M*A*S*H

Show generally

Other mistake: Across the show, several times doctors looking at an x-ray picture say things like, "Looks like he swallowed a whole junkyard" or "His belly is full of shrapnel." In fact, shrapnel, being metal fragments, should show up as clear white spots on the x-ray pictures, but none of that is visible in any of the x-rays shown throughout the show.

Show generally

Other mistake: Many times during the series, soldiers are around the OR carrying a loaded weapon (magazine attached for example), when there is a sign outside the entrance that says "all weapons must be cleared before entering the building" or similar.

stiiggy

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

Suggested correction: With the rampant rule breaking seen in the show, why would this be a mistake?

Show generally

Other mistake: In all the opening sequence of each episode, a group of people are waiting on the pad to get the wounded off the choppers. If you look closely as the group goes to move, the character Mulcahy is there, but it's George Morgan, who played the role in the pilot episode. From the third episode on, it was played by William Christopher, so it's the wrong actor for all the other episodes.

Movie Nut

Pilot - S1-E1

Other mistake: When Hawkeye has Lt. Dish draw the winner of the raffle, he turns the bottom of the glass towards the crowd - meaning they would be able to see Lt. Dish pick the raffle ticket that has been taped to the bottom of the glass, just like the audience does.

Doc

Chief Surgeon Who? - S1-E4

Other mistake: At the end, after General Barker tells Henry that he should give Frank a high colonic and send him on a 10 mile hike, Klinger shows up in front of them supposedly naked, but we can see the top of whatever the actor's really wearing.

Super Grover

The Moose - S1-E5

Other mistake: When they're playing poker, Hawkeye is sitting at an angle so that Sgt. Baker cannot see the earpiece that Hawkeye is wearing. However, Hawkeye sometimes turns his head enough for us to see his ear and, since the camera angle is over Baker's shoulder, Baker must have been able to see the earpiece too and realise he was being cheated. (00:13:20)

jle

Cowboy - S1-E8

Other mistake: While playing golf, something blows up Henry's golf ball. When the camera does a closeup on Henry's ball, you can see that it isn't a golf ball, but a prop designed to blow up.

Movie Nut

M*A*S*H mistake picture

Henry, Please Come Home - S1-E9

Other mistake: While Radar's in post-op waiting for Henry's arrival he's seen reading Marvel Comics "Captain Savage and His Battlefield Raiders!" issue #10, published January 1969. It's one of the 19 issues in this comic book series which were originally named "Captain Savage and His Leatherneck Raiders," and it ran from 1968 until 1970, many years after the Korean War ended. This comic is also seen in the episode "Tuttle" later this season.

Super Grover

M*A*S*H mistake picture

I Hate a Mystery - S1-E10

Other mistake: When Henry gives Leslie the gift he says, "I sent to Tokyo for this... A Sato Tanaka double-cammed reel with jeweled escarpment," and we can see on different sides of the box there's green tape hiding its brand name, "Penn," though we can still make out the "Beachmaster 155" name.

Super Grover

Dear Dad - S1-E12

Other mistake: In this episode Max is wearing a red bandanna that he says "My mom gave me this when I shipped out. She said never take it off." However, in no episode before or after this does this good luck charm appear.

Movie Nut

Love Story - S1-E14

Other mistake: After Hawkeye asks, "Radar who?" while he's kissing a nurse, it cuts to Trapper, Radar, and Hawkeye walking past a jeep parked in front of the mess tent, then another jeep shows up with Lieutenant Anderson, but both jeeps have the same stain (looks like rust) on the front bar - the same jeep was used in both shots.

Super Grover

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.

Dear Dad, Again - S1-E18

Other mistake: Near the end of the episode Hawkeye is finishing his letter to his father. He writes "kiss mom and sis", but later in the series we find out that his mother died when he was a kid and he doesn't have any siblings.

Sonja Marie

M*A*S*H mistake picture

The Longjohn Flap - S1-E19

Other mistake: When Frank's with Margaret in her tent and she tells him that she thinks they should reevaluate their friendship, there's a Life Magazine lying on her bed which is dated over 15 years in the future - August 25, 1967, with "The other war in Vietnam" written on its cover.

Super Grover

The Army-Navy Game - S1-E20

Other mistake: During the game, when the second bomb goes off, the whole building is shaking and things are falling all around but the drinks on the table do not move at all.

M*A*S*H mistake picture

Death Takes a Holiday - S9-E5

Visible crew/equipment: After Charles confronts Choi Sung Ho about the candy, Ho explains that he sold it on the black market to buy real food, and when Ho reenters the mess tent through the side door, we can see that outside there's a director's chair, which actors also use, with something printed on its back.

Super Grover

More mistakes in M*A*S*H
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.