Chief Surgeon Who? is the fourth episode of Season 1 of the television series M*A*S*H. It was first broadcast on October 8, 1972 and was repeated twice, on April 15 and July 29, 1973. It was written by Larry Gelbart, who won a Writers Guild Award for it, and directed by E.W. Swackhamer.
This episode marks the debut of Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger.[1] In Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America, a sociological examination of M*A*S*H as an illustration of shifting American values in the 1970s and early 1980s, James H. Wittebols cites this episode as an example of the satirizing of hypocritical authority figures.[2]
Synopsis[]
After a series of blowups during surgery, and a litany of complaints by Frank about Hawkeye, Henry decides to appoint a chief surgeon...
Full episode summary[]
Even though Frank Burns is ranking surgeon at the 4077th, he is clearly out of his depth; he is snappish and rude to the others, and, even worse, he's behind in his medical information, as everyone else on the medical staff seems to turn to Hawkeye for help and advice.
Later, Frank arrives in Henry's office with a list of charges he wants filed against Hawkeye, including insubordination, being out of uniform, and failure to salute a superior officer, which Henry dismisses as they mean little to nothing where they are. He summons Hawkeye to his office, and Henry tells them both that to avoid any more trouble he has to appoint a Chief Surgeon, which will almost double up the workload. Frank smugly says he can adjust, but then Henry drops the bomb: the new Chief Surgeon is Hawkeye. Frank is in disbelief, and Hawkeye is reluctant. Henry reveals that he knows Hawkeye is the best surgeon in camp, certified in chest and general surgery, and can hold up well under pressure. But Frank, who is only interested in GI protocol, doesn't care, and furiously declares he won't stand for being passed over and storms out. Hawkeye remarks that Henry may be one of the good guys after all, and Henry cautions Hawkeye to not let him down.
Later that night, during a wild "coronation party" for Hawkeye in the Mess Tent, Frank, with Margaret's help, decides to type a letter to General Barker to complain, though the letter puts more emphasis on his material possessions back home. The two soon get carried away with one another and accidentally break his typewriter, so Margaret takes Frank to Henry's office to place a direct call to Barker and tell him that he should come to camp immediately.
At 0200, Barker arrives in camp and is met by Frank and Margaret who tell him that there's a wounded man waiting to be operated on for a half hour. Barker finds "Chief Surgeon Pierce" in the Swamp playing poker with Trapper, Ugly John, and a Captain Kaplan. Barker, a doctor himself, demands that Hawkeye operate immediately, but Hawkeye explains that the patient is still in shock, so surgery is not yet advisable, but he ordered a blood transfusion and expects to operate when he is more stable. Barker refuses to accept Hawkeye's answer and storms off to find Henry, but he is bewildered to find that even at two in the morning, the whole camp seems to be jumping:
- He notices a soldier hiding a woman under a poncho.
- He walks into Henry's office and catches Radar reading comics while drinking Henry's brandy and smoking his cigars.
- He is halted by the camp's night sentry, Cpl. Klinger, patrolling in a WAC uniform.
- He walks in on Spearchucker and Nurse Ginger playing "strip dominoes" (this part is usually omitted from most syndicated airings).
- He catches Margaret attempting to sneak Frank out of her tent.
- He finds a nurse in Henry's tent while Henry is out digging worms for fishing.
Once Barker finally finds Henry, he drags him to the Swamp, only to be told that Hawkeye and Trapper are in the OR scrubbing up; Hawkeye informs Barker that the patient is now stable enough for surgery, and Barker insists on going in with them to observe. The surgery is successful, and a suitably impressed Barker grudgingly admits that Henry made the right call appointing Hawkeye as Chief Surgeon. When Henry asks what he should do about Frank if he continues complaining, Barker replies "Give him a high colonic and send him on a ten-mile hike". Barker then marvels at how anything gets done in this madhouse, right before they are halted by Klinger again, still on duty, and now completely naked (except for the WAC hat). Barker is horrified, but Hawkeye and Trapper take it in stride.
Epilogue[]
In an end scene usually cut from syndicated airings, Trapper calls Hawkeye over for help during another busy O.R. session. As he arrives, Frank hesitantly asks Hawkeye for help with his patient. Trapper says he can manage as Hawkeye agrees to help Frank, who seems to have finally accepted the new Chief Surgeon.
Research notes/Fun facts[]
- As stated above, this episode marked Klinger's debut. It was originally meant to be Jamie Farr's only appearance in the series, as evidenced by the fact that this was his only appearance in Season 1. Klinger became a fan favorite and was brought back for more episodes in Season 2, and eventually became a recurring, then regular member of the cast. Farr himself described in a 2014 interview that he "was brought in for a one-day's work and stayed on for 11 years".
- When Frank complains about Hawkeye addressing him by his first name, insisting that this is not allowed by Page 85 of the Army Officers Guide, he also, in the same breath, addresses his superior Henry by his first name. This subtle irony - was it a coincidence, or was it scripted?
- The exchange between Hawkeye and General Barker echoes a similar one in the MASH novel. In Chapter 11, Hawkeye, playing poker, resists the pressure of Col. Delong (a temporary CO of the 4077th) to operate on a patient immediately. Many of the lines are similar to those in the TV episode. In the TV episode, Hawkeye impresses his superior by finding a hole in the patient's lung. In the novel, Hawkeye finds an otherwise hidden hole in the sigmoid colon. This difficulty of finding a wound in the sigmoid colon is a plot device used later in "Sticky Wicket".
- In the final scene, when Frank asks Hawkeye for help, Hawkeye forgets to change his surgical gloves. They are still bloody from his patient when he begins helping Frank with his patient. Alan Alda stated in an interview that during the first weeks of filming, they did not yet have a nurse consultant on staff. There were a lot of mistakes made in this time, with Alda making specific mention of surgeons not changing their gloves between patients.
- This is one of the few episodes where Frank refers to Henry by his first name, rather than "Colonel Blake" or "Colonel".
- Radar is caught casually smoking one of Blake's cigars. In a future episode, Col. Sherman Potter offers Radar a cigar, and the Corporal chokes on it, as if he's never smoked before ("Fade Out, Fade In, Part 1").
Guest stars/Recurring cast[]
- Sorrell Booke as General Barker
- Timothy Brown as Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones
- John Orchard as Captain John "Ugly John" Black
- Jamie Farr as Maxwell Q. Klinger
- Jack Riley as Captain Kaplan
- Linda Meiklejohn as Lieutenant Leslie Scorch
- Bob Gooden as Private Boone
- Odessa Cleveland as Lieutenant Ginger Bayliss
- Uncredited appearances: Gwen Farrell, Marcia Gelman, Sheila Lauritsen (all spotted during the Chief Surgeon's party).
Gallery[]
