My Favorite Episode of MAS*H

Posted on June 30, 2012 by E. M. White

Allan Arbus as Dr. Sidney Freedman

Earlier in the week I posted a link to MASH4077TV.com’s poll asking site visitors to choose their favorite episode of M*A*S*H. I found this to be very difficult as the show changed over time.

M*A*S*H has been considered to be a comedy by some and a drama by others. As a compromise, it has been dubbed a “dramedy.” The first three seasons of M*A*S*H were largely comedic, but this changed following the death of Col. Henry Blake at the end of season three. There was a balance between drama and comedy, but the show changed often. Cast changes in seasons four and six also make it difficult to choose a favorite episode because each cast had its own merits. I enjoy the original cast just as much as the show’s final cast. At first, I thought it was unfair for the website to ask me to pick only one episode. Only one episode from 251. One episode from two very different casts. After some thought, I think I have made my decision.

To me, a great episode of M*A*S*H has to have the best combination of comedy and drama. The episode also needs to feature its characters the best way possible. Again, there are a number of episodes that qualify, so to narrow it down again, I had to focus on the story and, in this case, the episode’s guest star. The episode I chose is “Dear Sigmund.”

Before I explain why, let me first give a brief synopsis of the episode. The episode aired during the series’ fifth season and featured Allan Arbus and Dr. Sidney Freedman (my favorite character). Dr. Freedman came to the 4077th for a poker game, but stayed for two weeks. The doctors of the Swamp find this odd and learn that Dr. Freedman has been writing a letter to Dr. Sigmund Freud,who had been dead for over a decade. In his letter to Freud, Dr. Freedman describes each of the characters at the 4077th while relaying the events that had taken place during his stay at the 4077th. There is the death of a ambulance driver, a fighter pilot who had never considered the consequences of his actions, yet another Section 8 attempt by Klinger, and a mysterious ring of practical jokes. Dr. Freedman writes the letter to combat his own depression having recently lost a patient. He says to Hawkeye and BJ, “You give life here. I am running a little low on that right now.”

The joker strikes again!

The Emmy award winning episode was written and directed by Alan Alda. He describes the episode as one of his favorites largely because of the talent of Allan Arbus. In 2009, Alda described this episode in a short interview:

For me, “Dear Sigmund” is the obvious choice as my favorite episode, but I like nearly every episode of M*A*S*H. There are two seasons (two and nine) that I can watch every episode. I believe with regard to the MASH4077TV.com poll, the winner will likely be “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” the series finale. I agree that it is a great finale, and possible one of the best TV finales in history, but I do not believe it is an episode. It was a two and a half hour movie that is still the highest rated (percentage of audience) program of all time. It was not an average episode. It was meant to be an event. “Dear Sigmund” is just a 22 minute episode. No fanfare, just an average stint at the 4077th. That is what makes it my favorite episode.

BONUS: I have included the full text of Dr. Freedman’s letter to Sigmund Freud.

Dear Sigmund,

I have been feeling somewhat frustrated lately and so I came to a kind-of spa. The waters are pretty good here. And the inmates have a pretty interesting defense against carnage. Insanity in the service of health. One of them is particularly good at it, name of Hawkeye. A coupe of weeks ago he made rounds in post-op with a personality that had split two for one. Klinger is an interesting case Sigmund. He’s found more ways to go crazy then you ever dreamt of. I guess what draws me to these people is that faced with aggression in its most brutal form, they have regressed to a state of antic of not lunatic pleasure. There has been a rash of practical jokes lately. Who ever the perpetrator is, he or she is becoming a folk hero. Rank makes no difference. No one is safe from the mad joker. As you pointed out Sigmund, there is a link between anger and wit. Anger turned inward is depression. Anger turned sideways is Hawkeye. If there is a way to preserve your sanity in wartime they have found it. The slide their patched up patients into the evac ambulance like loaves into a bread truck, and yet they never forget those packages are people. Father Mulcahy fascinates me Sigmund. He’s shy and studious and yet he’s got a left hook that could stop a truck. And with absolutely no training he seems to be a natural as a therapist. Margaret’s an interesting woman. On the outside all discipline and strength, and on the inside six kinds of passion looking for an exit. Some people will not accept pain. They just refuse delivery. That’s pretty difficult here because pain is such a basic ingredient at a M*A*S*H unit. Actually Sigmund, it’s a wonder more people do not take a vacation from reality. Some people even manage to grow. Radar for instance. In many ways he is still as innocent and naïve as the local orphans he plays with, and yet this boy keeps this unit, this state of chaos, running smoothly. The one person I cannot figure out, even with all you’ve taught me Sigmund is BJ Honeycutt. He’s an enigma with size 13 shoes. In the midst of the most horrific enterprise ever devised to separate a person’s brains from his buns, BJ goes calmly on. I envy his serenity. Although there must be a volcano under there somewhere. They look every day into the face of death. On the surface they may seem like other doctors and nurses, but underneath, Sigmund, underneath.

The Red Green Show

Posted on June 28, 2012 by E. M. White

For over a decade I have enjoyed watching the Canadian television program The Red Green Show. The series concluded in 2005 after running for 15 seasons and 300 episodes. The series also produced a number of PBS specials and a movie, Duct Tape Forever. More importantly, the show has a loyal following. So much so that the show’s star, Red Green (played by Steve Smith) continues to tour the United States and Canada.

The series focuses on a group of lodge members on Possum Lake in Canada. The lodge, Possum Lodge, is famous for its motto, “Quando omni flunks moritati,” which is latin for “When all else fails, play dead.” The real asset to the series is its cast of characters which includes Red Green, his nephew Harold (Patrick McKenna), sewage expert Winston Rothschild III (Jeff Lumby), thrift shop owner Dalton Humphry (Bob Bainborough), ex-con Mike Hammer (Wayne Robson), explosives enthusiast Edgar K. B. Montrose (Graham Greene), forest ranger and novice animator Ranger Gord (Peter Keleghan), local animal control officer Ed Frid (Jerry Schaefer), master story craftsman Hap Shaughnessy (Gordon Pinsent), and other characters that have come and gone throughout the series. As a running joke, there are a number of mythical characters including Old Man Sedgwick, Moose Thompson, Stinky Peterson, Junior Singleton, Buster Hatfield, and Red’s wife Bernice. Although these characters are never seen on screen, their actions are often central to an episode’s story.

The show has been called a sitcom and sketch variety. It is divided into segments including “Adventures with Bill,” “Ask the Experts,” “If it Ain’t Broke, You’re not Trying,” “The Possum Lodge Word Game,” and many others. The most popular segment, one that is in every episode, is “Handyman Corner.” In this segment, Red explains how the average man can have all of life’s luxuries by building it yourself. All you need is a pile of junk (or an old car), an idea, and – the handy man’s secret weapon – Duct Tape. Red then builds his version of a snow plow or a home car wash. At the end of each segment, Red proclaims, “If the women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy!” Usually as his latest project proves to be less then successful.

The show has been criticized for its lack of women and many of character’s attitudes toward their wives. Clearly, this is a show geared for a male audience. Red’s friendly talks at his desk are generally geared toward middle-aged or older men, but there have been a few segments directed at women. Possum Lodge is a place for the men of the show to escape their work, children, and most importantly, their wives. At the end of each episode, however, Red concludes by addressing his wife directory and ensuring her that he will be home after the lodge meeting.

The show has gained a cult-like following over the last two decades. It has fans around the world. Although it was on PBS in the United States, it was a nationally syndicated show in Canada. Today, The Red Green Show continues. Steve Smith tours the United States and Canada as Red Green, fans can buy series merchandise and DVDs, and the show continues to run on many PBS stations. Early this year, however, it was announced that fan would have yet another option with the entire series being available on YouTube. All 300 episodes of The Red Green Show have been uploaded and can be watched online…for FREE! It is a great way to discover, or rediscover, the classic TV show.

As a treat to my readers, you do not have to go to YouTube to discover the show. I have included a great episode from the show’s 10th season entitled “DNA All the Way.”

Follow Red Green and his tour at his website, on Facebook, or on Twitter. And enjoy all 300 episodes of The Red Green Show on YouTube.

And remember, keep your stick on the ice.

Back to the Future Hoax

Posted on June 27, 2012 by E. M. White

The correct date – Oct. 21, 2015 – NOT June 27, 2012

Today is NOT the date in the future that Doc Brown and Marty McFly traveled to in Back to the Future Part II. A photo that has been circulated around the internet today is a hoax. The above image is a screenshot from my copy of Back to the Future. The hoax was not even close – the wrong day, wrong month, and wrong year.

LeRoy Neiman 1921 – 2012

Posted on June 27, 2012 by E. M. White

Last Wednesday, the man who many considered to be the greatest living American artist passed away. LeRoy Neiman is known for his bright and colorful expressionist paintings. His most famous works are those of famous athletes and his paintings of the Olympics. His work has been featured around the world and in countless publications. One of Neiman’s biggest fans was Hugh Hefner and he began creating original art for Playboy Magazine in 1954, a publication he continued to work for until his death last week. He has painted thousands of original pieces of artwork. His artwork is a part of collections around the world including the Smithsonian, the Whitney Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the State Hermitage Museum in Russia, and Wadham College at Oxford. Neiman worked in a number of mediums including oil, enamel, watercolor, pencil drawings, pastels, serigraphy and some lithographs, and etching.

You can order prints and originals from Neiman’s website (although they are temporarily holding all orders) and purchase his recently published memoir. I have always been a fan of Neiman’s work, in particular his panning of the SS United States (below). Neiman was, in my opinion, the greatest living American artist, and he will be missed for his originality.

Review: Automotive Websites

Posted on June 26, 2012 by E. M. White

In December I posted a review of the Automotive websites. As far as I know, no one has ever ranked these websites based on their content, layout, and ease of use. Auto websites are important because they inform the consumer of the best, and worst, cars on the market. But these sites do not always make it easy for the consumer.

No doubt you have seen them all. Car & Driver, Motor Trend, Top Gear, Consumers Reports, Autoblog, Auto Week, and Road & Track. They review cars and rank them, but no one ranks them. That is about to change.

I follow the auto industry closely and peruse the websites of all the major auto magazines. The rankings listed here are my opinion and do not take into account their print magazines, but only to the accessibility of their websites. The magazines are largely similar as they typically review the same new cars in any give month. The rankings are instead based on how their websites are organized and the accessibility of their content. This is how I rank them:

7. Consumer Reports

I decided to add Consumer Reports to the lineup because it is an important publication. Its car issue is always popular, but its website is a disappointment. I had not tested their website before adding it to this list, so it would be a true test. I assumed it would not give in depth coverage, but I would have access to the rankings and overall scores for the cars. I was wrong. I was surprised when looking up the 2012 Ford Focus that I had to be a subscriber to get their actual rankings and score. That is a shame because all the other websites on this list provide their major reviews in print and online. While this may not be the greatest business strategy, it is great for consumers, something I would have expected from a publication called Consumer Reports.

6. Car & Driver

The only reason Car & Driver is not last is because I added Consumer Reports to the article. Sadly, my original criticisms still ring true: If you are looking for a clean layout, rich with images and easy to navigate, avoid Car & Driver. Their website was much easier to navigate before the recent refresh. The layout is bland and lacks images. Even their image galleries are bland and are not large enough. Readers like to be guided by images, but Car & Driver fails to deliver on that front. It is a shame because they have very good articles, but they are buried in the wordy layout.

5. Auto Week

Still in fifth place is Auto Week. As before, I enjoy looking at the images and the headlines, but I wish there was more content on the home page. Where Car & Driver is too wordy, Auto Week is not wordy enough. There home page is full of images and links, but it does not feature a great number of articles, just the headlines. For more articles, the reader left with the navigation bar to take you places. Again, Auto Week has good articles, but they are buried within the website.

4. Motor Trend

Still in fourth is Motor Trend. It is probrably the most popular auto magazine and there is good reason for this. Their articles are usually well written and their beginning of the year rankings, “Car of Year,” and “Truck of the Year” segments are always touted by automakers. Their website is not bad. Their headlines scroll across the front page, but it is surrounded by ads. The image above, for example, has three different ads which bury the content on the page. The navigation menu is not the greatest either. Auto Week‘s is better, but you do not get a nice streamlined place to read the news offered by Motor Trend.

3. Top Gear

Perhaps the most surprising change in the ranking is the drop of Top Gear from second to third. This was not an easy decision for me, but I decided to really dig deeper into all the websites this time, and Top Gear begins to disappoint. First, I want to apologize to Lord Stig for saying this, but after really digging through the website, I have have been generous only dropping it to third. The most striking thing to me was the fact the website had not been changed since December. It has the same layout and the cover picture of Richard, James and Jeremy is the same as before (go ahead, check!). But the most annoying part of the website is how they publish their articles. Many of them are spread out across on a series of pages (more than 10) with a few paragraphs of text and ONE photograph per page. It is a real pain. The other reason that I downgraded the site is that many American cars are not covered on the site.

Although it has dropped in the rankings, my previous comments still stand: Top Gear is a great TV show from the United Kingdom (the History Channel’s version SUCKS), and it is a great auto magazine. In the US a subscription to Top Gear costs $90 or you can pay $9.95 at the newsstand. Their magazine would be largely unfamiliar to Americans because it is very different from our auto magazines. While a typical issue of Car & Driver is somewhere around 100 pages, an issue of Top Gear is closer to 300. The articles are more extensive and there are more articles on historic cars as well. Top Gear‘s website is like that as well. You do not only get new car reviews, but commentary on car culture as well. If you have watched Top Gear on the BBC, you know that the hosts are all about fun, but there is a large staff in addition to the three hosts that put together Top Gear, the website and magazine. The only reason the Top Gear is not number one on my ranking is because it focuses on European cars and does not cover a number of cars only available o the American Market. Nevertheless, Top Gear is a great place to read about great cars and learn about cars that we only wish we could get in the US.

2. Road & Track

I really like Road & Track and is has moved up to second in the rankings. The website has a great feature section at the top and an easy to read list of headlines in the section below. They have updated the website nicely and feature full articles and reviews. Although the magazine Road & Track is not the most popular, their website is pretty easy to navigate. You can find most everything you need on the home page. The headlines scroll across the top and there is a listing of the most recent articles below the headlines area. Their articles are well written and enjoyable.

1. Autoblog

Even after six months, I have no new comments to offer on Autoblog. They are still the best!

THE WINNER: I chose Autoblog as the best auto website because it is unlike any other website on this list. They do not publish a magazine and only deliver their news on via the Internet. Autoblog reviews cars, has the latest news, covers car culture, and even incorporates news from the other magazines (such as Motor Trend and Top Gear). This makes the website the best place to gain quick access to the latest automotive news. The website is organized much like a blog, so you can read the posts in the reverse order they were released. It is, therefore, easy to stay caught up with the latest news.

OVERALL

All the websites presented in my rankings produce quality content, this was a way to rate how easy it is for the readers to access this content. While Car & Driver and Motor Trend are the top two magazines, their websites are not as accessible as Autoblog. All the websites in this listing have received minor updates since December with the exception of Top Gear. Although none of the websites are perfect, there is a clear hierarchy. If I could offer a few suggestions to these websites, I would ask them all to create better menus. They all have similar menus, but they could be better. I will admit that choosing ranks 1 – 5 was difficult as they all offer similar content. In fact, I would recommend any of the top five sites to anyone looking to purchase a new car. I could not recommend the websites of Car & Driver and Consumer Reports, however. In print, they are exceptional publications, but on the web, they need work. Overall, the automotive industry has a vibrant media, and I believe that is well represented in this article.

Automotive Pornography

Image

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Vote For Your Favorite Episode of MAS*H

Posted on June 24, 2012 by E. M. White

The original cast of M*A*S*H

This September will mark the 40th anniversary of the television series M*A*S*H. To celebrate, the website MASH4077TV.com has posted a poll allowing visitors to vote for their favorite episode of the series. With 251 episodes to choose from, it will not be an easy choice!

Place your vote HERE.

The final cast of M*A*S*H

SS United States Funnels Illuminated

Posted on June 18, 2012 by E. M. White

Reminiscent of 2010, the SS United States’ funnels are now illuminated in Philadelphia

To celebrate the 60th birthday of the SS United States, the funnels vessel’s were illuminated in a ceremony Friday evening. The upcoming fundraiser, Save the United States, will bring an innovative new interface and donation concept to its fundraising efforts. The plans reveal that a partial restoration would cost $25 million while a full restoration would cost $250 million. The Conservancy, in partnership with the SS United States Redevelopment Project, have until November 1 to secure funding. That is when a generous donation from philanthropist H. F. “Gerry” Lenfest will run dry.

During the ceremony, Super Bowl winning coach Dick Vermeil was presented with National Flagship Champion Honor for his assistance with the upcoming fundraising efforts.

It is no secret that I have support the Conservancy for years, and I encourage everyone to checkout the upcoming campaign. I will post full information about the upcoming campaign as soon as it is available.

You can get the latest SS United States News news by visiting the Conservancy’s website or by following them on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Book Review: American Icon

Posted on June 14, 2012 by E. M. White

Bryce G. Hoffman. American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford motor Company. New York: Crown Business, 2012. 422 pp. $26.00 (Hardcover), ISBN 978-0-307-88605-7.

Today the automotive world looks to Ford Motor Company as a standard in quality in the industry. This had not always been the case. In fact, this is a very recent development, coming only in the last five years. Like General Motors and Chrysler, Ford had been viewed as complacent in the market and bloated in brands in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was only made worse under the leadership of CEOs Alex Trotman and Jacques Nasser. In 2001, Bill Ford become CEO of the company that bore his family’s name, but he began to realize Ford was in poor shape, and he was not the man to run the company.

Automotive journalist Bryce G. Hoffman explores this early history briefly in his book American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company. Bill Ford realized that Ford was desperate and needed to find someone who could save it. The man chosen for the job was Boeing executive Alan Mulally. Mulally had worked at Boeing after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 when Boeing’s sales were cut by over 50% following the attacks, and Mulally began to cut Boeing and reorganize it into a global business. This record attracted the attention of Bill Ford and he brought him to Ford as CEO in September 2006.

Hoffman uses his connections, as well as the cooperation of Mulally and many within Ford, to tell the story of one of the greatest turn-arounds in business history. When Mulally arrived at Ford, he encountered a poison corporate culture that encouraged competition and backstabbing among its executives. His job was to save Ford from bankruptcy, by some estimates Ford was only a few months from this reality, but Mulally would have to train the executives to think, and act, as a team. He did this by having weekly meetings with all senior executives who were required to present the data from their respective departments to Mulally each week. He wanted openness, something that had never been stressed in Detroit.

CEO Alan Mulally, Chairman Bill Ford, and VP of North American Cars and Trucks Mark Fields

As the openness began to spread, the problems within Ford became clear to Mulally and this allowed him and the team to begin restructuring the company. His goals was to simplify the Ford lineup by eliminating the majority of its brands (Ford owned Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and a stake in Mazda). At the same time, Mulally brought the organization methods used at Boeing to make Ford global. This organization saved Ford a great deal of money allowing them to sell the same cars worldwide and build a number of cars on the same vehicle platforms.

What set Ford apart was the fact that it was not bailed out by the United States government during the 2008 economic crisis. Ford had begun its restructuring two years before the meltdown and had seen the recession coming. It borrowed $23 billion in preparation for the crisis and came through the recession as a winner. The brand was praised by the public for not having to take federal bailouts like its competitors, but Ford had also begun improving quality and this was getting the attention of automotive publishers and Consumer Reports.

Hoffman’s description of Ford’s recovery is extremely detailed. This is due to his access to Ford executives and Mulally, but also due to the fact that he promised to not associate particular stories and quotes to their respective sources. This made people from Ford open up to Hoffman and he uses every piece of information to his advantage. His exploration of Ford’s restructuring is both informative and instructional.

The story of Ford’s resurgence is nothing short of amazing. It is striking similar to Steve Jobs’s return to Apple in 1997. But the one difference is Mulally. While Jobs is often described as a product visionary and, at times, difficult to work for, Mulally is more business minded and openly kind to employees at every level of Ford. Both men’s systems of leadership have proven to be successful in the last decade despite their different leadership styles.

It may be a stretch to call Alan Mulally the greatest CEOs ever, but he is certainly the greatest automotive CEO in history. He knew how to read customers and the market and develop plans to meet both. Hoffman describes how the CEOs of GM and Chrysler scoffed at Mulally, an outsider, in 2006, but today Mulally is still head of Ford, they are no longer employed by the auto industry.

Hoffman’s analysis of Mulally’s business restructuring plans is the most important aspect of this book. The openness and sharing of ideas, weekly meetings with department heads, and a matrix organization system. He concludes that this plan is one that can be applied to a variety of businesses. Unlike books on Apple and Steve Jobs which specifically say their books are not intended to be instructional, Hoffman’s book is. The case of Ford and Mulally will likely be studied by business students in the future.

Hoffman has pieced together a great book that explains how Mulally was able to save Ford Motor Company. Mulally’s fight was not easy, battling the United Auto Workers, his executives, the government, and the Ford family. Each time, Mulally came out on top. The greatest fear at Ford today is when Mulally will retire. At 66, he is likely the oldest employee at Ford, if not in the auto industry. Many worry that his changes will not remain in place after he is gone. Only time will tell, but one thing is for certain, Ford is looking stronger now than it has it the history of the company, thanks to Alan Mulally.

The Whole Earth Blog

Monthly Archives: June 2012

My Favorite Episode of MAS*H

The Red Green Show

Back to the Future Hoax

LeRoy Neiman 1921 – 2012