Classic 1970s Christmas #8 – M*A*S*H “Dear Sis”

We continue our countdown of my favorite 1970s Christmas TV episodes with 1978’s “Dear Sis” from M*A*S*H.

M*A*S*H, the critically acclaimed long-running sitcom about a mobile hospital unit during the Korean War, and the surgeons and nurses who make up the unit, had a very familiar format that was quite effective, which is framing an episode as a letter back home. We’ll see the first instance of this format later on in the countdown, but here, we’re looking at its usage in Season 8, where William Christopher’s Father Francis Mulcahy is struggling with depression as he writes back to his sister in the States (his sister is a nun, so people joke about her being his Sister sister), feeling as though he doesn’t do any good over here. Everything he seems to try to do to help (include bartend) seems to go wrong. It comes to a head when he actually punches a soldier who was being belligerent with him.

The rest of the camp is also dealing with seasonal depression at being away from their loved ones for the holidays, but Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan) cheers them up a bit by explaining that he has realized, due to spending so much time away from his wife over the years, that he had to stop making himself miserable about something that can’t be changed. As he notes, “If you ain’t where you are, you’re no place”.

The episode was written and directed by the show’s star, Alan Alda, and Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce has an excellent sequence where he gives a pep talk to the good Father, explaining that he is a VERY important part of the unit, and as an example, he notes that if he was anyone else, then he, himself, would be the person giving this pep talk right now, that’s how much he obviously cares about everyone.

Mulcahy had been trying to raise money for a local orphanage, but was having hard luck at it, especially Major Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) being quite dismissive about the whole endeavor. By the end of the episode, though, Wincester’s heart is warmed when he discovers that Radar (Gary Burghoff) had Winchester’s mother send his old taboggan cap to Radar, who presented it as a much-appreciated gift to Winchester. When Winchester learns that it was Mulcahy who came to Radar with the idea, Winchester is so overwhelmed with emotion that he gives a chunk of cash to Mulcahy to buy the orphans whatever they need. He then gives him even MORE cash, telling him to buy the orphans anything they WANT, as well.

Hawkeye then toasts to Father Mulcahy, noting that he is “someone who’s too modest, too utterly simple a man to know how much strength he gives us just by the decency of his life among us”. They then sing in his honor.

It is snowing, and for a moment, everyone can just appreciate the beauty of the season…until a new truckload of wounded soldiers arrives, and they all have to get back to work.

It’s a very well-written, well-executed Christmas episode.