# Sticky Wicket

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For the cricket term, see [Sticky wicket](/source/Sticky_wicket).

21st episode of the 1st season of M*A*S*H

"Sticky Wicket" M*A*S*H episode Episode no. Season 1 Episode 21 Directed by Don Weis Written by Richard Baer Production code J321 Original air date March 4, 1973 (1973-03-04) Episode chronology ← Previous "The Army-Navy Game" Next → "Major Fred C. Dobbs" M*A*S*H season 1 List of episodes

"**Sticky Wicket**" is the 21st episode of the first season of the TV series *[M*A*S*H](/source/M*A*S*H_(TV_series))*. written by Richard Baer with the teleplay written by [Laurence Marks](/source/Laurence_Marks_(American_writer)) and [Larry Gelbart](/source/Larry_Gelbart), it originally aired on CBS-TV on March 4, 1973.

## Plot

The episode opens in a poker game. When it is interrupted by incoming wounded, Hawkeye and Margaret operate on a patient and Hawkeye insults Frank. However, Hawkeye's patient fails to improve after surgery. Hawkeye becomes overly concerned with the case, to the point of attacking Frank over comments at lunch, sleeping in post-op, snapping at Trapper for playing poker too loudly, and moving out of the Swamp to the supply tent. While Hawkeye retreats to the supply tent to reflect on the case, he is interrupted by his date (whom he turns away), Trapper (whom he turns away as well), two other soldiers, and Henry. Henry implies that Hawkeye is concerned more about his ego than about his patient. Hawkeye replies with a glib remark about Henry's intelligence, which ultimately insults Henry and allows Hawkeye some peace and quiet. While pondering the case outside the supply tent, Hawkeye encounters Margaret and she theorizes that they made a mistake during surgery, eliciting extreme doubt from Hawkeye, who in turn insults her. During the night, Hawkeye has an epiphany and reopens the patient to find a small piece of shrapnel damage behind the [sigmoid colon](/source/Sigmoid_colon), at which point Frank states that "anybody could have missed that."[1][2][3][4][5] Hawkeye responds with a sincere "Thanks, Frank."

## Guest cast

- [John Orchard](/source/John_Orchard) – [Ugly John](/source/Ugly_John)

## Production notes

This episode features an alternate, jazzier arrangement of the opening theme music.

Trapper makes a pun during the poker game comparing a "pair of twos" with [paregoric](/source/Paregoric).

[B movies](/source/B_movies) referred to are *Love Life of a Gorilla* (1940), *[Bride of the Gorilla](/source/Bride_of_the_Gorilla)* (1951), *Bedtime for Bonzo* (1951) and *[Bonzo Goes to College](/source/Bonzo_Goes_to_College)* (1952).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-watch_1-0)** [Wittebols, James H.](/source/James_H._Wittebols) (2003). [*Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America*](https://books.google.com/books?id=CMPx-jksa6IC). [Jefferson, North Carolina](/source/Jefferson%2C_North_Carolina): McFarland. pp. 161–166. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-7864-1701-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-7864-1701-3). Retrieved May 16, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-TVguide_2-0)** ["Episode Guide"](https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/mash/episodes/100278). TV Guide. Retrieved May 15, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-classic_3-0)** ["The Classic Sitcoms Guide: M*A*S*H"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110723112110/http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html). classicsitcoms.com. Archived from [the original](http://classicsitcoms.com/shows/mash1.html) on July 23, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-di_4-0)** ["M*A*S*H: Season One (Collector's Edition) (1972)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110613115020/http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802). *Digitallyobsessed.com*. Archived from [the original](http://www.digitallyobsessed.com/displaylegacy.php?ID=3802) on June 13, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ex_5-0)** Reiss, David S. (1983). *M*A*S*H: the exclusive, inside story of TV's most popular show*. Bobbs-Merrill. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-672-52656-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-672-52656-5).

## External links

- ["Sticky Wicket"](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0638413/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

v t e M*A*S*H episodes Season 1 "Pilot" "To Market, to Market" "Requiem for a Lightweight" "Chief Surgeon Who?" "The Moose" "Yankee Doodle Doctor" "Bananas, Crackers and Nuts" "Cowboy" "Henry Please Come Home" "Edwina" "Tuttle" "The Ringbanger" "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" "Dear Dad...Again" "The Longjohn Flap" "The Army-Navy Game" "Sticky Wicket" "Major Fred C. Dobbs" "Ceasefire" "Showtime" Season 2 "Divided We Stand" "5 O'Clock Charlie" "Radar's Report" "For the Good of the Outfit" "Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde" "Kim" "The Trial of Henry Blake" "Dear Dad... Three" "The Sniper" "Carry On, Hawkeye" "The Incubator" "Deal Me Out" "Crisis" "George" "A Smattering of Intelligence" Season 3 "Adam's Ribs" "Mad Dogs and Servicemen" "The Consultant" "House Arrest" "Abyssinia, Henry" Season 4 "The Late Captain Pierce" "The Kids" "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" "Dear Peggy" "Of Moose and Men" "Der Tag" "The Novocaine Mutiny" "The Interview" Season 5 "Bug Out" "Margaret's Engagement" "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" "Dear Sigmund" Season 6 "Fallen Idol" "Last Laugh" "War of Nerves" "The Winchester Tapes" Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Season 11 "Hey, Look Me Over" "Bombshells" "The Moon Is Not Blue" "As Time Goes By" "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"

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