March 18, 1973 (J-323)
Written by: Laurence Marks
Directed by: Earl Bellamy
Guest Stars: Bruce Kimmel as Private Gilbert.
Semi-regulars: Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger, Patrick Adiarte as Ho-Jon,
William Christopher as Father Mulcahy, Herb Voland as General Clayton, Odessa
Cleveland as Nurse Ginger, Lynette Mettey as Nurse Nancy Griffin, Marcia
Strassman as Nurse Cutler, Bonnie Jones as Nurse Barbara.
Plot: Hawk 'n' Trap have had enough in surgery, and are about to set off for R&R in Tokyo when General Clayton calls and tells them that a ceasefire has been arranged. There is much rejoicing, although Trapper doesn't believe it. Everyone prepares to go home - Hawkeye has to let a large number of nurses down, and uses the excuse (lie) that he's married with five kids. Ho-Jon and family start taking the camp to pieces. Frank and Hot Lips have a lengthy and teary farewell, with Hot Lips getting really drunk. Radar tries to get everyone to sign his scrapbook. Klinger sells off his dresses. General Clayton comes to have a party with the gang, and Hawkeye puts on a slide show of photos of the General, a number of them in compromising positions with Hot Lips. In the end, Trapper is right. The cease-fire is a fake, and wounded arrive. Hawkeye regrets telling the nurses he was married, but even more he regrets telling Ho-Jon to take the camp - he took the whole Swamp.
Bruce says:
MASH – all I remember is that my musical of The Comedy of Errors was playing in Long Beach at some festival – and I was playing the show (playing the piano) and filming went long and I was very antsy – I made it by the seat of my pants. Everyone on the show was very nice.
Bruce also recalled this on 01/26/02
I also got the first season of MASH the television show. I bought it for a reason, which I'll get to in a moment. I attempted to watch the pilot episode, but it was really lifeless, banal and bad, so I shut it off and went directly to one of the final episodes of the season, entitled Ceasefire. It wasn't much better, frankly, but that's not why I watched it. I watched it for selfish reasons, because there, lying in a hospital bed portraying a memorable character called "Soldier with shrapnel" was yours truly. A very young yours truly. A yours truly with lots of hair. It was a small role, but one I hadn't seen since I shot it way back in 1973, before some of you were born. I remember it as if it were yesterday. Of course, how "it" can be "yesterday" I have no idea. Oops, we're ignoring "it", I forgot. I remember Loretta Switt coming right up to me and saying, "Welcome to MASH", which I thought was very nice. And Mr. Alan Alda, with whom I played my scene, was also very nice.
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