71. White Gold

March 11, 1975 (B-319)

Written by: Larry Gelbart and Simon Muntner
Directed by: Hy Averback.
Guest Stars: Hilly Hicks, as Corporal Perkins/Johnson. Stafford Repp, as Sgt. Clay. Danil Thorpe, as Morris. Michael A. Salcido, as Rodriguez.
(Stafford Repp played Commissioner Gordon in the live action Batman series with Adam West and Burt Ward).
Semi-regulars: Jamie Farr, as Corporal Klinger. William Christopher, as Father Mulcahy. Edward Winter, as Colonel Flagg.

Plot: A penicillin thief is caught in the supply room. Colonel Flagg turns up, supposedly to bust the penicillin ring, but he releases the prisoner and takes the penicillin, to trade for information. The soldier, Corporal Johnson (not Perkins) comes back, and reveals that they were stealing the penicillin to get to the front, where there is a shortage. Hawkeye and Trapper decide to take Flagg out for a while, and give him fake appendicitis, which they then operate on. Flagg ends up with the penicillin where it's most necessary - in his butt.

Glitches: Trapper's shirt got done up awful quickly.
Speaking of shirts, Colonel Flagg's is the wrong size - the sleeves are about six inches too short. And it's too tight.
The light in the supply tent goes off twice.

BIMOL: Not much to do for Radar this episode.

Great Lines: Hot Lips (being overheard): 'Oh, Frank. Without you my intellectual life would just stagnate.' Burns: 'How's this snap open?'
Flagg, about Perkins: 'Now, why would he use a different name?' Henry: 'Maybe he's CIA.' Flagg: 'No, I'm Perkins in the CIA.'
Hot Lips: 'I'm checking his ribs.' Hawkeye: 'Should we send out for sauce?'

The Klinger Collection: On sentry duty with his red skirt, pink polka-dot blouse and tea cosy hat, all topped off with a fur stole and wedge heels. And then a green blouse with white crochet cardigan, and a print skirt, with big floppy hat and white gloves.

Continuity is for Wimps: Trapper mentions the last time Flagg was there, and actually gets it right.
I don't remember Burns smoking a pipe before or after this episode.

Notes: Colonel Flagg has been promoted to full Colonel by the time of this episode.

Comments: Don't you just love the music at the beginning of this episode? It's almost got overtones of the Addams Family theme! A nice episode, with only one minor flaw - I don't think it's very in-character for the boys to deliberately poison someone just so they don't steal penicillin, even someone as rotten as Flagg. But it was well-paced and the opening scene sneaking around the tents was very funny.

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