SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 25 Min.
First televised on CBS on December 1, 1973, Jackie Cooper directs this episode where Hawkeye & Trapper resort to increasingly desperate measures to scrounge up an incubator for the 4077th’s medical lab.
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 (no appearance)
Major Frank Burns: Larry Linville
(Lt.) Father Francis Mulcahy: William Christopher (no appearance)
Cpl. Maxwell Klinger: Jamie Farr
Capt. Sloan (Quartermaster): Eldon Quick
Gen. Maynard Mitchell: Robert F. Simon
Major Morris: Ted Gehring
Col. Lambert: Logan Ramsey
Capt. Fox: Ralph Grosh
Betty Lou: Helen Funai
Nurses: Sheila Lauritsen & Sarah Fankboner
Soldiers: Jerry Harper & John Alvin
REVIEW:
Despite getting too heavy-handed at the climatic press conference, “The Incubator” is good satire re: ridiculous governmental bureaucracy vs. delivering practical solutions. The standout scene occurs in Henry’s office where Hawkeye & Trapper unsuccessfully lobby their local quartermaster for the badly-needed incubator. Guest star Eldon Quick’s deadpan reactions are hilarious as the duo’s unsympathetic foil. Similar kudos goes to Robert F. Simon’s typically gruff performance as a befuddled General.
Still, the outlandish tactics Trapper & Hawkeye deploy (i.e. going to Tokyo at least once) during their quest come off as exceedingly implausible for war zone surgeons. Though overplaying its hand, “The Incubator” remains one of MASH’s most entertaining Season 2 episodes.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
