Memories of M*A*S*H

Memories of M*A*S*H
CBS
November 25, 1991
Dramedy
DVD
B

This is a much better reunion program than the one for The Bob Newhart Show.  It is in a way a clip show, but it is also memories from cast and crew of what it was like to be a part of the long-running series.  There's an added poignancy now, because so many of the cast have died since then.  (William Christopher's death at the end of last year being especially sad, such a gentle soul.)  This is not to say that the program couldn't have been better, maybe putting the series in context more, not only discussing the books and movie more, but noting that it was part of CBS pushing against censorship in the '70s, as with All in the Family.  There's not even a reference to the Vietnam War!  I also would've liked an actual reunion, rather than separate interviews, especially since everyone claims to miss the camaraderie and laughter on and offscreen.  Still, there are some good insights and touching moments, and some chuckles of course.

It's impossible to tag everyone obviously, so I'll list the others who appear, including in clips.  Long hosts the program and of course we see her guest appearance.

• G.W. Bailey (interview and clips)
• Linda Bloodworth-Thomason
• Dr. Walter Dishell
• Charles S. Dubin
• Farrell's children Mike, Jr. and Erin
• Larry Gelbart
• Mariette Hartley (clip)
• Ron Howard (clip)
• Burt Metcalfe
• Kellye Nakahara (interview and clips)
• Leslie Nielsen as Col. Buzz Brighton
• John Ritter (clip)
• Clete Roberts as himself
• Susan Saint James (clip)
• Steirs's parents Ken and Maggie
• Patrick Swayze as Private Gary Sturgis
• Teri Garr (clip)
• George Wendt (clip)
• and others IMDB and I missed

M*A*S*H: Our Finest Hour

M*A*S*H: Our Finest Hour
CBS
October 9, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Clete Roberts appears as himself in this odd hybrid of fake documentary and clip show.  I don't think the two halves mesh particularly well, but the interviews are good and so are most of the clips.  I'm glad they included Frank, Trapper, and Henry, although there's more of a focus on the current cast of course.  This originally ran as an hour special but apparently was damaged and has been rebuilt from the syndicated version with two parts.  Note that this is set October 9, 1952 (exactly 26 years earlier), which means that the first six years are supposed to have happened in about two.  Obviously there will be more retcon later.

Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky) and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) both appear, mostly in archive footage.  I'm unable to tag Truman, Ike, Nixon, or MacArthur, who definitely appear in archive footage.  The new material is written by Larry Balmagia, Ronny Graham, David Isaacs, David Lawrence, and Ken Levine, and I won't tag the Charles Brothers etc. who wrote the episodes in the clips.  I definitely won't tag all the directors listed, not counting the cast members who directed, but I will note that Burt Metcalfe directed the new material.  Furthermore, I can't tag Mary Jo Catlett and Teri Garr as I normally would.

M*A*S*H: Margaret's Marriage

M*A*S*H: Margaret's Marriage
CBS
March 15, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B

Tired of Frank's needling, Margaret marries Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott (here played by Beeson Carroll).  The Greenbaum & Fritzell story manages to be both funny and touching.  Even Hawkeye and BJ putting a full body cast on a passed-out Donald at the smoker (bachelor party) doesn't seem as cruel as it might've in the first couple seasons.  (Not that they're totally off the hook.  They could say something the next morning.)

Judy Farrell (Able), Roy Goldman (this time as a Corpsman), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), Patricia Stevens (Baker), and Lynne Marie Stewart (her last appearance, this time as Nurse Clark) return.  This was Linville's last episode.  I don't remember how they explained his departure, although it might've been that he went crazy with jealousy and loss.  The show had evolved beyond the simplistic character of Frank Burns, so that even Klinger seems much more nuanced.

I don't know if this is officially the end of phase two of the series, but it is the end of Season Five.  It's a season that's on a more even keel than in the past, the usual B- average this time representing a range from 2 Cs to 11 Bs.  It's tempting to say that the show has finally found itself, but with six more years to go, it will continue to evolve.

M*A*S*H: Post Op

M*A*S*H: Post Op
CBS
March 8, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B-

As the title indicates, most of the episode is set in the post-op room, allowing us to see the staff interacting with various patients, from Margaret being hit on to Hawkeye comforting a man shot in the butt to Klinger making a mustache for a shaven man.

Andrew Bloch makes his first of two M*A*S*H appearances, as Private Cordon.  Judy Farrell (Able), Hilly Hicks (this time Corporal Moody), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Sal Viscuso (this time onscreen as Sgt. Raymond McGill) return.  Alan McRae, who's Corporal Nessen here, would be Airman McFarland on Mork & Mindy.  Also, Sgt. Justiss is played by Andy Romano, JD in the Beach Party movies.  Both Radar and Father Mulcahy are absent.  Four writers wrote this episode: David Isaacs, Jay Folb, Ken Levine, and Gene Reynolds (who also directed).

M*A*S*H: Souvenirs

M*A*S*H: Souvenirs
CBS
March 1, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B

Part of my enjoyment of this episode comes from the casting of Michael Bell as Willie Stratton, who's making money and exploiting the locals, to the point of injury and even death, in his souvenir business.  He would have a couple roles on Three's Company where he would show a similar blend of smoothness and sleaziness.  (Not this sleazy though, he just exploits Chrissy's depression and Janet's dreams for his own benefit.)  I like how Hawkeye and BJ handle him and, yes, I like Margaret punching him when she's drunk.  (Potter blames it on her being Irish!)  But the script also acknowledges that Stratton isn't the only one in the business.  When he says Pierce and Hunnicut can't change the world, they say they're just trying to change their little corner of it.  And the pole-sitting subplot with Klinger generally works, although I'm not clear if he gets latrine breaks.

Burt Prelutsky co-wrote this episode with 27-year-old Reinhold Weege, who'd go on to create Night Court.  Scott Mulhern, who's Andy Cooper here, would have a couple roles on Soap.  June Kim (again a nameless Korean Woman) and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.  Burghoff is absent.  And, yes, that's Brian Dennehy as MP Ernie Connors.

M*A*S*H: Movie Tonight

M*A*S*H: Movie Tonight
CBS
February 22, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B

Four writers-- Gene Reynolds, Don Reo, Allan Katz, and Jay Folb-- wrote this episode that doesn't have a lot to it but is nonetheless entertaining.  Potter wants to show My Darling Clementine to raise morale, but the film keeps breaking down.  The gang entertain themselves with music and impressions, from John Wayne to Father Mulcahy.  It's the kind of episode they tried to do in the first couple years that never quite worked, I think because the cast hadn't reached this comfort level with each other yet, and because there was a meaner, less comradely tone.  (Contrast the reaction to Margaret's singing compared to the early episode where she's just treated like a nuisance.)

Jeffrey Kramer makes his first of two M*A*S*H appearances, as the Driver.  Mike's wife Judy Farrell (Nurse Able again), Enid Kent (Nurse Bigelow), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Carmine Scelza (this time a Corpsman) return

M*A*S*H: The General's Practicioner

M*A*S*H: The General's Practicioner
CBS
February 15, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B

Burt Prelutsky wrote this story where a general wants Hawkeye as his personal physician, and Radar takes care of the wife (or girlfriend?) and baby of a soldier who's being shipped home.  Both plots are handled well, and surprisingly don't intersect, like plots usually do on this series.  The script includes the words "bastard" and "hell," which was about as harsh as language got on network TV in those days.

Leonard Stone, who had recently played Dr. Ned Podbillion on The Bob Newhart Show, here is Col. Bidwell.

M*A*S*H: Hepatitis

M*A*S*H: Hepatitis
CBS
February 8, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Father Mulcahy has the title disease, so Hawkeye has to examine everyone in camp.  This ironically leads to people confessing to Hawkeye.  Pierce himself confides in Potter.  Meanwhile, BJ performs difficult surgery and celebrates by getting incredibly drunk.

Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) return.

M*A*S*H: Hanky Panky

M*A*S*H: Hanky Panky
CBS
February 1, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Reynolds wrote and directed this episode in which BJ "falls off the fidelity wagon."  It's interesting that his adultery comes from misguided compassion rather than passion, a huge contrast to Trapper's casual affairs.  I'd go with a B but Margaret gets pretty shrill in her subplot.

Kellye Nakahara appears as Yamato.

M*A*S*H: End Run

M*A*S*H: End Run
CBS
January 25, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
C+

John D. Hess wrote this mostly forgettable episode, his last for the series, about a boxing match and an amputation.  Morgan directed.

Johnny Haymer (Zale), James Lough (this time as Private Felix Kornhaus), Greg Mabrey (his second of two roles, here as a Wounded Soldier), and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.  This is finally Swit's 100th episode.

M*A*S*H: Ping Pong

M*A*S*H: Ping Pong
CBS
January 18, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
C+

The 4077th throws a wedding for a Korean (or maybe Korean-American) soldier who's a table tennis champ.  Margaret, who bickers with an increasingly childish Frank, cries at the wedding.  I think Hawkeye's line about their houseboy being drafted two years ago is a semi-in-joke about Ho-Jon.

Frank Maxwell, who plays Lt. Col. Harold Becket, was William Samuels on That Girl.  Roy Goldman (as Roy Goldman), Enid Kent (Nurse Bigelow), Sachiko Penny Lee (this time as Soony), Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky, doing Bogart), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Sal Viscusco (PA Announcer) all return.  This is Sid Dorfman's last writing credit on my blog, giving him a span of almost 26 years, which will be tough to beat.

M*A*S*H: 38 Across

M*A*S*H: 38 Across
CBS
January 11, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
C+

In this Fritzell & Greenbaum story, Hawkeye gets help solving a crossword puzzle, Klinger tries to eat a Jeep, and Margaret mocks Frank in the OR.

Oliver Clark, moonlighting from The Bob Newhart Show, plays Lt. Tippy Brooks.  Dick O'Neill has his first of three M*A*S*H roles, as Admiral Cox.  Gwen Farrell (this time as an Anesthetist), George F. Simmons (his last appearance, uncredited and unnamed), and Momo Yashima (this time as a Korean Mother) return.

M*A*S*H: The Most Unforgettable Characters

M*A*S*H: The Most Unforgettable Characters
CBS
January 4, 1977
Dramedy
DVD
C

While I like the idea of Hawkeye and BJ fighting to make Frank happy on his birthday, I thought the thing with Radar taking a correspondence course for writers didn't quite work, and I thought that Klinger being attacked by woman-hungry Chinese (Radar tells us that Klinger escaped with his virtue intact, although we see that his clothes have been ripped) and then later Klinger pretending he's going to immolate himself were far more tasteless than funny.

Jeff Maxwell returns as Igor Straminsky.  Ken Levine and David Isaacs were the writers.

M*A*S*H: Hawk's Nightmare

M*A*S*H: Hawk's Nightmare
CBS
December 21, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
B

This Burt Prelutsky story has Hawkeye so stressed out from the war that he finds dreams and reality blurring, with even his happy, peaceful memories of his childhood in Crabapple Cove tarnished by fear of death.  A talk with Sidney doesn't cure him completely but it does help.  Patricia Stevens is back to being Nurse Baker.

M*A*S*H: Exorcism

M*A*S*H: Exorcism
CBS
December 14, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
C

This episode seems to be making the point that almost everyone is superstitious, but I was too distracted by Reynolds & Folb's mediocre dialogue.

James Canning has his first of two M*A*S*H roles, as Corp. Marsh.  Philip Ahn (this time the Korean Grandfather), Roy Goldman (this time a Corpsman), Virginia Ann Lee (her last M*A*S*H appearance, as Kyong Ja), Kellye Nakara (Yamato), Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer), and Johnny Yune (Korean Translator) all return.  Alda directed.

M*A*S*H: The Colonel's Horse

M*A*S*H: The Colonel's Horse
CBS
December 7, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This Fritzell & Greenbaum story would've been better if, one, Hawkeye hadn't been kind of creepy about wanting to "grope" Margaret because of her appendix; two, we'd actually seen Frank react to all that hot water being used to cure the title character; and three, we got to see Klinger in his new red dress singing and dancing for the patients.  It is interesting that now that Margaret has Donald, she continues to be disillusioned with Frank, although she did admire his patriotism on a recent episode.

Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) and  Sal Viscuso (PA Announcer) return.

M*A*S*H: Hawkeye Get Your Gun

M*A*S*H: Hawkeye Get Your Gun
CBS
November 30, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
C+

This story written by Gene Reynolds and Jay Folb starts out fine, with Potter wanting to prove to Frank (and I think himself) that he's not too old to be a doctor.  Yet by the time we've got not only Hawkeye drunk driving but Hawkeye and Potter shooting off guns while drunk, I think this needed a rewrite.

Mako, who was Casey on Gidget, makes his second appearance on this series, as Major Choi.  Phyllis Katz has his first of four M*A*S*H roles, as Nurse Able, while Carmine Scelza's first of four is as a G.I.  Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky) and George F. Simmons (uncredited, unnamed role) return.

M*A*S*H: The Korean Surgeon

M*A*S*H: The Korean Surgeon
CBS
November 23, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
B

Soon-Teck Oh's third M*A*S*H role is the title character, unfortunately a North Korean, but Hawkeye and BJ manage to disguise him.  Margaret is suspicious, but Frank is won over by flattery from two North Korean imposters, to the point that he goes away with them.  (There's the O. Henry "Ransom of Red Chief" twist that he annoys his kidnappers so much that they kick him out of the jeep.)

Richard Russell Ramos was a Man in Automat on That Girl and has an unknown, unidentified role here here.  Robert Ito (this time a North Korean), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), and Dennis Troy (an unknown, uncredited role) return.  This is the first M*A*S*H script by Bill Idelson, who'd written for That Girl and The Bob Newhart Show.

M*A*S*H: Mulcahy's War

M*A*S*H: Mulcahy's War
CBS
November 16, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
B

As the title hints, Father Mulcahy wants to see some of the "real war," so he accompanies Radar, without permission, to pick up a wounded patient.  He ends up successfully performing a tracheotomy, following Hawkeye's steps over the walkie-talkie.  And meanwhile, Hawkeye tricks Frank into performing surgery on a dog.

Richard Foronjy was Artie Berkowitz on The Bob Newhart Show and is a Sergeant here, while Ric Mancini was a Moving Man there and is Sgt. Hodkey here.  And Brian Byers was a Box Boy there and has his first of two M*A*S*H roles, as Priv. Danny Fitzsimons. Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky) and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.  This is Linville's 100th episode.

M*A*S*H: Dear Sigmund

M*A*S*H: Dear Sigmund
CBS
November 9, 1976
Dramedy
DVD
B

Sidney writes to Freud about the denizens of the 4077th.  Set during March ('52?) since it includes the first day of Spring.  It's implied that Donald has cheated on Margaret, although there's no follow-up.  I like the twist that BJ is the practical joker.

Jennifer Davis Westmore makes her first of nine appearances as a nameless Nurse.  Charles Frank is Capt. Hathaway here, the first of two roles.  And a pre-Vegas Bart Braverman plays Private Habib.  Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) and Sal Viscuso (this time onscreen as Patient John) return.  Alda wrote and directed this one.