53. O.R.

October 8, 1974 (B-306)

Written by: Larry Gelbart and Laurence Marks
Directed by: Gene Reynolds
Guest Stars: Bobby Herbeck as a patient. Jeanne Schulherr as an anaesthetist. Orlando Dolé as the Ethiopian soldier.
Semi-regulars: Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger, William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, Allan Arbus as Dr Sidney Freedman, Bobbie Mitchell as Nurse Able, Odessa Cleveland as Nurse Ginger.

Plot: A huge amount of wounded come in. Henry keeps dropping his equipment - it seems that he might be getting arthritis. Hawkeye operates on an Ethiopian soldier who seems to be very afraid - the operation is a success and the soldier kisses Hawk's hand in gratitude. Although Henry does seem to be getting arthritis, which could be a ticket home, he doesn't want to use it as an excuse to get out - home life seems a bit too same-old same-old for him for the moment. Back in the OR, Burns almost removes a patient's lone kidney - fortunately Trapper stops him (quick medicine lesson - you can't live without at least one kidney!). Hawkeye practices open heart massage on a patient and it seems that he has saved the soldier's life. As if things weren't fraught enough, the camp comes under fire. Trapper and Burns bond a little over Burns's unhappy childhood, and agree to be friends and stop the hostility between them, but Trapper appears to be too tired to really pay much attention to what's going on. Dr Freedman pops in for the poker game and ends up helping operate instead. Personnel are giving blood in the mess tent - Radar accidentally gives blood twice, after falling asleep in the tent. Klinger donates too, but then falls off his high heels, which get broken. Radar comes in with the news that Hawkeye's open heart massage patient died. Henry has to take in a patient who's just far too far gone to be saved - they can't afford the time, the resources or the attention that would be required to even give him the slimmest of fighting chances, so Henry has to decide to let him die. Things are getting dire, and just in case we weren't stressed enough, the electrics in the OR catch fire. Trapper puts the fire out, and a lot more yelling ensues. Eventually the session finishes.

Glitches: Why does Henry tell Klinger to take the dress off, given that he usually doesn't care at all?

Great Lines: After a wounded soldier lists off the women he's had, Trapper asks, 'When did you find time to get wounded?'
He then follows up by saying: 'Don't send it, Father. He's going to pull through. Unless his wife gets that letter.'
The kids in the OR are playing up and trying to get Henry to intervene; he has other things on his mind: 'Do you mind, Major, I'm trying to sew my glove into this patient!'
Hot Lips: 'Colonel! Ordinary thread for stitches?' Henry: 'Well it's either that or use the stapler in my office, Major!'
Does Dr Freedman remember Klinger? 'Remember you? I had to buy a whole extra cabinet just for your file.'
And what does Dr Freedman think Klinger's chances of a Section 8 might be?: 'Klinger, there's seventeen other guys wearing dresses ahead of you.' He looks Klinger up and down. 'And some smart stuff!'

The Klinger Collection: The nurse's outfit with the red cape. Dr Freedman doesn't think much of it. Guess there's no accounting for taste. I rather like it.

Continuity is for Wimps: General MacArthur is reported over the radio as having a ticker-tape parade - we see a newsreel of such a thing later on in the series. (Maybe he had two. Maybe he's that good.)
And speaking of the good general, we also hear in this episode that he's been succeeded (twice). It never seems to deter him from carrying out all his old duties later in the series, nor turning up at the camp later in this season.
Considering Henry hates the place so much and would do anything to get out, why is he staying there when arthritis could be his ticket home?

They All Look the Same to Me: This apparently goes for the Caucasians as well, since Burns didn't seem to recognise that one of the anesthetists was played by the same woman he married in the home movie in 58. There is Nothing Like a Nurse.

Notes: Henry has a thriving practice back in Bloomington. His mother's name was Margaret (according to Hawkeye, so was his own father's).
Klinger's no-longer-high-heeled white shoes cost him $14.95.
I love Klinger's Dracula moment, heading to the blood donation. It's probably a subtle reference to Bela Lugosi, who played Dracula in the definitive film version and who used this role in commercials for the Red Cross which encouraged Americans to donate blood in the Second World War.
We notice there's a lot of blood-soaked gloves and what-have-you popping up in this episode - curious, since any blood in the series is usually safely below shot where the network censors won't see it.

Comments: This episode seems to point to the notion that Burns is simply unable to go through character development - he goes through an enormous shock when he almost kills a patient, sits and has his deep 'n' meaningful with Trapper, and from here just descends through the series into even more of a caricature of himself. And just who is Hot Lips siding up with, anyway?
An early edition of 'War is Bad', which to me feels rather awkward, but then, it's never really been my favourite genre.

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