Directed by Gene Reynolds Production code J313 | Written by Larry Gelbart Original air date December 17, 1972 | |
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 12 (12th overall) | ||
"Dear Dad" was the 12th episode of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on December 17, 1972 and was repeated on May 20, 1973.
Contents
This was the first episode to use an epistle as part of the narrative, a device that would be used in later episodes.
Plot
Hawkeye writes home to his father during the Christmas season, relating a number of amusing and personal anecdotes including Radar's effort to mail home a jeep piece-by-piece, the monthly morality lecture, Trapper's local medical philanthropy, and the ongoing non-secret relationship between Frank and Hot Lips. Hawkeye dresses to play Santa Claus for the local children, but is required to go to the front line via helicopter to treat an emergency, which he does in-costume.
Themes
This episode was one of the first M*A*S*H episodes to challenge the traditional sitcom format by combining dramatic elements (specifically, the "war is hell" message) with comedic situations.
David Reiss' 1983 book M*A*S*H notes that this is one of the episodes which uses gimmicky voiceovers, common in M*A*S*H.
This the first episode that utilizes the "Dear Dad..." theme, in which Hawkeye communicates with his father in some way, shape or form, mostly through letters.