Script Spotlight 37: “Mail Call”

I believe that one of the best seasons of M*A*S*H is season two, and for this month’s Script Spotlight, I wanted to spend some time with an episode from that season. I chose “Mail Call” (02×23) because it highlights some of the best comedy that the series had to offer. Even the more dramatic scenes have an element of humor to them that only M*A*S*H, and Larry Gelbart, could deliver. I also chose this script because it belonged a M*A*S*H crew member whose name is likely unknown by fans of the series, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to call out his contribution to the series. Let’s take a look at the script and the classic M*A*S*H episode “Mail Call.”

The Script

The script for this episode does not have any production documents or revised pages. While it only contains the original pages, it does tell a story. This draft is 37 pages long, which is fairly long for a M*A*S*H script. As I learned as I watched the episode, there were a number of scene changes, and even a scene addition, made during the production of the episode. Those changes would have been done with revised pages. Since they are not here; however, we can how this episode might have appeared had the episode been filmed as written in the early drafts.

This script tells another interesting story because it is one script in a collection that belonged to Stephen Bass. Bass was the sound mixer for M*A*S*H for the first eight seasons. In fact, Bass retired from the industry after M*A*S*H‘s eighth season. He had a long career working as a sound mixer or in the sound department for films and television dating back to 1951. His role on M*A*S*H, and the role of a sound mixer, was to ensure that the sets were set up for sound recording and working with the sound editing for the final episode. Bass would be sure that sound effects were added, and if any lines needed to be re-recorded and dubbed (or looping) due to an issue with the initial recording, he would ensure that the new recordings were made and laid over the video. Bass is one of the countless, uncredited crew members working behind the scenes at 20th Century Fox Television to ensure M*A*S*H looked and sounded good for fans, and getting this collection of scripts has allowed me to learn more about who he was and what he did for the show.

When I pulled out this script to review for this week’s post, I did not know what to expect. That’s part of the fun of the script posts. I don’t remember off the top of my head whether a script has production documents, revised pages, markings, or a story attached. When I pulled out this script, I could have been disappointed that there were no extra pages to discuss in this post, but instead, I was able to learn more about one of the crew members who worked on the show for eight years, and was uncredited for his work. Sound is a vital aspect of any film to television series, and Stephen Bass’s work for the series is something I am happy to be able to spotlight.

The Final Episode

The episode opens with Radar getting a bag of mail, and everyone swarms him to get their mail. Trapper receives cookies and a new photo of his daughters, Hawkeye gets an oversized sweater from his sister, Frank gets a letter from his stock brokers, Henry gets a box of receipts from his wife, and Radar gets a letter from a new pen pal. Each person’s mail brings different news and emotions. Trapper is upset that he hasn’t seen his wife and daughters and, by the end of the episode, decides he is going to leave. Henry is frustrated that he has to balance his wife’s check book in the middle of a war. Radar tells his pen pal he is Hawkeye, and decides to admit is lies in his reply. Klinger uses mail call as an opportunity for two Section 8 attempts. The first is claiming that his father is dying, which is a claim he has used before, and he also claims to be a communist. Hawkeye and Trapper trick a money hungry Frank into believing that he needs to buy stock in Pioneer Aviation, a company they made up. Margaret gets stocking and shoes in the mail call, and that combined with the news that Frank is making money, she hopes he will leave his wife for her. The episode ends in surgery after things have settled down from the very eventful mail call!

This is a classic M*A*S*H episode, and I would argue, a fan favorite. Hawkeye and Trapper tricking Frank into selling all of his stock to buy into a fictitious stock is funny. Radar’s follow-up letter to his pen pal coming clean about lying about his appearance and rank is a well written and well acted. But the best scenes in the episode are between Henry and Klinger. After Klinger claims his father is dying, Henry pulls out a file in which he has saved previous letter from Klinger. We learn that Klinger has tried the family dying and/or pregnant excuse for a hardship discharge several times. Then, when Klinger claims to be a communist, Henry is quick to dismiss him. I have mentioned several times that season two is my favorite, and it’s episodes like this that illustrate why. It is well balanced with drama and comedy. I also really enjoy the series of “Dear…” episodes, and “Mail Call” is similar in that we see storylines for each member of the cast.

There are a number of changes in the script and continuity errors in this episode. One of the most interesting continuity errors in the episode is with Hawkeye’s sweater. He says it is from his sister, but it is frequently mentioned later that the only family he has is his father. I also find it interesting that Margaret expects Frank to leave his wife for her. This changes as the series goes on before Margaret gets engaged early in season five, and Frank leaves at the end of season five.

As for script changes, there are several. The scene with Father Mulcahy and Trapper in the Officers’ Club is not in this draft of the script at all. The opening scene with Trapper and Hawkeye discussing their mail is longer in the script (pages 1 -3), the scene when Radar brings Henry his mail is longer in the script (pages 4 – 5), there was a brief scene between Hawkeye and Trapper before Frank reads Hawkeye’s letter (pages 18 – 19), there was also a scene with Hawkeye and Radar setting up Frank before he tried to call home to buy the Pioneer Aviation stock (page 21), and the scene in which Frank sends the wire, he tells Radar that his stock brokers are a cover for the CIA and the rest of his message is in code (pages 24 – 25). These additional scenes would not have helped or hurt the episode, but I believe they were cut for time since this draft of the script is 37 pages.

This script and episode combination are another great example of a script telling a unique story. Even though it is a revised final draft, there were still several changes between the script and the final episode. I believe that most of the cut scenes from this episode were likely filmed, but they were cut due to time. Overall, “Mail Call” is one episode that is highly quoted by M*A*S*H fans. Whether it is Klinger’s Section 8 antics, the Pioneer Aviation joke, or Radar and Hawkeye’s discussion about Radar’s feelings, there are so many classic moments. I believe that, despite its continuity errors, this episode is part of what made season two one of the best in the series.