Confirmed in a later episode. Though it was less about hiding the women's clothing and more to convince his mother he was serving at a stateside base so she wouldn't worry.
I stopped watching after McLean Stevenson left. He was THE BEST and imo it was a better show with him being cast. I hated when they killed Henry off, and seeing Radar giving everyone the news was heartbreaking. RIP McLean Stevenson. U have been missed
@@JamesSmith-jq6om How they didn't have him in the 'Princesses' segment', of *"Wreckit Ralph 'BREAKS' the Internet",* is one of the great mysteries of 2018!
"...But to chop off a man's legs, and to steal his drawers!" From the episode when every fuel/wood source was being swiped to keep warm, when they raided the desk in Henry's office.
The irony is that Jamie Farr was actually in the army. Alan Alda was too. Although it was way after the war, both actually served in Korea. Farr was very proud of his military service and wore his actual dog tags throughout the course of the show.
Your comment reminded me of a story about Jamie Farr. Did you ever hear the story of Jamie Farr at the 1980 Olympic Hockey game? The only seat he could get was in the Russian section. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RgY6VidMzGk.html
Early in M*A*S*H, Margaret demands to talk with Henry, and she's obviously angry, so Henry agrees to see her, then says, "Radar, check the wire. Maybe the war's just ended and I won't have to hear her." That illustrates how their own little wars are often worse than the big one going on.
What I like is how bored Henry is having to listen to Klinger's crap yet again but doing so out of courtesy, THEN reaching for the file after the spiel's done with and reading out the record.
Diane Milligan I also prefer the Henry Blake years, loved Trapper. Started watching it reruns when I was a kid in the late 70’s... still catch it whenever I come across it. Never gets old.🙂
Did you know that when M*A*S*H ended, the late, great, news commentator Paul Harvey said "America needs to be reminded of the futility of a pulled-punches war"?
@@mikegilkey4173 Yeah, he had to tear the dress he was wearing and tell them all that his Section 8 act was fake for anyone to consider he might be in a real bad situation.
It's why, in the real-world modern-day Army, if something happened like that, they'd do a "Red Cross Message", where they would have the American Red Cross verify the basic facts and send a message through official channels to the unit commander.
This is one of my favorite scenes. And I love it all the more knowing Klinger had been lying to his mom the whole time and telling her he was stationed stateside so she wouldn’t worry.
These are like notes an 8-year-old would forge and send to the teacher to get out of class. Klinger --- the world's worst liar AND the world's worst woman. God, I love him.
Accually Klinger's character was to be in the first episode only because he was suppose to be gay. He said no let's not make him gay let's have him a straight guy pretending to be gay trying to get out. That's how Klinger's character got started.
@@anthonydesroches8897 He wasn't pretending to be gay, He was dressing like a woman so that people thought he was mentally unstable. His uncle got out of the military during ww2 that way so he tried it but constantly failed. Actually no one on MASH was gay or trying to be gay.
@@anthonydesroches8897 I didn't say that you said he was gay. I said that no one on the show was gay or trying to be gay. Klinger dressed like a woman with facial hair so that people that met him on the show would think he was mentally unstable. I didn't misread what you said but what you said was incorrect.
Klinger was a great character, whoever he was trying to scam. My personal favorite was after Klinger tried to talk his way out with both Potter and Frank Burns, he was ordered out of the office. Then Burns said “I don’t know why he’s trying to get out. I like it here.” And Potter replies “Great, one of you is nuts and now _I_ have to figure out which one!”
He originally auditioned to play Hawkeye. That's why he has the fishing hat. It's similar to the one worn by Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye in the MASH movie (1970)
Stevenson shaped the character based on his father, who was a country doctor in Central Illinois. He said his father was fiercely devoted; he died in his early 90s while making a house call. But he could not balance his checkbook or get other simple things done. McLean was the 2nd cousin, once removed of Adlai Stevenson and was the press spokesperson for his 1952 and 1956 presidential campaigns. The first campaign happened about the time Henry Blake was dying.
Don't forge the final episode when everyone was telling what they were going to do and Klinger said, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm staying in Korea!"
"Klinger, you have to have lived before you can die." "You've said a mouthful, sir." "And they never did. You made this whole thing up." "How can you tell?!?" "Because every time you lie, your nose gets smaller." "I'll be back." "I'll be here."
Or when Klinger said he was the Toledo Strangler. He only strangled female motorcycle cops. It was the siren that made him do it. Or something like that but still Classics!!!
I also liked the one where Klinger carried the bowling ball,acting like he was in Toledo,and when Potter was filling out the section 8 papers,he asked his name and rank and when Klinger said " Privare",Potter said,"Gotcha soldier".
I remember the first time I watched M*A*S*H back in 1981 , I didn't like it. It took me two episodes to finally understand the concept behind this show. I came to understand that these people were put under extreme, dangerous, and stressful situations, and the way they coped with what they had to do , they had to do some real crazy stuff in order to stay sane. What helped me understand this TV show is that I had a neighbor that was a Korean War veteran and he had shrapnel still in his head , he was considered crazy but , he was not violent . I had the honor to sit down with him one day and talk about this particular TV show. After talking to him for about an hour I finally came to understand what this TV show was all about. A lot of times when I watch this TV show I remember my neighbor , may God bless them all.
My son describes his work place as being a MASH, no not people being operated on but cars being serviced and there's a lot of tear downs and 25,000 dollars worth of parts to put on. It gets to him to do job 1, can't get to job 2, maybe he can do job 3, job 4 is unknown, and he tries to get all the jobs done in 6 hours.
In reality, it was about the Vietnam War. They set it in Korea and made it comedy, but the message was profound. Your lack of understanding the show comes from being too young to have been personally affected by Vietnam. Maybe you weren’t even born yet or were a baby when it ended. My father and two uncles served, and Uncle Jimmy didn’t return.
I don't mind watching it now, but I disliked this show as a child. One could say my reason was justifiable. I didn't like it because it would air on Saturday mornings in the same slot as the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show. Mom wanted to watch MASH, but we the kids wanted the cartoons (followed by an episode of School House Rock).
As much of a screw ball that Klinger was, it never got in the way of his duty. especially when it came to the wounded. he had a big heart. Col. potter really loved him. this scene is priceless.
An argument could be made that "MASH" was the greatest program in American television history. It started out as a Sgt.Bilko/McHale's Navy-type of comedy (with dramatic undertones) and ended up as a sometimes heavy drama with comic undertones. And in either mode, it was an excellently written and acted program.
One of the funniest Henry Blake scenes, notice his name placard is facing the wrong way (towards Henry!) A lot of subtle gags that people never pick up!
I saw it, but never thought of it that way. It's saying he is so overwhelmed that he can't remember his own name. Or he's such a bumblehead, he can't remember his name.
Klinger was so off the wall. He would blatantly lie to your face, then if you caught it, he'd improve a NEW lie to fit the scenario. Jamie Farr was BRILLIANT.
We had a guy in my unit who was worse than Klinger. This guy went AWOL multiple times. He once went AWOL, got caught and brought back, given an Article 15 that included extra duty, and went AWOL immediately. Then he deserted. The fool was caught and brought back and the unit shunned him as a result. The guy confessed to me that he just wanted out, he was tired of the military. There were better ways of getting out. Instead, he became an idiot and wouldn't listen to reason. I say 'worse than Klinger' because, at least Klinger had some fashion sense.
Now the guy would be selected to star in information videos promoting inclusivity and the wearing of cause ribbons on uniforms that would be required viewing during a clear lower decks.
Loved the shoe from the very beginning. Cried when Henry Blake died, wondered what was going to happen to the show when Trapper and Radar left, cried again when show ended.
"Klinger aren't you ashamed of yourself?" "Yes sir, I don't deserve to be in the army." For me that was the best scene ever. Klinger just couldn't give up and exploited any angle he could. Way to go Max!
"Surely he will let you come home for your fathers funeral or his 65th birthday, whichever comes first." That tells you how long ago this was. Jamie Farr was around 39 then and is now 86.
When klinger meet col. Potter first time I died laughing. One mad thought he was a made carried a colt in his arms, another thought he was a daisey said he needed watering everyday.
@@Renville80 Agreed although to be fair, MASH definitely had a lot of in your face, shoved down your throat political messages, although they came later on as it became more and more of The Alan Alda All Wise show. The earlier seasons were more on the humor, even while the messages were there, albeit more in the background.
Could not stand mash while it was airing 70s - early 80s , But for some reason after watching reruns late 90s something clicked, and now mash is my #1 all time fav sitcom
Jackandmel My mom wasn’t allowed to watch it when it was on the air initially, but after it went into syndication my grandma would watch it with me and my sister. When my mom pointed it out, my grandma simply said “Times have changed”.
Depending what channel it is on they show an edited version of M.A.S.H, for example on SundanceTV or TVLand when showing the very first episode they cut out the opening scene that says Korea a 150 years ago. But fortunately own the DVD set as well and also on one of my Amazon firestick app there is a channel that shows all 11 seasons including the finale and the movie over and over.
Am I the only one who's noticed that the Norman Lear "socially conscious" comedies like "Maude", "The Jeffersons", and "All in the Family" feel about as contemporary today as an "I Like Ike" button, while "M*A*S*H" hasn't aged a day? This has nothing to do with the quality of the actors; Bea Arthur and Carroll O'Connor were as good as it gets as performers. It's the scripts; characters on "M*A*S*H" (except for Frank Burns, who was a caricature) grew and developed over the years: Hawkeye's faults got as much exposure as his virtues, Charles became far more open to others, Henry's death shook everyone to their core, and Margaret changed the most of all, progressing from a humorless martinet to a compassionate woman and good friend. Everyone involved with this wonderful series had a great deal to be proud of.
A brilliant series. I remember watching it with my Dad, he was a doctor. When it was shown in the UK, the laughter track was omitted, much better. One of the reasons it seems ageless, apart from the brilliant scripts and acting is that it was set in the past to begin with, like one of the UK’s best comedy Dad’s Army which was set in WWII, it ended production in the 70’s and is still shown on TV today.
@@petersyme7083 Excellent point about "M*A*S*H" seeming timeless because it was already set in the past. It was, of course, intended (only in part, mercifully) as an oblique commentary on Vietnam; but the allusion was kept subtle enough that it never got in anybody's way. Your reference to "Dad's Army" -- a series which I had never heard of until you mentioned it -- reminded me of my favorite story about Britain in World War II. After a blitz raid, rescue squads went out to save people who were trapped in rubble. One such unit heard a woman calling for help from under the wreckage of her home. She was fortunately not badly hurt; but, as they pulled her out, one of the rescuers looked at the mailbox, and saw that it read "Mr. and Mrs. Albertson". Anxiously, he asked her: "Madam, where's your husband?" Without missing a beat, she replied: "Fightin' in Libya, the bloody coward!"
It did but it gained a great deal too. The Season 4 premiere was so illustrative. The show became more rounded out and more effectively explored the horrors of war. It was darker but never pretentious because the great writing continued.
Agreed...I just didn't like the ridiculous story lines where everything worked out so nicely, with Pierce and Hunnicutt always saving the day. IMO, a handful of the shows were worth watching: the 'dream' episode was very good, and a few with David Ogden Stiers in the lead stand out.
I liked Henry and Trapper a lot too, plus Frank, but could they have gone 11 seasons with the early formula? True, there was a little too much Alan Alda directing in the later years, therefore too much schmaltz.
Truly the best TV show of all time. McClain Stevenson was the best. His character was so well done and funny no matter the situation. it's a shame he got greedy and Larry Gelbart killed him off. The show was never the same after Henry.....
it's hard to pick a favorite character from mash. they were smart enough to recognize the talent they had and wrote for all of them. where does Klinger rank as an all time character? he's got to be up there. Farr could do the funny but he could act too. he handled the drama parts just as well. I was always struck by how good of an actress Loretta Swit was. not sure she gets enough love. it was a brilliant show