George (M*A*S*H)

Last updated
"George"
M*A*S*H episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 22
Directed by Gene Reynolds
Written byJohn W. Regier
Gary Markowitz
Production codeK422
Original air dateFebruary 16, 1974 (1974-02-16)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Crisis"
Next 
"Mail Call"
M*A*S*H season 2
List of episodes

"George" is the 46th episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and 22nd episode of season two. The episode aired on February 16, 1974.

Contents

Plot

Among the latest batch of wounded soldiers treated at the 4077th is a young soldier, Private George Weston (Richard Ely), who is also heavily bruised in addition to the leg wound he received in battle. After brushing off Frank Burns' (Larry Linville) suggestions he had been involved in a fight, Weston confides to Hawkeye (Alan Alda) that he had been beaten up by soldiers from his unit after he got drunk and inadvertently admitted to being a homosexual. Back in their quarters, Hawkeye and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) discuss the beatings and Frank admits he finds Weston's sexuality "disgusting", in contrast to his initial admiration of Weston for being on frontline active service. Frank initiates moves to have Weston dishonorably discharged from the Army. In order to convince Frank not to proceed, Hawkeye and Trapper stage a mock argument, during which Trapper 'confesses' to having bought the answers for a medical school examination, which leads Frank to admit that he did, too. Hawkeye and Trapper admit their ruse and Frank is persuaded to drop his actions.

Critical response

At the time, gay people were prohibited from serving in the United States armed forces; all recruits had to certify that they were not homosexual and had not committed homosexual acts, and could be prosecuted for fraudulent enlistment if they lied. Gay television historian Stephen Tropiano notes the continued relevance of "George" because it "expos[es] the ignorance behind the discrimination of homosexuals in the military". He highlights the fact that, unlike other gay-themed episodes from television of the era, "George" does not make its gay character the target of jokes except from the bigoted Frank Burns. [1]

Notes

  1. Tropiano, p. 197

Related Research Articles

Pilot (<i>M*A*S*H</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of M*A*S*H

The pilot episode of M*A*S*H, the first episode of the first season was broadcast on September 17, 1972, although the initial script was first written in November 1971. The episode 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 two Emmys for its direction and writing.

"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is a television film that served as the series finale of the American television series M*A*S*H. The 2 1/2-hour episode first aired on CBS on February 28, 1983, ending the series' original run. The episode was written by eight collaborators, including series star Alan Alda, who also directed.

"The Ringbanger" was the 16th episode of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on January 21, 1973.

"Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" is the 17th episode of the first season of the TV series M*A*S*H, originally airing on January 28, 1973. This is the first episode in which the medical staff failed to save a wounded soldier, and one of the first episodes of the series showing a member of the hospital staff truly affected by death.

"Adam's Ribs" is the eleventh episode of the third season of M*A*S*H, and fifty-ninth overall. The episode premiered November 26, 1974, on CBS.

"Radar's Report" was the 27th episode of M*A*S*H, and third of season two. The episode aired on September 29, 1973.

"For the Good of the Outfit" was the 28th episode of the television series M*A*S*H, the fourth episode of season two. The episode was aired on October 6, 1973.

"The Trial of Henry Blake" is episode 8 from season 2 of the TV series M*A*S*H.

"Dear Dad... Three" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American television series M*A*S*H, and the 33rd episode overall. The episode's title follows the format of two episodes from the show's first season: "Dear Dad" and "Dear Dad...Again". "Dear Dad... Three" aired on November 10, 1973.

"Deal Me Out" was the 37th episode of the M*A*S*H television series and the thirteenth of season two. The episode aired on December 8, 1973.

"A Smattering of Intelligence" was the final episode in season two of the American television series M*A*S*H. It first aired on March 2, 1974. The character of Lieutenant Colonel Sam Flagg was first introduced by name in this episode. Winter portrayed a similar character called Captain Halloran eleven episodes earlier in "Deal Me Out", and the two are implied in "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" to have been one and the same. Flagg has any number of aliases.

"The Consultant" is the 17th episode in the third season of the television series M*A*S*H. It originally aired on January 17, 1975. It was written by Robert Klane, from a story by Larry Gelbart, and was directed by Gene Reynolds.

"House Arrest" is the 18th episode in the third season of M*A*S*H. It originally broadcast on February 4, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Requiem for a Lightweight</span> 3rd episode of the 1st season of M*A*S*H

"Requiem for a Lightweight" is the third episode of the television series M*A*S*H. It was first aired on October 1, 1972 and was repeated on December 31, 1972, the first episode of M*A*S*H to do so. In Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America, a sociological examination of M*A*S*H as an illustration of shifting American values in the 1970s and early 1980s, James H. Wittebols cites this episode as an example of the sexual humor which was common in early M*A*S*H episodes, but downplayed later in the program's history.

The Homosexuals (<i>CBS Reports</i>) Episode of CBS Reports

"The Homosexuals" is a 1967 episode of the documentary television series CBS Reports. The hour-long broadcast featured a discussion of a number of topics related to homosexuality and homosexuals. Mike Wallace anchored the episode, which aired on March 7, 1967. Although this was the first network documentary dealing with the topic of homosexuality, it was not the first televised in the United States. That was The Rejected, produced and aired in 1961 on KQED, a public television station in San Francisco.

<i>The Rejected</i> 1961 American film

The Rejected is a made-for-television documentary film about homosexuality, produced for KQED in San Francisco by John W. Reavis. Notable as the first documentary program on homosexuality broadcast on American television, KQED first aired the film on September 11, 1961. Later syndicated to National Educational Television (NET) stations across the United States, it received positive critical reviews.

"The Outrage" is a 1974 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D., a long-running American medical drama on ABC. The episode tells the story of a teenage boy who is raped by his male teacher. The episode, which originally aired October 8, 1974, sparked controversy and anger for its equation of homosexuality to pedophilia. "The Outrage" was targeted for protests by LGBT rights groups and several network affiliates refused to broadcast it.

"The Boys in the Bar" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the American situation comedy television series Cheers. It originally aired on January 27, 1983, on NBC in the continental U.S. and on February 10, 1983 in Alaska. It is co-written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and directed by James Burrows. This episode's narrative deals with homosexuality, coming out, and homophobia. It was inspired by the coming out story of former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, Glenn Burke. In this episode, Sam's former teammate, Tom—portrayed by Alan Autry—reveals his homosexuality and Sam slowly becomes supportive of him. The bar's regular customers express their disdain toward Sam's support and fear that because of Sam's support of Tom, the bar will become a place full of homosexuals. The episode's Nielsen ratings at its initial airing were low but improved after subsequent airings on NBC. This episode has received more attention since.

References