Original Air Date: 10/12/76
Written by: Everett Greenbaum & Jim Fritzell
Directed by: Alan Rafkin
The gang ends a late night poker game when midnight strikes, with Radar winning the last pot. Hawkeye and B.J. are upset when they find out that a visiting Master Sergeant, named Woodruff (Sandy Kenyon) owes them both money and doesn't have the money to pay up.
Woodruff, who works in the office that issues promotions, offers up a promotion to either of the doctors instead of the money he owes them. Neither one of them wants to be a Major, but B.J. suggests "Lt. Radar O'Reilly."
A few days later, during mail call, Radar is stunned when he reads a letter from I-Corps to Col. Potter announcing his own promotion. Col. Potter beams with pride, and Klinger offers up Radar his first salute.
Now that he's an officer, it takes a lot of the 4077th to adjust. Frank is horrified, Hot Lips is frustrated, and Radar's friends Zale and Igor treat him like he's the enemy. Things go worse when Radar tries to teach Klinger to assume his Company Clerk duties, but finds Klinger disinterested.
It gets even worse--the nurse that has shown ardent romantic interest in him when he was a Corporal, now has no interest since he's not "forbidden fruit." Radar leaves horribly confused.
All the change ends up making Radar so miserable--he's a man without two worlds--that he comes to visit Hawkeye and B.J., feeling depressed. Hawkeye and B.J., realizing their joke has backfired on Radar, offer to try and get him busted back down to Corporal. Radar gleefully accept the demotion.
Now that he's a Corporal again, the nurse is back to flirting with him, and he's pals again with Klinger, Zale, and Igor, who wait for him outside the nurse's tent to bust his chops, like they used to do.
Fun Facts: Col. Potter tries to verify Radar's promotion, even though Hawkeye and B.J. try and talk him out of it. Potter tries to operate the radio, and Hawkeye says: "Only two people know how to operate that thing: Radar and...Sgt. Marconi." B.J. mutters, "We'll never get him here" in what sounds like an ab-lib.
Favorite Line: The argument between Radar and Klinger over how to handle the P.A. is broadcast to the camp. Klinger reads the announcement of the night's movie (One Ticket to Broadway), and after the cast list, he ad-libs: "...and Teddy, The Wonder Lizard."
Radar gets mad at Klinger, and yells: "There's no lizard in there!"
B.J. and Hawkeye hear all this, and B.J. helpfully adds: "There's no lizard in that picture."
Hawkeye: "That was 'Two Lizards to Broadway.'"
I have to agree with you about Funniest Line, Rob. Even now, when someone is going over lists of things or people, I often add, "And Teddy, the Wonder Lizard." :-)
ReplyDelete^^ha, ha. Me, too, Russell. Seriously!
ReplyDeleteThe scene in which the newly minted Lt. O'Reilly leaves the mess tent and finds he has to salute every enlisted person he encounters is a nice bit of slapstick.