Plot: Clayton Kibbee, a famous war correspondent who lives life in the Ernest Hemingway fashion, arrives with six pints of blood, planning to write stories about how each pint is used. Finding that the first patient was wounded in a decidedly mundane fashion, Kibbee "embroiders" the truth to make it dashing, patriotic and glamorous. Hawkeye is furious that Kibbee is sensationalizing what is essentially a very ugly, painful business, but no one pays attention to him, especially B.J, who is concentrating on repairing a motorcycle that the first patient gave to him. B.J. pays attention, however, when Kibbee gets drunk, steals the motorcycle, and roars off, hunting for glory.

I seem to recall that the other pints of blood went for equally mundane purposes, but they always cut them, now.

I didn't understand about the motorcycle. The soldier who picked up the wounded motorcyclist thought that it was a piece of junk. The motorcyclist himself never wanted to see it again. So why did the jeep driver waste valuable time heaving it up onto his jeep? I would think that it would be rather heavy for one man to lift.

Father Mulcahy indicated that he only knew the Pope by reputation, yet in season 6, in the episode "The Smell of Music", when Hawkeye and B.J. had been banned from the mess tent, Father Mulcahy said that it reminded him of dining al fresco on the Via Veneto in Rome, when "they" were there for an audience with the Pope.

I wonder just how much clothing Kibbee had room for in his suitcase. He had a bottle of tequila to share with the doctors, a "special bottle" for the nurse that he took to the Officers' Club, and a "special Bordeaux" that he offered to share with Margaret. Not to mention at least 2 hip flasks. (He had a spare.)

D.K., I know this is responding to what you said nearly 3 years ago, but oh well.

In "Smell of Music" I believe it was Charles who made thje comment of dining al fresco on the Via Veneto in Rome. Father Mulcahy was pretty busy inside trying to give sanctuary inside.

Sorry, D.K.

I was confuded this time. I was thinking of "A Holy Mess" where Charles speaks of dining Al Fresco. You were right about "The Smell of Music"

I'm surprised at how amiable Winchester is with Kibbee, and I'm surprised Winchester would've read Kibbee's articles.

Clayton Kibbee, of course, seems to be based on Ernest Hemingway.

Klinger mentions Andy Varipapa. There really was such a trick bowler. You can read about him here.

The jeep Kibbee arrives in is the same one Klinger drove in "Snap Judgment". You can tell by the serial number.

Grease and oil are notoriously hard to get out of clothes. I just wonder how B.J. got it oout of his beloved pink shirt?

When Father Mulcahy and Colonel Potter sit down at Kibbee's table in the O Club, Lt. Lacey, Clayton Kibbee's date, sets her drink down. There's a change of camera shots and we see Lacey set her drink down again.

Clayton Kibbee has a patch on his shoulder saying, "U.N. War Correspondent". How come Aggie O'Shay didn't have one, too?

The one thing I've always hated about this ep is that Hawkeye is the only one who doesn't like Kibbee and in the end he's proven right. It would have been nice if it had been one of the other characters or if that facet of the story had been somehow dropped altogether. I will say that Clayton Kibbee really was a very likeable character.

"The undrinkable chasing the inedible."