Major Fred C. Dobbs

"Major Fred C. Dobbs"
M*A*S*H episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 22
Directed by	Don Weis
Written by	Larry Gelbart Sid Dorfman
Production code	J320
Original air date	March 11, 1973
Episode chronology
← Previous "Sticky Wicket" Next → "Ceasefire"
List of M*A*S*H episodes

"Major Fred C. Dobbs" was episode twenty-two of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on March 11, 1973.

Plot

Hawkeye's and Trapper's latest scheme succeeds where no other one has; Frank has finally demanded that he be transferred to another unit. But when another prank embarrasses both Frank and Hot Lips over the P.A., she also demands a transfer. However, when Hawkeye and Trapper discover they will be assigned double duty until replacements are found, they decide to trick Frank into staying by convincing him there’s a fortune in gold to be found near the camp.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Notes

The title of this episode is a reference to the John Huston film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, in which Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) becomes consumed with greed - a weakness to which Hawkeye and Trapper appeal in order to keep Frank from actually leaving. The episode does not actually feature a character named Major Fred C. Dobbs.

The plot device of Radar O'Reilly planting a microphone in Margaret's tent, and embarrassing her and Frank by broadcasting them over the camp PA system, is reminiscent of a sequence from the original MASH film.

Among those involved in the making of M*A*S*H, this is often considered to be the worst episode, centering as it does on Hawkeye and Trapper trying to keep Majs. Burns and Houlihan at the 4077th.^[6]

Hawkeye makes a reference to his favorite soap opera, "Just Plain McArthur," a reference to a real radio soap from the Golden Age called "Just Plain Bill."

This was the last of the episodes to have the "jazzier" version of the theme.

References

1. ^ Wittebols, James H. (2003). Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 161–166. ISBN 0786417013. http://books.google.com/?id=CMPx-jksa6IC. Retrieved May 16, 2009. 
2. ^ "Episode Guide". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/mash/episodes/100278. Retrieved 2009-05-15. 
3. ^ "The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H". classicsitcoms.com. http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html. Retrieved 2009-05-15. 
4. ^ "M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)". Digitallyobsessed.com. http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802. 
5. ^ Reiss, David S. (1983). M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show. ISBN 9780672527623. http://books.google.com/?id=NIOFAAAAIAAJ&q. 
6. ^ Wittebols, p. 24

External links

• "Major Fred C. Dobbs" at the Internet Movie Database