"M*A*S*H" Soldier of the Month (1975)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Gene Reynolds

Writer:

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (writer)

TV Series:

"M*A*S*H" (1972)

Original Air Date:

28 November 1975 (Season 4, Episode 12)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot:

The 4077th introduces a "soldier of the month" award, which includes a week of R&R in Tokyo, and Klinger and Radar go all out to win the honor. Frank is supposed to choose the winner, but he contracts a rare fever. |

Plot Keywords:

Trivia Contest | Nurse | Colonel | Doctor | Korean War

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce
Mike Farrell	...	Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt
Harry Morgan	...	Col. Sherman T. Potter
Loretta Swit	...	Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan
Larry Linville	...	Maj. Frank Marion 'Ferret Face' Burns
Gary Burghoff	...	Cpl. Walter Eugene 'Radar' O'Reilly
Jamie Farr	...	Cpl. Maxwell 'Max' Q. Klinger
William Christopher	...	Lt. Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy
Johnny Haymer	...	Sgt. Zelmo Zale

Runtime:

USA:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Colonel Potter announces the "Soldier of the Month" contest, he says it is a directive from the War Department. Between the end of WWII and the outbreak of the Korean War, the Departments of War and of the Navy had been merged to form the Department of Defense.

Quotes:

Margaret: Major Burns has decided to make out his will. Will you listen, Father?
Father Mulcahy: Gracious, I didn't even know he was dying.
Margaret: Oh, he isn't. No. Just a precautionary measure.
Father Mulcahy: Oh. But he does have the fever and a person is supposed to be of sound mind.
Frank Burns: Oh, it's okay, Father. I don't think my mind was any sounder when I was well.
Margaret: Call if you need anything, Major.
Father Mulcahy: Uh, are you sure you feel up to this, Frank?
Frank Burns: The only thing I really feel up to is dying.
Father Mulcahy: I see. Well, uh, if you're ready.
Frank Burns: My car, my house, all the money I buried in my backyard, goes to the only woman who ever really cared, ever really understood - my wife, Louise. She'll have to thaw out the map, it's inside some ground chuck in the basement freezer. My savings account passbook number is in the same bottle as my appendix.
[...]

Amusing And Funny!!

The opening part of "Soldier of the Month" had Major Burns and Major Houlihan doing their work in post-operating section of the 4077th. Corporal Klinger -- in a surprisingly unusual manner -- worn his regular Army uniform and saluted his superiors in treating the patients. Private Stravinsky -- in a surprised move -- saluted Major Burns in the opening clip of this episode.

The patients were unaware of an unexpected illness. Their lungs were filled with liquids inside their systems ... causing internal drowning in their bodies. First Lieutenant Mulcahy told everyone about the ailment: hemorrhagic fever. The only recourse was to let the illness run its course. From there, Corporal Klinger and Major Burns were preparing mouse traps to catch the rodents in their tent. The former used his wife's fruitcake as bait ... not to mention using a homemade device to exterminate the rodents entirely. The latter suffered broken bones -- in agonizing pain -- from helping out Major Burns with his work. Captains Pierce and Hunnicutt would eventually find out about Major Burns contracting the disease.

Captains Pierce and Hunnicutt would eventually become prompters for the contest. Corporal O'Reilly would be the actual soldier whom would win the contest in an honest manner. Corporal Klinger -- in stark contrast -- wrote down the answers in a futile attempt to win a vacation in Tokyo ... obviously by cheating. Quite Funny!! A Fat 16!! Quite Entertaining from the 1975-1976 Television Season!!