Showtime (M*A*S*H)
| "Showtime" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 24 (24th overall) |
| Directed by | Jackie Cooper |
| Written by | Larry Gelbart |
| Production code | J324 |
| Original air date | March 25, 1973 |
"Showtime" was the twenty-fourth (and final) episode of the first season of the American television series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on March 25, 1973.
Contents
Guest cast
- John Orchard – Ugly John - this episode marked the last appearance of the Ugly John character (a carryover figure from the original novel and movie); however, Orchard did appear in the 1979 episode "Captains Outrageous" as a different character.
Plot
As a USO stand-up comic and female singing trio (backed by a small band) performs at the 4077th, and the performance is juxtaposed with clips containing the following: Henry’s wife back home gives birth to a son and the camp’s dentist receives his discharge papers and takes great pains to make sure he does not get injured before he sets off for home. Major Burns actually gets the upper hand over Hawkeye with three practical jokes. The first is when he sabotages the still, causing it to spray Hawkeye in the face with gin. The second involves the classic 'bucket-over-the-door' gag. The third and arguably craftier joke has Hawkeye attempting to use the shower, but is annoyed to learn that Frank has switched the showerheads to spray alternately whenever Pierce tries to use it.[1][2][3][4][5]
Structurally, this episode, not unlike the two in this season where Hawkeye writes his dad, lacks the conventional linear structure of most television programs. It uses moments from the USO show, styled like the ones hosted by Bob Hope, to make commentary and contrast the ugliness of war with the fluff of the performances in the show. A sequence showing Radar playing drums with the musical band demonstrates Gary Burghoff's drumming talents onscreen. It was Burghoff's idea for him to drum in this episode as it was to pay homage to his drumming idol Gene Krupa, who actually allowed the star to play on his drums.
References
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External links
- "Showtime" at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
