Two things bother me about this episode. For one thing it takes place BEFORE Potter took command(It covers to year 1951). The second thing is that it's chock full of references to Margaret knitting, Mulcahy growing a garden, Hawk and Beej ordering from a Sears, Roebuck catalog, and Klinger's and Charles' baseball wagerings. Yet none of these events are refered to in any other episode that season. It's a pity. Would've made for some nice continuity.
Plot: One year, compressed into a half hour. Highlights include Margaret knitting a potholder into an blanket, Father Mulcahy raising a garden and anticipating corn on the cob, Klinger and Charles betting against everyone in the Pennant, and Hawkeye and B.J. attempting to create an articficial kidney machine.
When Charles is standing outside listening to the Giants/Dodgers game, he drops his hat when he hears the Giants won. In the next scene, besides it being odd to have Charles actually pass out over this, he's laying on the ground with his hat on top of him and in his hand.
At the beginning of the episode, everyone's gathered in the mess tent for the New Year's celebration. But in the outside shot, a fire is visible in a barrel, yet no one is anywhere near it. Isn't this kind of pointless?
Where did Charles get that big knife from in the last scene? He comes up with it right after Potter starts the film, so he wouldn't have had time to go find one.
There is a huge error concerning Fr. Mulchaey's corn. In this episode, the corn is about chest high by the 4th of July. At 38 degrees North Lat., the corn is rarly more than ankle high by the 4th of July. (I should know, I live about 2 counties south of 38 degrees North.)
I thought the corn would be as high as an elephant's eye, and look like it's climbing right up to the sky...
I suppose Fr. Mulchaey could have had a little help from above. :)
Where did Igor live that he had never heard of corn on the cob? And by the way, when did he become the cook, anyway? I thought he was just the server.
Loved Father Mulcahy's line: "You...you CREAMED it! You, you...NINNY!"
Just saw this episode the other day.
As an ardant corn-on-the-cob lover, I totally identified with Father Mulcahy's rage over the creamed corn. This is one of my favorite episodes because of the "slice of life" quality of it.
Charles and Klinger as rabid Dodger fans just doesn't ring true. If Charles rooted for a team as passionately as he does in this episode, it would surely be the Red Sox. Klinger likewise would probably be a staunch Indians fan.
Father Mulcahy certainly is a man of faith. As proof, I offer the corn he planted. He's taking it on faith that he will be around when the ears are ready for harvesting. The thing is, Mulcahy has been assigned to a MASH unit: a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It's entirely likely that by the 4th of July rolled around, the 4077th would've been somewhere else in Korea, far away from the corn.
In "Change of Command", Potter says he 16 months left before retirement. This ep shows Potter in command at the beginning of '51. 16 months from January 1951 is May 1952. That's two or three months shy of the end of the Korean War. And that's not even taking in consideration how long Potter may have already been the MASH's C.O. Yet, according to "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", Potter is still in command of the 4077th at the end of the war. (This is such a problematic episode to me.)
Benn,
Father Mulcahy certainly is a man of faith. As proof, I offer the corn he planted ...
But he doesn't need to be sure that he himself can harvest the corn. He's probably just thinking of the bible where it says its better to sow than to destroy, or theres a time to sow, a time to reap. In this war-ridden country, with many people fleeing, mines lying around, he maybe sees it as a sign of hope to have sth. practical for eating growing, even if he himself has been moved away by the time its ripe.
Except it seems pretty obvious that Mulcahy's looking forward to eating fresh corn. That's the overall impression I've gotten.
He is a man of Hope. And if he doesnt get to eat the corn someone will so he will be able to take solace in that. This is my hypothosis and may or may not be true but it seems like that to me.
Sounds good to me, Lolar.
Benn's first post: "The second thing is that
it's chock full of references to Magaret nitting," Actually, it's knitting. Nitting is what we're doing here.
>>Charles and Klinger as rabid Dodger fans just doesn't ring true. If Charles rooted for a team as passionately as he does in this episode, it would surely be the Red Sox. Klinger likewise would probably be a staunch Indians fan. <<
You've missed this all together. Charles is not a baseball fan at all. There are references to this during the spring baseball scene and at the 4th of July picnic when either Hawk or BJ make fun of the fact that Charles might ask how many carrots in a baseball diamond. That also is a reference to Charles'penchant for money or at least investments, which turn to gambling as he wants in on the baseball bet with Klinger and Col. Potter. His interest in baseball in general, and the Dodgers in particular, is purely financial.
I don't think Potter, Klinger, or Charles are particularly fans of the Giants, Dodgers or "Red Birds". They are following the whole league, half way around the world, and the climatic pennant race. That's what has their interest.
This is my favorite episode of them all, and continuity is not even a consideration; the episode begins on 1/1/51. The Korean War didn't even begin until the summer of 1951, I'm pretty sure.
Hawk or BJ make fun of the fact that Charles might ask how many carrots in a baseball diamond.
Carats.
This is my favorite episode of them all, and continuity is not even a consideration; the episode begins on 1/1/51. The Korean War didn't even begin until the summer of 1951, I'm pretty sure. - baltimorejack
The Korean War began on about June 30, 1950. (That's when MacArthur was given permission to start using ground troops in North Korea.) Here's a more complete timeline of the events leading up to the Korean War in 1950. So starting an ep at the beginning of 1951 is feasible.
The real continuity error lies in the fact that Colonel Potter did not take command of the 4077th until September of 1952. (As stated in the ep "Change of Command".) Therefore, neither he nor Charles (and really, B.J.) should be in this ep. Moreover, several of the first season eps indicate that Radar was still assigned to the MASH unit in 1951.
"Horse hockey!"
It's been a long time since I've seen they syndicated version of this. I think that one of the cuts was the scene after Hawkeye and B.J. received the radio that they had ordered. They were lounging outside of their tent, listening, when Charles came out in a rage because he disliked the pop music they were listening to. Hawkeye told him something like "If you don't like our radio, get off of our patio." (Radio rhyming with patio.) B.J. then added something that sounded like "Rat-io!"
It never seemed to occur to Klinger to protest that no one had held a gun to Charles' head and forced him to gamble on the World Series. In fact, he tried to get Charles to stop jacking the price so high.
You have to wonder where posh Charles learned a gesture so crude as spitting into his baseball cap before putting it back on.
Is there any reason the 4077th couldn't have gotten more than one Sears catalog? It would have saved a lot of fuss if more than one book existed in the camp.
While talking about building a kidney machine, Margaret pulls out her knitting. The positions of her needles changes between shots.
Father Mulcahy certainly is a man of faith. As proof, I offer the corn he planted. He's taking it on faith that he will be around when the ears are ready for harvesting. The thing is, Mulcahy has been assigned to a MASH unit: a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It's entirely likely that by the 4th of July rolled around, the 4077th would've been somewhere else in Korea, far away from the corn. - me
Just after Hawkeye, B.J. and Margaret talk about building a kidney machine, the scene cuts to Klinger, Father Mulcahy and Colonel Potter. In this scene, we learn it's a month before the 4th of July. Mulcahy at that point says it'll be a great idea for the camp to eat some of the corn as part of a picnic. Again, that all presumes the camp doesn't bug out before Independence Day.
Was a Cease Fire declared for the Fourth of July? I ask because otherwise, it probably wouldn't be a good idea for the 4077th to be shooting off fireworks. If only because it would give away their position to the enemy.
By July 4, Margaret former potholder/scarf had become a sweater. She tells Hawkeye it hadn't been a scarf for weeks. Uh, only a month has passed since the potholder became a scarf. Doesn't the phrase "it hasn't been a scarf for weeks" sound a bit odd? To me it makes it sound like it's been a longer time than 2-4 weeks. It just seems to me Margaret should've said, "It hadn't been a scarf for a couple of weeks." But that's just me.
The episode marks the second time this season that B.J. has called Winchester "Chaz" - and Charles lets him get by with it. The first time was in "Letters".
Great editing transition: We see a shot of the patient Hawkeye is operating on - the one who's lost a lot of blood and will be the first the doctors test their peritoneal lavage (washing out the peritoneal cavity) club. The camera then rests on a shot of the patient's head in OR and then transitions into a shot of the same man, same position in Post-Op. Very well done.
This is, I believe, the second time in the series we've seen the logo for Tony Packo's. The first time was in "Dreams". (By the way, here's the Tony Packo's official website. Frankly, I'm tempted to place an order for their hot dogs. I wanna know how good it is.)
When Charles is listening to the sports scores in Post-Op, the close up shot of him shows him with his hand closed. In the next shot, the hand is not only opened, but in a different position.
I see Klinger managed to retain the pink elephant decorations he got from the 8603rd, the ones used on New Year's Eve 1950.
"Beaver biscuits!"
No Radar, no Henry, no Trap. They were all there on 12/31/50.
Beej was in Cali, Potter was in Honolulu, Charles was either in Boston or Tokyo on 12/31/50
Pretty sure Ho Jon was there too on 12/31/50.
And no Frankie Burns on 12/31/50 as well.
But then episode continuity was never M*A*S*H's
strong suit.
Based on regionality Potter from Hannibal Mo. would be a Cardinal fan if any. Charles we know could not care less about the Red Sox (he tells Flagg that in an episode) Klinger from Toledo would most likely be an Indians fan (besides the Mud Hens)
Charles might have found the knife at the steam table, they were in the mess tent.
Pretty sure Ho Jon was there too on 12/31/50.- Joseph J. Coppolla
I'm reasonably certain that Ho Jon was gone by December 31, 1950. I don't believe he was in "Dear Dad", which took place around Christmas of 1950.
And no Frankie Burns on 12/31/50 as well. - Jospeh J. Coppola
Are you saying that Frank should have been in this ep and because he isn't, then it's a nit?
But then episode continuity was never M*A*S*H's
strong suit. - Joseph J. Coppola
To some degree, this is true. Where they fail is in the chronological continuity. That is, they could never keep it straight as to what year an ep was supposed to take place. It looks almost like the first four seasons covered the four years of the Korean War. Then beginning with Season Nine they seemed to have decided to push the series back to 1950.
"Beaver biscuits!"
When Margaret was initially looking through the catalog to order knitting materials, she specifically mentioned knitting a blanket--which is what she ended up doing.
Considering that what she really wanted was a heavy coat, you'd think that she would want to knit herself a sweater. (And why didn't she think to order a heavy coat when the Fall issue of the Sears catalog came along?) Do you think that she ordered all of that yarn at one time?
Is this episode supposed to take place before last season's "War Co-respondandt"? In that episode, Aggie O'Shay mentioned Bobby Thomsons' home run as a past event.
Also at the beginning of the fifth season's "Nurses", a radio broadcast can be heard which clearly takes place during the '51 pennant race.
July 4 or not, who the hell would shoot fireworks in the middle of a war zone?
Late in the episode, Charles is listening to a radio broadcast which informs him that the Yankees have beaten the A's 9-3. In real life, there was no such game between the Yankees and A's during the 1951 season that ended with such a score.