Love and Marriage was the 20th episode of Season 3 of the CBS-TV series M*A*S*H, also the 68th overall series episode. Written by Arthur Julian and directed by Lee Phillips, it first aired on February 18, 1975.
Synopsis[]
Hawkeye and Trapper prevent one GI from marrying a call girl who has TB, while trying to help another Korean soldier join his pregnant wife (with Radar's help, of course).
Full episode summary[]
Frank is his usual bungling self in the O.R. He knocks an instrument out of the orderly, Mr. Kwang's, hand and then yells at him for being clumsy. Later, in the scrub room, Trapper and Hawkeye stick up for Kwang which makes Frank ask why they don't compliment American boys like the orderly McShane. Kwang is upset, so the Captains invite him to the Swamp for martinis. Kwang tells them how he was shanghaied into the ROK army, picked up medical skills at the 121st evacuation hospital, and was pleased to be transferred to the 4077th. However, he laments he has not seen his wife since his “drafting”, so Hawkeye and Trapper tell him they'll arrange a 3-day pass for him.
The Captains are conducting the premarital physicals for the G.I.s and their Korean fiancés. As Radar uses his conniving ways to get Henry to sign the 3-day pass, McShane and his “bride” arrive for physicals, but the doctors immediately recognize the woman as a two-war veteran of Rosie's Bar. Hawkeye and Trapper take McShane aside and suggest he delay marriage and wait a couple of months. McShane claims they are in love and want to marry right away, but agrees to a two-week wait.
A poker game in the Swamp with Hawkeye, Trapper, Henry, Radar, and Zale soon turns into an officers vs. enlisted discussion, for Radar and Zale think the Captains should butt out and let McShane get married if he wants to (the part of the conversation where they discuss McShane is usually cut from syndicated airings). The poker party hear distant angry voices in the compound followed by a gunshot. Frank enters and says Kwang had a “forged” pass, ran off when Frank removed him from a Seoul-bound truck, and he fired a warning shot to make Kwang come back.
Next day, Hawkeye and Trapper are visited by Dr. Pak, a local quack who performs phony operations and passes off hair cream as penicillin. Pak announces he is in the marriage brokering business and offers the Captains $250 each if they will OK the physical of Soong Hi, the prostitute betrothed to McShane. After the wedding, Soong Hi will go stateside and “work” for some associates of Pak's.
Pak promises more money later, for he had to pay McShane $1,000 to get married. Hawkeye and Trapper chase off Pak and run into Kwang, who's being led away by two M.P.s for desertion. The Captains present Kwang's case to Henry, showing him the pass he signed. Though Henry does not remember signing it, he will get the desertion charges dropped, but will not allow Kwang a pass. Kwang's wife is about to have their first child, so Hawkeye, Radar, and a driver take a long journey by bus to bring her to the 4077th.
Trapper has a meeting with McShane in the Swamp and tells him he's aware of the whole scam. After some digging, Trapper gets McShane to admit he is only doing this to make some extra money. A timely x-ray is delivered to Trapper confirming the former future Mrs. McShane has tuberculosis, so the wedding deal is off.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Kwang goes into labor on the bus and Radar is a hysterical wreck. Hawkeye delivers the baby and they all return safely to camp, although the “specialist”, Radar, has passed out and is carried off the bus on a stretcher.
In a scene not usually shown in syndication, Hawkeye, Trapper, Henry, and Radar are visiting Mr. Kwang and his new family in Post Op. Mr. Kwang names his son after all those who helped him: Radar Benjamin Franklin Trapper John Henry Kwang. When Hawkeye mentions Radar getting "top billing," Mr. Kwang says it's for giving him the pass to go see his wife. Henry then asks Radar to sign Henry's name, and Radar rushes out of Post Op with Henry on his tail.
Research notes/Fun facts[]
- This episode features an unusual version of the famed signpost: as Radar is being carried by the orderlies at the end of the episode, they pass the bottom of the signpost, and there's a sign for "Boston" right under "Decatur", which is usually the very bottom one. Sometime after this episode, "Boston" disappears, only to reappear sometime in Season 6 - this time, at the very top - with the arrival of Boston native Major Charles Emerson Winchester III.
- Dennis Dugan appears as not-so-clean-cut Private Danny McShane. Dugan would make one more appearance in the series in the Season 11 episode "Strange Bedfellows" as Colonel Sherman T. Potter's son-in-law.
- The character of Mister Kwang had been present for many third season episodes (played by Leland Sun), though the character was rarely seen in full face, and rarely had lines. Here, the character is clearly seen and heard from, and is played by Soon-Tek Oh. As well, in previous episodes, the character's last name was spoken as "Kwang" to rhyme with "bang" - in this episode, although the character is still listed in the credits as "Kwang", everyone pronounces it more-or-less as "Kwong" to rhyme with "wrong" (and sometimes dropping the 'g').
- Although she receives billing, Loretta Swit does not appear in this episode. No explanation is offered for the absence of her character.
- During the poker game, Radar mentions he'd like to come back in the next life as an officer. He got his chance in a future episode ("Lt. Radar O'Reilly"), only to find out it wasn't a great as he thought it would be.
Guest stars/Recurring cast[]
- Soon-Tek Oh as Mister Kwang
- William Christopher as Father Mulcahy
- Dennis Dugan as Private Danny McShane
- Jerry Fujikawa as Dr. Pak
- Pat Li as Soong Hi
- Jeanne Joe as Mrs. Kwang
- Robert Gruber as Sergeant
- Roy Goldman as Orderly (see Private Roy Goldman)
- Johnny Haymer as Sergeant Zelmo Zale
Uncredited:
- Todd Susman as the P.A. announcer