Plot A: Tired of the constant complaining, Col. Potter makes Hawkeye and B.J. the new morale officers. They plan a special picnic--and are left wondering if Klinger will return with the goodies or just keep on going.
Plot B: Charles is puffed up over the masterful work he did on a soldier's leg, only to find that the man is more concerned over the "negligible" injury to his hand--he's a concert pianist.
I watched this episode this morning, and something just occurred to me. Charles could not have known while the patient was unconcious if he were right or left handed. Right handedness would be the assumption, since it is more common. Charles was far too blithe over the hand injury, which was to the right hand. Any right handed person, not just a pianist or surgeon or etc, would have cause to feel dismay over the diminished use of their strong hand.
For any one out there who has only seen the cut, syndicated episodes, the reason Klinger took his footlocker along to Inchon (sp?) was to fill it with sand. "What's a beach party--without a beach?"
This episode has two of my favorite quips. 1. Hawkeye, upon observing that Klinger has renewed efforts to ditch the Army: "I thought you gave up this disappearing act." Klinger: "This dismal rotten place has reached a new high in low." 2. Potter, upon discovering that B.J. and Hawkeye let Klinger go with a blank pass: "That's like the warden giving Willie Sutton the key to the hoosegow." MASH has so many mini-lessons in American history and culture. I often wonder how many of these references most viewers would understand today. . .
Flaws aside, Winchester's experience with the wounded pianist was handled intelligently and tastefully. Father Mulcahy gave him just enough moral guidance to let Winchester devise a strategy consistent with his character.
Though I really liked that actor's portrayal with the pianist, that really was a pretty poor faking of him actually playing the piano. He tensed at the wrong points of the song, and it was very obvious that the camera could never show him and his hand at the same time.
And yet.
Another great Klinger line:
"I don't want my purple heart to read, 'He gave his life for crabs.'"
I'm not sure, but the film the MASHers are watching at the start of this ep is either Tales of Manhattan (1942) or History Is Made At Night. These are the only two movies Boyer starred in in which his name was Paul. Well, there is a third - Flesh and Fantasy, but from the description of it on IMDb, I doubt that it's that one.
Is everyone in the camp so bored that they'd actually watch a movie they'd seen 12 times in the last month? The Mess Tent is awfully crowded. And if this film has been shown anywhere near as much as Hawkeye suggests, I'd expect a smaller turn out for the flick. That, or the people there should look a little more bored than they do.
Can't help but wonder if the fact that the film was a favorite of the Colonel and his wife is the reason it had been shown so often.
Potter seems rather oblivious to the fact that the rest of the camp is in agreement with Pierce and Hunnicutt about the film. Moreover, he fails to notice that they got more enjoyment out of watching the two surgeons mock the picture than in watching it.
Charles is sure proud of himself regarding the fact he saved the soldier's leg with an arterial graft. It's not like he's the only to do so. Earlier this season, in "Life Time", Pierce did a very similar procedure - under less favorable conditions.
I guess Radar really did get a two weeks leave of absence pass. In this ep, Klinger tries to get Hawkeye and B.J. to give him a two weeks pass. They refuse, of course.
In the Mess Tent, when giving his appraisal of Hawkeye and B.J.'s work as morale officers, Potter says he expected a "big goose egg". He then says the doctors haven't even done that well. Next to Potter is Father Mulcahy. In his hands is a sheet of paper the Padre is reading. In the next shot, the paper is gone.
Then after Potter inform the morale officers how much people were depending on them, Mulcahy raises then lowers his coffee cup. In the next shot, the cup is raised again.
Kinger gives his report on how his search for a better movie is coming along. In his hand is a coffee cup he holds by the bowl. In the next shot, he's holding it by the handle.
Incidentally, there really is a movie called The Terror of a Tiny Town (1938). And it does star midgets.
Potter tells Pierce and Hunnicutt to let him know when the crowd gets out of control so he can egg them on. B.J. has both hands on his fan. A change of camera angles and Hunnicutt holds the fan with one hand.
At one point, we're told that there are 200 people assigned to the 4077th. Now, I didn't do a head count, but from what I can see, there wasn't 200 people at the beach party Hawkeye and B.J. threw for the camp. 25 at best. What happened to the others who missed out on the party?
In the tag to this ep, while talking to Charles in the Swamp, the position of the pincers of the crab in Hawkeye's hand changes in two successive shots.
"I'm so consevative, I make you look like a New Dealer."
Re: Benn's movie allusion
Yes, I believe this is 1937's "History Is Made at Night." In the film clip shown, the female lead tells Paul that someone is "insanely jealous." That fits with "History" 's plot.
Darci
Thanks for the confirmation, Darci! I wasn't sure. It's nice knowing I made a good guess at it.
"I'm so conservative, I make you look like a New Dealer."
Though I really liked that actor's portrayal with the pianist...
"That actor" was James Stephens, best known (at least to yours truly) as law student James Hart in the TV series version of The Paper Chase.
@Benn
quote:Potter seems rather oblivious to the fact that the rest of the camp is in agreement with Pierce and Hunnicutt about the film. Moreover, he fails to notice that they got more enjoyment out of watching the two surgeons mock the picture than in watching it.