M*A*S*HCast – Season 4, Episode 7: Dear Mildred
Special Guest Star: Cory Drew
Air Date: October 24, 1975
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I was wondering if this was the same horse from the finale. Now that’s some nice continuity there.
So glad you are doing well Cory. I can’t imagine how scary all of that was for you and your family. Add me to the list of folks on high blood pressure meds daily. Thankfully my employer provides health screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. It’s how I figured out it was more than “white coat syndrome” when I had my blood pressure checked at the doctor.
Chris
I too appreciated Cory’s PSA at the end of this episode and I’m glad he’s doing better.
Another great episode.
First off, thanks so much for pointing out that was Fr Mulcahy’s wife!! Amazing!!
As I have said, my family and I watched MASH all the time and some lines stick out. In particular, the Korean artists lines remains in our lexicon. If I say ‘Very valuable …’ my brother will say ‘Hitler’s Pencil Box’. I have always thought that it was an actual 2×4 that he said he carved. He is a con man. Why would he have Hitler’s pencil box or William Holden’s pen?? Just amazing.
That actor also says (somewhere in a past episode I think) has another famous line. Frank says something like ‘I wish you ‘. He says ‘you wish us a prostitute???”. Frank says ‘I meant prosperity’. He belly laughs and says ‘it’s the same thing!!!’ As a kid, I didn;t know why that was funny. But the actors laugh is perfect!
As you say, this is where I feel you start to know Potter for who he will be.
According to Ed Solomonson’s book, the order of production was Change of Command, It Happened One Night, Of Moose and Men, Welcome to Korea 1, Dear Mildred and Welcome to Korea 2 (?). The Bus is far down the list.
I’m very happy you both found Richard Lee Sung’s scene as funny as I do. I’ve always enjoyed the joke where someone tries an insult and the recipient says “Thank you”. Hawkeye does that to Frank in one episode.
Strokes are very prevalent in my family. It would not hurt me to lose a score of pounds but I do keep my blood pressure in check, treadmill occasionally and have annual to semi annual checkups. One of the best investments one can made is an at-home blood pressure cuff where BP can be monitored constantly.
I hadn’t thought of it before, but Potter’s anniversary gives this letter writing episode more of a through line than many of the others.
I wholeheartedly agree that Richard Lee-Sung’s comedic performance is pitch perfect. I know others have mentioned this before, but it’s episodes like this that make me wish there had been a reoccurring cast of Local Indigenous Personnel (beyond Rosie) to weave into the series.
That being said, my favorite moment in this episode is Potter’s reaction to the horse. Morgan’s performance in that scene tugs at my heartstrings every time.
Thanks for another excellent episode.
When Potter was moving in he brought his saddle into his office. Radar asked him if he was expecting a horse. So there was some foreshadowing.
Whenever I see this episode I am disappointed we never saw the carving again. I always thought it looked like him and not the Korean guy. I wonder why they didn’t keep it on the set. He really seemed to like it and he could have put it on the filing cabinet or a shelf. Maybe he sent it to Mildred.
I also like the letter episodes. I agree It is strange Margaret never had one. I guess she could have written her dad. Trapper only got a partial letter and Henry and Frank nothing. Hearing a letter from Frank’s POV would have been hilarious. I wonder if writing Louise or his mother would have been better. Hawkeye getting three letters in the beginning was overkill.
I liked they brought Henry up. BJ had certainly heard everyone liked him but probably didn’t know the relationship between him and Radar. Not to read too much into things but I imagine Farrell and Morgan felt like outsiders at first, both on the set and to viewers so BJ’s comment to “give him some time” was more than just a line to Radar.
Thanks for the bit at the end. I cringed a bit when Rob said Corey had a PSA because I feared a political comment. But glad to hear he is doing better. He sounded great on the air, couldn’t tell at all he just had a stroke.
First off, great to hear you are doing well, Cory! I, too, was surprised when you said you had had a stroke, as I would never have guessed it by the way you held your own on the podcast. I take high-blood pressure meds (it runs in my family, and I also hover around 200 pounds) so thank you for taking the time to warn us that THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU.
As for the podcast, I loved listening to it because this is probably my all-time favorite episode of MASH, period. Except for the obviously fake horse legs, I love everything about it. 🙂 Similar to what Cory pointed out about Alan Alda’s smile while Father Mulcahy is singing, I had a smile on my face during the entire podcast listening to two good friends talk about something they obviously love. It was just what I needed to hear today after an especially tough weekend. Thank you!!
The clip of the Christophers singing is on YouTube. Hawkeye calls her “Barbara” (Mrs. Christopher’s first name) as he helps her get up from her seat.
Sorry I’m commenting so late on this great episode. As always, Cory had insights that I never would have seen that add depth to this episode. I will add one quibble. He talked about service members experiencing some positives in war — deeply felt emotions and fierce camaraderie, often resulting in lifelong friendships. But he consigned that experience to “pre-Vietnam.” If my father and my uncle’s experiences are anything to go by, it happened in Vietnam, too. And I can personally assure you it’s been happening since September, 2001.
There are differences between wars that affect how those fighting it experience it — how long it lasts, whether the nation generally supports it, whether the enemy wears a uniform, and even whether or not we achieve our objectives, because that affects how we feel about the loss we experience. But the nature of war is largely the same. You see people at their worst and at their best, and you build relationships with people you would never have even met in “normal” circumstances. You find out things about yourself. In the moments when you can stop and think, you appreciate everything more.
My family had a whole two head of cattle when I was growing up. Once, we were doing some repairs on the fence line. My brother and I had to move the cattle from the pasture (the outer fence line) to our back yard (the inner fence line). My brother was not quite as skilled with the lariat as Hawkeye and BJ (believe it or not), but he figured out that if he had me talk to them (like Radar talked to the horse), he could walk up behind them and drape the loop over their heads. That’s when we found out that having a rope around the neck of an 800 pound cow is not enough to convince her to go where you want her to go.
I have struggled since I was young to know which way to take Richard Lee-Sung’s “Thank you.” It’s difficult because the character is both an artist starved for recognition and a flimflam man, as my mother used to say. I remember hearing of an artist in the Far East who, when asked to demonstrate his prowess, drew a very long straight line freehand. So maybe Cho really did carve a 2×4. When he bids Radar to enter (COME!) in Colonel Potter’s office, it’s because the unveiling makes him feel like it’s his party, too.
Hey, I just remembered that I never responded to the most important part of the episode, Cory’s PSA. I also have high blood pressure and the damage is starting to show in my bloodwork, so I was already taking this seriously. Anyway, I’m very sorry Cory had a stroke, even happier he’s doing so well, and grateful for the encouragement to do better!