| "The Longjohn Flap" | |||
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| M*A*S*H episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 19 |
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| Directed by | William Wiard | ||
| Written by | Alan Alda | ||
| Production code | J319 | ||
| Original air date | February 18, 1973 | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of M*A*S*H episodes | |||
"The Longjohn Flap" was episode nineteen of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on February 18, 1973 and was the first episode of "M*A*S*H" to be written by series star Alan Alda.[1][2]
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In the middle of a cold snap, Hawkeye receives a pair of longjohns from home. Hawkeye gives them to an ill Trapper out of sympathy and Trapper loses them to Radar in a poker game. The longjohns proceed to pass through the hands of almost everyone in the camp: Radar gives them to the cook in exchange for a whole lamb roast with mint jelly, and the cook bribes Frank with them to avoid being demoted because of the unsanitary conditions of the kitchen. Frank gives the longjohns to an intimidating Margaret as a sign of devotion to her, before Klinger steals the longjohns from Margaret's tent. A remorseful Klinger then gives the longjohns to Father Mulcahy, who in turn gives them to Henry (but not until after he spends the night wearing them). Henry claims he will return the longjohns to their rightful owner, but gets caught putting them on by Hawkeye and Trapper. Henry rebuffs Hawkeye's demand that the longjohns be returned, but later gives them back to Hawkeye in gratitude for saving his life via an appendectomy.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Like other M*A*S*H episodes, this episode deals with the absurdities of army bureaucracy: specifically, a supply error which results in warm-weather clothes being delivered to the camp in the midst of winter.[9]
This is the first episode in which a more fully developed character for Henry emerges--he is not as clueless as in earlier episodes, actually explaining to Radar the intricacies of military bureaucracy.
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