Hawk and Trap meet General Michell (Bob Simon) for the first time ever---three times!

[Best Man]

They met him in the incubator ep, the ep where Henry is court martialed, and the ep where Mitchell (in return for saving his son's life) gives the 4077th an officer's club. In two of these eps we never hear about the time they first met General Mitchell. It would have been good to hear in the officer's club intro ep Henry and Mitchell discussing the old court martial! The writers of Mash were bizarre on this concept! Didn't Simon say anything about this? These eps were made within a short time of each other!

[Dog Tags]

Were they all written by the same person ? That could explain the loss of continuity.

[LuLu Rogers]

Different people write different episodes. In the first few seasons, Hawkeye had a sister, and later he's an only child. Things like that happen sometimes.

[Dog Tags]

Our answer seems to be in the fact they were written by different authors. "The Incubator" was co-written by Gelbart & Marks, "The Trial of Henry Blake" was written by McLean Stevenson while "Officers Only" was Ed Jurist. It is probable the writers weren't aware of the other scripts and had no reason to make any reference to a previous meeting at the time they were written.

Had they been written by the same person, then we may have seen the response from Gen. Mitchell as suggested by Best Man. Lu Lu's example of Hawkeyes sister demonstrates further the different takes on the characters.

[Best Man]

Originally Posted by Dog Tags

Our answer seems to be in the fact they were written by different authors. "The Incubator" was co-written by Gelbart & Marks, "The Trial of Henry Blake" was written by McLean Stevenson while "Officers Only" was Ed Jurist. It is probable the writers weren't aware of the other scripts and had no reason to make any reference to a previous meeting at the time they were written.

Had they been written by the same person, then we may have seen the response from Gen. Mitchell as suggested by Best Man. Lu Lu's example of Hawkeyes sister demonstrates further the different takes on the characters.

It's 100% beside the point (seems to me) who wrote them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob Simon played the character three different times and in a short period of time. Didn't he find it curious (if not Alda and Rogers as well)?

[Best Man]

Originally Posted by LuLu Rogers

Different people write different episodes. In the first few seasons, Hawkeye had a sister, and later he's an only child. Things like that happen sometimes.

More likely than not Alda refused to go on playing Hawkeye having a sister (as he had none in real life though he has three daughters) once he got more creative control of his character and it was a deliberate decision to x her out of Hawk's character!

[LuLu Rogers]

Originally Posted by Best Man

It's 100% beside the point (seems to me) who wrote them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob Simon played the character three different times and in a short period of time. Didn't he find it curious (if not Alda and Rogers as well)?

Who wrote them isn't beside the point, that's the explanation for why it happened.

[LuLu Rogers]

Originally Posted by Best Man

More likely than not Alda refused to go on playing Hawkeye having a sister (as he had none in real life though he has three daughters) once he got more creative control of his character and it was a deliberate decision to x her out of Hawk's character!

I really don't think it was Alan's decision to change that. Most actors don't play characters who are exactly like them. For example, Hawkeye is a ladies man and Alan Alda is the total opposite. I'm sure the fact that Alan doesn't have a sister had nothing to do with that decision.

[Dog Tags]

Originally Posted by Best Man

It's 100% beside the point (seems to me) who wrote them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bob Simon played the character three different times and in a short period of time. Didn't he find it curious (if not Alda and Rogers as well)?

I suggest Mr. Simon was but a casual actor on the show. And as such, he had no reason to question any parts or lines he was given to perform. It would also seem both Alda and Rogers were more interested in the current script at hand and not what happened a few weeks ago or longer.

[Marvo301]

It's all Captain Tuttle's fault!

[Best Man]

Originally Posted by LuLu Rogers

I really don't think it was Alan's decision to change that. Most actors don't play characters who are exactly like them. For example, Hawkeye is a ladies man and Alan Alda is the total opposite. I'm sure the fact that Alan doesn't have a sister had nothing to do with that decision.

Actually Lulu, Alda could still really smooch with a lady not his wife here and there --he was not entirely unlike Hawkeye. The decision to drop the sis angle was probably his and on purpose. But hey Kim II Sung's lack of mention on Mash is most important thing about the series.

[Best Man]

Twice Simon forgot, Dog Tags? Casual actor indeed! Ah well--- remember bad Sung as Mash did not.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Best Man

They met him in the incubator ep, the ep where Henry is court martialed, and the ep where Mitchell (in return for saving his son's life) gives the 4077th an officer's club. In two of these eps we never hear about the time they first met General Mitchell. It would have been good to hear in the officer's club intro ep Henry and Mitchell discussing the old court martial! The writers of Mash were bizarre on this concept! Didn't Simon say anything about this? These eps were made within a short time of each other!

I don't recall, but did actually appear to be meeting the General for the FIRST time in each of these?

That really is some sloppy work by all concerned, if so.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by LuLu Rogers

Different people write different episodes. In the first few seasons, Hawkeye had a sister, and later he's an only child. Things like that happen sometimes.

True, but it doesn't seem like it would have bee so difficult for /someone/ to have noticed these continuity goofs... I take it they just didn't care enough about the characters they were working with to take the trouble.

[Will Dockery]

Originally Posted by Best Man

More likely than not Alda refused to go on playing Hawkeye having a sister (as he had none in real life though he has three daughters) once he got more creative control of his character and it was a deliberate decision to x her out of Hawk's character!

In a way that just about makes the changes acceptable, since Alda clearly /did/ care a lot about Hawkeye, and maybe he considered the added sister to not jibe with his presentation of Hawkeye.

A man without a sister would have a different thought process than a man who grew up with one.

Since both the novel and the movie (best I can recall) portrayed Hawkeye without any siblings, the move to "Chuck Cunningham" the sister is actually more in continuity with the creator, Richard Hooker.