Shelley as Dr. Beth Gilbert, 1983
Shelley played Dr. Beth Gilbert in her sophomore attempt at series TV, Cutter to Houston. She played an ambitious surgeon from Chicago who didn't like being assigned to small town Cutter because she dreamt of becoming a surgeon in big city Houston. Shelley said, "When I was preparing for this role, I spent time with a woman surgeon and watched operations and, generally, tried to find out as much as I could about being a doctor." The experience of seeing a lot of ill people upset Shelley because, as she surmised, she was wasn't prepared for the emotional impact the medical profession brought with it. She now understood the need for doctors to build a protective wall to insulate themselves from the emotional strain their profession brings.
