M*A*S*H

The Korean Surgeon - S5-E9

Plot hole: This episode revolves around the doctors trying to "transfer" a north Korean surgeon to the outfit. To this end, they get him papers, uniform, dog tags, etc. In the end, the plot is toppled and The Korean Surgeon taken to a POW camp by the MP. In reality, it would not have ended quite so pleasantly. A combatant wearing the uniform of an enemy is usually automatically considered a spy, and Hawkeye, BJ and Radar would also have been considered guilty of espionage or at least complicity therein.

Doc

Hawkeye Get Your Gun - S5-E10

Continuity mistake: In the beginning of the episode Colonel Potter is painting a portrait of Hawkeye with his feet up, and Klinger's picture is hanging to the right of the door. But in the previous episode 'Korean surgeon' Klinger's portrait is on the left side of the door and the one of Hawkeye's is on the right side of the door, even though that portrait wasn't painted until the following episode. (00:03:15 - 00:17:55)

Hawkeye Get Your Gun - S5-E10

Character mistake: After Potter mocks Hawkeye for not hitting anything, Hawkeye replies "You fired as many shots as I did". In fact, Potter fired seven shots, Hawkeye only five. On a side note, this also suggests that Hawkeye probably was supposed to fire seven times, but his weapon jammed after the fifth shot. (00:22:00)

Doc

Hawkeye Get Your Gun - S5-E10

Character mistake: As Potter and Hawkeye pull up to the MP checkpoint, Potter and the MP exchange salutes. As per Army regulations, no salutes are given under battle conditions. The reason is that if the superior officer, in this case Colonel Potter, returns the salute, he can be a target for snipers.

Movie Nut

Exorcism - S5-E12

Continuity mistake: In this episode, a "Spirit Post" is placed in the middle of the compound, later removed, then replaced at the end of the episode. It is never seen again after that.

Movie Nut

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: It was probably left behind during one of the bug outs that happen. We have seen at least 2 in the series.

The Most Unforgettable Characters - S5-E14

Other mistake: After Klinger douses himself with real gas (Potter determined that Klinger's can only had water in it, and told Radar to switch the can for real gas), and runs into the shower tent, you hear a nurse scream, and see her run out. When the door is open, there are no stalls to be seen. From all scenes shot inside the tent, you know that the stalls are big enough to be easily seen from the outside.

Movie Nut

38 Across - S5-E15

Other mistake: When Hawkeye finds the New York Times Crossword he says, "1 down, four letters..." and "1 across...four letters..." and BJ's answers are "chap" and "cast" but in the shot of the newspaper puzzle we see that both "1 down" and "1 across" are actually five letters each, not four.

Super Grover

38 Across - S5-E15

Revealing mistake: Klinger makes a big show of removing a big nut from the Jeep's leaf spring. The nut is clean and shiny whereas the rest of the undercarriage is painted and dirty. If you look closely, there are no screw threads where he takes it off either, there's another hex under it. The simple reason for this is that that nut doesn't belong there and never was affixed, Jamie Farr just pretended it was.

Doc

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17

Henry Blake: All I know is what they taught me at command school. There are certain rules about a war, and rule number one is that young men die. And rule number two is that doctors can't change rule number one.

More quotes from M*A*S*H

Trivia: Gary Burghoff's left hand was slightly deformed, and he often hid it behind his clipboard during filming.

More trivia for M*A*S*H

Dear Dad - S1-E12

Question: A number of times it is mentioned that the outfit is unarmed, yet several times, Frank has a rifle, or a pistol, and once Klinger had a grenade, and the guards and Klinger, while on sentry duty, has a rifle. Was this standard, or is this a mistake?

Answer: Even an Army field hospital would have SOME weapons for self-defense if the enemy attacked. What's meant is that it's not a combat outfit, and therefore wouldn't have enough weapons to actually attack anyone. (It's also mentioned a few times that the Officer of the Watch is supposed to carry a pistol at all times, but Hawkeye refuses to do it when he's in charge and Colonels Blake and Potter don't enforce the rule).

Captain Defenestrator

Answer: The Geneva Convention allows even doctors to carry a sidearm to be used in their self defense or the defense of their patients, however it is rare to do so.

stiiggy

Answer: As an old medical unit staffer, my experience is that med units have combat units assigned to defend them. Usually it was marines.

Answer: My old doctor (now deceased) served in Korea during the War. He was required to carry a sidearm anytime he was not in the hospital.

More questions & answers from M*A*S*H

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