In The Middle Of Nowhere (Part 3)

Series
Work In Progress
Original Broadcast Date
1987
Cast
Tim Jerome, Larry Block, Arthur Miller, Laura Esterman, Ryan Cutrona
Format
Scripted Actors, 60 minutes
Preceded by:	In The Middle Of Nowhere (Part 2)
Followed by:	The Policemen's Ball
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"You know, Charlayne, I was just thinking"

In The Middle Of Nowhere (Part 3) is a program Joe Frank produced as part of the series Work In Progress. It was originally broadcast in 1987.

Cast of characters

• Bud (Larry Block), a traveling salesman
• Ray (Ryan Cutrona, who owns the local road house
• Charlayne (Laura Esterman), a road house dancer
• Ryder (Tim Jerome), an ambulance driver
• Angel (Arthur Miller)

Synopsis

Ray (Ryan Cutrona) takes Charlayne (Laura Esterman) to the dump, describes his vision of an elaborate amusement park. He wants Charlayne to work with him on it. She demurs.

9:50: In a rain storm Ryder (Tim Jerome), Charlayne, and Bud (Larry Block) are in a small hotel room. Ryder and Charlayne are romancing. Bud objects. They're unsympathetic. Bud reads from Timothy 3:1, 3:2, and 3:4.

20:40: Ray and the angel (Arthur Miller) talk about the crêpes suzette at Desmond's; Ray likes them, the angel doesn't. They talk about other restaurants.

26:40: Bud asks Ryder how Ryder's going to pay for the damage to Bud's car. Ryder describes an impossibly complicated process with his insurer.

32:20: Bud asks Ryder to pay attention to his driving - he almost drives off the road. They stop to watch the sunset at a cliff. They fight. Ryder falls.

35:30: Ryder laments Charlayne's departure, the vicissitudes of his life. The angel counsels him. The angel sings 'That's life'; Ray responds, commenting on its applicability to his life.

39:00: Bud says Ryder's dead, is happy that he has an ambulance to take his stuff around in.

40:30: We're back to the angel singing 'That's life', Ray commenting.

41:30: Bud's at the roadhouse with the ambulance, says Ryder sold him the ambulance. Ray says he's going to leave too. Bud tries to say goodbye to Ray, but they disagree on how to do it.

49:10: Ray talks to himself about what he's going to take.

50:10: A tornado comes by. Ray jumps in. He sees all the stuff that it's picked up, including the ambulance. He ends up in paradise, running the elaborate amusement park he imagined at the beginning of this episode, with Charlayne.

Legacy Synopsis

• Ray talks to Charlene about building a huge entertainment complex out by the dump.
• Bud shares a hotel room with Charlene and Rider, reads the bible while they make out, then watches television.
• Rider and Ray talk about restaurants and desserts.
• Bud and Rider talk about the process for getting insurance to pay for his car damage and Rider is thrown off a cliff.
• Ray talks to the therapist/religious leader guy and they sing "That's Life."
• Bud and Ray both leave town and say goodbye.
• Ray rides a tornado to paradise.

Music

• "The Stone" - Andreas Vollenweider (from White Winds, 1984) | YouTube [Intro]
• "That's Life" - vocals by Ryan Cutrona [38:52]
• "Royal Garden Blues" - Canadian Brass (from Basin Street, 1987) | YouTube [58:03]

Additional credits

The original broadcast credits state: "The performers were Tim Jerome, Larry Block, Arthur Miller, Laura Esterman, and Ryan Cutrona. In The Middle Of Nowhere was recorded by Jess Plumley at Westrax Studio in New York City, and mixed by Carey Breese of KCRW."