Plot A: Hawkeye and B.J. try to hide a terrified young Korean boy from the Korean "recruiters".
Plot B: Col. Potter's horse is stolen by an elderly Korean, who used to be in the calvary.

Plot C: Klinger attempts to bribe Col. Potter.

The Korean boy thing was sorta similar to the movie, where Hawk and the gang gave Ho Jon drugs to mess with his vital signs so he wasn't fit to be drafted. It didn't work, however, much like this episode. I just thought this was neat, because I had thought that they'd used up the book/movie plots within the first few seasons.

Does Radar know how to speak Korean or not? The Corporal uses Cho Pak's daughter to speak to the elderly Korean colonel early on in this ep. However, later on Radar begins to speak in Korean to the young Korean draft dodger.

Once again Radar is made to appear to be a virgin where alcohol is concerned. The first season shows him to be quite an accomplished drinker.

I thought Radar knew only a few words like "no worry, we are the good ones". In BJ Papa San, BJ could say hello in Korean, but used the children to translate complex contents.

I think the scene with the old korean man and potter is indeed very touching, like radar said.

"I thought Radar knew only a few words like "no worry, we are the good ones". In BJ Papa San, BJ could say hello in Korean, but used the children to translate complex contents." - constanze

This is one of the major inconsistencies with M*A*S*H. It's not just a question of how much Korean does Radar know, but other characters, too. The size of Father Mulcahy's and Margaret's Korean vocabulary also tended to change according to the needs of the script. At one point, Hawkeye was shown trying to learn Korean from Captain Pak. Yet, nothing seems to have ever come of it. Moreover, later eps indicates Hawk knows practically nothing of the language. I've said it elsewhere: The 4077th should have had an interpreter stationed at the camp. IIRC, most military units do have an interpreter.

Benn,

I've said it elsewhere: The 4077th should have had an interpreter stationed at the camp. IIRC, most military units do have an interpreter.

Perhaps because the MASH people didn't consider themself a strictly military unit, they didn't ask for an interpreter? Also, following the military procedure, a MASH officially doesn't need one: The MASH is intended to care only for US soldiers (and maybe other UNO forces, which would understand English), not for the natives (frank always complained about civilians or prisoners given care before the US boys). And the civilian helpers recruited from the population are expected to learn english (we see the courses the doctors give).

The doctors also aren't expecting to take natives prisoners or have anything to do with civilians. And how many interpreters wouldthere be to put one into a MASH instead into HQ or a fighting unit?

But the Army and 4077th should know that interactions with the Koreans would be inevitable and unavoidable. Wars have been fought for centuries by people speaking one language in a foreign land where a foreign tongue is spoken. And wounded enemy soldiers are just another part of war. You will always have them. This shows a lack of foresight on the part of the Army. And it's one the 4077th could easily have remedied. They hire South Koreans to do various menial tasks all the time (the laundry). Why couldn't Colonel Blake or Colonel Potter have hired a South Korean to act as an interpreter? They've continuously run into situations where having an interpreter would have helped. You'd think they'd learn.

In real life, MASH units hired a whole lot more South Koreans to do the dirty jobs (cook, litter bearer, etc.) than their counterpart on TV. It isn't too big of a stretch to imagine that some of them acted as interpreters.

Benn,

I've always had the impression that this has to do with the attitude of americans, who are generally less willing to learn foreign languages, since "they don't need them and everybody else speaks/ understands english".

As to hiring natives as interpreters: I got the impression that the natives in the vicinty were farmers, who couldn't speak english. Most of the time in the show the children interpret, since they would pick up a new language more easily, but they don't do a good job. Likewise, the laundry people speak only pidgin english - not much use for real interpreting.

An Interpreter needs not only to know the other language very good, he also must be a trustworthy person, because translation is full of misunderstanding, which can cause trouble. And, if the MASH moves around - which it doesn't in the show, but would in real life - the villagers living nearby wouldn't be keen on moving with them.

So, even if potter tried to find an interpreter among the natives, it may have taken too much time, or there were simply no qualified, trustworthy ones left over.

Yeah, Constanze, us dumb hick Americans don't think its necessary to learn a foreign language. Thats why its mandatory in college to take a foreign language. Oh, and high school. Oh, and middle school. Oh, and a great many elemantary schoold require it too.

Its interesting, but I've noticed that when I'm in a foreign country where I speak a bit of the language, the people seem to think that I am either British or Canadian, since, of course, Americans don't bother to learn any other language. The only tourists people seem to think are American are the stereotypical "ugly Americans". My German may be broken, but I'm still understandable when asking for directions, or asking how much something costs, or ordering a meal. My Spanish is much better.

Constanze, what you said is like me saying that Germans or French or Japanese don't find it necessary to learn a foreign language, since I have been spoken to slowly and loudly by German, French, and Japanese tourists in their native languages. There are "ugly Germans", "ugly French", "ugly Japanese", etc... tourists as well.

Careful, Constanze, your bigotry is showing.

I apologize for that last line, but I am very tired of people trashing Americans. It seems to be an international passtime these days. I know that you would be upset if I said that Germans are generally a violent people. You would have a right to be, I do as well.

Merat,

how should I have said that many americans, although they take courses in school, don't think its very important to learn about other cultures? Yes, there are courses in school. Yes, many Americans speak other languages. But generally talking, the american people don't seem to show interest in countries outside the US. E.g. the bad scores on geography tests and like. E.g. the media coverage about foreign countries, which is small. E.g. the attitude of the majority of the american people, as coming across by the media coverage as well as american and international experts who say that the american people in general aren't interested.

If you are in a foreign country and the natives talk to you in their own language, it doesn't mean that they don't see the necessity to learn a foreign language. What happens when you talk back to them in english? Most europeans at least understand english in a slow and simple form, as well as another european language, but they also know why its a good idea to learn it. When going into a foreign country, its considered polite to learn at least elementary phrases and know elemantary things about the culture and behaviour. That doesn't mean all germans/europeans do it - those who fly to mallorca to get drunk are ugly germans for sure - or that no american does it, that's why I said generally as in not everybody.

If you would say that germans are generally a violent people, I would be surprised where you got it from - unless you are referring to our shameful history. (but then the american people are as violent, if only citing the recent bowling for columbine).

My point is that most Americans DO learn at least a few phrases and things about the culture and behavior before traveling abroad. Some don't, and those are the ones that get noticed. Its like when you buy a green car. Suddenly, you notice that there are a great many green cars on the road. Its because you are looking for that. Like I said, much of the time, polite American tourists aren't seen as Americans, since to some people's eyes American=Rude and therefor if someone is being polite, they can't be American. Also, you tend not to remember the oddly accented person who asked you something politely as well as you remember the person who shouted at you and acted rude.

Those "Lets Show Just How Dumb Americans Are!" geography studies aren't accurate, by the way. A particularly humerous one said that 80% of Americans couldn't label the Pacific Ocean on a map. After reading a few of these, I did a bit of research and found that their methodology was deeply flawed. Something like this is supposed to take a cross-section of the people being represented. In this case thats the American people. Instead, they took a cross-section of poor, badly run schools and used it as an example of all Americans.

The reason I linked German and violent is because its a very nasty stereotype that won't go away, no matter how untrue it is, just like rude French, stuck-up British, or rude American.

Incidently, "Bowling for Columbine", while a good movie, is largely a work of fiction. Different speeches on different days in different cities were edited together to make people say what Michael Moore wanted them to say. Many of the "facts" in it are also badly represented, or outright lies.

America is not a nation of idiots, Constanze. There ARE idiots in America. There are also brilliant scientists (those at the CDC, for example). Were not ••••••...were just played that way on TV.

Getting back to my point...

It seems to me that on M*A*S*H you see a surprising number of Koreans who speak English very well. And not just children. Soon Lee and Ho Jon are two that come to mind. Then there's the farmer kid who was eventually sent stateside to help Radar. (Yes, they are young, but not children.)

In reality, MASH units had a lot of Koreans doing a lot of the menial tasks no one wanted to do or had time to do. They cooked and served the Americans their food. They dug the latrines. They carried the wounded into the OR. These aren't tasks that can be taught through sign language or broken English. Someone among them must know enough English so that the units' instructions can be followed.

Ho Jon is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. He worked at the 4077th as a houseboy and in the ep, "The Moose" acted as an interpreter. Why weren't there other such characters?

And frankly, if you trust the natives to do the menial tasks, why couldn't you trust them for doing interpretion? It's not like the 4077th deals with classified material on a regular basis. Much of what the unit would need an interpreter for would be to communicate with wounded who were Korean and to negotiate land use on the occasions when the 4077th relocated. The interpreter wouldn't need to do anything too complicated for the most part.

As Colonel Potter ends his morning ride on Sophie, his left hand is higher in one shot than in the other.
Wonder why, after finding Ham in her shower, Margaret didn't go back to finish bathing?

The sign on the box that Klinger is selling candy, cigars and gum out of is labeled "Help a Poor Nurse". Klinger's a nurse? Since when?

When Hawkeye tells Klinger "We're hiding him (Ham) from the Korean Conscription Unit" the audio is of a noticeably different quality than his previous line. I suspect it was looped.

According to the sign behind Zale (when Klinger attacks him), mixed drinks at the Officers' Club cost $.85. "Call shots" are twenty cents each. I'm not sure what the rest of the items are, but at least one of them (possibly beer) is ten cents each.

Is that Hawkeye's rubber ducky Klinger has on sale? Either he somehow got it from Captain Pierce, or Hawk bought it off Max.

I do believe Potter poured more booze into Radar's glass than in his own.

Cho Pak arrives at the 4077^th riding Sophie. Ham relates how his grandfather spoke of Cho Pak's exploit as a soldier. When he does, he's facing Hawkeye, B.J. and Radar. In the very next shot he's looking in Cho Pak's direction.

"All that good whiskey shot to hell."

Merat ---- be careful your GOP slip is showing.............