M*A*S*H the Pilot
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
 |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 (1st overall) |
| Directed by | Gene Reynolds |
| Written by | Larry Gelbart |
| Production code | J301 |
| Original air date | September 17, 1972 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
G. Wood as General Hammond |
|
G. Wood as General Hammond
Patrick Adiarte as Ho-Jon
Karen Philipp as Lt. Dish
George Morgan as Father Mulcahy
Timothy Brown as Spearchucker
Odessa Cleveland as Ginger
John Orchard as Ugly John
Linda Meiklejohn as Leslie Scorch
Laura Miller as Knocko
B. Kirby, Jr. as Pvt. Boone
The eponymous pilot episode of M*A*S*H was filmed and completed in December, 1971. The episode's original airing took place on September 17, 1972, and it was repeated twice, on April 1 and August 5, 1973. It was written by Larry Gelbart and directed by Gene Reynolds, who received the Directors Guild of America Award for it. It was also nominated for Emmys in Directing and Writing.
Ho-Jon, the houseboy of Captains Hawkeye Pierce and Trapper John McIntyre, has been accepted to Hawkeye's college, but they must first raise a tuition for him. They hold a party while their commanding officer, Lt. Col Henry Blake, is away. There, they raffle off a weekend's R & R in Tokyo along with the company of a nurse, much to the chagrin of Majors Frank Burns and Margaret Houlihan.
Returning to the Swamp after a long session in the OR, Hawkeye receives a letter announcing that Ho-Jon has been accepted into his alma mater, though he and Trapper still have the task of coming up with the $2,000 for travel and tuition. Hawkeye convinces Trapper that they can accomplish it by raffling off a weekend pass to Tokyo with the company of a gorgeous nurse. They go to Colonel Henry Blake's office to propose the idea to him, and he nervously gives them permission.
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