As I completed my M*A*S*H rewatch in 2025, I noted which scripts I had previously reviewed in each season. As I did that, I realized that there are seasons that I have virtually skipped over, so I am going to try to be better at featuring a wider variety of episodes this year. One of the seasons that really stood out to me as I rewatched the series was season four. M*A*S*H went through a major transition. Two characters left after season three, and the writers had two new characters to introduce. While this may sound like a daunting task, the writers and producers dove in headfirst and did an excellent job of introducing us to Captain B.J. Hunnicutt and Col. Sherman T. Potter. Season four brought us three “dear home” episodes, including one for each of the new characters. I have previously reviewed “Dear Peggy” (04×10), which is written from the point of B.J. So this month I thought it was fitting to revisit Col. Potter’s “dear home” episode, “Dear Mildred” (04×07). In it, we get some insight in to the new commanding officer of the 4077th.
The Script
This is one of the few scripts for which I have two copies. One script is a Final draft dated June 26, 1975 and the second is a Revised Final draft dated July 18, 1975. The episode was written by the team of Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell. They are credited with writing 24 episodes of M*A*S*H in seasons three through six. They also went on to write for AfterMASH and received a writing credit for the pilot episode of the failed M*A*S*H spin-off series W*A*L*T*E*R. The director of the episode was Alan Alda, and he needs no introduction. “Dear Mildred” originally aired on CBS Oct 24, 1975.
It is not often that I have two, very different copies of the same script. In this case, I have a Final draft and a Revised Final draft. There are some distinct differences between the two. One of the most noticeable is that the Final draft has 37 pages and the Revised Final draft has 34. This makes sense as there are two scenes in the first script that didn’t make the final episode (see the review of the final episode below). There are also different revised pages in each draft. The Final draft has revised pages dated June 27, 1975 while the Revised Final draft has a set of revised pages dated August 22, 1975. These revisions are from the opening scene in Col. Potter’s office in which begins his letter to Mildred, and Margaret and Frank take his photo. It’s possible that scene had to be re-filmed. Unfortunately, neither copy of the script contains the Shooting Schedule or Call Sheets, so I am not sure when this episode was actually filmed. When comparing the two scripts scene by scene, there aren’t that many differences. The Final draft is pretty close to complete, and the Revised Final draft contains the changes made in the Final draft.
The collection does not have many duplicate scripts. For the few duplicates I do have, it is fun to compare the differences between each of the drafts. As I have often said, each script is unique. The Final draft of “Dear Mildred” contains some handwritten notes that remove some lines or change a few words. That copy of the script came from the collection of sound engineer Stephen Bass, and the markings are consistent with the other scripts that came from his collection (“Mail Call” (02×23), “Abyssinia, Henry” (03×24), and “Fade Out, Fade In” (06×01)). It is important that both copies of the script are preserved because the differences between the two drafts tells a story of how each episode was written, modified, and rewritten before the final episode was edited together. When I first started collecting scripts, I had a strict policy of “no duplicates,” but I quickly learned that there is no such thing as a duplicate script. There is always something different whether it is markings, revised pages, production documents, etc. I have relaxed that rule because it allows me to compare drafts of scripts and highlight the changes the processes at work creating M*A*S*H.
The Final Episode
Note: For this rewatch, I am comparing the episode to the Final draft of the script dated June 26, 1975.
It is getting close to his wedding anniversary, so Colonel Potter writes a letter home to his wife, Mildred. In the letter, he explains that it has been hard getting use to the 4077th. Potter tells her about Radar, Father Mulcahy’s singing with Lt. O’Connor, and the “supposed affair” between Margaret and Frank. Meanwhile, around camp, Margaret and Frank are up to something as they take photos of Col. Potter and plan to have a bust made of him for his wedding anniversary. Radar talks to B.J. and Hawkeye about how he is struggling to get used to Col. Potter. He was so comfortable with Henry Blake, and he isn’t adjusting well. When the chopper pilot tells Hawkeye and B.J. about a wounded horse, Radar wants to save it. Dan directs them to the horse’s location, and they bring him back to the 4077th where they remove the shrapnel from the horse. As Potter wraps up his letter, Margaret, Frank, B.J., and Hawkeye enter his office. Margaret and Frank present him with the bust, but Radar surprises Potter by giving him the horse. He knew he would be able to keep it if Potter approved, and it was a touching gift for a former cavalry man.
As I said in the introduction, season four was a pleasant surprise during my rewatch last year, and this episode is one of the highlights. The scene where Radar gives Col. Potter the horse (who was originally written a mare then changed to “he” in the final episode) is one of the best of the season. The simple gesture was a way for Potter and Radar to bond over their love of animals. While there isn’t much of a letter from Potter in the episode, the letter home is an excellent framing device to help introduce new characters. But “Dear Mildred” has a few other pleasant surprises including a guest appearance by Richard Lee-Sung, and we also see William Christopher, as Father Mulcahy, sing with his wife Barbara. The writers took their time in season four introducing both B.J. and Potter, and “Dear Mildred” is a great example of how to offer insight into the inner thoughts of a new character.
Since I reviewed the final draft of the script, there were several changes between the script and the final episode. In the scene where Radar sticks out his tongue at Frank and Margaret, he was orginally supposed to point a finger gun at them (page 5). I suspect that was either nixed by the network or Larry Gelbart. Then, after Mulcahy and Lt. O’Connor finish their song, Hawkeye made a joke that was cut (page 13). When Dan delivers the mail, the scene between Dan, Hawkeye, and B.J. was written slightly differently than delivered (page 14). There was a cut scene in which Potter runs in to Margaret and Frank while he is still writing his letter (pages 19 – 20). This explains the line in Potter’s letter, “just ran into Majors Burn and Houlian…” which never made sense. When Margaret and Frank visit Cho to order the bust, there were a few additional lines in the script that were cut from the episode (page 23). The scene in which Hawkeye and B.J. treat the horse is different in the script (page 26). Finally, there was supposed to be a scene with Potter and Klinger (pages 27 – 28), but Klinger doesn’t appear in the episode at all. Perhaps Jamie Farr wasn’t available?
As I review episodes in 2026, I am going to offer a wider variety of episodes for the Script Spotlight posts. I only have a few script reviews from early episodes, and that is largely because I have more scripts from the later seasons. I am going to work to feature the early episodes more because they are very good. The early seasons of M*A*S*H are different from the later seasons, but they offer a different experience. “Dear Mildred” is a great example of an episode that features some very funny scenes with the horse and between Margaret and Frank. But it ends on a touching, and human moment. It is hard to imagine the rest of the series without Col. Potter’s horse. It was a great way to introduce an added story element for future episodes and develop the character of Col. Potter. Season four had two characters to develop, and as I mentioned in my season four wrap-up last year, I think M*A*S*H handled the character changes with dignity and respect. It doesn’t take long to love the new characters and understand their place within the 4077th, and that is one of the legacies of the series.
The M*A*S*H Historian 