

Cutter to Houston Pilot 9

screen captures from the Cutter to Houston pilot episode, 1983

Shelley's second foray into series TV was Cutter to Houston. It was about three young doctors from the world-famous Texas Medical Center in Houston who were recruited to run a small hospital in the fictional rural town of Cutter, Texas. Jim Metzler and Alec Baldwin played the other two doctors. Jim played idealistic GP Dr. Andy Fenton, who grew up in Cutter and is glad to be home. Alec played internist/ladies man Dr. Hal Wexler, who is getting through his probation, having been relegated to Cutter for being a little too fast and free with his prescriptions. And Shelley played Dr. Beth Gilbert, an ambitious surgeon on temporary assignment in Cutter and aspires to be a heart surgeon in Houston.

more screen captures from the Cutter to Houston pilot episode, 1983

To continue, Hal spots Sally Tollhouse whom he met at Cutter Community Hospital the night before. He decides to stop for a chat. She's horseback riding beside the highway, so he enters a dirt road and pulls over. Hal asks her about her brother Carl's hand and she says he's doing okay. Hal's a bit of a ladies man and flirts with her, telling her about himself and where he comes from. Sally seems to like him and, as she leaves, tells him she likes baseball - and invites him over for dinner. Back at CCH, Mayor Warren Jarvis comes over to see Andy, who hails from Cutter. He comes over to talk about Hal and his reputation. Andy assures him that things are under control. Nurse Patty Alvarez whisks Andy away for a talk with Ginny.