"The Interview" was the twenty-fifth and final episode of the fourth season of the TV series M*A*S*H. The 97th episode overall, it first aired in the United States on February 24, 1976.

Plot synopsis

A news correspondent (Clete Roberts) visits the 4077th to get their feelings about the war.

Production

The episode was broadcast in black and white and was the final episode for series developer Larry Gelbart. Loretta Swit does not appear. Recently a full color version of this episode has appeared on Hulu. The opening comment "The following is in black and white", remains intact, however. As of May 2019, the episode has been restored to black and white on Hulu.

Historical References

Clete Roberts states there were five MASH units in South Korea. There were actually seven during the Korean War, although not all were operational for the entire war. ^[1]

Klinger references the real-life Waite High School which was named after Supreme Court Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite.

Col. Potter mentions Douglas Fairbanks and Francis X. Bushman, actors and directors in the early days of cinema, known for playing romantic and swashbuckling heroes. He also lists Abraham Lincoln as one of his heroes and compares Harry S. Truman, the American president during the Korean War, to the former president. Hawkeye later references a story that Truman allegedly referred to General Douglas MacArthur and others as a "son of a bitch".^[2]

Clete Roberts references Ernest Hemingway and his reporting on the Spanish Civil War.

Reception

The episode won the Humanitas Prize for 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television for 1976.

In 1997, TV Guide ranked this episode #80 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.^[3]

References

External links

• "The Interview" at IMDb