55. Check Up

October 22, 1974 (B-312)

Written by: Laurence Marks
Directed by: Don Weis
Semi-regulars: Jamie Farr, as Corporal Klinger. An uncredited Jeff Maxwell, as Man Saying Aah (probably as Igor, who knows?) and an uncredited nurse being hit on by Henry.

Plot: The routine physicals come around. Everyone is being examined in a reasonably routine manner - the enlisted personnel are lining up in the mess tent, Hot Lips is briefing the nurses on how not to be sexually harrassed by the doctors, it's pretty much business as usual. The only exception is that Trapper is unwilling to let Hawkeye or anyone else examine him. Hawkeye is initially distracted from Trapper's behaviour because he has to give Hot Lips her physical. In the process of this exam, he tells Hot Lips she could stand to lose some weight. (I think he was just trying to rile her, and it works!) Klinger is trying to pretend he's got scoliosis to get discharged, but it doesn't work on two counts - it's an obvious fake, and it's not grounds for a discharge! Trapper's hostility finally piques Hawkeye's attention and it is eventually revealed that he has a duodenal ulcer. He doesn't want to be diagnosed in the camp; that's why he hasn't said anything. Hawkeye reminds him that an ulcer will grant him a discharge. Hot Lips is a bit upset because she feels like she's fat, although she eventually gets over it, with help from Burns. Trapper prepares to go home, including a fairly sweet scene with Hawkeye, who thanks him for being such a good friend. Unfortunately, Trapper is just on his way to his farewell party when he gets a message that the ulcer is no longer sufficient grounds for a discharge. He decides not to tell anybody for the moment, and heads to the party. At said party, Hot Lips gets very drunk and confesses to Trapper how much she likes him. Trapper announces that he's not going home after all - rather than be treated in Tokyo and then redeployed to another unit, he decides to have his treatment at the camp.

Glitches: When Hot Lips is briefing the nurses on how to behave in their physicals, the front shots of the group of women bears no resemblance to the formation in the rear shots.
Hawk puts the cuff of the sphygmomanometer (blood pressure taking device) far too low on Hot Lips's arm - it's meant to be above the elbow.
I'm not entierly sure why Radar is having his pysical alone in Henry's office as opposed to in the mess tent with everybody else. Guess Henry's just being sensitive to Radar's shyness.

Great Lines: Henry, about tattoos: 'Radar, getting one of those is very unsanitary!' Radar: 'Oh, I washed my hands first, sir.'
Burns: 'Are you refusing to take your physical from a superior officer?' Trapper: 'No, I'm refusing to take my physical from an inferior doctor!'
Trapper: 'This place gave me the ulcer!' Radar: 'Gave me the runs.'
Nurse, fending off Henry's advances: 'I don't go out with married men, Colonel.' Henry: 'Well, neither do I!'
Burns, to an inebriated Hot Lips: 'Margaret, I should warn you - alcohol is quite fattening.' Hot Lips: 'It's all right, Frank. I plan to throw up later.' Thing is, I've used this exact logic myself when drinking... After many pints of cider it makes a disturbing amount of sense.
Henry (drunk, in the middle of a very poignant silence): 'Honey, marriage has nothing to do with sex!'

The Klinger Collection: He's wearing a peacock dressing gown with curlers and is sewing a mauve dress. Then a blue skirt and a matching turban. (He's got his blouse off for the physical.) Then the peacock dressing gown and curlers are back. Later on, a red knee-length skirt and a pink tank-top with a headscarf and curlers - doesn't do too much for his figure unfortunately. At the party, a lovely full-length gold evening gown, with tiara, earrings and all the trimmings for dancing with Nurse Kellye. Simply divine.

Continuity is for Wimps: Radar has a tattoo which has never appeared before or since. Go fig.
Even taking into account his extenuating circumstances, Trapper's little snark about how medically terrible the 4077th is does seem a little out of character - either way, it's entirely unwarranted.

Notes: Radar is singing 'Kalamazoo' into the PA system - it's very cute.
Godzilla and the Bobby-Sockser and Ma and Pa Kettle Have a Baby are the two films in the evening's double feature. Heaven help us...
Actually, this is an interesting point - according to IMDB, at least, Ma and Pa Kettle never had a baby, and there was no recorded incident of Godzilla encountering a Bobby-Sockser. There was a film called The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sockser which starred Carey Grant and Shirley Temple. I mention it only because I think a lot of people would be somewhat amused by the idea of Shirley Temple versus Godzilla.
Radar is rather ticklish.
Burns can apparently play America the Beautiful on the spoons.

Comments: I loved Hot Lips blowing down Hawkeye's stethoscope to get him back to business. Also Radar's touching the 'old nose' - ie Henry's - is very funny.
I don't know for sure but I have a feeling that Hawkeye's tranquilised collapse off the bed in the final scene may have been an improv.
Although it didn't come off in the end, it was nice to see everyone being sorry to see Trapper go. One of the best bits of the episode was Hot Lips's drunken confession, followed by Klinger and Kellye with a beautifully choreographed dance. This was another one of those early episodes which has a lot of stuff happening in it but doesn't actually do much. The sub-plots that fill out the main action are funny and diverting and a reminder that in a place like the 4077th, there's never only one thing going on.

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