"The Interview" was the twenty-fifth and final episode of the fourth season of the TV series ''

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 ...

''. The 97th episode overall, it first aired in the United States on February 24, 1976.

Plot synopsis

A news correspondent (

Clete Roberts Clete Roberts (February 1, 1912 – September 30, 1984) was an American broadcast journalist. He began his career in radio news, then transitioned to television, working for stations in California. In later years, he portrayed himself and ...

) visits the 4077th to get their feelings about the war.

Production

The episode was broadcast in black and white and was the final episode for series developer

Larry Gelbart Larry Simon Gelbart (February 25, 1928 – September 11, 2009) was an American television writer, playwright, screenwriter, director and author, most famous as a creator and producer of the television series ''M*A*S*H'', and as co-writer of the B ...

Loretta Swit Loretta Jane Swit (born Loretta Szwed; November 4, 1937) is an American stage and television actress known for her character roles. Swit is best known for her portrayal of Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan on ''M*A*S*H'', for which she won two E ...

does not appear. Recently a full color version of this episode has appeared on Hulu. The opening comment "The following is in black and white", remains intact, however. As of May 2019, the episode has been restored to black and white on Hulu.

Historical References

Clete Roberts states there were five MASH units in South Korea. There were actually seven during the Korean War, although not all were operational for the entire war. Klinger references the real-life Waite High School which was named after Supreme Court Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite. Col. Potter mentions

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

and Francis X. Bushman, actors and directors in the early days of cinema, known for playing romantic and swashbuckling heroes. He also lists

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

as one of his heroes and compares

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, the American president during the Korean War, to the former president. Hawkeye later references a story that Truman allegedly referred to General Douglas MacArthur and others as a "son of a bitch". Clete Roberts references

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

and his reporting on the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

Reception

The episode won the

Humanitas Prize for 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television {{unreferenced, date=March 2013 The Humanitas Prize for 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television is an award presented to the best written 30-minute network or syndicated television program. The winners are indicated in bold. 1975 (1st) *'' Good ...

for 1976. In 1997, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' ranked this episode #80 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Interview (MASH Episode) M*A*S*H season 4 episodes 1976 American television episodes Black-and-white television episodes