"Bananas, Crackers and Nuts" is an episode from ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. Th ...

''. It was the seventh episode broadcast and aired on November 5, 1972 and repeated April 22, 1973. It was written by Burt Styler and directed by Bruce Bilson. Guest cast is

Odessa Cleveland Odessa Cleveland is an American film and television actress. Early years Born in Louisiana, Cleveland graduated from Peabody High School. She graduated from Grambling State University with a BS degree in physical education and English and a mast ...

as Lt. Ginger Bayliss,

Stuart Margolin Stuart Margolin (January 31, 1940 – December 12, 2022) was an American film, theater, and television actor and director who won two Emmy Awards for playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin on the 1970s television series ''The Rockford Files''. In 1973, h ...

as Captain Phillip G. Sherman and

Marcia Strassman Marcia Ann Strassman (April 28, 1948 – October 24, 2014) was an American actress and singer. She played Nurse Margie Cutler on ''M*A*S*H'', Julie Kotter on '' Welcome Back, Kotter'', and Diane Szalinski in the film ''Honey, I Shrunk the Ki ...

as Nurse Margie Cutler. Editor Fred W. Berger won an

ACE Eddie Award Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...

from the American Cinema Editors organization (ACE) for his work on this episode.

Plot summary

After an unusually long stretch in the OR, Hawkeye and

Trapper Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithic ...

argue, and decide that they need some R&R. Unfortunately,

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

is leaving for a few days, leaving

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

—who is unlikely to let them have R&R for any reason—in charge. Hawkeye decides to pretend to be insane to try to get a few days off despite Frank's prejudice. He rejects a proposition from an attractive nurse, eats a plate of ostensibly human liver in full surgical garb, and reacts violently when Frank touches the plate. Trapper tells Frank that Hawkeye is losing it, and that he (Trapper) should take him to Tokyo for R&R. Uncertain about whether they are serious or if it is an elaborate act, Margaret calls in a psychiatrist friend, Capt. Philip Sherman (

), to assess Hawkeye's emotional state. After Hawkeye tells Sherman that he is in love with Frank, Sherman declares him to be insane. When Henry returns and learns of Sherman's finding, he argues that Hawkeye was merely trying to get R&R, but Sherman insists that Hawkeye needs to be committed to a hospital in Tokyo. Hawkeye, upon hearing this, confesses he simply wanted a holiday from the war, but Sherman, who has designs on Margaret, insists that he be sent for treatment. Hawkeye concocts with Radar an elaborate plan to foil Sherman, Margaret and Frank's plan to get Hawkeye out of the unit. Radar talks to Sherman and plants ideas in his mind that Margaret, who has rebuffed all of Sherman's past advances, has the hots for him. Meanwhile, Trapper switches signs on Margaret's tent, leading Sherman to believe it is the VIP tent. After Sherman returns and settles in Margaret's cot, Trapper switches the signs back. When Margaret comes back and starts undressing, Sherman excitedly launches himself at her and drags her onto the cot. Margaret screams out and various members of the camp rush in, making it appear that Sherman was attempting to rape Margaret. Sherman flees the unit that night and Hawkeye is allowed to stay. He and Trapper are granted a week's R&R, but just as they are about to leave, a wave of fresh casualties ruins their plans.Wittebols, pp. 161-166

Themes

In ''Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America'', a sociological examination of ''M*A*S*H'' as an illustration of shifting American values in the 1970s and early 1980s, James H. Wittebols cites Sherman's attempted assault on Margaret in this episode as an example of the program's questionable treatment of women in its early years. Wittebols also notes the subplot of Hawkeye pretending to be in love with Frank (in order to convince Sherman that he is insane) as an example of the series' negative treatment of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...

.Wittebols, p. 28

Notes

External links

* {{M*A*S*H episodes M*A*S*H (season 1) episodes 1972 American television episodes