MASH - General Discussion

[BetterButter]

R.I.P. Judy Farrell, M*A*S*H's Nurse Able

[sATL]

7 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

R.I.P. Judy Farrell, M*A*S*H's Nurse Able

I am drawing a  blank on which episode(s) she was in...  was she the one in the farewell eposide - who said she wanted to work in pediartrics after the war to see life beginning ?

was she in the nurses episode where Margret penalized 4 nurses for making fudge in their tent and punished a newlywed for sneaking out?

[rubaco]

The only episode that I'm positive she's in is "Images." Margaret comes down hard on an emotional nurse, and Judy Farrell is one of the nurses who goes to the Swamp to ask Hawk and B.J. to step in. 

Bit I think you're right. @sATL, that she's in the finale and has a line in the group dinner scene.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The actress that played Rosie the bar owner, Eileen Saki, has passed away.

https://deadline.com/2023/05/eileen-saki-dead-mash-actor-played-rosie-1235354216/

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

The actress that played Rosie the bar owner, Eileen Saki, has passed away.

https://deadline.com/2023/05/eileen-saki-dead-mash-actor-played-rosie-1235354216/

I was going to point out that, while the longest in the role, that Eileen Saki was not the first to play Rosie.

But, per the article, three actresses had the role.

The only other actress in the role I recall was when Radar and Henry went looking for the dog that bit Radar, and Rosie gave them the Hollywood gossip of the day before they got news that one of Rosie's relatives had eaten a dog.

"Radar, they took your dog home in a people bag! Must've been one hell of a bun!"

As gross as that custom is/was [my dad served in Korea in the '60s and confirmed this!], that part was still funny, to me.

Returning to Ms. Saki, she certainly did imbue Rossie with gravitas and sass. Still remember the scene with Fr. Mulcahey and the lush dog, Irving. Not to mention her disgust at Klinger and BJ when they were on their anti-Radar kick.

May she RIP!

[chicagofan]

Did not know that Judy Farrell (Nurse Able) was married to Mike Farrell (B. J. Hunnicutt) IRL at one point and that some aspects of their life were incorporated into the show. They have a daughter named Erin (like B.J.'s daughter) and in the episode "The Colonel's Horse" when Potter's horse gets sick while Radar is taking care of it B. J. calls his father-in-law Floyd Hayden (Judy's maiden name) who lives in Quapaw, OK (where Judy was born).

Edited May 3, 2023 by chicagofan

[Crs97]

We are watching reruns and have gotten to the episode in which Hawkeye feels guilty when Radar gets hurt, and Radar gets mad at Hawkeye for walking out of an operation because he was hungover.  Listening to Radar complain that Hawkeye let him down — I remain Team Hawkeye on that one.

[WendyCR72]

3 hours ago, Crs97 said:

We are watching reruns and have gotten to the episode in which Hawkeye feels guilty when Radar gets hurt, and Radar gets mad at Hawkeye for walking out of an operation because he was hungover.  Listening to Radar complain that Hawkeye let him down — I remain Team Hawkeye on that one.

Not me.

Not because of Radar, but because I still recall when Hawkeye was so damned sanctimonious when the doctor [played by Alan Alda's dad, Robert Alda!] he and Trapper met while ostensibly away for a seminar and came to the 4077th to pitch in ended up being a drunk and Hawkeye dressed him down, right or wrong. Yes, the doc was a drunk and shirked his duty, but Hawkeye acted so morally superior while he, himself, was more often than not dependent on the still to get through the day, which Robert Alda's character pointed out.

So for Hawkeye to suddenly become so enraged when Radar basically blasted Hawkeye for the same damned thing just made him look like a huge hypocrite to me as far as that went.

[Crs97]

And I was Team Robert in that discussion.

If Radar had shown one ounce of concern for the patient, I might have been more on his side.  
 

Frankly, I’ve never understood how operating while hungover didn’t happen more often.  The colonel tells Pierce he can be drunk any other time but when he’s needed in the OR, but wasn’t it unpredictable when wounded would show?  Then the next episode shows BJ, Potter, and Hawkeye drunk and driving.

[mmecorday]

Quote

We are watching reruns and have gotten to the episode in which Hawkeye feels guilty when Radar gets hurt, and Radar gets mad at Hawkeye for walking out of an operation because he was hungover.  Listening to Radar complain that Hawkeye let him down — I remain Team Hawkeye on that one.

I have never liked this episode. It's not like Hawkeye forced Radar to go on leave. Radar exercised his own free will. At this point Gary Burghoff was looking way too old to play the part of the aw-shucks kid from Iowa. 

[Egg McMuffin]

I hate that one.

I also hate the multiple episodes where BJ feels sorry for himself because he is away from Peg and their baby. Hotlips lets him have it in one of those episodes, telling him that his suffering is no worse than that of his colleagues. After that he never complained again. At least not in front of Hotlips anyway. 😁

[andidante]

7 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

I hate that one.

I also hate the multiple episodes where BJ feels sorry for himself because he is away from Peg and their baby. Hotlips lets him have it in one of those episodes, telling him that his suffering is no worse than that of his colleagues. After that he never complained again. At least not in front of Hotlips anyway. 😁

I don't like those either! And I love when Margaret tells him off "The only reason you've got the most to lose is cause you've got the most!" I could be off a few words. I love Margaret!!

[Fosca]

I think Margaret may be the character that had the most character development over the course of the series.  And while she was used for laughs at the beginning, there was nobody better at telling the men to just cut it out by the middle and end of the series (breaking up with Frank seemed to give her a backbone, or at least give a good reason for the writers to stop writing her just as Frank's bimbo).

[Crs97]

We are in the Donald Penobscot era; I forgot how insufferable she was.  She is acting like she never was party to any of the ridiculous demands Frank made.  I also hated how awful she was to Radar; Potter should have reamed her out so many times.

[WendyCR72]

11 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

I hate that one.

I also hate the multiple episodes where BJ feels sorry for himself because he is away from Peg and their baby. Hotlips lets him have it in one of those episodes, telling him that his suffering is no worse than that of his colleagues. After that he never complained again. At least not in front of Hotlips anyway. 😁

Yeah, some of those have aired this week for "BJ week" on MeTV. Just reinforces to me that BJ was whiny a lot of the time and self righteous.

One of the two episodes yesterday featured when he got that bronze star then did the speech about feeling superior to the soldiers or whatnot. Now, later Hawkeye could be as bad as BJ, but I will defend him in as much as Hawkeye (and Trapper) rebelled against the Army and authority, not the troops they would treat.

So BJ's little speech just reeked of "I'm so enlightened" and just UGH.

It's a shame, because I get the feeling that Mike Farrell is a nice guy, but man, could BJ grate.

[Egg McMuffin]

8 hours ago, Crs97 said:

We are in the Donald Penobscot era; I forgot how insufferable she was.  She is acting like she never was party to any of the ridiculous demands Frank made.  I also hated how awful she was to Radar; Potter should have reamed her out so many times.

She’s also shown to be lacking as a leader (such as the episode “The Nurses”). I’d say that Margaret is the most inconsistently written character. Or maybe she’s just flawed.

[Crs97]

Don’t even get me started on The Nurses!  I always wished one of them would have called her out on the utter BS of her “the rotten way you treated me” whine.  They weren’t wrong.

[voiceover]

On 6/1/2023 at 10:16 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Yes, the doc was a drunk and shirked his duty, but Hawkeye acted so morally superior while he, himself, was more often than not dependent on the still to get through the day, which Robert Alda's character pointed out.

“I wish you better luck on your third war.”

One of the best takedowns of Hawkeye ever.

[mmecorday]

I feel bad for Margaret that Donald turned out to be such a jerk, but I'm glad she didn't stay starry-eyed about him. If you drank every time she mentioned her fiance in season five, you'd be as drunk as Dr. Borelli. 

Also, no one played a funnier drunk than Loretta Swit. 

[Crs97]

I think my favorite episode of MASH is Sons and Bowlers.  I wish Charles and Hawkeye had more moments like that one.

[andidante]

2 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I think my favorite episode of MASH is Sons and Bowlers.  I wish Charles and Hawkeye had more moments like that one.

I love that one too!

[The Crazed Spruce]

That was probably one of my favourite Charles episodes. It showed just how much deeper he was than his predecessor. I mean, can anyone picture Frank Burns sitting up with Hawkeye all night?

[andidante]

11 hours ago, The Crazed Spruce said:

That was probably one of my favourite Charles episodes. It showed just how much deeper he was than his predecessor. I mean, can anyone picture Frank Burns sitting up with Hawkeye all night?

No I cannot. However I did feel for Frank when he was speaking to his mother on the phone and mentioned a "friend" who pretended to like him "you know like dad used to". That always gets to me. 

[Crs97]

MASH gave Frank very new few notes, but Larry played them gracefully whenever he got the chance.  The show runners were smart not to try to replicate the character.   Charles was a good antagonist and rounded character.  

Edited July 19, 2023 by Crs97
Autocorrect is not my friend

[voiceover]

6 hours ago, Crs97 said:

 

MASH gave Frank very new notes, but Larry played them gracefully whenever he got the chance

 

A few moments when Frank was The Guy:

— Early on in the series, when Hawkeye has been bashing Frank over his surgery skills — only to be forced to operate again on one of his own patients, see his mistake, and hear Frank (who was looking on) say, “Anybody could’ve missed that!”

— As they inspect the living quarters for the “missing” poker money, Radar is aghast to discover that Fr Mulcahy had extra collars.  Frank: “What did you think he did when one got dirty or wore out — converted?”

— After he mentions that he might ask a new nurse out, Margaret (who’s been listening in) snarks, “Isn’t she a little YOUNG for you, Major?”  And without missing a beat, he snipes back: “I dunno…I thought a little youth would be good for a change!”  Advantage: Burns 🤣

 

[Fosca]

Larry Linville was a hell of an actor.  He took a one-dimensional character and made him someone that, even though he was the "villain", we cared about at least a little.  I mean, I felt sorry for him sometimes, the poor pathetic git.  And I loved the third example above, when he got back at Margaret.  She was such an ass to him when she hooked up with Penobscot.  

Winchester was a much better adversary; it was a much more even match between him and Hawkeye and BJ.  

[WendyCR72]

One other more human Frank moment, during the Blake era, was during one of the "bottle" OR episodes, I think [bottle meaning the whole episode happens in one spot].

Frank does his usual grousing when operating, preparing to remove a kidney. Luckily, Trapper comes along with the x-ray, telling Frank the guy only HAS one kidney. Frank, sincerely distraught, murmurs how he could have killed the patient...

Charles was indeed more well rounded than Frank, but had those writers maybe tried fleshing Frank out, as they did with Hot Lips-turned-Margaret, I bet Larry Linville could have pulled it off. (No slight to David Ogden Stiers, who was great; but maybe Linville would have stuck around if Frank wasn't always just the straw man.)

[chessiegal]

My husband had a female colleague who got summoned to her male boss's office. He looked at her and said, Let me be frank. Her response - as long as you don't call me hot lips. 🤣

[Crs97]

We are just about done with our binge rewatching, and BJ is really a petty jerk a lot of the time.   For example, I hate when the boxer has the stroke and BJ is jealous that the reporters follow Hawkeye around.  He blames Hawkeye for wanting the attention when it’s pretty clear Hawkeye hates it.

[fishcakes]

BJ was always pretty egotistical about his surgical skills, which didn't seem warranted either. Both Henry and Potter had said Hawkeye was their best surgeon, and after Charles arrived, everyone was in awe of his surgical skills, just not his personality. BJ was always just the guy who was better than Frank, for whatever that's worth.

[Laura Holt]

For me any episode that was BJ-centric  was unwatchable.  I don't know what he added to the show.

[Crs97]

3 hours ago, fishcakes said:

BJ was always pretty egotistical about his surgical skills,

Yes!  At one point he announces the only reason Hawkeye is chief surgeon is because he was there the longest and then keeps saying he’d be chosen as chief surgeon for the proposed MASH.  I was thinking he wasn’t even second choice.

How about when Hawkeye writes the article to get the son home before his mom is deported?  A professional reporter asks if he can rewrite it, and Hawkeye immediately says yes, but BJ keeps pointing out to everyone that the reporter’s article is better written.  Of course it was!  Man, he’s a jerk.

[WendyCR72]

And with all of the above, it is why I preferred Trapper.

[stonehaven]

I preferred Hawkeye with BJ as his personality was a bit more evolved with BJ.

I will say this. The one episode that annoys me now is BJ getting upset that he isn't home to see his kid and Hawkeye trying to compare it to missing his father and BJ belittles him for that. First off, a father-son relationship as close as theirs was should be respected.

Also, Hawkeye's dad was older and in the 50's, men didn't live past 70 that often. So, yes, Hawkeye had a real struggle with missing his dad that far away as who knows what would have happened and how long Hawk would have been over there.

As someone who lost an only parent in the last year, I empathize more with Hawkeye in that episode and especially the one where his dad is sick. I love that episde and it drew him and Charles close. BJ, who was his best friend, was pretty much a non-factor when his friend needed him most.

[sATL]

Watching "The colonel's horse" ... Anyone know if the method of sticking the hose up into the horse (from the back) is the preferred method to "clean out the horse "  ? Kinda wondered why Hawkeye chose to do that part, as opposed to being the one at the top of the water tower.

Edited August 7, 2023 by sATL

[WendyCR72]

"Deal Me Out" from S2 is in progress on MeTV with a young John Ritter as a soldier who tries to shoot Frank while Trapper, Hawkeye, etc. have their "conference" (card game).

Pat Morita's Sam was always good for a laugh and it was Flagg's first appearance, where he went as Holleran (wondering if he had a name change or they retconned it to an alias?) and was actually normal enough to join in the poker game.

And then there was "Whiplash Wang" that Radar hit with a jeep.

A really fun episode!

[Browncoat]

10 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

"Deal Me Out" from S2 is in progress on MeTV with a young John Ritter as a soldier who tries to shoot Frank while Trapper, Hawkeye, etc. have their "conference" (card game).

Pat Morita's Sam was always good for a laugh and it was Flagg's first appearance, where he went as Holleran (wondering if he had a name change or they retconned it to an alias?) and was actually normal enough to join in the poker game.

And then there was "Whiplash Wang" that Radar hit with a jeep.

A really fun episode!

That’s one of my favorites!

[sATL]

Watching 'Goodbye Radar ".... Just thought of something, I wonder why Radars rank was so low. Later Klinger  got a promotion to sargent. new person takes over same job with higher pay and rank. Seems like the job  would have been a little higher rank B/c of the duties and responsibility- like Staff Sargent. 

And on the subject of rank, 2 episodes prior, when chef-patient  Conway, cooked for a one star General who went to basic with Potter. I wonder what happened along the line that cause potter to miss getting his general star. Would have added  a few more dollars to the retirement 💰

Edited September 22, 2023 by sATL

[mmecorday]

Quote

Watching 'Goodbye Radar ".

 Gary Burghoff's performance in these two episodes seems a little off. His voice seems different and we don't see any of Radar's mannerisms. I think the actor had already divorced himself from the role and once that was done it was hard for him to get back into character. 

[WendyCR72]

The episode where Sophie, Colonel Potter's horse, gets sick is on and I think I spotted an anachronism.

When Radar, Hawkeye, and BJ are calling Oklahoma to speak with BJ's father-in-law, who is a vet, Radar spells the man's last name to the operator, H-a-y-d-e-n.

Then Hawkeye sings, "M-o-u-s-e".

But The Mickey Mouse Club did not debut until 1955.

Always fun to spot such stuff.

[mmecorday]

After Margaret returns from Tokyo and she's gushing on and on about Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott, she says that he calls her his "Little Plebe." We never actually heard him call her that. 

[WendyCR72]

Get ready for a brand new M*A*S*H two-hour special, M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, to air on Fox on New Year's Night, January 1, 2024.

It will feature the surviving cast - and will honor those no longer with us [cast and crew, i.e. Larry Gelbart] with never before seen interviews and such.

[sATL]

I don't remember much of the orginal MASH movie. It doesn't hold my attention.  Was the Frank and Hotlips in a romance in the movie , from the beginning,  or did one of them make moves that led to a romance?

Still baffles me why they enjoyed one another. They seem like an odd pairing in the early episides. 

[Fosca]

They did indeed become a couple in the movie (and in the book too, I believe).  The movie Frank wasn't quite as much of a sad-sack as the TV Frank, and he was a lot more religious.  Margaret was much the same sort of hard-ass Army nurse in the movie, although she wound up "loosening" up quite a bit (and was treated much worse than in the TV show--the shower scene is particularly humiliating).

[WendyCR72]

6 hours ago, sATL said:

I don't remember much of the orginal MASH movie. It doesn't hold my attention.  Was the Frank and Hotlips in a romance in the movie , from the beginning,  or did one of them make moves that led to a romance?

Still baffles me why they enjoyed one another. They seem like an odd pairing in the early episides. 

Oh, they were hot and heavy in the movie version, too. As a matter of fact, the movie explains how Houlihan [although, if I recall, I believe in the film it was O'Houlihan?] got the Hot Lips name!

Trapper and Hawkeye set up the PA so the camp heard them getting it on, and Margaret was telling Frank to "kiss these hot lips!"

Father Mulcahey first thought it was a radio soap he liked. Once he realized what was actually going on, he made a hasty retreat from where the rest were listening! (As an aside, René Auberjonois did a good job in the role, too.)

[Driad]

Margaret and Frank certainly did not agree on everything. In one episode, Margaret was drinking with Hawkeye et al., and was at least three sheets to the wind. Frank came in and lambasted them. After he left, Margaret asked, "Who was that?"

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, Driad said:

Margaret and Frank certainly did not agree on everything. In one episode, Margaret was drinking with Hawkeye et al., and was at least three sheets to the wind. Frank came in and lambasted them. After he left, Margaret asked, "Who was that?"

Her delivery of that line was absolutely perfect.

[TheLastKidPicked]

On 9/25/2023 at 11:28 AM, mmecorday said:

Gary Burghoff's performance in these two episodes seems a little off. His voice seems different and we don't see any of Radar's mannerisms. I think the actor had already divorced himself from the role and once that was done it was hard for him to get back into character. 

 

Gary was on Matchgame a few times.   The others were good at the small talk, the inside jokes, and the patter.  When Gary tried to participate it seemed so forced.  

I felt sorry for him.

 

[WendyCR72]

Just a reminder that the special, M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, will air tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox!

[SoMuchTV]

3 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Just a reminder that the special, M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television, will air tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on Fox!

Watching now, and it is reminding me of my recurring question: how can they drink like they did when they were basically on call 24/7 as doctors?  Oh well, I’ve hand waved worse.