Category: TV Episodes & Movies

SUMMARY:                       RUNNING TIME: 25:00 Min.

First televised on CBS on September 26, 1975, Gene Reynolds directed this installment.  Amidst an hours-long bombardment on a frigid night, Hawkeye & Margaret supervise a less-than-quiet midnight shift in the 4077^th hospital ward.  Among their cases is one of BJ’s patients suspiciously requiring far too many infusions of blood and another soldier agitated multiple times by shell shock. 

Col. Potter & “Radar” have little luck working the phone to get the Army’s shelling moved away from the 4077^th’s proximity.  Klinger suffers a mishap on sentry duty. Meanwhile, self-involved Frank desperately tries retrieving his extramarital love notes to Margaret that she has evidently stashed somewhere.    

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. BJ Honeycutt: Mike Farrell

Col. Sherman Potter: Harry Morgan                                                   

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher (credits only)                         

Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr

Abbott: Christopher Allport                                                                 

Private Jenkins: Darren O’Connor

Edwards: Uncredited

REVIEW:

Considering newcomers BJ and Col. Potter had just been introduced, “It Happened One Night” delightfully helps entrench their characters on MASH. While the plotting itself isn’t remarkable, almost magically, most every element (i.e. the acting, perfectly-timed gags, etc.) clicks exactly as it should.  For Season 4, this one is definitely recommended!      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      8 Stars

SUMMARY:                               RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on March 2, 1974, Larry Gelbart directs the second season’s finale.  Fanatical CIA operative Col. Flagg’s unexpected presence at the 4077^th ignites a rivalry with Vinnie Pratt — Trapper’s old buddy and a rival American military spy.  Misinformed suspicions and assumptions imply that somebody in camp is up to no good. 

Not letting this prime opportunity go to waste, Trapper & Hawkeye gladly stir up Flagg & Pratt’s self-serving spy games against each other.     

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. “Trapper John” McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                            

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr

Col. Sam Flagg: Edward Winter                                                         

Vinnie Pratt: Bill Fletcher

REVIEW:

Casually spoofing Cold War espionage, this episode is hilarious!  Between Flagg & Pratt’s innumerable aliases, Flagg’s nebulous spy agency (is he with the CIA? The CIB? Maybe the CIC? or is really it the CID?) and lots of witty humor, “A Smattering of Intelligence” is not just classic MASH, it’s classic TV! 

Though guest star Bill Fletcher is forgettable (he seems much too old for the role), his best scenes – one, easily bullying Henry and the other, a joint interrogation competing against an equally irked Flagg are terrific.  Stealing the show, however, is Edward Winter’s recurring Col. Flagg, in undoubtedly his best MASH appearance.  What’s so impressive about the straight-faced Winter this time is his spot-on chemistry working off the regular cast.  Including an inspired telegram gag, Flagg’s hard-nosed intimidation of both Henry & “Radar” serves up multiple comedic gems.  

For a LOL episode from the original MASH gang, “A Smattering of Intelligence” is a can’t-miss prospect.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               10 Stars

Note: For a classy spy movie comedy-caper similar in spirit, try Walter Matthau’s 1980 Hopscotch.  Aside from foul language (lots of F-bombs), Matthau, Sam Waterston, Herbert Lom, and Ned Beatty are in dynamite form.

SUMMARY:                             RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on February 23, 1974, Alan Alda directs the first of MASH’s occasional “Mail Call” episodes.  Mail day brings assorted odds-and-ends to the 4077^th.  Prescribing some deserved ‘humility therapy,’ Hawkeye baits Frank’s greed re: an imaginary stock tip.  Savoring Frank’s get-rich-quick scheme, “Hot Lips” gloats that she’ll be the next Mrs. Burns soon enough.  Exasperated by his own home mail, Henry is further harassed by Klinger’s latest ploy.  “Radar” calls upon Hawkeye for pen-pal advice.  Poignantly missing his young daughters, a drunken Trapper contemplates going AWOL.     

Note: Hawkeye is seen receiving an oversized sweater from his sister back home.  The series later depicts him as an only child.

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. “Trapper John” McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                            

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr

REVIEW:

Standard-issue TV concept … inspired execution!  Aside from Henry & Klinger’s first conversation overextending its hilarious gag, “Mail Call” is an early MASH gem.  Each of the story’s tangents, with scripted precision, nail their intended targets.  In particular, the comedic chemistry between “Hot Lips” and a sniveling Frank epitomizes their conceited on/off affair.  Though Father Mulcahy gets too little to do, his spot-on facial reaction to a depressed Trapper’s retort of “Wait until you have children, Father,” is a delight.  The same applies to “Radar” and Frank’s befuddling chat discussing time zones. 

As for the episode’s best scene, that honor goes to Henry & Klinger.  Their LOL dialogue re: Klinger’s dubious home correspondence file was smartly edited down a bit for subsequent clip episodes.  If one wants some vintage MASH laughs tinged by the right dosage of poignancy, “Mail Call” ensures first-class delivery. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  8½ Stars

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on February 9, 1974, the episode is directed by Don Weis.  With its supply line temporarily cut off, an isolated 4077^th resorts to drastic measures amidst a bitter cold spell.  Whether it’s sharing tents or scrounging for firewood, the gang find hilarious ways of coping with their rapidly-depleting supplies.  Worse yet is that the 4077^th is subsequently hit a non-stop barrage of casualties.       

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. “Trapper John” McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                            

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr

Nurse (uncredited): Kellye Nakahara

REVIEW:

It should be deemed a TV classic!  Working this finely-tuned script, the cast’s chemistry is superb.  For instance, the interrupted ‘hot plate’ scene and the reluctant bunkmates sequences are indicative of how terrific this original cast gelled.  More specifically, all of them (not just Alan Alda) contribute to one of MASH’s funniest episodes ever.  Perhaps its most underrated element is McLean Stevenson delightfully playing up Col. Blake’s shaky leadership under dire circumstances.  For vintage MASH laughs, this “Crisis” might just leave viewers in stitches.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              9 Stars

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on February 2, 1974, the episode is directed by Hy Averback.  It’s quiet … almost too quiet for the  4077^th, after several days in a row of non-stop boredom.  Trapper & Hawkeye resort to some ‘monkey business,’ just for fun.  Consulting Father Mulcahy, Klinger test-runs his latest Section Eight ploy.  Left with little alternative, Frank approaches Hawkeye & Trapper to operate on his aching hernia.  Egged on by the guys in his assembled command, Henry dubiously presents one of his required monthly lectures.  Playtime is abruptly over once a huge wave of casualties roll in.        

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. “Trapper John” McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                          

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr

Lt. Able/RN: Kellye Nakahara                                                             

Lt. Baker/RN: Patricia Stevens

Lt. Murphy/RN: Bobbie Mitchell                                                         

REVIEW:

For an episode with so little actual plot, this one is impressive.  Including a witty dialogue exchange between Hawkeye and a delirious Frank, what’s remarkable about “As You Were” is how the cast consistently scores laughs.  Whether it’s doctors goofing off in gorilla suits or Frank literally feeling ‘boxed in,’ this odds-and-ends episode is an underrated minor gem.  Best of all is McLean Stevenson scoring its biggest chuckles amidst a flustered Col. Blake’s pre-marital sex lecture.  A near-identical lecture gag appears in Season 1’s “Dear Dad,” but this one is just as good, if not better.  For some worthwhile MASH laughs. “As You Were” is a fun half-hour getaway.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:              8 Stars

SUMMARY:                               RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on January 14, 1973, William Wiard directed this early installment.  Covertly passing needed supplies to Sister Theresa’s orphanage, Hawkeye & Trapper deceptively credit a fictitious ‘Captain Tuttle’ as the project’s supposed benefactor.  Hawkeye’s invisible childhood friend, ‘Tuttle,’ inadvertently becomes the talk of the 4077^th.  Margaret dreamily falls in love with him … a jealous Frank fears a new rival … Henry thinks he just had breakfast with him the other day.  Hawkeye & Trapper’s wacky charade hits the fan when the U.S. Army seeks out the literally selfless Tuttle to present a good conduct medal for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda          

Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                            

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Sister Theresa: Mary-Robin Todd

Finance Officer: James Sikking                                                          

General Crandell Clayton: Herb Voland

Sgt. “Sparky” Pryor: Dennis Fimple                                                   

Captain Tuttle: (See Review)

REVIEW:

Exuding absurdism, “Tuttle” is timeless. Stick around and watch the closing credits, as there’s a wordplay gag (it’s likely one of the best in TV credits history).  Among its early seasons, “Tuttle” absolutely merits re-discovery as a sitcom MASH-erpiece.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 9 Stars

SUMMARY:                                RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.

First televised on CBS on October 8, 1972, E.W. Swackhamer directs this early episode.  Frank’s incessant whining forces Henry to assign a bemused Hawkeye as the 4077^th’s official Chief Surgeon.  While the camp holds an outlandish party inaugurating Hawkeye, Frank & Margaret scheme to compel a gruff General Barker into making a late-night investigation — personally.  Visiting the 4077^th  during its graveyard shift,  Barker gets more than he bargained for, including a cross-dressing overnight sentry.    

Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce: Alan Alda                                                    

Capt. “Trapper” John McIntyre: Wayne Rogers

Lt. Col. Henry Blake: McLean Stevenson                                            

Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly: Gary Burghoff

Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan: Loretta Swit                            

Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville

(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher                            

Cpl. Max Klinger: Jamie Farr

Lt. Ginger Bayliss: Odessa Cleveland                                                  

General Wilson Barker: Sorrell Booke

Capt. “Ugly” John Black: John Orchard                                             

Capt. Kaplan: Jack Riley

Capt. Oliver “Spearchucker” Jones: Timothy Jones                            

Lt. Leslie Scorch: Linda Meiklejohn

REVIEW:

Through repeat viewings, “Chief Surgeon Who?” sports several LOL moments.  While Jamie Farr’s debuting Klinger steals the show, its most underrated contributor is a pre-‘Boss Hogg’ himself: guest star Sorrell Booke (whose only other appearance as General Barker was in the previous episode: “Requiem for a Lightweight”). 

Sporting a bushy moustache (which makes him near-unrecognizable to Dukes of Hazzard fans), Booke’s blustery General Barker delivers some hilarious scenes stumbling upon the 4077^th’s after-hours hijinks.  It’s unfortunate that Barker isn’t in any more episodes, as he is by far the funniest straight-man of MASH’s various generals.  Though the party sequence is excessive and Trapper has far too little to do, this early MASH deserves its place as a golden (or, at least, silver) TV re-run.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:          8 Stars

SUMMARY:                      RUNNING TIME: 48 Min.

Appropriately televised on NBC on October 31, 1987, this Dennis Dugan-directed installment conjures up some chilling plot twists reminiscent of Agatha Christie.  Wealthy businessman George Edelton is assassinated in the family’s corporate office, just like his murdered father the year before. Yet, could the killer be the father’s ghost?  

With two unsolved murders implicating the Edelton family, L.A. police detectives, Sgts. Rick Hunter & Dee Dee McCall, interrogate the remaining Edeltons and their two servants at the family’s remote Bald Mountain mansion.  A blizzard traps everyone together for at least two days, as a disguised serial killer pursues a personal vendetta.

Sgt. Rick Hunter: Fred Dryer                                                              

Sgt. Dee Dee McCall: Stepfanie Kramer                                              

John Edelton: Dann Florek

David Edelton: John O’Connell

Capt. Charlie Devane: Charles Hallahan                                            

Michael Edelton: Richard Kline

Sylvia Brand: Tricia O’Neil                                                                

Clara: Mary Jackson

Carl Brand: Frank Ashmore                                                               

Bert: Parley Baer

Elaine Farmer: Carolyn Ann Clark                                                     

George Edelton: Robert Frank Telfer

REVIEW:

As a conventional “And Then There Were None”-style whodunnit, this episode is solid, in spite of some broad hints re: the culprit.  Even if its clichéd mystery moments (i.e. a spooky eye spying through a wall’s hidden hole) aren’t too scary, there’s still sufficient suspense.  Hunter & McCall’s platonic banter makes for some great fun, especially as they trade off on who’s more creeped out by the sniping Edelton clan.  Packed with reliable guest stars portraying the Edeltons (i.e. they plausibly resemble siblings), Three Company’s Richard Kline steals this episode with nonchalant sarcasm.      

However, the ‘logic police’ should have arrested the scriptwriters for some blatant contrivances.  For instance, why would an ingenious killer, no matter how deranged, risk targeting more victims when there are already two armed cops on the premises?  There isn’t any rationale as to why this culprit wouldn’t (or couldn’t) wait for a safer opportunity.  For that matter, in classic whodunnit logic, even if the determined murderer succeeds in gunning down the Edeltons, wouldn’t Hunter & McCall automatically deduce their culprit by process of elimination? 

Unfortunately, the script settles for Hunter & McCall’s guesswork rather than satisfactory revelations.  Another ‘it only happens on TV’ gaffe occurs when the two detectives are shown all too eagerly departing/escaping the Edelton crime scene before the forensics/coroner squad even shows up to deal with the corpses. 

The finish itself is a mixed bag, as one last ghoulish plot thread is resolved (sort of).  Again, too much (i.e. the real motive/culprit behind the dad’s murder) is left to inference.  In all fairness, the cast’s chemistry (particularly Kramer & Dryer) makes up most of the difference hiding this entertaining episode’s gaping plot holes.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:            6½ Stars

SUMMARY:                                 RUNNING TIME: 23 Min.

Televised on the Fox network on March 6, 1988, this Linda Day-directed installment parodies daytime game shows.  Sorely needing a new washer-dryer, boorish Al & Peggy Bundy brazenly impersonate their naïve neighbors, Steve & Marcy Rhoades, as contestants on a sadistic game show, How Do I Love Thee?.  The gaudy program pits newlywed couples against one another in cartoonish fashion to win mostly cheap household goods.  The game’s really afoot for the phony Steve & Marcy … once the real Steve & Marcy show up for the show’s grand prize challenge posing as Al & Peggy Bundy!

Al Bundy: Ed O’Neill                                                              

Bud Bundy: David Faustino               

Peggy Bundy: Katey Sagal                                                      

Bink Winkleman: David Leisure

Steve Rhoades: David Garrison                                                

Mona Squab: Catherine Rusoff

Kelly Bundy: Christina Applegate                                            

Roland Squab: Geoff Pierson

Marcy Rhoades: Amanda Bearse                                            

The Lovely Zelda: Jessie Scott

Note: Catherine Rusoff is Ed O’Neill’s real-life spouse.

REVIEW:

Unlike much of the first two seasons, this wacky episode depicts the blue-collar Bundy clan in full-on caricature mode (as fans of later seasons will easily recognize).  With its crass slapstick humor in vintage form, this early episode is gut-busting hilarious!  The regular ensemble cast’s chemistry is spot-on, especially when an incensed Steve & Marcy finally catch up to the shameless Al & Peggy.  Also, the competition between the naive Squabs and the far more mercenary Bundys (as ‘Steve’ & Marcy’) is simply a hoot to watch.  Guest star David Leisure gleefully steals this episode as the ultra-smarmy game show host.  Spoofing Vanna White, lookalike actress Jessie Scott’s silly airhead ‘The Lovely Zelda’ adds some extra adult-friendly chuckles.  Definitely recommended! 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    9 Stars