M*A*S*H

Iron Guts Kelly - S3-E4

Factual error: When Frank sits down on Margaret's bed, he pulls a single metal star out of his butt. Kelly being a Lt. Gen, he should have (and has, as can be seen in other scenes) a single bar of three interconnected stars, not three single ones. Therefore Frank shouldn't be able to find a solitary star in Margaret's bed. (00:19:00)

Mad Dogs and Servicemen - S3-E13

Factual error: While Radar's lying in bed, Margaret reads a letter to him which was written by Wanda McCandless, and in the letter Wanda mentions that her favorite songs are "Pretty Thing..." by Bo Diddley, and "Oh, The Wayward Wind..." by Gogi Grant, but the problem is these songs were written and recorded in 1955 and 1956, years after the Korean War was already over in 1953.

Super Grover

House Arrest - S3-E18

Factual error: In the beginning, Hawkeye says that the patient was full of shrapnel from a claymore. M*A*S*H was set in the early 50's, and the M18 Claymore was only in the development stages in 1952, and not accepted and battle used until Vietnam in 1961.

Movie Nut

Abyssinia, Henry - S3-E24

Factual error: Henry says that every Wednesday, his wife drives up Route 26 with some friends. US. Route 26 starts out in Nebraska and leads to Oregon. The closest thing that could be described as a "Route 26" would be the road leading from Princeton, IL to Dixon, IL which begins 85 miles from Bloomington. The writer probably meant Route 24, which passes about 20 miles north of Bloomington. (00:03:10)

Doc

Abyssinia, Henry - S3-E24

Factual error: When reminiscing about Radar's appendectomy, Henry says it took a long time to find because it was behind his secum. The appendix is behind the secum in more than 50% of people, so this shouldn't have fooled a doctor of Henry's caliber. (00:09:00)

jle

I Hate a Mystery - S1-E10

Character mistake: When Henry is describing the fishing reel he bought for his girlfriend, he said, "with jeweled escarpment" actually it is a 'jeweled esCAPEment" not esCARPment. An escarpment is a long slope off a plateau. An escapement is a latch/release mechanism that you would find on a device like a fishing reel.

More mistakes in M*A*S*H

Frank Burns: You disgust me!
Hawkeye: You're right, Frank... I discussed you with everyone I know and we all find you disgusting.

More quotes from M*A*S*H

Abyssinia, Henry - S3-E24

Trivia: There were no American planes shot down over the Sea of Japan during the Korean conflict. It is rumoured that producer/director Larry Gelbart knew that, but wrote Henry Blake's death scene as he was very unhappy with the way Mclean Stevenson had left the show, and was determined to make it clear that there was no way he would be coming back.

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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