Showtime (M*A*S*H)

"Showtime" was the 24th (and final) episode of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on March 25, 1973.

Plot

As a USO stand-up comic and female singing trio (backed by a small band) performs at the 4077th, and the performance is juxtaposed with clips containing the following: Henry’s wife back home gives birth to a son and the camp’s dentist receives his discharge papers and takes great pains to make sure he does not get injured before he sets off for home. Major Burns actually gets the upper hand over Hawkeye with three practical jokes. The first is when he sabotages the still, causing it to spray Hawkeye in the face with gin. The second involves the classic 'bucket-over-the-door' gag. The third and arguably craftier joke has Hawkeye attempting to use the shower, but is annoyed to learn that Frank has switched the showerheads to spray alternately whenever Pierce tries to use it.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Structurally, this episode, not unlike the two in this season where Hawkeye writes his dad, lacks the conventional linear structure of most television programs. It uses moments from the USO show, styled like the ones hosted by Bob Hope, to make commentary and contrast the ugliness of war with the fluff of the performances in the show. A sequence showing Radar playing drums with the musical band demonstrates Gary Burghoff's drumming talents onscreen.

References

External links

• "Showtime (M*A*S*H)" at the Internet Movie Database