D'Snowth's M*A*S*H Reviews

[MGov]

And, of course, like Henry and Frank, he seems to have no problems with adultery by having one-night stands with countless nurses, meanwhile have a wife and children back in the states.

Yeah, because good christians NEVER cheat on their spouses.

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeah, because good christians NEVER cheat on their spouses.

I take it your smart-aleck remark is a bash against the Christian faith?

 

[MartyMuppets]

Perhaps MGov didn't mean it that way at all Snowth. When I read it I think he/she is simply meaning to say that Christians who are sincere will never be unfaithful to their spouses. Good Christians are certainly not perfect but they will never practice adultery in most cases. Occasionally though it doesn't make sense a professing Christian may fall into such sin. But when the Holy Spirit convicts them of their wrongdoing, if their hearts are attuned to God they will repent and ask for forgiveness from God and their spouse.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 26: "5 O'Clock Charlie"

Writers: Keith Walker, Larry Gelbart, Laurence Marks, Keith Walker
Director: Norman Tokar
Original Airdate: September 22, 1973

Plot: Everyday, each and everyday at exactly 5:00 in the afternoon, a North Korean bomber pilot flies over the 4077th and proceeds to bomb them... the only problem is that he's been doing this for six weeks now and hasn't hit a single thing! Does he have a stigmatism? Is he just simply blind as a bat? Either way, his routine has offered some amusement for the gang as everyday, just before Charlie makes his rounds, a betting poll would be held to see where his bomb will land for the day; meanwhile, Frank Burns and Margaret are still intimidated by Charlie, and wish to try to get rid of him by fighting back, so Frank gets General Clayton to stop by the 4077th tomorrow to look over the situation, but Clayton isn't all too worried about Charlie either... that is until Charlie ends up bombing his jeep, when he chances his mind. So the next day, the 4077th is now equipped with a Howitzer, with Frank taking charge, and they plan to blast Charlie right out of the sky, meanwhile Hawkeye and Trapper plot to take him out to keep him from shooting at Charlie - by bringing Frank into Post-Op with a patient who appears to have severe Post-Op infections to look over, while Radar quietly changes the clock to 4:30, that way by the time Charlie starts making his rounds, though it makes no difference, thanks to the bickering between Frank, Hawkeye, Trapper, and Henry Blake, Frank's Korean allies manage to aim their gun at the garbage dump Charlie had been trying to hit for six weeks, thus giving Charlie no reason to return ever again.

Comments:
- Although this is the second episode of Season Two, it was actually the third produced.

- Again, William Christopher's hair is unusually bright red in this episode.

- The backdrop on Sound Stage 9 has been replaced, and this one stayed for the remainder of the series' run.

- Henry's doll arrives in the mail in this episode.

- GOOF: Henry refers to Ginger as "Richardson" in this episode.

- GOOF: During the first betting of 5 O'Clock Charlie's attack, everyone is sitting on the edge of camp between the camp itself and the minefield on the Fox Ranch, however, whenever they cut to close-up shots of Hawkeye and Trapper, they appear to be sitting in the middle of the Compound on Sound Stage 9.

- GOOF: Frank makes a reference to the movie The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, but that movie wasn't released until 1955 - two years after the Korean War ended.

- GOOF: When Charlie drops a bomb on General Clayton's jeep, the jeep is already destroyed and burning before the explosion even happens.

What's Cut:
- Father Mulcahy consulting with a confessioner about a Dear John letter has been cut out.

- Frank recruiting Korean allies for his new little "army" against Charlies has been cut out as well.

- Three scenes in a row are cut: Hawkeye and Trapper getting four dozen sheets from the laundry, then requisitioning Mercurochrome from Radar, then having martinis through an IV in the Nurses' Showers have all been cut.

- This episode lost it's tail as well, as the closing sequence with Hawkeye and Trapper treating Frank to some drinks in celebration of Charlie's absence has been cut.

Overall:
This is considered one of the general "fan-favorite" episodes of Season Two, and I must agree, this is a very amusing episode, and I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 27: "Radar's Report"

Writers: Sheldon Keller (Story by), Laurence Marks (Teleplay by)
Director: Jackie Cooper
Original Airdate: September 29, 1973

Plot: It's the middle of the night, and Radar was filling out the weekly activity report of the 4077th to Regimental Headquarters, including: Hawkeye trying to pick up the new nurse in O.R., Frank Burns refusing to operate on a Chinese P.O.W. who is brought in surgery, Margaret and Frank try to get Corporal Klinger the Section-8 he wants to get out of the Army, the arrival of psychiatrist, Major Sidney Freedman, to give Klinger an observation, and Trapper's patient dying because the blood he was given was contaminated because the Chinese P.O.W. accidentally knocked over the IV.

Comments:
- Although this is the third episode of Season Two, it was actually the second produced.

- Radar's report covers the entire week of October 17 to October 22, 1951. Considering the circumstances, the year should really be 1950, though the producers and writers had no idea just how long the series would end up lasting, hence why the dates on the show were never consistant.

- Chinese: "Bungchow" means "your daughter's pregnancy has brought much joy and happiness to our village".

- This episode marks the first appearance of three new recurring characters: Nurses Gwen and Kellye, who will remain semi-regular fixtures for the remainder of the series, and resident psychiatrist Major Sidney Freedman, who would also remain a semi-regular fixtures for the rest of the series as well, though in some cases, Sidney would be considered a regular on the series for his strong presence.

- Speaking of which, Sidney's first name in this episode is actually Milton, though would later be changed to Sidney in his next appearance "Deal Me Out".

- GOOF: When Trapper runs to check on his patient, he runs behind Margaret's tent, when he should be running in the opposite direction to get to Post-Op.

What's Cut:
- Hawkeye and Trapper walking from Surgery to the Swamp for drinks has been cut.

- The scene where Frank sneaks into Margaret's tent to have some fun with her, only to discover that it's really Klinger who's setting his hair has been cut.

- When Margaret and Frank stop by Henry's office to request Klinger get his Section 8 has been nicked for time.

- Hawkeye relating to Trapper that the nurse he's trying to pick up has been cut.

- The closing sequence where Radar interrupts Henry's golf practice to sign the weekly report has been cut.

Overall:
This is considered one of the general "fan-favorite" episodes of Season Two, and I must agree, this is a very amusing episode, and I give it 8 out of 10 stars.[/QUOTE]

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 28: "For the Good of the Outfit"

Writers: Jerry Mayer
Director: Jackie Cooper
Original Airdate: October 6, 1973

Plot: Hawkeye and Trapper are outraged that the American Artillary has completely wiped out a local Korean Village, and stop at nothing to try to get the village rebuilt.

Comments:

What's Cut:

Overall:
I didn't find this to be a spectacular episode, and I don't really watch it a lot. 3 out of 10 stars.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 29: "Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde"

Writers: Alan Alda, Robert Klane
Director: Jackie Cooper
Original Airdate: October 13, 1973

Plot: The long sessions of O.R. were finally taking their toll on Hawkeye... in fact, he was suffering so much from his severe case of exhaustions that he couldn't STOP! First, he continued operating on wounded, but then, slowly, his energy (or lack of therefore) drives him to try to stop the war! First he sends a telegram to President Harry S. Truman, asking him "who's responsible?", but as if that isn't enough, the next day Hawkeye confers with the 4077th's chopper pilot to get him to STOP making his rounds so that way no more wounded will be brought to camp for them to operate on. Hawkeye then attends Frank Burns's war lecture in the Mess Tent to try to find out what the war is all about, how it got started, so he can continue to try to put an end to it, finally Trapper decided it's time for Hawkeye to be laid to rest (so-to-speak), so while Hawkeye takes pictures of the Latrine to send to the North Koreans, Trapper tries to give him a sedative, only to have accidentally give the shot to Frank instead. Finally, when General Clayton finally arrives to the 4077th to see what the heck is wrong with whomever is sending the telegrams to Truman, Hawkeye drives off with the Latrine to North Korea... with Clayton in it!

Comments:
- Radar's favorite comic book is Captain Marvel.

- The stage lighting in this episode is unusually dull in the episode... or it could very well be the quality of the film of this episode.

- Hawkeye's grandfather's nickname is Sparky.

What's Cut:
- Hawkeye waking up Trapper in the middle of the night about wanting to stop the war has been cut.

- The scene where Hawkeye walks into Radar's office to send a telegram to President Truman has been nicked for time.

- Hawkeye sleep-walking into Margaret's tent asking where Frank is has been cut.

- The closing sequence where Trapper and Henry Blake discussing Hawkeye's shinanigans while Hawkeye finally sleeps has been cut.

Overall:
Another episode that I don't watch often, but when I do watch it, I remember just what a good episode it is. It isn't one of the best episodes, in my opinion, but it certainly isn't one of the worst either. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode Number 30: "Kim"

Writers: Marc Mandel, Larry Gelbart, Laurence Marks
Director: William Wiard
Original Airdate: October 20, 1973

Episode Overview: Hawkeye discovers his latest patient in O.R. is a five-year-old Korean boy, who apparently is an orphan, after it's learned that his village has been completely wiped out and there are no signs of his parents. Hawkeye and Trapper try their best to make him feel at home at the 4077th by reading him bedtime stories, and making him blown-up rubber gloves with funny faces painted on them, but Radar spills the beans to them about Henry Blake planning on sending him to the Sister Teresa's Orphanage. This outrages them, especially Trapper, who decides if it comes to this, then he would adopt the boy himself - he has come to love the boy like a son, and he knows his wife would be thrilled to have a son, and their daughters would be out of their minds to have a brother, so while he writes to Louise back home, the others take care of the boy in their own way: Hawkeye takes him to the picture shows in the Mess Tent, Trapper performs magic tricks for him, Klinger plays catch with him in the compound, Radar shares his cot (but not his teddy bear) with him, Margaret reads bedtime stories to him, and she and Frank Burns later on take him on a picnic, until they discover that while they weren't looking he had crawled into the middle of the minefield! Trapper runs in after him, while Hawkeye, Radar, and Henry instruct him on how to go through without stepping on a mine, only to discover that Henry was reading a WW2 Surplus Map of Berlin and that if Trapper moves just six inches in any direction he's get home sooner than anyone, but a chopper pilot saves the day when he flies down with a ladder for them to climb up on while they're flown to safety. At that moment Sister Teresa arrives with a Korean woman, who identifies the boy as her son, Kim. Everyone is happy that Kim has reunited with his mother, but at the same time, they're kind of sad because Trapper, in a way, lost his only son.

Trivia, Goofs, and Other Observations:
- Probably the most poignant moment(s) of Trapper John ever - it's very obvious that he loves this little boy, and thinks it would be wonderful if his family had a son, and that his daughters would be thrilled about having a brother... even running into the minefield to go after him when he gets stuck.

- Frank also seemed to show some genuine concern when it's discovered that Kim got himself stuck in the minefield.

- GOOF: It's so obvious that's not really Wayne Rogers who climbs up onto the ladder hanging from the chopper to lift Kim out of the minefield.

- GOOF: The weather keeps changing with each shot during the minefield scene from completely cloudy and foggy to completely sunny without a cloud in the sky.

- GOOF: Margaret tells Kim to "stop and stay" by shouting "cu-chio" and "nu-kowa", however, later in "Welcome to Korea -- Part 2", Radar says stop and stay in Korean are "Chung-Chi" and "Ee-so".

What Syndication Left Out:
- The opening sequence in the O.R. has been nicked up for time.

- After the scene in O.R., syndication cuts straight to Hawkeye, Trapper, and Radar discussing Kim over lunch in the Mess Tent, thus cutting out Hawkeye and Trapper walking into the Mess Tent to find Henry asleep at his table, and Radar loading up his tray with mountains of food. The closing of this scene where Hawkeye and Trapper tease Radar about how he eats, thus driving him away and sitting with Henry instead has also been cut.

- Probably the worst cut ever is cutting out the beginning of the scene with Hawkeye and Trapper hanging out in the Swamp, where Hawkeye finds Trapper painting a funny face on a blown-up rubber glove, and Trapper admitting that Kim tugs at his heart quite a bit.

- The scene with Margaret reading Kim a bedtime story has been cut in half to remove Frank walking in, upset that he's spending the night with her, thus cutting out his "quality time" with her that they apparently share every Thursday night.

- Hawkeye and the nurse he's planning a date with, shout-whispering while Trapper sleeps is also cut; this makes the scene rather awkward when Father Mulcahy walks in and suddenly finds this hanky panky going on when he stopped in to see Trapper, who tells Father Mulcahy he's asleep.

Overall Rating:
VERY poignant episode, very nice storyline, but HORRIBLE cutting and editing in syndication! 8 out of 10 stars.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 31: "L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)"

Writers: Carl Kleinschmitt, Larry Gelbart, Laurence Marks, Carl Kleinschmitt
Director: William Wiard
Original Airdate: October 27, 1973

Plot: Hawkeye's latest love-interest is Lieutenant Regina Hoffman, a new nurse that is assigned to the 4077th, meanwhile, before they can have their date, Hawkeye was faced with a problem - an enlistedman, Corporal Walker, is being shipped home in a couple of weeks, but there are two people he'll be leaving behind that he doesn't want to: his child, and his girlfriend/wife, who are both Korean locals. So, Hawkeye agrees to help out to have the two officially married, so they can leave together as a family. Enter, Lieuntenant Willis, C.I.D., Tokyo, who interviews Hawkeye to get a better idea of his character to see why he's vouching for Walker, but when Hawkeye sees Lieutenant Willis is a hard nut to crack, so he gets him drunk, and they frame him, so when he comes to, he's in his lipstick stained underwear, a bra strung over him, and Radar bringing in his uniform cleaned and pressed, trying to convince him that he went through three nurses while he was drunk, and that they have pictures to prove it, but Willis can see clear through their scam and calls their bluff, though Hawkeye and Trapper claim that proof or not, it goes on his record, so Willis goes ahead and signs the papers in a huff and leaves. Finally, Hawkeye continues his date with Regina, but is soon disgusted, as he tells the story to her, she turns out to be a bigot, who is prejudice against the Koreans, and thinks the marriage between "one of our guys" and a "gook" is completely wrong; so for once, Hawkeye ISN'T attracted to a woman.

Comments:
- It appears Nurse Kellye has some feelings for Radar. Perhaps that explains why they are frequently seen dancing with each other in the Officer's Club during Seasons Four and Five.

- The is the first episode where Frank wants to make a formal complaint to Henry, but Margaret does all the talking for him, while at the same time, insult Henry's fitness for command. This would happen again a couple more times before Henry's departure.

What's Cut:
- The scene in Pre-Op where Radar tries to get Henry to sign the papers to allow a G.I. to marry an L.I.P. has been nicked for time, as is the following scene in O.R.

- The scene where Hawkeye and Regina are having a little picnic in the back of an ambulance has been cut.

- Radar letting Henry know the movies haven't arrived again has been nicked for time.

- In some syndicated prints, Trapper giving Frank a haircut in the Swamp has been cut.

- Hawkeye stopping by Regina's tent to apologize and ask her for a bit more time is nicked for time for commercials.

Overall:
A pretty average episode, I'd say... nothing special, but nothing terrible either. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

 

[D'Snowth]

Season Two

Episode 32: "The Trial of Henry Blake"

Writers: McLean Stevenson
Director: Don Weis
Original Airdate: November 3, 1973

Plot: Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake was called to a hearing in Regimental Headquarters in Seoul to determine whether or not he really is fit for command; all the charges pressed against him came from Margaret, and Frank Burns, who feel that Henry isn't fit for command, and they pressed the charges to take Henry out of the picture so Frank can take over the 4077th and make it more disciplined, and military. The charges against Henry include using gurny for racing on Kentucky Derby Day, Radar becoming a solicitor for the Style Right Shoe Company of Stone Lake, Iowa, Corporal Klinger's continuing efforts to get himself out of the Army, and giving "aid and comfort" to the enemy when he donated medical supplies to Meg Cratty, who runs a hospital that treat a lot of North Koreans.

Comments:
- This is said to be McLean Stevenson's favorite episode, which makes sense, after all, he DID write it, and it features his character, Henry Blake.

- The Style Right Shoe Company slogan: "If your shoes aren't becoming to you, then you should be coming to us."

- Corporal Klinger's Latest Scheme to Get Out of the Army: Hang-gliding his way out of camp.

- I realize that this show was done back in the 70s, but the special effects were horrible, as when Klinger glides over South Korea, it's obvious he was shot doing that in front of a green screen, as traces of green outlines him and the glider.

- Exceptionally hysterical laugh tracks are heard during Klinger's glide.

- This is the first appearance of Meg Cratty, who will make a few more appearances in Seasons Three and Four. She is played by Hope Summers in this episode.

- This is also the first of two appearances of Robert F. Simon as General Mitchell, who apparently is now in charge of the American troops in Korea.

What's Cut:
- Frank chewing Hawkeye and Trapper out for using a gurny to play ping-pong has been edited out for time.

- After Henry explains the purpose of a gurney, the flashback cuts straight to the actual gurney racing; this cuts out Radar holding bets for who will win the race, while Klinger walks by with material needed for the glider he's building.

- Radar trying to sell Klinger some shoes, while he's still busy working on his hang-glider has been completely cut, while his following sale with Hawkeye has been nicked for time.

Overall:
A very interesting episode; a little amusing, and a little poignant at the same time. Although it's not one of my favorite episodes, I do enjoy it. I give it 7 out of 10 stars.