Three best scenes for me - Potter saying, "Pack it off." when B.J.. needs help in surgery (Change of Command, S4, E2). I cannot explain it, but it always makes me cry. Next is Potter talking to Hawkeye about not being "incredibly average" in Hepatitis (S5, E19). Last is Charles talking to the injured pianist in Morale Victory (S8, E19). I urge everyone to watch them.
Retired internist here. In my younger days I looked a little like Alan Alda. I was in the ER one night doing medicine consults and this one patient kept intently looking at me as I would pass him in my scrub top and white coat. At one point I just stopped and looked at him. He said “you look like that doctor on MASH”
Were these bits framed as "with" or "at" though? I'm not calling for a cancelling, just wondering if Hawkeye was written as bi, was interpreted as bi, or if queer folx were a guaranteed laugh?
Yes it is. IIRC, this is the episode where a S. Korean military officer and the mayor of a local town were playing poker with the gang several nights in a row and Flagg was convinced they were N. Korean or Chinese spies.
In The More I See You (S4, E22), he tells Carlye (his ex) there's been no-one since her, yet, in Radar's Report (S2, E3), he was all gung-ho to marry Erica. I just love continuity.
Alan, without a doubt, was one of the Good Guys. Love him so much, especially everything he did for STEM. A gin distilled from the finest ingredients as a toast; we all die, but few of us outlive that death in the memories of others. You, my friend, most certainly will.
I gotta suspend reality when watching MASH, for the womanizing part.
Sort of pretend it’s like cartoon character isms, like Looney Tunes sexuality. Ridiculously cartoonishly exaggerated, for comedic effect.
Similar to How I Met Your Mother. At first I hated it, until I learned Neil Patrick Harris was gay, then I was like “his character is fucking hilarious”
That & the theory that Ted exaggerated Barney’s sleezeballness for the sake of Ted putting down his primary romantic competitor
Hawkeye just don't take shit from anyone, and loves to fuck with people. Of course he'd have no problem making jokes like that if it meant he somehow had the upper hand against the other person. At least, that's how I understand his character.
i mean, he's also just a massive slut (said in a positive way), like, the kind of slut who's sexual preference is "yes" "often" and "how about that broom closet behind you, we can finish dinner later". i don't think he gives a shit what you've got in your pants. i approve
Not quite. He didn’t suffer fools. But it wasn’t about “getting one up on the other guy” as much as it was about doing what was right. It just happened that he had a foil which often wanted to do what was “required,” even when it wasn’t what was right.
omg that's fantastic! i wonder if i can find that on the bay. i can almost handle the sexist jokes because context of history. and i can handle laugh tracks for otherwise perfect shows. i cannot handle both. i never watch anything with laugh tracks anymore so i don't have the immunity to irritation that normalizing it creates. it's like nails on a chalkboard to me
Funny how many "woke" shows aired in the 60s and 70s isn't it? They covered how senseless war was, how ridiculous blind patriotism is, and how racism was objectively shitty. Not up to modern acceptance when it came to homosexuality, but not horrid for being 50 years old.
It tried to portray homosxuality in a positive manner while having peoples reactions being period accurate. There's actually a whole damn episode about an actual gay guy, and I'm not talking about Klinger or Hawkeye's shenanigans here. I mean an actual gay guy who's just trying to serve his country. Hawkeye figures it out and helps him cover for being gay.
Yeah, I remember that one, but I was also thinking of Klinger's apparent disgust when Friedman told him he could send Klinger home if he signed a paper stating he was a homosexual. Klinger refused. Staying in the war was better than being gay.
Like I said, peoples attitudes toward being gay were period accurate. Also if Klinger had gotten back to America and they checked up on him and he wasn't either crossdressing or dating men, he could get into huge trouble for perjury had he signed it.
Charles talking to the orphanage owner who sold a couple boxes of sweets for…rice and cabbage? or something that would last weeks-months like that. Wonderful episode!
Eeeeeh, I don't think any of his flirty jokes (often weaponized specifically to make assholes uncomfortable) can be taken as actual evidence of any kind of seriousness or indicator of sexuality, even taking into account how hard it would have been to have an openly queer character on TV at that time. That being said....... Yeah, sure, I'll still bi it. [See what I did there? Eh? Eh?]
He was 100% an ally. There's even an episode in which he explicitly helps a gay soldier but I think it's a bit much to call him bi. Those gay jokes also were made at the expense of the homophobes. Same goes for any type of bigot presented on the show
He def wasn’t bi. He was a womanizer. But he was an ally, as pointed out. He was the guy doing what was right. There’s an episode about racism that’s similar to the gay soldier episode.
woozle
AMercer
Hawkeye shaped who I am today.
marcnoel1052
Three best scenes for me - Potter saying, "Pack it off." when B.J.. needs help in surgery (Change of Command, S4, E2). I cannot explain it, but it always makes me cry. Next is Potter talking to Hawkeye about not being "incredibly average" in Hepatitis (S5, E19). Last is Charles talking to the injured pianist in Morale Victory (S8, E19). I urge everyone to watch them.
halkeye
Gotta upvote my namesake
ChaoticAtmosphere
Alan Alda <3
eatofmybitterheart
One of my first childhood crushes. My love for tall, slender, naughty, witty men has never waned.
CarInAVet
Not gonna lie, I'm a little bit in love with him.
klean9
Retired internist here. In my younger days I looked a little like Alan Alda. I was in the ER one night doing medicine consults and this one patient kept intently looking at me as I would pass him in my scrub top and white coat. At one point I just stopped and looked at him. He said “you look like that doctor on MASH”
IrateWolfe
My dentist looked exactly like Alan Alda, amd was named George Carlin
Spidey209
I had a post-op doc called "Greg Wiggel"
merrilup
Excellent
Navrodel
That's right, he's a thespian!
TheGiantIdiotTeddyBear
Hawkeye: Horny, Drunk, & Sarcastic AF!
imnotinthewitnessprotectionprogram
Frustaz
He was a hero to me in the 70s.
Wapusk
Were these bits framed as "with" or "at" though? I'm not calling for a cancelling, just wondering if Hawkeye was written as bi, was interpreted as bi, or if queer folx were a guaranteed laugh?
Enterwittyandfunnyandexpletivedeletednamehere
Blur - girls and boys https://youtu.be/WDswiT87oo8 if you're wondering
ralphie84
Is that Colonel Flagg at the beginning?
SlydFox
Yes it is. IIRC, this is the episode where a S. Korean military officer and the mayor of a local town were playing poker with the gang several nights in a row and Flagg was convinced they were N. Korean or Chinese spies.
PithyCommentBelow
Flagg to Kilnger: “Hey… up close you’re a guy.”
Klinger: “faraway, too.”
GeorgeCostabaplaps
Alan Alda should at Wade Wilson's dad. Unless he's dead. In which case, he should definitely not do that.
lljkstonefish
Wade might not give him a choice.
TheMoonBnuuy
he's still around
marcnoel1052
In The More I See You (S4, E22), he tells Carlye (his ex) there's been no-one since her, yet, in Radar's Report (S2, E3), he was all gung-ho to marry Erica. I just love continuity.
galapas
AgamemnonsMemes
Okay i'll rewatch all of MASH again.
laner7112000
marcnoel1052
Well, uh, they're long.
And they're johns.
That's them, all right.
goflyblind
moeSparkleSmuggler
This ain't a war. It's a moidah.
bripi
Alan, without a doubt, was one of the Good Guys. Love him so much, especially everything he did for STEM. A gin distilled from the finest ingredients as a toast; we all die, but few of us outlive that death in the memories of others. You, my friend, most certainly will.
Feralkyn
Is, IS
lazerfrog
Don’t say was, you gave me a heart attack!
unluckyandbored
I'm glad they toned down the skirt-chasing in later seasons. By today's standards he's a real sleazeball.
givemepickles
I gotta suspend reality when watching MASH, for the womanizing part.
Sort of pretend it’s like cartoon character isms, like Looney Tunes sexuality. Ridiculously cartoonishly exaggerated, for comedic effect.
Similar to How I Met Your Mother. At first I hated it, until I learned Neil Patrick Harris was gay, then I was like “his character is fucking hilarious”
That & the theory that Ted exaggerated Barney’s sleezeballness for the sake of Ted putting down his primary romantic competitor
DrSharkbite
lljkstonefish
[BartSimpson'sPenis.gif]
floatationman
Boy, that was a long piece of lumber!
DrSharkbite
givemepickles
Such an amazing scene. 😂
ToSisPoS
The Alan Alda of his day.
lljkstonefish
The Groucho Marx of his day. Or the closest we could hope for.
Einstein9073
I wonder what Tony Hawk's doing these days.
TheMoonBnuuy
isn't that guy like the Tony Hawk of skate boarding?
extraDimensionalAnxiety
A podcast like everyone else.
4vie
Hawkeye just don't take shit from anyone, and loves to fuck with people. Of course he'd have no problem making jokes like that if it meant he somehow had the upper hand against the other person. At least, that's how I understand his character.
spiritussancto
i mean, he's also just a massive slut (said in a positive way), like, the kind of slut who's sexual preference is "yes" "often" and "how about that broom closet behind you, we can finish dinner later". i don't think he gives a shit what you've got in your pants. i approve
PithyCommentBelow
Not quite. He didn’t suffer fools. But it wasn’t about “getting one up on the other guy” as much as it was about doing what was right. It just happened that he had a foil which often wanted to do what was “required,” even when it wasn’t what was right.
Feralkyn
I think it's both. He fucks around, and self-deprecating humor when unexpected is a great weapon for him. Definitely a morally good dude though
tsk92
God I hate the laugh track version of MASH.
MossyAbyss
Luckily, the DVD release has an option to turn it off.
spiritussancto
omg that's fantastic! i wonder if i can find that on the bay. i can almost handle the sexist jokes because context of history. and i can handle laugh tracks for otherwise perfect shows. i cannot handle both. i never watch anything with laugh tracks anymore so i don't have the immunity to irritation that normalizing it creates. it's like nails on a chalkboard to me
SlydFox
They never wanted a laughtrack, but the studio execs didn't give them much of a choice.
spiritussancto
laugh tracks are one of the worst ideas to ever happen to television. fucking nails on a chalkboard
ChloeRed
When it was shown in the UK, one episode couldn't be located with out the laugh track. The complaints jammed the switchboard apprently.
frenofafren
It's not gay when you're deployed.
Niagaran
There are not straight men in foxholes ... or group showers
ToSisPoS
There’s not I in Trench
Ginoawesomesauce
Tell that to Iraq vets. My buddy drove a tank into Baghdad and was TERRIFIED he'd be dishonorably discharged for playing with other service guys.
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
Mor eterified of that than war crime charges?
Ginoawesomesauce
Oh ya. This is America. Nobody got in trouble for the torture. Gay stuff, tho, goodbye healthcare and retirement and a respectable reference.
LjubljanaJeNajlepseMestoNaSvetu
Whell you guys do have the invade the Hague law
AgamemnonsMemes
I've heard all tankers are weebs anyway
peterbozeman
Good show. Made me laugh. Made me cry.
kawkamawaq
That chicken...
Widgetboy
Arguably the best television of all time.
PithyCommentBelow
Usually in the same damn episode.
iamamentat
Funny how many "woke" shows aired in the 60s and 70s isn't it? They covered how senseless war was, how ridiculous blind patriotism is, and how racism was objectively shitty. Not up to modern acceptance when it came to homosexuality, but not horrid for being 50 years old.
FlipTheBirdBeforeTheBirdFlipsYou
Quantum Leap
PithyCommentBelow
Also handled racism, cross dressing, and more.
TheMoonBnuuy
It tried to portray homosxuality in a positive manner while having peoples reactions being period accurate. There's actually a whole damn episode about an actual gay guy, and I'm not talking about Klinger or Hawkeye's shenanigans here. I mean an actual gay guy who's just trying to serve his country. Hawkeye figures it out and helps him cover for being gay.
iamamentat
Yeah, I remember that one, but I was also thinking of Klinger's apparent disgust when Friedman told him he could send Klinger home if he signed a paper stating he was a homosexual. Klinger refused. Staying in the war was better than being gay.
TheMoonBnuuy
Like I said, peoples attitudes toward being gay were period accurate. Also if Klinger had gotten back to America and they checked up on him and he wasn't either crossdressing or dating men, he could get into huge trouble for perjury had he signed it.
ourari
I think it also helped hone my moral compass as a kid.
Odincdaj522004
"On the contrary. It is sadly inappropriate to offer dessert to a child who has had no meal." One of many profoundly important lines.
Kensidian
Charles talking to the orphanage owner who sold a couple boxes of sweets for…rice and cabbage? or something that would last weeks-months like that. Wonderful episode!
Odincdaj522004
"On the black market, it was worth enough rice and cabbage to feed them for a month!"
jzbstl
Same.
browsererror
Same
TheGiantIdiotTeddyBear
Same.
Synapsenbrei
Same
cuddleskunk
Still the best dramedy ever on television...and I was born 4 years after it ended.
iamamentat
Show so good it ran longer than the war it was set in.
Spidey209
Its about all war. But yeah.
CarInAVet
Eeeeeh, I don't think any of his flirty jokes (often weaponized specifically to make assholes uncomfortable) can be taken as actual evidence of any kind of seriousness or indicator of sexuality, even taking into account how hard it would have been to have an openly queer character on TV at that time. That being said....... Yeah, sure, I'll still bi it. [See what I did there? Eh? Eh?]
paintbullits
Imho it's just easier for me to think most fictional characters are bi until presented with evidence to the contrary.
Spiked
He was 100% an ally. There's even an episode in which he explicitly helps a gay soldier but I think it's a bit much to call him bi. Those gay jokes also were made at the expense of the homophobes. Same goes for any type of bigot presented on the show
PithyCommentBelow
He def wasn’t bi. He was a womanizer. But he was an ally, as pointed out. He was the guy doing what was right. There’s an episode about racism that’s similar to the gay soldier episode.
CarInAVet
I mean, you can be both bi and a womanizer. Doesn't mean HE was, but the two are not mutually exclusive.
spiritussancto
i kinda read him as bi curious. like, he's a huge slut (said with affection) and drinks a LOT. i wouldn't put it past him