Script Spotlight 38: “The Sniper”

With the passing of actress Teri Garr last week, I had a few people suggest that I should write a post about her appearance on M*A*S*H. Garr guest starred in the episode “The Sniper” (02×10) as a nurse who was a love interest of Hawkeye. Scenes from “The Sniper” episode later appear in the M*A*S*H clip episode “Our Finest Hour” (07×04). In honor of Garr, I pulled out the script for “The Sniper” for this week’s post, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my copy of the script belonged to director Jackie Cooper, and is filled with production documents and his notes. In this post, I’ll review the script for this episode, review the episode, and discuss Garr’s role in this episode, her career, and her connection to M*A*S*H creator Larry Gelbart.

The Script

I have reviewed one of Cooper’s scripts before (“Hot Lips and Empty Arms” (02×14)), and all of his scripts from M*A*S*H are bound together in three books. The first volume is the three episodes that he directed in the first season, and the other two volumes are the episodes from season two. I purchased the books from Cooper’s son, and he explained to me that Cooper had all of his scripts leather bound for his personal library. This was a unique way to preserve the scripts from the shows and movies that he had been a part of, either as an actor or a director. It has been widely reported that Cooper and the cast did not get along on set, and that his directing style did not impress the cast. Cooper was critical of the cast in his autobiography where he described his time on M*A*S*H as “one of the greatest disappointments of my life.” Despite the tension on set, the episodes Cooper directed are some fan favorites, and Cooper won an Emmy for the episode “Carry On, Hawkeye” (02×11). Despite the tensions on set, Cooper and the cast produced some great episodes together.

Cooper’s scripts are fairly complete. They include the Call Sheet for each day of filming. One side of the Call Sheet includes all the actors needed on set that day, where they’ll be filming, and which scenes from the script will be filmed. The other side of the sheet detailed the Set Requirements which listed everything needed that day including crew members, equipment, and food. The script also includes the Staff and Crew List, which included everyone on the crew, their home phone number, and their extension at the studio. The only document missing from this script is the Shooting Schedule. This is surprising considering Cooper was the director of the episode and he would have followed it closely, but it is possible that he did not keep the schedule in the script, so it was lost before he had the scripts bound. This script also includes revised pages, but there is only one set in pink dated October 7, 1973. Finally, and most notably, the script contains countless notations and diagrams by Cooper himself. He made notes for dialogue changes, points of emphasis, and set related notes. Most interesting to me is he often drew quick diagrams showing the camera angles for various scenes. These drawings were done on the backs of pages, and they demonstrate how dedicated he was to ensuring that the scene was captured correctly.

This script tells several stories about the making of the episode. We see all of the markings and notes made by the director. It was Cooper’s job to ensure that the final product looked its best, and he took the time to draw out how each scene would be constructed and filmed. The episode also features a guest star who would only appear on M*A*S*H once, but she made an incredible impact. Garr’s roles in both television and film will be long remembered. As friends and colleagues have remember Garr’s career over the past week, we are reminded what an incredible actor and human being she was.

The Final Episode

The episode opens with Hawkeye and Trapper in the Swamp as Hawkeye in preparing for a picnic with Lt. Marquette. They go on their picnic, and Margaret and Frank are nearby. They are not picnicking, but instead, Frank is preparing for target practice with his pistol. Just as Hawkeye and Suzanne begin to kiss, a shot nearly hits them! Hawkeye angrily confronts Frank, but there is only one issue: Frank hadn’t fired yet. More shots ring out, and they quickly realize that there is a sniper. Everyone gets back to the main building, but Henry and Radar are trapped in the shower. When an ambulance enters the compound, Henry and Radar use it as cover to get back into the main building. They have two issues: they need to get the wounded inside the building, and no one can come to take out the sniper until the following day. They decide to wave a white flag in surrender so they can get the wounded in the main building. The sniper fires on their white flag, but they manage to get the wounded inside. Overnight, and after operating on the wounded, everyone is in the main building taking shelter. Frank decides to play the hero and sneaks off to find the sniper, but Hawkeye finds him hiding the compound. At that point, Hawkeye hears someone in the Mess Tent. He thinks it’s the sniper, so he and Frank go to capture the intruder. It turns out to be Radar! The next day, a chopper arrives and fires at the sniper, who then surrenders. Hawkeye goes to treat the sniper’s wounds and brings him in to the hospital for surgery.

I have said many times that season two is my favorite, and episodes like this are a great example why. The main storyline in the episode is very serious and there are several suspenseful scenes, but the episode is peppered with funny situations. The humor in the episode isn’t mocking the situation, but it is breaking the tension. It’s a very human reaction to a stressful situation. By this point in the series, the characters are well established and acting as expected, so this is peak early M*A*S*H cast. I was surprised that Father Mulcahy or Klinger don’t appear in the episode at all. I am actually disappointed at the absence of Mulcahy given the seriousness of the situation. Then, of course, there is Garr as Suzanne Marquette. The two interactions we see between her and Hawkeye are very good. There have been a few guest nurses that only appeared in one episode that I think would have made great recurring guest stars. Garr is one of them!

Since the script for this episode is a revised final draft, there were not many changes between it and the final episode. There were a few line changes here and there, but they are fairly minor such as the actor changing the order of a few words or leaving a word or two out. Nothing that changed the meaning of a scene. There were two scenes that were longer in the script than they appeared in the episode. The first is the scene between Hawkeye and Margaret once they realize Frank is gone (page 27). The was at the end of the episode when the sniper waved his white flag. There was a longer exchange between Frank, Margaret, Trapper, and Hawkeye (page 34). Overall, it was rare for the actors to deviate from the script. This is due to the great writers employed by M*A*S*H, and the adherence to the script is also a credit to the actors.

“The Sniper” is a great example of why I believe that season two is one of the best balanced seasons of M*A*S*H. The stakes of the episode were high with the sniper firing into the compound, and there were plenty of scenes with tension and suspense. Those moments are well balanced with comedy, and it is that balance that makes the situation feel more realistic to the audience. This is also a memorable episode because of the appearance of Garr. While she may not have a lot of screen time, her scenes are memorable to M*A*S*H fans, and they appear in a later clip episode. The M*A*S*H community, and all of Hollywood, were saddened by the loss of Garr last week. Her memory lives on in her work on M*A*S*H and the over 150 acting credits to her name.