| "Requiem for a Lightweight" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
 Trapper in the ring with manager Hawkeye | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Hy Averback |
| Written by | Bob Klane |
| Production code | J308 |
| Original air date | October 1, 1972 |
| Guest appearances | |
| Sorrell Booke as Brigadier General Barker John Orchard as Ugly John | |
"Requiem for a Lightweight" is the third episode of the television series M*A*S*H.[1] It was first aired on October 1, 1972 and was repeated on December 31, 1972, the first episode of M*A*S*H to do so. In Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America, a sociological examination of M*A*S*H as an illustration of shifting American values in the 1970s and early 1980s, James H. Wittebols cites this episode as an example of the sexual humor which was common in early M*A*S*H episodes, but downplayed later in the program's history.[2]
A new nurse named Margie Cutler arrives at the 4077. Realizing Cutler is an incredible distraction for Pierce and McIntyre, Major Houlihan has her transferred to another unit. Hawkeye and Trapper, desperate to get her back, agree to have Trapper fight in a boxing tournament. To secure victory, Ugly John shows Hawkeye and Trapper how to coat one of the boxing gloves in ether, but Burns and Houlihan, looking to foul them up, swap the ether for water. Hawkeye, realizing what they did, quickly gets more ether, coats Trapper's glove, allowing him to "knock out" his opponent.[3][4][5][6][7]
This episode's title is a parody of Requiem for a Heavyweight, a 1956 episode of Playhouse 90 starring Jack Palance as a washed up professional boxer. Requiem for a Heavyweight was made into a theatrical film starring Anthony Quinn in 1962.
- ^ Diffrient, David Scott (2008). M*A*S*H. Wayne State University Press. pp. 89–91. ISBN 978-0-8143-3347-1.
- ^ Wittebols, p. 24
- ^ Wittebols, James H. (2003). Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America: A Social History of the 1972-1983 Television Series. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. pp. 161–166. ISBN 0-7864-1701-3. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Episode Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H". classicsitcoms.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-23. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)". Digitallyobsessed.com. Archived from the original on 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ Reiss, David S. (1983). M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show.