M*A*S*H

Sons and Bowlers - S10-E19

Other mistake: Looking at the pins when Margaret bowls at the end, the 5 pin slides backwards towards the camera, but not fast enough to bounce off anything and then fly in from off screen. Granted this was done in slow motion, but the physics don't seem to add up.

Movie Nut

The Consultant - S3-E17

Other mistake: When Trapper and Hawkeye make the right turn after Trapper tries to use the restroom, you see that Trapper avoids the left side of the road just after the turn. This is to avoid the explosive charge set in the ground used to simulate a mortar round exploding.

Movie Nut

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Suggested correction: Rosie said she took them away AFTER they began throwing them at the dartboard. Therefore there would be some in and around the dartboard. And since Klinger and BJ were drunk, they likely wouldn't have thought to grab them from the board.

When we later see them in Col. Potter's office, they are quite capable of semi-coherent reasoning, so them not realizing they could grab more darts from the dartboard isn't really in sync with that later behoviour.

Doc

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16

Other mistake: When Hawkeye drives the damaged tank out of the camp, the front MG is missing. There's not a mark on the armor surrounding the MG port that might suggest it was destroyed in battle. Why would a tank in combat just be missing one of its MGs?

Doc

Images - S6-E9

Other mistake: In the episode where Radar is talking to Corporal Hendrix, Radar says that he was thinking about getting a tattoo himself. But in season 3 episode 7 when Col. Blake was giving Radar his physical he had an anchor on his right arm which he said was his new tattoo. (00:08:20)

Taking the Fifth - S9-E9

Other mistake: Charles starts a discussion on the army having forbidden the use of curare. The following chatter is all about how things in the M.A.S.H. OR have slowed after curare was banned, leaving us with no choice but to understand that the ban came into effect during the Korean War. Actually, curare was not approved for use by the U.S. Army at any time during the Korean War. (See "Notable Names in Anasthesia" - J. Roger Maltby, Royal Society of Medicine, Great Britain, pg. 14). (00:00:25)

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Suggested correction: The whole point of the discussion is to make it clear that curare was never allowed for use by the US military, however since the majority of the doctors there are not enlisted, they know of curare and how to use it on a patient. At no point is it mentioned that the banned occurred during the Korean war.

MasterOfAll

While they never specifically say that the ban occurred during the Korean war, at the beginning of the episode, Charles says "Ever since the army forbade our use of curare..." Then at the end of the episode, COL Potter says "It sure is the cat's P.J.s having our curare back." after they get some supply from another non-American unit. These conversations imply that the doctors had been allowed to use curare by the army until this point and the ban by the army is why they aren't using it any more.

Father Mulchahy says "I've noticed the work goes much faster with curare." Father Mulchahy's only experiences in operating rooms are from his deployment at mash 4077 (he mentions he used to work with children before the war), so he must have "noticed" it there. This makes it clear as daylight that curare was used at mash before it was banned.

Doc

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

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Suggested correction: Yet, the concrete floor was Hawkeye's brainchild. So, why can't Klinger use an idea Mulcahy's song gave him to refer to Hawkeye?

Doc

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

The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan - S5-E6

Other mistake: As Frank cocks his gun in the Swamp, the slide locks open and he has to hit the slide release to get it to move forward. Next he fiddles with the hammer. Next we hear the shot go off. Burns' excuse later is that he was cleaning The Gun and it went off (although admittedly, Frank doesn't always stick to the truth that religiously in situations like that). The slide on a semi-automatic locks open only if the magazine is empty or missing. The Gun locking open is also a clear, unmistakable indication that the breech is empty. He would have to insert a filled mag, then pull the slide back again to chamber a round before The Gun even had the chance to go off. One never does that while cleaning a gun. One does what Frank did to begin with: Pull the slide back without a magazine inserted to make sure the breech is empty.

Doc

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Suggested correction: Frank has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he does not follow the rules of safe gun handling, so ascribing his failure to do so is not a mistake.

LorgSkyegon

You are missing the point. His gun is demonstrably unloaded when we last see it. He would either have to change his mind about cleaning it and load it instead, or load it first and then try to clean it (which makes even less sense), neither of which is not supported by anything in the dialogue.

Doc

Cleaning The Gun was the lie. He told BJ he was going to hunt for Margaret. He had every intention of loading his gun at that point.

Bishop73

You got me there. Frank talks about looking for Margret, fiddles with The Gun, and only after the shot goes off, he talks about cleaning it.

Doc

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

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

The Army-Navy Game - S1-E20

Other mistake: Hawkeye loosened the nut and locking ring, but after lifting the assembly, it was obvious that these were steps used only to heighten tension. There was no locking device of any kind between the tail and body of the bomb.

Movie Nut

Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen - S11-E16

Other mistake: How did Hawkeye Pierce, a surgeon, know how to drive a tank? It is nothing like driving a car and takes skills, training and experience that a surgeon simply would not have. He wouldn't even be able to start the engine.

More mistakes in M*A*S*H

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

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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