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ajmartini
Reviews
M*A*S*H: That's Show Biz (1981)
A bit different, just a bit
This particular two-part episode was an attempt to include the USO, which allowed more than the usual two or three non-regular cast actors and story lines. It begins with one of the young female performers being suddenly struck ill, and needing to go to MASH 4077 for treatment (by Hawkeye, of course). The story line involving Col. Potter and an older burlesque stripper, portrayed very nicely by Gwen Verdon, is, in my opinion, the highlight of the episode. These two veteran actors bring something extra and undefinable to their story. It's very nice to watch.
The rest of this extended episode deals mainly with regular cast interacting with the USO entertainers in ways that tend to be inconsistent or opposite of their standard portrayals, such as Major Winchester finding the not-very-funny humor of the emcee comic quite appealing and laughing uncontrollably at it, or the accordion player who is actually a trained concert pianist, or the singing duo which includes the young woman who required the sudden appendectomy, allowing for Major Houlihan to "step in" and sing.
The one area that many people find unbelievable is Hawkeye's response to the crush the young female performer has following him performing an appendectomy on her. I actually find this absolutely appropriate. The character of Hawkeye May be written as a skirt-chasing Lothario, but he is also shown to be an ethical medical practitioner. In this instance, I honestly see the character avoiding the young woman's attempts at affection as a reflection of a doctor being ethical and morally correct with his patient. Had this young woman come into camp and NOT been Hawkeye's patient, then his reaction would probably have been different.
Project Blue Book: Close Encounters (2020)
Yes, David Dubrovsky was portrayed by Bronson Pinchot
This episode was a nice crossover between the "Red Scare" '50s setting that usually is used, brought forward to 1976 and the production of Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Quite engaging and entertaining, especially the emphasis on the "Robertson Panel."