M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H (1972)

5 mistakes in Sometimes You Hear the Bullet

(31 votes)

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17

Other mistake: Wendel, afraid of being shipped home, is trying to escape from the MASH by hot-wiring a Jeep. Despite just having had an appendectomy, he is leaning forward and to the right from a sitting position, which would have to put pressure directly on the incision, yet when discovered by Hawkeye, he easily and without discomfort sits up straight. Aside from him still being at the MASH, we know the surgery is recent because, just a little later, he winces and complains after making a very small movement.

Sometimes You Hear the Bullet - S1-E17

Factual error: We see Pvt. Wendel trying to hot-wire a jeep to escape. He wouldn't have to hot-wire it, because vehicles assigned to a combat zone were equipped with an ignition switch, not an ignition lock, for the simple reason that keys get lost or mislaid all the time and in an emergency, having to track down keys for vehicles would be extremely detrimental to an unit's combat effectiveness.

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
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

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.