Hawkeye is warm in the middle of an incredible cold snap. He makes the mistake of bragging about the long underwear his father sent him. Trapper talks him into letting him have the underwear, feigning pneumonia. It isn't long before he loses them in a poker game to Radar. Soon, through a series of events, the underwear begins to go from owner to owner. Of course, the strength of the episode has to do with the lust and extortion that goes into the process of attaining the desired object. As Henry lays hands on the peripatetic drawers, he doubles over from a serious appendix attack. This leads to a hilarious conclusion. This is a common plot for MASH and a logical one since these people live in such close proximity.
5 Reviews
Among the funniest MASH episodes
londonmapper29 November 2015
In the biting cold of Korea, Pierce receives Long Johns from home. Due to a lack of warm clothing in the unit, this soon becomes a much treasured and coveted item. He loses it to kindness, radar wins it in poker, it then moves on to the camp chef in exchange for a lamb chop and so on, resulting in hilarious twists and turns on its route, pun intended.
This is one of the first episodes that showcases what would become recurring themes in MASH - of the biting cold in Korea, the ineptitude of Army supplies (they send the MASH 4077 a full stock of summer shorts in winter, which Henry sends his "heartfelt appreciation for, but..." and the evergreen character of Klinger (Jamie Farr).
This is one of the first episodes that showcases what would become recurring themes in MASH - of the biting cold in Korea, the ineptitude of Army supplies (they send the MASH 4077 a full stock of summer shorts in winter, which Henry sends his "heartfelt appreciation for, but..." and the evergreen character of Klinger (Jamie Farr).
Written by Alan Alda
safenoe9 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I like the element of farce in this, and it's interesting this was the very first M*A*S*H episode written by Alan Alda, and it also has a serious element to it. I'm enjoying reflecting on M*A*S*H and how it progressed through its 11 years on air, especially after becoming a fan of the M*A*S*H Matters podcast hosted by superfan Ryan Patrick and Jeff Maxwell, very famous for playing Igor in later seasons. Anyway, Alan has been a guest on the podcast and I would like for him to return and reflect more on the early years and what motivated the change to the serious side of the series which we saw.
This is probably the first of the bad episodes of MASH
packerhof4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the worst episodes written for the TV series. The storyline of one of the cast having warm clothing is often repeated throughout the series run. But here, we are supposed to follow the life of long johns thru different characters, after Hawkeye lends then to Trapper due to his cold. Trapper them loses them in a poker game. It's painful to watch and is seldom funny, as that is at good as it gets.
The one where everyone wants to get into Hawkeye's underwear
jarrodmcdonald-119 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This was the first of 19 scripts written or cowritten by series star Alan Alda. He was the first member of the cast to take on extra duties behind the camera. In this story, inspired by 'La Ronde,' an item of significant value is passed around the camp from one person to the next. The item in this case is a pair of Hawkeye's long underwear, much coveted during a cold spell that is bearing down on everyone.
While we hear the icy winds of a Korean winter on the soundtrack and see a few leaves blowing around, there is no snow. Also, it seems unbelievable that if they are all shivering so much and trying to keep their hands warm, that they would be going without gloves? Especially when walking outdoors in the wintertime, surely they'd all wear gloves. And if they didn't have gloves, then those would be requested in the letter that Henry has Radar write to get more clothing sent to the 4077th.
Despite the implausibilities of Alda's script, the basic scenario is fun. We see how everyone wants to get their hands on Hawkeye's long johns, which were recently sent to him by his father. Unfortunately for Hawkeye, he isn't able to hold on to the undergarments. He gives them to Trapper who is not feeling well, but then Trapper loses them in a poker game to Radar.
From here the long johns are traded by Radar to the cook for a sumptuous meal. The cook hands them over to Frank as a bribe, when Frank threatens to have the cook written up for unsanitary kitchen conditions. Then Frank gives Hawkeye's underwear to Margaret as a gift, after she guilt trips him. Incidentally, I found it a bit unrealistic that the long johns would fit Frank so perfectly, since he and Hawkeye are not the same build. Or that they'd fit Henry so well, since he's taller, when he wears them later.
In the next part Klinger steals the long johns from Margaret before she's had a chance to wear them. But Klinger develops a conscience about his theft and gives them to Father Mulcahy who passes them on to Henry. You get the idea, the double-weave long johns are making the rounds!
In a way, a plot like this sort of writes itself...the important item keeps getting passed on to the next person until eventually it comes full circle back to first person (Hawkeye), which of course is what happens. There are no surprises here, but it's amusing to see how everyone's life is temporarily turned upside down by a pair of underwear.
While we hear the icy winds of a Korean winter on the soundtrack and see a few leaves blowing around, there is no snow. Also, it seems unbelievable that if they are all shivering so much and trying to keep their hands warm, that they would be going without gloves? Especially when walking outdoors in the wintertime, surely they'd all wear gloves. And if they didn't have gloves, then those would be requested in the letter that Henry has Radar write to get more clothing sent to the 4077th.
Despite the implausibilities of Alda's script, the basic scenario is fun. We see how everyone wants to get their hands on Hawkeye's long johns, which were recently sent to him by his father. Unfortunately for Hawkeye, he isn't able to hold on to the undergarments. He gives them to Trapper who is not feeling well, but then Trapper loses them in a poker game to Radar.
From here the long johns are traded by Radar to the cook for a sumptuous meal. The cook hands them over to Frank as a bribe, when Frank threatens to have the cook written up for unsanitary kitchen conditions. Then Frank gives Hawkeye's underwear to Margaret as a gift, after she guilt trips him. Incidentally, I found it a bit unrealistic that the long johns would fit Frank so perfectly, since he and Hawkeye are not the same build. Or that they'd fit Henry so well, since he's taller, when he wears them later.
In the next part Klinger steals the long johns from Margaret before she's had a chance to wear them. But Klinger develops a conscience about his theft and gives them to Father Mulcahy who passes them on to Henry. You get the idea, the double-weave long johns are making the rounds!
In a way, a plot like this sort of writes itself...the important item keeps getting passed on to the next person until eventually it comes full circle back to first person (Hawkeye), which of course is what happens. There are no surprises here, but it's amusing to see how everyone's life is temporarily turned upside down by a pair of underwear.
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