Dear Dad...Again: Difference between revisions

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{{Cleanup-afdUse American English|date=MayJanuary 20092025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Missing information|critical responses and other [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style (writing about fiction)|out-of-universe]] material|date=May 2009}}

{{Infobox Televisiontelevision episode

| Title = Dear Dad...Again

| Seriesseries = [[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]

| image =

| Image =<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:DearDadAgain.jpg|240px|The "No Talent" concert]] -->

| caption =

| Caption = Margaret’s attempt to sing “My Blue Heaven” at the camp “No-Talent Show.”

| Seasonseason = 1

| Episodeepisode = 18

| Airdateairdate = February 4,{{Start date|1973|02|04}}

| Productionproduction = J317

| Writerwriter =
* [[Larry Gelbart]]<br
* />Sheldon Keller

| Directordirector = [[Jackie Cooper]]

| Guestsguests =
* Gail Bowman<br
* />[[Alex Henteloff]]<br />

[[Odessa Cleveland]]

| season_article = M*A*S*H season 1

| Episode list = [[List of M*A*S*H episodes|List of ''M*A*S*H'' episodes]]

| episode_list = List of M*A*S*H episodes

| Prev = [[Sometimes You Hear the Bullet]]

| Nextprev = [[TheSometimes LongjohnYou FlapHear the Bullet]]

| next = [[The Longjohn Flap]]

}}

"'''"Dear Dad...Again"'''" wasis episodethe eighteen18th episode of the first season of the TVAmerican television series ''[[M*A*S*H (TV series)|M*A*S*H]]''. It originally aired on February 4, 1973.<ref name="watch">{{citebookcite book|title=Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America: A Social History of the 1972-1983 Television Series|first=James H.|last= Wittebols |authorlinkauthor-link=James H. Wittebols |publisher=McFarland |___location=[[Jefferson, North Carolina]]| year=2003| isbn=07864170130-7864-1701-3| pages=236}}</ref>

==Plot==

Hawkeye writes to his father again about several crazy events that take place at the 4077th, including his bet with Trapper John that he could walk into the mess tent naked and nobody would notice (he loses), the discoveryarrival of anCaptain Adam Casey (portrayed by [[Alex Henteloff]]), a [[Ferdinand Waldo Demara|Demara]]-esque fraud masquerading as a doctor, Frank becoming drunk, and Margaret’sMargaret's attempt to sing “My"My Blue Heaven”Heaven" at the camp “No"No-Talent Show".”<ref name="watch"/><ref name="TVguide">{{cite news|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/mash/episodes/100278|title=Episode Guide|publisher=TV Guide|accessdateaccess-date=2009-05-15}}</ref><ref name="classic"> {{cite news|url=http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html|title=The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H|publisher=classicsitcoms.com|accessdateaccess-date=2009-05-15|archive-date=2011-07-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723112110/http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="di">{{cite journal|title=M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)|journalwebsite=Digitallyobsessed.com|url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802|access-date=2009-05-17|archive-date=2011-06-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613115020/http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="ex">{{cite book|last=Reiss |first=David S.|title= M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show|dateyear=1983|publisher=Bobbs-Merrill |isbn=0-672-52656-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Suzy |first=Kalter|title=Complete Book of Mash|dateyear=1988|isbn=08109808350-8109-8083-5|url=httphttps://books.google.com/books?id=aJ0IPQAACAAJ&dq=isbn=0810980835|publisher=H.N. Abrams|___location=New York}}</ref><!--portions of the plot confirmed in these links-->

{{Expand section|date=October 2010}}

Hawkeye writes to his father again about several crazy events that take place at the 4077th, including the discovery of an [[Ferdinand Waldo Demara|Demara]]-esque fraud masquerading as a doctor, Frank becoming drunk, and Margaret’s attempt to sing “My Blue Heaven” at the camp “No-Talent Show.”<ref name="watch"/><ref name="TVguide">{{cite news|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/mash/episodes/100278|title=Episode Guide|publisher=TV Guide|accessdate=2009-05-15}}</ref><ref name="classic"> {{cite news|url=http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html|title=The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H|publisher=classicsitcoms.com|accessdate=2009-05-15}}</ref><ref name="di">{{cite journal|title=M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)|journal=Digitallyobsessed.com|url=http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802}}</ref><ref name="ex">{{cite book|last=Reiss |first=David S.|title= M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show|date=1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Suzy |first=Kalter|title=Complete Book of Mash|date=1988|isbn=0810980835|url=http://books.google.com/?id=aJ0IPQAACAAJ&dq=isbn=0810980835|publisher=H.N. Abrams|___location=New York}}</ref><!--portions of the plot confirmed in these links-->

Hawkeye's line, "I have always relied upon the kindness of strangers" (at minute 6:49), is a reference to [[Tennessee Williams]]' play ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'', with the line spoken by the character [[Blanche DuBois]].

==Notes==

Hawkeye's line "I have always relied upon the kindness of strangers" (at minute 6:49) is a reference to [[Tennessee Williams]]' play ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'', with the line spoken by the character [[Blanche DuBois]].

Hawkeye asks his father to "kiss sis, and Mom" in his letter to him. This is contradicted in later episodes which reveal Hawkeye as an only child with his mother deceased. He also mentions in "[[The Moose (M*A*S*H episode)|The Moose]]" that he always wanted a sister.

The episode contains one of the earliest appearances of the clichéd ''M*A*S*H'' phrase "meatball surgery".

When Hawkeye is supposed to be naked at the Officer's mess, in some shots you can see the top of his shorts.

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

{{mash}}

*{{IMDb episode|id=0638284}}

[[Category:Films directed by Jackie Cooper]]

[[Category:M*A*S*H episodes|0118]]

[[Category:1973 television{{M*A*S*H episodes]]}}

[[Category:M*A*S*H season 1 episodes|0118]]

[[Category:1973 American television episodes]]

[[Category:FilmsTelevision episodes directed by Jackie Cooper]]