Steven Helmer Publications

 As I continue to re-watch episodes of M*A*S*H, I find myself joining the group of people who think the show wasn't as good after antagonist Maj. Frank Burns ( Larry Linville ) left the series following season 5. More importantly, my renewed interest in the classic series has made me realize Burns kind of got a raw deal while at the 4077th and, at minimum, was treated unfairly by those around him. Here are my reasons why: H e was a better surgeon than he was given credit for. Throughout his time on the series, Burns was constantly belittled about his surgical skills. However, while obviously not as good as Hawkeye Pierce ( Alan Alda ) and lacking a good bedside manner, there is really no evidence he was anything less than at least average in the operating room. Did he make mistakes? Of course, but you could also say the same thing about every other surgeon at the 4077th, including the God-like Pierce and, despite the ribbing from the other doctors, I didn't see anything that pr...

As I continue my chronological re-watch of the series M*A*S*H , I find myself asking questions about the series I never thought to ask before. This includes "where did Frank Burns ( Larry Linville ) go when he lost command to Colonel Potter ( Harry Morgan )?" and "if Henry Blake ( McLean Stevenson ) was so loved, why wasn't his widow invited to the 4077th family party?" However, one unsolved mystery from the series really has stood out for me in particular - who was the thief? I am, of course, not referring to Ho-Jon ( Patrick Adiarte ), who was caught stealing in the season 1 episode I Hate a Mystery . Instead, I am referring to the thief (or gang of thieves) that strikes at various other times throughout the series, with the thefts including a camera, a bag of money, and even a wounded soldier's personal effects. While some of the items were eventually recovered, the thief was never caught. At first, it would be easy to assume the thief was an outsider. Af...

Synopsis: Actor Alan Alda's autobiography discusses his growing up with a famous but not-so-rich father and a mother with mental health issues as well as his life as a struggling actor before landing his role on M*A*S*H and becoming a success. Review: I decided to change things up a bit the last time I was at the library and, in addition to my normal murder mystery, visited the biography/autobiography section. I'm a big fan of M*A*S*H (the TV show, the movie and the book ) and figured this book would be a good one to start with. As it turns out, the book was nothing like what I was expecting it to be. Given Alda's comedy background, I figured I'd be laughing out loud every few minutes. But, that didn't turn out to be the case. However, despite that, I found I had a hard time putting the book down. If you buy this book thinking Alda is going to give you a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the M*A*S*H TV series, you'll be very disappointed. He bare...

Synopsis: When Captains Hawkeye Pierce and Duke Forest are assigned to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, they become immediate friends. They, along with chest surgeon "Trapper" John McIntyre immediately show their value as surgeons. However, their constant disregard for authority often gets them in trouble with their commanding officer, Henry Blake, and other Army brass. You can read my review here:  https://wizzley.com/book-review-mash-a-novel-about-three-army-doctors-1968/

Synopsis: As the 4077th is forced to relocate (twice), B. J. ( Mike Farrell ) tries to promote a state-side get together of families. However, when his friends are reluctant to even ask and he becomes worried about a patient, he slips into a depression. Review: I had an opportunity to watch this episode again for the first time in a while. I didn't remember a whole lot about it. But, after seeing it again, I have to say it is easily one of my favorite episodes, at least from the later seasons. There's a lot that happens in this episode and, under normal circumstances, I'm not sure I would be a big fan of that (especially since it is only 30 minutes in length). But, in this case at least, it really seemed to work really well. I particularly liked the two "bug outs" the 4077th had to take part in, including one that brought them right back where they started. This led to some unique background as they worked to adjust to new surroundings and I really liked...

Synopsis : Members of the 4077th resort to trades and blackmail to avoid being the charity collection officer while a private ( Craig Wasson ) learns a painful lesson when the North Korean soldier he shot ( Dereck Wong ) is placed in the hospital bed next to his. Review : I ended up watching this episode yesterday evening while my wife/youngest daughter were at dance class and I was waiting until it was time to start dinner. It's an episode I remember seeing once before. But, it had been a long while since I watched it and, because of that, I couldn't remember anything about it. As it turns out, it was actually a pretty decent episode. OK, to tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan of the charity officer part of this episode, mostly because having the various characters resort to trades (and blackmail) was something I've seen from this show before. I think that part of the episode would have been better had Charles ( David Ogden Stiers ) kept the duty from start ...

Synopsis: Almost the entire 4077th comes down with food poisoning after eating tainted turkey for Thanksgiving. Hawkeye ( Alan Alda ) and B. J. ( Mike Farrell ) are returning home with the necessary antibiotics but are hindered when they get lost and crash their jeep. To make matters worse, they run into an armed North Korean soldier. Review: I've seen pretty much every episode of this series. However, I do, on occasion, come across one that I haven't seen in a long while and don't remember as a result. That was the case with this particular episode, which I had an opportunity to watch a couple days ago. As I've said in the past, the best M*A*S*H episodes are the ones that make full use of their ensemble cast (rather than just focusing on Hawkeye) and this episode falls into that category. While Hawkeye and B. J. are lost and jeep-less, the camp is being run by only three people, Margaret ( Loretta Swit ), Father Mulcahy ( William Christopher ) and a very relu...

Synopsis: An AWOL private ( Cyril O'Reilly ) is granted asylum by Father Mulcahy ( William Christopher ), tying up the 4077th's mess tent/church on the same day the camp was promised a fresh-egg brunch. Review: My youngest daughter had dance class last night and, since I had some time before I needed to start dinner, I ended up watching this episode of M*A*S*H while balancing the checkbook.  And, even though I had seen it a few times before, I still found I enjoyed watching it again. As I've said in the past, Major Houlihan ( Loretta Swit ) is my favorite character from this series, mostly because of the way she changed throughout the course of the show. Father Mulcahy, however, is definitely a very close second and a character that probably didn't get as much screen time as he deserved. This episode is a good example of that. The thing that really stood out for me when watching this episode was his willingness to stick up for his convictions even when everyo...

Synopsis: When an Army retention officer ( Barry Corbin ) visits the 4077th in an effort to get people to re-enlist, he is predictably given the cold shoulder by the majority of the camp. However, a drunk Klinger ( Jamie Farr ), distraught over a letter he received from his ex-wife, is persuaded to re-up and seems determined to follow through despite Hawkeye's ( Alan Alda ) objections. Review: I ended up watching this re-run from 1981 a couple days ago, while taking a break after mowing the lawn. It's an episode I had seen a couple times before but didn't remember much about it. After seeing it again, I ended up having some mixed feelings about it. The premise of the episode is actually a good one. Of all the main characters on the show, Klinger would be the last one you would expect to want to re-enlist so the fact the retention officer was able to take advantage of his depressed state of mind was an interesting twist. This is doubly true when Klinger sobers up an...

Synopsis: Dismayed over his camp's lack of physical fitness, Col. Potter ( Harry Morgan ) decides to hold a camp-wide "Olympics." Meanwhile, Hawkeye ( Alan Alda ) and B. J. ( Mike Farrell ) help an overweight soldier ( Michael McManus ) lose 20 pounds before he is discharged. Review: I got to come home early today and, as a result of that, managed to get my chores done earlier than usual. So, while waiting until it is time to make dinner, I'm watching re-runs of the show M*A*S*H. This includes this particular episode. I've seen this episode on multiple occasions and, while I still ended up watching it again, I always had a bit of a mixed opinion about it. The overall concept of this episode isn't terrible. The M*A*S*H crew is out of shape but is less than enthused about doing morning exercises so Potter tries to be creative with getting his crew fit. Unfortunately, the 30-minute runtime of the episode prevents it from giving the "Olympics" ...