To celebrate the 50th anniversary of M*A*S*H, I’m taking a weekly look back at what episode of M*A*S*H aired five decades ago on CBS.
Episode Title: “I Hate a Mystery” (#10, 1×10)
Airdate: Sunday, November 26th, 1972
Written By: Hal Dresner
Directed By: Hy Averback
Nielsen Rank: 36th
The 10th episode of M*A*S*H aired 50 years ago today. “I Hate a Mystery” aired for the first time on Sunday, November 26th, 1972 on CBS.
Here’s the capsule summary from my Episode Spotlight for the episode:
Hawkeye is blamed for a rash of thefts at the 4077th and is forced to uncover the real culprit.
A suite composed by Johnny Mandel for this episode is included in a soundtrack collection released by Kritzerland Records in April 2018.
CBS pre-empted M*A*S*H on Sunday, December 3rd, 1972 to broadcast a made-for-TV movie called The House Without a Christmas Tree. Check back in two weeks for the next installment of 50 Years of M*A*S*H.
One of my three favorite episodes of Season 1, the others being Germ Warfare and Tuttle. Good jokes, a mostly reasonable plot, even though it is quite silly in several places, and an overall delight to watch. I’m going to make an effort to avoid spoilers as I talk about some of my favorite moments.
I love Hawkeye’s line in his “Thin Man” monologue when he’s describing his plan and identifies the stolen goods as “ill booten gotty.” There’s also Henry’s comical event where he decides to determine whether or not the stove pipe has soot in it, right after he’s inspected the shower head and when Ho Jon spoon handles “swizzle stick” and Hawkeye then does the same moments later.
A delightfully fun episode in my opinion, well worth the watch. I should note that this episode first aired just under eleven months before I was born, and a little under two weeks before my parents married.