A Season 2 episode of MASH managed to sneak a major F-bomb right by censors and audiences — until high definition arrived. MASH ran for 11 seasons, and it’s fair to say that it got a lot more dramatic in its later years. The show was often at its best with a mix of comedy and drama, but it’s undeniable that the early seasons were more fun. The sitcom was still finding its feet in the first few years, and while it toned down the gore and dark humor of Robert Altman’s 1970 movie, it felt closer in tone to the film.
Like the latter, the series originally revolved around the antics of surgeons Hawkeye (Alan Alda) and Trapper (Wayne Rogers). When Trapper’s role began to be downgraded in favor of Hawkeye, Rogers was one of the first MASH actors to exit the show. Also leaving the party early was McLean Stevenson, who, despite being an important part of the ensemble, wanted to leave and front his own solo projects. The shock death of Stevenson Blake in MASH season 3 would then kickstart the show’s move to dramedy In the coming years.
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Mash’s “The Trial of Henry Blake” secret F-bomb is only honored in HD
Trapper’s note to Klinger was a bit difficult
During his run on the show, Stevenson penned the season 2 episode “The Trial of Henry Blake.” This sees the title character facing treason charges, filed by – who else? – Frank (Larry Linville) and Margaret (Loretta Sweet). Later in the episode, Hawkeye and Trapper must escape custody to testify on Frank’s behalf, but they need Klinger’s (Jamie Farr) help first. Trapper holds a note to Klinger that reads “Give the guard a gallon of phenobarbital“ That will knock out the guards that are guarding them.
However, the advent of DVD and HD makes Trapper’s offending F-bomb plain to see…
Being a network sitcom means that MASH Never have characters drop any F-bombs, so this message was a sneaky way to get one into an episode. of course, The resolution of televisions back in the 1970s would have made the message all but impossible to actually read.. However, the advent of DVD and HD makes Trapper’s offending words plain to see for those willing to pause and squint at his tone.
Alan Alda hated MASH’s censorship battles
Alda really gave a “match” about Mash’s censorship issues
In a conversation with Basic interviewAlda reflects on the various network censorship battles MASH faced during its early seasons. The big example he cited was CBS Nixing Radar (Gary Burghoff) stating he was a “virgin;” Showrunner Larry Gelbart so annoyed that in a later episode he had a soldier reveal they were from the “Virgin Islands”. Just to get the word in. Alda also claimed that certain scripts would contain much more swear words like “Damn,” knowing that the number would be cut down by the network, but they could still keep a little.
Alda labeled this behavior as trivial, but how MASH Becoming more successful, the show was allowed to get away with much more. Censorship would still rear its ugly head, like an episode that involved Margaret pointing to one of Hawkeye’s jockstraps. CBS complained about this, telling the creatives that the jokester could not be shown or identified in the dialogue. Under no circumstances. Alda found this very ironic, as some episodes saw bras or women’s underwear without any net complaints, as it was not considered offensive.
That makes “The Trial of Henry Blake’s” stealth F-bomb all the funnier — even if it took decades for viewers to actually see it. This MASH The episode also smuggled another huge double entender into the dialogue: When Hawkeye spots Margaret giving Frank a neck rub with a massager, he quips “Behind every great man, there is a woman with a vibrator.”
Source: Basic interview