Diary of a Nurse

"**Diary of a Nurse**"
"Diary of a Nurse"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 31
Directed by	David Greene
Written by	Arthur Hailey
Original air date	May 7, 1959
Running time	1:27
Guest appearances
	Inger Stevens as Gail Lucas; Victor Jory as George Bavister; Mary Astor as Eileen Vavister;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "Dark December"	Next →; "A Marriage of Strangers"

"Diary of a Nurse" is an American television play broadcast on May 7, 1959, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. The cast includes Inger Stevens, Victor Jory, and Mary Astor. David Greene was the director and Arthur Hailey the writer.

Plot

A student nurse at a large hospital tries to help a patient scheduled for surgery and who declines to cooperate with the doctors. She is caught in a conflict between modern nursing practices and patients' need for human and emotional involvement.

Cast

The cast includes the following:^[1]

Inger Stevens - Gail Lucas
Victor Jory - George Bavister
Mary Astor - Eileen Bavister
Mildred Dunnock - Elsie Chiapetta
Adam Kennedy - Chief Resident
Polly Rowles - Marie Hertzog
Ben Cooper - Dr. Tony McKlusky
Suzanne Pleshette - Alex
Elizabeth Patterson - Mrs. Leeder
Caroline Kearney - Wendy Crain
Edward Platt - Dr. Mott
Claudia Bryar - Mrs. Jackson
Barbara Pepper - Mrs. O'Hearn
Susanne Sydney - Doreen
Sandra Harrison - Flo
Henry Hunter - Dr. Morelli
Joe Conley - Hans
Paul Carr - Chuck
Tracey Roberts - Miss Isles
Karen Forer - Jeanie Jackson
Walter Burke - Mr. Jacoby
Nolan Leary - Harry O'Hearn
Joanne Smith - Night Nurse

Production

The program aired on May 7, 1959, on the CBS television series Playhouse 90. Arthur Hailey was the writer and David Greene the director.^[1]^[2]

"Gail Lucas", the character name of the student nurse played by Inger Stevens, returned as the character name of the young nurse played by Zina Bethune on the 1962 primetime medical drama The Nurses and by Melinda Cordell on the subsequent same-named 1965 daytime drama.

References

^ ^a ^b "Playhouse 90: Diary of a Nurse". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
^ "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2020.

[Paley-1] "Playhouse 90: Diary of a Nurse". The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

[CTVA-2] "Playhouse 90, Season 3". The Classic TV Archive. Retrieved October 31, 2020.

[1]

[2]

v t e Playhouse 90
People	John Frankenheimer Martin Manulis Franklin J. Schaffner Rod Serling
Season 1	"Forbidden Area" "Requiem for a Heavyweight" "Sizeman and Son" "Rendezvous in Black" "The Country Husband" "The Big Slide" "Heritage of Anger" "Eloise" "Confession" "Made in Heaven" "Sincerely, Willis Wade" "The Family Nobody Wanted" "Massacre at Sand Creek" "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses" "The Ninth Day" "So Soon to Die" "The Star Wagon" "The Greer Case" "The Miracle Worker" "The Comedian" "The Coat of White" "The Blackwell Story" "Invitation to a Gunfighter" "The Last Tycoon" "The Hostess with the Mostes'" "Charley's Aunt" "Clipper Ship" "If You Know Elizabeth" "Three Men on a Horse" "Four Women in Black" "Child of Trouble" "Homeward Borne" "Helen Morgan" "Winter Dreams" "Circle of the Day" "Without Incident" "Clash by Night" "Ain't No Time for Glory" "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2	"The Death of Manolete" "The Dark Side of the Earth" "Topaze" "A Sound of Different Drummers" "The Playroom" "Around the World in 90 Minutes" "The Mystery of Thirteen" "The Edge of Innocence" "The Clouded Image" "The Jet Propelled Couch" "The Troublemakers" "Panic Button" "Galvanized Yankee" "The Thundering Wave" "For I Have Loved Strangers" "The Lone Woman" "Reunion" "The Last Man" "The 80 Yard Run" "Before I Die" "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue" "The Violent Heart" "No Time at All" "Point of No Return" "Portrait of a Murderer" "The Last Clear Chance" "The Male Animal" "The Right Hand Man" "Turn Left at Mount Everest" "The Dungeon" "Verdict of Three" "Rumors of Evening" "Not the Glory" "Nightmare at Ground Zero" "Bomber's Moon" "Natchez" "The Innocent Sleep" "A Town Has Turned to Dust" "The Great Gatsby" "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3	"The Plot to Kill Stalin" "Days of Wine and Roses" "The Time of Your Life" "The Long March" "Shadows Tremble" "Word From a Sealed-Off Box" "Heart of Darkness" "Old Man" "The Return of Ansel Gibbs" "Free Weekend" "Seven Against the Wall" "The Nutcracker" "Face of a Hero" "The Wings of the Dove" "The Blue Men" "The Velvet Alley" "A Quiet Game of Cards" "Child of Our Time" "The Second Man" "The Raider" "The Dingaling Girl" "Made in Japan" "For Whom the Bell Tolls" "A Trip to Paradise" "In Lonely Expectation" "The Day Before Atlanta" "Judgment at Nuremberg" "A Corner of the Garden" "Dark December" "Diary of a Nurse" "A Marriage of Strangers" "Out of Dust" "The Rank and File" "The Killers of Mussolini" "Project Immortality" "Dark as the Night" "The Second Happiest Day"
Season 4	"Target for Three" "The Sounds of Eden" "Misalliance" "The Hidden Image" "The Grey Nurse Said Nothing" "The Tunnel" "The Silver Whistle" "A Dream of Treason" "To the Sound of Trumpets" "The Cruel Day" "Tomorrow" "The Hiding Place" "Alas, Babylon" "Journey to the Day" "The Shape of the River" "In the Presence of Mine Enemies"
Revivals	CBS Playhouse CBS Playhouse 90