M*A*S*H Season 3 | |
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"M*A*S*H - Season Three" | |
DVD cover for M*A*S*H Season 3. | |
Season: | Season 3 |
Original network: |
CBS-TV |
Country/Language | United States |
Original Run: | |
First episode: | September 18, 1974 |
Final episode: | March 18, 1975 |
Number of episodes | 24 |
Created by: | Larry Gelbart |
Executive producer(s): | Larry Gelbart & Gene Reynolds |
Season guides | |
Previous Season 2 |
Next Season 4 |
The first episode of Season 3 of M*A*S*H, The General Flipped at Dawn, aired 10 September 1974; the final episode, Abyssinia, Henry, aired on CBS-TV on March 18, 1975. Colonel Flagg appears twice; Maj. Sidney Freedman appears once.
Major events[]
- Trapper develops an ulcer and initially believes he is being sent home, but during his going-away party he learns that ulcer cases are no longer being sent home and that he can either be treated in Tokyo and then be assigned to a different unit or be treated at the 4077th and remain there (episode: "Check-up"). This episode is considered by most fans as the closest thing to Trapper's discharge.
- Maj. Frank Burns proposes to Maj. Margaret Houlihan (episode: Bombed).
- Lt. Col. Henry Braymore Blake is discharged, but his plane is shot down over the Sea of Japan and he is killed in the last episode ("Abyssinia, Henry") - a controversial event that was 1% hilarious and 99% sad. Thus, TV comedy-dramas, or "dramadies" (as they were later referred to), were born. McLean Stevenson left the series after this episode to focus on other projects.
- Harry Morgan appears in "The General Flipped at Dawn" as Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele; the producers liked his performance, which garnered him an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Guest Appearance on a TV series, so much that the next season, he was cast as Colonel Sherman T. Potter, Colonel Blake's replacement as CO of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit.
- Robert Alda, Alan Alda's father, made the first of two guest appearances as Dr. Anthony Borelli in The Consultant.
- The relationship between Hawkeye and Margaret is further developed in "Aid Station".
Col. Flagg appearances[]
- "Officer of the Day" - Flagg arrives with a wounded POW whom he has the doctors tend to so he can be taken to Seoul for execution.
- "White Gold" - Flagg arrives ostensibly to investigate a rash of penicillin thefts, but it turns out that he is actually stealing the penicillin himself to give to North Koreans in exchange for information.
Maj. Sidney Freedman appearance[]
- "O.R." - Freedman reappears in this episode. He arrives for a poker game but because of the deluge of patients is put to work performing surgery for the first time since medical school
Captain Calvin Spalding[]
- Loudon Wainwright III appears in three episodes as the guitar playing Captain Calvin Spalding: "Rainbow Bridge", "There Is Nothing Like a Nurse" and "Big Mac". These episodes feature songs written by Wainwright specially for the show.
Season 3 (1974-1975): List of Episodes[]
- This table lists the episodes in the order they were first broadcast. The broadcast order is also the order of episodes in the DVD set. The episodes were not all broadcast in the same order as they were produced. Syndicated reruns and paid streaming services such as Netflix sometimes follow the production order (e.g. B-301, B-302, B-303....)
- In Season 3 there is a great disparity between the broadcast and production orders of the episodes. Only in two places, the 4th episode "Iron Guts Kelly" and the last episode "Abyssinia, Henry" do the two sequences actually match. There are, however, no continuity issues with watching the episodes in either order. No reason is known for the great disparity. It could do with the availability of the Fox ranch - many of the episodes had extensive outdoors sequences; it could also have to do with the availability of guest stars - there were a lot of notable guest stars in Season 3 such as Loudon Wainwright III, Allan Arbus, Harry Morgan and Edward Winter.
Season 3 episodes | ||||||
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Ep.# | # in Series | Date aired | Episode title | Directed by | Written by | Prod. code |
1 | 49 | September 10, 1974 | The General Flipped at Dawn | Larry Gelbart | Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum | B-308 |
In a masterful performance that convinced the producers to award him a role for the very next season, which became new 4077th CO Colonel Potter, Harry Morgan guests as loony General Bartford Hamilton Steele. Even Klinger thinks Gen. Steele is nuts when he mistakes Klinger for his wife, Marjorie. Morgan won an Emmy Award for his performance in this episode. | ||||||
2 | 50 | September 17, 1974 | Rainbow Bridge | Hy Averback | Larry Gelbart & Laurence Marks | B-301 |
As Hawkeye and Trapper are planning to leave for Tokyo, an unusual offer comes to the 4077th from a Chinese unit to hand over some American POW patients which they can't handle. Henry, after much debate, agrees to send Hawkeye, Trapper, Burns, Radar, and Klinger into enemy territory. Burns almost botches the swap when he brings a real gun (a real small gun) to the exchange. Fortunately, the Chinese Dr. Lin Tam has a sense of humor (he went to U. of Illinois, after all). | ||||||
3 | 51 | September 24, 1974 | Officer of the Day | Hy Averback | Laurence Marks | B-307 |
While Henry is away in Seoul, Burns and Houlihan are in charge, and Hawkeye is the officer of the day. His refusal to release a wounded Korean wanted by US Intelligence leads to a confrontation with Col. Flagg. | ||||||
4 | 52 | October 1, 1974 | Iron Guts Kelly | Don Weis | Larry Gelbart & Sid Dorfman | B-304 |
Lieutenant General Robert "Iron Guts" Kelly (James Gregory) dies inconveniently in Houlihan's tent (perhaps the excitement was too much?!), so his aide, Colonel Wortman, (Keene Curtis) sets out to make it appear as if the general has died gloriously in battle. | ||||||
5 | 53 | October 8, 1974 | O.R. | Gene Reynolds | Larry Gelbart & Laurence Marks | B-306 |
The OR is completely swamped with more wounded than the unit can handle. Dr. Freedman drops in during the deluge as well. | ||||||
6 | 54 | October 15, 1974 | Springtime | Don Weis | Linda Bloodworth & Mary Kay Place | B-303 |
When spring arrives, Klinger gets word from home that his sweetheart back in Toledo wants to marry him. Father Mulcahy (with help from Radar) arranges to do this over short wave radio. Radar falls in love with a nurse, while a grateful patient won't leave Hawkeye alone - even threatens Maj. Burns. | ||||||
7 | 55 | October 22, 1974 | Check-Up | Don Weis | Laurence Marks | B-312 |
Trapper gets an ulcer and a ticket home. Unfortunately, his going-away party is spoiled by a new Army regulation which forces him to stay. | ||||||
8 | 56 | October 29, 1974 | Life With Father | Hy Averback | Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell | B-302 |
Mail from home worries Henry that Lorraine may be seeing other men. Father Mulcahy presides over a Jewish circumcision ceremony for the Korean-born son of a US GI. | ||||||
9 | 57 | November 12, 1974 | Alcoholics Unanimous | Hy Averback | Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell | B-314 |
Henry's departure to Tokyo leaves Maj. Burns in charge of the 4077th. He declares total prohibition of alcohol, which leads to a near riot within the camp (especially from Hawkeye and Trapper). | ||||||
10 | 58 | November 19, 1974 | There Is Nothing Like A Nurse | Hy Averback | Larry Gelbart | B-309 |
The nurses are evacuated when the threat of an enemy parachute drop arises. Hawkeye and Trapper try to enliven everyone's spirits with them gone. | ||||||
11 | 59 | November 26, 1974 | Adam's Ribs | Gene Reynolds | Laurence Marks | B-316 |
A riotous episode! Hawkeye, driven near insanity, starts a riot in the mess tent after several weeks of "a river of liver and an ocean of fish." To spice up their diets, Hawkeye, Trapper, and Radar scheme to get spare ribs sent to the 4077th from Chicago. The ribs arrive, just in time for the arrival of wounded. | ||||||
12 | 60 | December 3, 1974 | A Full Rich Day | Gene Reynolds | John D. Hess | B-311 |
Hawkeye records a letter to his dad, detailing the exploits of a mad Turkish soldier who calls Hawkeye a "damn good Joe," the unfortunate loss of the corpse of a Luxembourg soldier (who turns out not to be dead), and of a gun-happy officer. | ||||||
13 | 61 | December 10, 1974 | Mad Dogs and Servicemen | Hy Averback | Linda Bloodworth & Mary Kay Place | B-317 |
Radar is bitten by a local dog, and the camp conducts a search to find the pooch so that Radar doesn't have to undergo a series of painful rabies vaccinations. Hawkeye defies Frank to take care of a GI who's suffering from a case of hysterical paralysis. | ||||||
14 | 62 | December 31, 1974 | Private Charles Lamb | Hy Averback | Sid Dorfman | B-310 |
A Greek feast at the camp is foiled when soft-hearted Radar saves the main course from the spit - a lamb, whom Radar tricks Henry into giving a medical discharge and sends home to Ottumwa. Thus, Hawkeye and Trapper invent the famed Spam Lamb! | ||||||
15 | 63 | January 7, 1975 | Bombed | Hy Averback | Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum | B-320 |
The camp is under fire and is swamped with wounded. Maj. Burns is driven with jealousy of Trapper into proposing to Houlihan. | ||||||
16 | 64 | January 14, 1975 | Bulletin Board | Alan Alda | Larry Gelbart & Simon Muntner | B-323 |
Camp activities include Henry's nervous delivery of a sex lecture (while Hawkeye and Trapper heckle), a Shirley Temple movie, and a cookout. | ||||||
17 | 65 | January 21, 1975 | The Consultant | Gene Reynolds | Larry Gelbart (story) & Robert Klane (teleplay) | B-318 |
Dr. Anthony Borelli (special guest star Robert Alda) visits to demonstrate his artery transplant technique. Unfortunately, being so close to the front at the 4077th causes Borelli's drinking problem to interfere at the worst time - when a patient needs the transplant. | ||||||
18 | 66 | February 4, 1975 | House Arrest | Hy Averback | Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum | B-315 |
Hawkeye hits Maj. Burns and Houlihan is a witness, despite Hawkeye and Trapper's claims that it wasn't intentional. A female colonel is sent to investigate Houlihan's nursing staff. She comes on to Burns, but cries "Rape!" when Houlihan walks in on them. Houlihan recants her story, and Burns, not Hawkeye, ends up under house arrest. | ||||||
19 | 67 | February 11, 1975 | Aid Station | William Jurgensen | Larry Gelbart & Simon Muntner | B-322 |
Hawkeye, Houlihan, and Klinger go to an aid station at the front. Working closely together under heavy fire and unsanitary medical conditions, the three return to camp with new found respect for one another. | ||||||
20 | 68 | February 18, 1975 | Love and Marriage | Lee Phillips | Arthur Julian | B-321 |
Hawkeye and Trapper prevent one GI from marrying a call girl who has TB, while trying to set up another Korean soldier join his pregnant wife (with Radar's help of course). | ||||||
21 | 69 | February 25, 1975 | Big Mac | Don Weis | Laurence Marks | B-313 |
The camp prepares for a visit from General MacArthur. Klinger dresses as the Statue of Liberty as the General's jeep drives through the camp. MacArthur is so impressed by Klinger, he salutes! | ||||||
22 | 70 | March 4, 1975 | Payday | Hy Averback | Reiger & Markowitz | B-305 |
Payday arrives, bringing lots of trouble for Hawkeye (for claiming he wasn't getting what he should because of the war) when Capt. Sloan from HQ arrives on behalf of the U.S. Army, demanding that the money be paid back. Frank buys his wife a pearl necklace, and gives the fakes to Houlihan. Trapper finally wins a huge poker pot after stealing Hawk's watch, only to see the loot vanish to save Hawkeye's neck (since he gave his windfall to the orphanage). | ||||||
23 | 71 | March 11, 1975 | White Gold | Hy Averback | Larry Gelbart & Simon Muntner | B-319 |
Colonel Sam Flagg (Edward Winter) blows into camp trying to obtain penicillin to barter for information. But Flagg comes down with appendicitis, and the only penicillin he gets is in the keister. | ||||||
24 | 72 | March 18, 1975 | Abyssinia, Henry | Larry Gelbart | Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell | B-324 |
A TV classic! Henry finally gets his discharge. While Henry is tying things up, Burns prepares for his new command. Henry bids a tearful adieu, but not before Klinger turns up in an outrageous tropical outfit (and gets Henry to zip him up) and a kiss to Houlihan. He gives Radar a hug and his last order: "You behave yourself, or I'm gonna come back and kick your butt!" In the traumatic and shocking last scene, Radar announces that Henry has been killed when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. |