I guarantee you I never would have noticed these mistakes in the third season episode “Springtime.” They have to do with Colonel Blake’s use of ham radio. I know next to nothing about ham radio but Adi, a licensed ham radio operator, was both knowledgeable and observant enough to recognize the following mistakes. In the episode, Colonel Blake contacts a ham radio operator in Des Moines, Iowa who agrees to help connect Klinger in South Korea with his bride-to-be in Toledo, Ohio so they can get married. Here’s the important exchange:

Henry: “Alrighty, BS2XYZ, I gotcha. That’s 6:00PM there, 4:00AM here. Righty-o, roger wilco, over and hour, ten-four and goom-bye. Okay, Klinger, you’re all set.”
Klinger: “Colonel, I could kiss you!”
Henry: “You do and I’ll chin myself on your nose.”
Klinger: “Are you sure this radio thing’s going to work, sir?”
Henry: Klinger, BS2′s a ham operator in Des Moines, Iowa, right? Now he’s gonna pick us up on his shortwave and call Laverne — your Laverne — at the chapel, collect, in Toledo, so he can patch her phone into his radio which we can hear on our radio and which Laverne can hear on her phone and her parents can hear on their extension. Simple?”

According to Adi there are two problems with the call sign BS2XYZ used by the unnamed ham radio operator in Des Moines. Call signs identify radio operators by the country of origin and area of operation. I don’t begin to understand how call signs work but you can read a little about call signs at this FCC page. The first problem with BS2XYZ is that the prefix BS has been allocated to China, so someone operating out of Iowa would not have used it. Second, the United States is split into geographic region — each assigned a numeral — and Iowa (along with Colorado, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) must have a 0 in it.

Colonel Blake says goom-bye

Later, during the wedding ceremony, Colonel Blake reveals that his call sign is KN5YVJ. Here’s what Adi had to say about this call sign:

The Korean code letters were HL & HM but some American military base ham stations abroad do use a US callsign. As it was never fully explained that MASH 4077 had any such station, I’m assuming that maybe Colonel Blake was using his own privet US callsign with military standard transmitter. But he was from Illinois and should use 9 in his callsign. However, as we know Colonel Blake as what he is, he is not strong with numbers.

Like most goofs, these mistakes had no impact on the episode itself. Most viewers probably didn’t even give the call signs a second thought. Anyone not familiar with the intricacies of ham radio call signs would never have known they were incorrect.

In the Season Three episode “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse,” after the nurses have left, Hawkeye and Trapper are at the officer’s club with a bunch of other men, lounging around and basically feeling sorry for themselves. Captain Spalding is even standing on his head. Hawkeye and Trapper are soon joined by Klinger, who is dressed in a black dress. He orders a beer (or two) and the bartender, Mr. Kwang, approaches the bar to bring it to him. In the very next shot, however, an overhead shot, Mr. Kwang is again seen approaching the bar.

 

Left: “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse” Goof; Right: “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse” Goof

Notice the shadow in front of Klinger. That’s Mr. Kwang. In the very next shot there is no shadow. Then Mr. Kwang approaches.

 

Left: “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse” Goof; Right: “There Is Nothing Like A Nurse” Goof

During filming, this scene was likely shot over and over again. Later, during editing, the best shots were chosen and strung together, with the long shot placed after the close-up of Klinger, Trapper and Hawkeye at the bar. Obviously, the editor never imagined that I’d be watching the episode on DVD decades later and notice a tiny, tiny error.

I’ve been aware of this goof for years but until Maggie e-mailed me earlier this week I had more or less forgotten about it. In “Depressing News,” Hawkeye is seen wearing bright blue shoes while walking with B.J. towards the numerous piles of boxes filled with tongue depressors. I can’t identify the shoe but Maggie suggests it was an Adidas shoe popular in the 1980s. This could be considered an anachronism, given that the shows weren’t made until long after the Korean War ended, but I think it is more of a goof.

“Depressing News”

Here’s the second of two goofs from “Potter’s Retirement,” originally broadcast February 20th, 1978. Again, I’m afraid I don’t know who e-mailed me with this one. But here it is:

When BJ and Hawkeye are looking in Charles foot locker and Hawkeye reads the letter BJ has the scarf wrapped around his shoulders. When they stand up to tell Charles about the secret reports about the colonel, the scarf is just hanging around his shoulders and then after that the scarf is wrapped around his shoulder again and his arms didn’t move.

Here are four images from the scene in question. First, Hawkeye and B.J. are sitting and going through the locker. B.J. has the scarf wrapped around his neck. Then, when Charles confronts them, they stand up and all three are shown from the side and the scarf is still around B.J.’s neck. Next, Hawkeye and B.J. are shown from the waist up in a two shot and the scarf is straight. Finally, another shot of all three from the side and the scarf is once again wrapped around B.J.’s neck.

“Potter’s Retirement”

“Potter’s Retirement”

“Potter’s Retirement”

“Potter’s Retirement”

Here’s the first of two goofs from the Season Six episode “Potter’s Retirement,” originally broadcast February 20th, 1978. Unfortunately, I don’t have the name of the person who sent this one in. But here’s the goof:

The Kentucky Derby is taking place and the gang decides to have a party in the Mess Tent. As Potter enters in the background, they are singing and Hawkeye is straddling a wood thing. While he’s singing, he loses his balance and is falling off the wood thing and has to grab BJ’s shoulder for support while he regains his balance.

Sure enough, these images show Hawkeye (and Alan Alda) losing his balance. Notice the man in the background with his arm around a nurse (who looks like Marcia Gelman) is grinning in the second image. Notice, too, that the sawhorse Hawkeye is sitting on is named Whirlaway, after the 1941 Triple Crown winner.

“Potter’s Retirement”

“Potter’s Retirement”

Check back tomorrow for the other “Potter’s Retirement” goof.