Every Monday, I spotlight a random episode of M*A*S*H, providing a brief review and asking readers to offer their thoughts.
“Bombshells” (#241, 11×06)
Originally Broadcast: Monday, November 29th, 1982
Written by Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford
Directed by Charles S. Dubin
Capsule Summary: Hawkeye and Charles start a rumor that Marilyn Monroe will be visiting the 4077th; B.J. has the day off and plans to spend it fishing.
The A story in this episode, in which a rumor spreads throughout camp like a wildfire, is broadly reminiscent of “Rumor at the Top” from Season 10. The big difference is that the rumor in that episode came from outside the 4077th while “Bombshells” saw the rumor intentionally started by Hawkeye and Charles. It probably was fairly common for rumors to spread around MASH units and other military posts during the Korean War.
The story about Ted Williams leaving Korea that kicked off Margaret’s rumor and led to the Marilyn Monroe rumor was true. The baseball great served in World War II and during the Korean War, leaving Korea in June 1953. As for Monroe, although she didn’t make it to the 4077th in this episode, she did actually go to South Korea to entertain troopers but not until February 1954, more than six months after the armistice had been signed. You can see pictures from her visit at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.
It’s only fitting that Hawkeye started the Marilyn Monroe rumor with Klinger, the person most likely to believe it and, more importantly, the person who could spread the rumor far and wide and fast. The rumor spread so fast, in fact, that somehow Colonel Potter knew when Monroe would be visiting the 4077th before anyone told him.
The B story in this episode is pretty grim. It’s yet another example of an episode mixing a serious storyline with a silly one. With this episode I’m not sure it works all that well simply because B.J.’s storyline is so dark and upsetting that the contrast between it and the absurd Marilyn Monroe storyline is almost too much to handle. As a viewer, I felt like I had whiplash going from one extreme to the other.
B.J. calling himself a soldier for cutting the rope is a great bit of dialogue:
We sit around here in our Hawaiian shirts and red suspenders thumbing our noses at the Army, drinking home-brewed gin and flouting authority at every turn, and feeling oh-so-superior to those military fools who kill each other, and oh-so-self-righteous when we clean up after them. Well, good luck to you, pal. I hope you can keep it up. The minute I cut that rope, that made me a soldier.
I had not watched this episode in a while so I couldn’t remember if B.J. found the soldier he left behind or not. I kept hoping he would but he didn’t. I’m not sure the tag scene in which B.J. gives his Bronze Star to Corporal Sonneborn works. It almost feels like a cop-out, like B.J. was able to feel better about himself just by giving away his medal.
did you notice that when B.J. is at the 8063rd and stops the ambulance, the driver is played by regular background Dennis Troy? He actually gets a line of dialogue in the episode (“Hey, what gives?”) despite being uncredited.
I really like both storylines but I think you’re right when you say the contrast is extremely different between them.
The actors and the creators of the show mentioned that they often took inspiration of stories from real life incidents that happened during the war. I wonder if BJ’s storyline was one such thing which is a pretty disturbing thought.
Also, were medals awarded so fast?? It seemed like barely a day went by when the pilot told BJ that he had recommended him for a medal before BJ received it. Surely, the request had to go through some channels before approval!!
It’s also good to know that atrocious spelling errors are not a recent phenomenon of the texting age as evidenced by the incorrect spelling of MM’s name. Hawkeye and Charles’ phone call to the MGM studios is pretty funny as is the perv general wanting to come to the 4077th just to ‘shake the hands that belong to those legs.’
Was the general really a perv or was he just being a man appreciating beauty? As women we can also recognize just how gorgeous she was and I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what the general said. In fact from the pictures of Marilyn in Korea, she seemed to really thrive on men’s attention.
I agree that there was nothing wrong with what the general said. To me he seemed like a decent human being. I think if Marilyn Monroe actually had come the general would have treated her with respect and not ogled her like Hawkeye probably would have.
Actually they had called the 20th Century Fox studios rather than MGM. Marilyn Monroe was a staple of the Fox studios,though she did leave them briefly for MGM before she went back to Fox for the remainder of her career,and her life at that matter. With MASH being a Fox show they probably had to keep any Hollywood studio reference in the show limited to said studio as well.
Not an episode I revisit too often, but I always enjoy it when I do. BJ’s piece of dialogue you quoted is terrific, and easily the most memorable part of the episode for me. Good late-series entry.
That helicopter could have easily flown away with the weight of three persons, and it would have been better than having a discussion about cutting the rope, all the while hanging still in the air as sn easy target.
I think at that point, they had already picked up one soldier, I am assuming he was in one of the pods. Having to tow a weight is much different than just a weight in the chopper. It was disturbing and BJ’s speech was memorable.
A very subtle joke that whizzed past me for many years:
When Hawkeye was talking to MM’s secretary and pretending to be Ted Williams, and she asks him for his greatest thrill in sports. He tells her that his greatest thrill is playing in left field before you great fans. Then he hurriedly says center field before she hangs up, leaving the viewer to think Hawkeye merely goofed on the position.
However, it was well known, then and now, that Ted Williams hated the fans during his playing days. THAT’S when the secretary sees through the ruse.
Thanks for that, I’m a lifelong baseball fan and never knew that. Born in 1977 I kind of only heard about Williams greatness. Good catch.
The back and forth in the mess tent leading up to the Marilyn Monroe rumor is well done. Margaret’s delivery of this line was great, “It’s not a rumor! For your information, it’s something I heard.”
When Potter puts Hawkeye in charge of welcoming her there are some great lines, I liked his, “You’re witty, suave, you lean toward handsome.”
Other fun lines:
[Hawkeye, about the supposed cousin] “The blond kid. The, uh, …the young guy with the wound.” And Charles “That’s the one.” (Charles going along with Hawkeye was fun.)
[Hawkeye to Charles] “When this rumor was born, you were one of the physicians in attendance.”
[Charles] “Yeah, but now the patient has grown and is doing quite well on its own.”
[Hawkeye] “Then I know exactly what I’m gonna do.”
[Charles] “What?”
[Hawkeye] “Think of something to do.”
[Hawkeye] “I need to appoint an assistant… you.”
[Charles] “Well, I will disappoint me.”
[Potter] “Son, that conversation just gave my ears whiplash. Care to unknot things for me?”
[PA announcement] “The bad humor truck is in the compound.”
Yes, the contrast of serious and silly is extreme, I like the contrast, besides we need something to soften the blow of B.J’s serious.
It just occurred to me that the characters could have been flip-flopped in an earlier episode – that BJ would have joined Hawkeye in the Marilyn ruse and Charles would have been the one in the chopper. It feels like the Hawkeye and BJ team were somewhat separated in later seasons.
And I think”Smilin’ Jack,” the chopper pilot, would have tried everything to bring back that patient
Thing I’ve noticed, the soldier they want to get up with the rope already has a bandage on his leg. So that means a medic has seen him, shouldn’t he have called a chopper to get the poor guy out?
BJ goes into a war zone wearing that stupid pink shirt and straw hat. Nothing would say “SHOOT ME!” louder to a sniper. Enough said.
I for one think the dark drama half with B.J. are nicely realistic about both him and viewers will never known the fate of the soldier he left behind just like how it could happen in real life.