Trivia: Most of the time in the series, when they're filming on the sound stage, you can see the apex of the roof, and the background behind it. But this time, they hung cargo netting that draped just below the top of the roof so that you can't see the background. This is also noticeable when you can tell that they're filming on location. There's no cargo netting at the tops of buildings.
Trivia: When Igor salutes Hawkeye and BJ as they enter the Post-Op, he bangs the stove, making a "Doinggg" sound. Together with the crisp parade-ground salute, it's really hilarious once you have spotted it. If you wonder whether or not it was deliberate, you can almost see Igor slipping something into his pocket as he exits. (00:04:35)
Trivia: Throughout the series, Nurses Able and Baker are often seen or heard of. "Able" and "Baker" stand for the letters A and B in the civilian spelling alphabet, just like Alpha and Bravo do in the Nato spelling alphabet. "Nurse Able" and "Nurse Baker" are just plain old Nurse A and Nurse B - not very creative but whatever works, I guess.
Trivia: In this episode, Hawkeye is trying to find out what "B.J." stands for. Despite all of his efforts, nothing works. This was based on Johnny Cash. Upon his birth, his mom wanted to name him 'John', and his dad preferred 'Ray'. When he enlisted in the Air Force, they wouldn't accept initials as a name, so he chose 'John R. Cash'.
As You Were - S2-E20
Trivia: When Radar was on the phone saying he was an officer, he answered "Uh, well, I'm, uh, nineteen." I know it was for the show, but when this episode aired in 1974, Gary Burghoff was 31 years old at the time.
Hot Lips and Empty Arms - S2-E14
Trivia: In the O.R, a stand with a bottle of blood is knocked down and breaks, losing the blood. This quick shot of the event is reused from S2: E3 "Radar's Report".
Trivia: Charles is implied to be a bit older than Hawkeye, BJ, and Klinger and is older than Radar by over a decade. In real life. David Ogden Stiers (Charles) and Gary Burghoff (Radar) were the two youngest of the main cast members. They were born less than 7 months apart.
Trivia: After Harry Morgan joined the cast as Col. Sherman T. Potter, the character is shown numerous times painting portraits of the main characters. However, he never painted them. The studio prop master farmed out the work to local talent who was happy for the work. None of those artists have been named.
Suggested correction: This entry is contradictory with another Trivia item which states that Harry Morgan, being an amateur painter in real life, did indeed produce at least some of the paintings.
Trivia: The hat that Alan Alda wears in the opening credits is the same as the one Donald Sutherland wore in the movie.
Cementing Relationships - S9-E3
Trivia: When someone is needed inside, B.J. tells Hawkeye to go, and says "I'll stay here with Der Bingle", referring to Mulcahy, due to him singing as he mixed cement. "Der Bingle" was a reference to Bing Crosby.
Trivia: The actor Jeff Maxwell, who played Igor through the series, had his voice dubbed in two episodes by fellow actor Johnny Haymer, who played Sgt. Zale. Season 5: "Mulcahy's War" and season 6: "Fade In, Fade out".
Trivia: Throughout its long run on American television, M*A*S*H employed "canned laughter" (recorded audience laughter used to punctuate humorous lines of dialogue and comedic antics). However, the producers deliberately omitted the canned laughter in every surgery scene, even when the jokes were still flying thick and fast.
Trivia: Jamie Farr (who played the cross-dressing Corporal and later Sergeant Maxwell Klinger) really did serve in the U.S. Army in Japan and Korea for two years, starting in 1955. When he joined the M*A*S*H television series in the 1970s, Jamie Farr wore his actual U.S. Army dog-tags in every appearance.
Trivia: In this episode, Mulcahy has trouble playing a piece on the piano. In other episodes, he played much better. In truth, William Christopher was an accomplished pianist that played "mean ragtime."