Movie/TV nurses in the 1960s and 1970s

[londonflo]

Okay, I am old. In the 60's I loved Star Trek. While I watched Nurse Chapel I really didn't see her as a role model nor Cherri Ames, Diann Carroll (Julia), or the nurses on Marcus Welby MD etc. 

But then I grew up, became an RN and became active in my state Nurses Association. I joined a committee that focused on the media image of the nurse...in those days we only had TV, magazines and movies to view nurses in the media. A TV commercial that focused on a teenager telling her father, she wanted to become a nurse...instead the father said, " but you're so smart you should become a doctor." Boy, we fought that with letters, phone calls to the stations that aired it. Women's image and their limitations in higher education were becoming empowered at that time and there was quite a stir.  The commercial was changed...(Meghan Markle had nothing on us)

Well, the committee I was on developed our role to write and call where we saw anything negative on nurses and their academic abilities. (In those days  the pay for RNs was very low...I made $6.98 hour). No one was clamoring for a high wage job.

And then I saw "Start Trek...The Movie". Nurse Chapel was NOW a doctor, and worse there was dialog that Captain Kirk commended her on it! (The actress who played Nurse Chapel was married to the creator/producer Gene Roddenberry). 

I saw red and as my role on my state Nurses Association committee I wrote a letter to Gene Rodenberry outlining my beliefs that in the work of starships,  professional nurses would be very valuable!

8 months later I was opening my mail and found an envelope with the Starship Enterprise clearly illustrated and a return name of Gene Roddenberry. The letter, signed by Roddenberry, showed personalized content and explained that 'Dr.McCoy' was stalling for more money so the script was written around him. Roddenberry stated he would keep my ideas and values of nursing in mind in the future. 

Did I help with the image of nursing?  I will never know but.....some years later in the 90s I was trying to figure out how to pay for a Christmas present for my husband and I sold the letter for $100.00 on eBay. 

 

[LovingLife123]

Awe, wish you had gotten to keep it!!