Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts.
“Smilin’ Jack” (#93, 4×21)
Originally Broadcast: Tuesday, February 3rd, 1976
Written by Larry Gelbart & Simon Muntner
Directed by Charles S. Dubin
Capsule Summary: A friendly but sick chopper pilot is willing to risk everything to break a record.
This was the eighth episode produced for Season 4 but the 22nd aired. I think it shows. The writers were still getting used to writing for new characters which could explain why so much of the episode focuses on Jack Mitchell. Colonel Potter is fleshed out a bit but B.J.’s role is limited. The end result is an episode that feels unbalanced with a plot that doesn’t work.
Jack’s motivation for risking his life and the lives of four wounded soldiers is his obsession with beating Dangerous Dan’s record of 842 wounded pickups and became Chopper Pilot of the Year. This makes no sense. Unless Dangerous Dan was no longer picking up wounded, beating his record would only be temporary. Jack’s plan was to keep flying until he tied or beat the record and then turn in his wings. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Dangerous Dan would quickly beat Jack’s record.
It’s not as if the episode took place on December 31st and Jack was racing the clock to bring in a few more wounded before the end of the year. The P.A. announcement during the tag references the April 1951 Battle of the Imjin River in which the Gloucestershire Regiment (known as the Glosters), 1st Battalion of the British Army’s 29th Independent Infantry Brigade, suffered heavy casualties.
In a June 2nd, 2000 post to the alt.tv.mash newsgroup, Larry Gelbart revealed the genesis of this episode:
After the seciond [sic] season of the series, Gene Reynolds and I went to spend wome [sic] time with the 8055th, still stationed in South Korea. The 8055th, as some of you must know, was the real unit that served as the model for the fictional 4077th.
We recorded 22 hours of tape (audio) with the unit’s personnel – doctors, nurses, orderlies, etc.
One of the people interviewed was a chopper pilot named Dan Sullivan[.] A very colorful guy, we created a character for the series based on his experiences. We added a twist by having our fictional chopper pilot fall victim to diabetes. This was purely a creative invention. Sullivan never had that condition.
Sometime after the episode aired, Dan – the real Dan – became afflicted with diabetes.
It was a bizarre case of life being imitated by art only to have art then be imitated in life.
Presumably, the never-seen Dangerous Dan was named after the real Dan Sullivan. I wonder, if the real life pilot was so colorful, why was it necessary to introduce the diabetes angle in this episode? Perhaps making it revolve around Smilin’ Jack was a mistake. Maybe he would have worked better in a smaller role.
The minor B story involving twice wounded Corporal Howard Owens doesn’t add much to the episode other than giving B.J. a chance to butt heads with Frank. Radar bonding with Owens is nice but isn’t very believable. Would Owens really be comforted by a four leaf clover given to him by a company clerk who’s biggest fear is being caught reading African issues of National Geographic?
This was the very first episode directed by Charles S. Dubin, the most prolific director on M*A*S*H. He ultimately directed 44 episodes.
Why is Radar dispatching a chopper to Battalion Aid 12 at the start of the episode? That’s not his job.
Colonel Potter knows Jack from the 121st Evac, where months earlier he patched up Jack’s hand before becoming CO of the 4077th.
The actress playing Lieutenant Cathy King, who Frank planned on reporting for smirking, is uncredited despite having six lines.
Klinger and Father Mulcahy do not appear in this episode.
Of note, Robert Hogan (who played Smilin’ Jack) was a personal friend of Gene Reynolds, not only that, but the titular character of HOGAN’S HEROES (which Gene also directed) was named after him.
Other than that, a pretty weak episode, I agree.
While I agree this isn’t the strongest episode in the world, I also don’t think it’s all that bad. Sort of a comfortable, middle-of-the-road ep for me. Not outstanding, but not offensive, either.
Honestly, the only part that *really* gets on my nerves is the scene with the syringe-orange game; watch when BJ plays. He hits the syringe straight up in the air, but then it lands SIDEWAYS in the wall right when Potter is walking in the bar. I know, I know, it’s TV, but that’s just a little TOO glaring an error for me.
This is a solid episode. I think the sideways syringe almost hitting Potter is supposed to show us something about BJ’s character at this point in the show. Trapper would have laughed his arse off, but BJ is clearly embarrassed about it.
As the real daughter of the real Dan Sullivan, whose real nickname was Dangerous Dan, I thought it was a great episode! 🙂
As another daughter of the real Dan Sullivan, whose real nickname was Dangerous Dan, I second my sister’s thought. And would add, that the real Dan Sullivan was way more colorful than any writer could ever know.;-) He’s also interviewed in a Reader’s Digest, and I have seen pictures of the real Rosie’s bar. Lots of stories, a real American Hero! 🙂
I’d like to hear the story of the jeep that ran over Radar and squished his four leaf clover.
What did Jack give to BJ after his record is achieved? I believe it was his wings off his chest, his collar pin designating a pilot, and an insulin needle. Why surrender the medicine he needed? I just don’t get it – maybe there’s someone who can fill me in?
lol i just linked to this as a reference to an offhand comment i made about dangerous dan. can you just imagine..? MY surprise?!?! i randomly chose your page and did so on april 20 2022 lol my head is still spinning lol i wish you well.
It is interesting that this early season 4 episode (#8 in production order) was 22nd in broadcast order. A side effect of this was that it was a rare instance of seeing Margaret Houlihan towards the end of season 4 (in broadcast order), because Loretta Swit was not in the last few episodes produced due to her theatrical engagements.
This episode had some good scenes and I always find it enjoyable, and it has quite a bit of location footage which is always a bonus.
My only real problem with it is the scene in OR with surgery where Smilin’ Jack just casually wanders in and makes conversation. Admittedly he is wearing a mask, but there are just a few too many episodes in season 4 with extraneous persons in the OR during surgery, and this is one of them.