Although Dr. Sidney Freedman appeared on only 15 episodes of MASH, he is one of the most well-regarded and popular characters on the show. The appeal of the character, played by Alan Arbus, wasn’t lost on the showrunners. They wanted to have him become a regular part of the cast! He was able to provide a different perspective on the true costs, both emotional and psychological, of the war, with not only profound but often bitingly humorous lines that have become some of the most quoted dialogue from the show. Sidney first appeared with a different name, Dr. Milton Freedman, in Season 2, Episode 3, Radar’s Report, as a psychiatrist brought in to assess Klinger for a Section 8 discharge.
Season 2, Episode 3: Radar’s Report
In Season 2, Episode 3, titled Radar’s Report, Radar is writing his Weekly Activity Report and Personnel Record to the commanding general at headquarters. Among the goings-on at the MASH 4077 for “the period of 17 October to 22 October, inclusive, 1951” is a request from Colonel Henry Blake for a psychiatrist from headquarters to “determine if Corporal Klinger can be discharged under Section 8.”
It begins when Frank walks into Margaret’s tent and thinks Margaret is sitting under her hair dryer. He comes up behind her and bites her neck. It turns out that it is not Margaret using the hair dryer, but Klinger, who says, “What are you doing? Can’t a guy have a wash and set without somebody biting him on the neck?“
Margaret walks in and demands to know who is biting whom. Franks tells her he was biting her, and Klinger says, “No you weren’t, you were biting me!” Margaret angrily asks Klinger what he’s doing in her tent. He tells her, “Just borrowing a little of your shampoo, Major. It’s wartime. We all gotta help each other!”
“No we don’t!” yells Frank. “You get outta here, pervert!” Klinger responds, “Pervert? Who bit who, Major?“
Houllihan kicks Klinger out, and after he leaves, Franks announces that he’s had enough of Klinger’s shenanigans: “I’m going to talk to Henry. I want that freak out of this outfit and out of the U.S. Army!“
During their meeting with Henry Blake, Margaret, of course, does all the talking. She tells Henry that “Corporal Klinger has got to go. He’s a menace to the discipline and morale of this military establishment.” Henry sends for Klinger, who arrives wearing a red, low-cut, floor-length dress and a head scarf.
Henry says, “Okay, he’s here. Let’s have it. What’s wrong with Klinger?” Frank tells Henry that Klinger is bucking for a Section 8 discharge and “I want you to help him get it.” Klinger responds, “Bless you, sir.“
Margaret threatens to go straight to the adjutant general if Henry doesn’t take action, and so a psychiatrist is requested to evaluate Klinger.
First Appearance of Sidney Freeman on MASH
Radar’s report describes the coming arrival of Dr. Freedman: “Request by Col. Blake for Section 8 evaluation of Corporal Max Klinger has been approved. Major Milton Freedman, Divisional Medical Staff psychiatrist, arrives tomorrow.”
When he arrives, Dr. Freedman goes to Henry’s office, who tells him, “He’s bucking for psycho, and giving everybody a swift pain in the butt. The question is, should he get it?”
“How do you feel about it,” asks Freedman. “You’re the doctor,” replies Henry.
Radar brings in Klinger, who appears to have been on guard duty. He is wearing a pink dress, carrying a purse in one hand and a rifle in the other. Klinger greets Dr. Freedman enthusiastically with, “Major Freedman, sir!” along with a little curtsy, thinking he is going to get a section 8. Freedman looks incredulous, saying, “You got me up here to ask me about him? About that?“
Henry answers, “Yeah, well, you see it really wasn’t my idea.“
Freedman continues, “All the way from Seoul to ask me what? Whether he needs a girdle under that? Whether his seams are straight?” Henry looks abashed, and Freedman resigns himself to having to evaluate Klinger, saying, “It’s all part of the war. I have a few questions to ask you. Sit down, soldier.”
Klinger sits down as Freedman begins writing on a pad. He looks up at Klinger and says, “Now, what’s your name, Honey?” The look on Klinger’s face says it all. He can see his Section 8 discharge slipping away already.
After Dr. Freedman says, “Now what’s your name, Honey,” the scene cuts away for a while. When the meeting between Freedman and Klinger continues, Klinger is dressed in a different outfit, and they are seated in different positions. It appears that Dr. Freedman has had time to write his report and is meeting with Klinger for a second time.
Freedman hands Klinger a rather bulky folder and says, “Read this. Sign it. You’ll have your wish.” Klinger asks, “What does it say?“
“It says I’ve examined you and found you to be a transvestite and a homosexual. For all I know, you may also have post-nasal drip,” answers Freedman.
Klinger protests: “I ain’t any of those!“
“You ain’t Errol Flynn either.“
“Where do you come off calling me that?!” says Klinger.
“I think I got the idea from your cleavage. Now this will be on your record permanently. From here on, you’ll go through life on high heels.”
“Sign it,” Freedman finishes, handing Klinger a pen.
“The hell I will! I’m just crazy! All I want is a Section 8! You know what you can do with this!” Klinger throws the folder on the desk and walks out of the room.
As Klinger is leaving, Major Freedman says, “Hey, soldier. You forgot your purse,” holding up the purse with a slight grin on his face.
Sidney Freedman’s Second Appearance
In the second appearance of Major Freedman, his name has been changed to Sidney. It is clear that the creators liked this character, as his only purpose for coming to the camp is to attend a “conference” which is actually a never-ending poker game. He gives “psychological advice” to the other players and charges poker chips for these “house calls.”
Numerous incidents occur during the game, including Radar coming into the tent, panicked, because he hit a Korean man. It turns out this elderly gentleman is “the fall-down king of Korea,” as described by Dr. Pak (Pat Morita).
Pak describes him as a person who was once a farmer but has now become a professional accident victim nicknamed “Whiplash Hwang.” He pretends to be hit by vehicles and then extorts money from the drivers in exchange for not pressing charges.
Everyone present pitches in ten dollars to pay off the old man and none of this stops the game from continuing. Later, a patient in post-op, Private Carter, played by John Ritter, is desperate not to be sent back to the front. He is further upset when Frank insists, cruelly, that he will be sent back and announces him fit for battle. Private Carter gets a gun and takes Frank hostage in the shower. Sidney Freedman tries to talk to Carter while Trapper John sneaks up behind him and disarms him. Dr. Freedman and Trapper then take a much calmer Carter back to post-op. As this is occurring, Radar brings an ambulance around, and Whiplash Hwang pretends again to be hit by Radar, who slams on the brakes.
The fan-favorite Dr. Sidney Freedman appears thirteen other times as a guest character on MASH. He is a calm, compassionate, and insightful presence that not only helps staff and patients with counseling and emotional support, but is, in turn, helped by the unit, which he describes as “a kind of spa,” explaining how “the inmates have an interesting defense against carnage- insanity in the service of health”, He notes that Hawkeye in particular is particularly skilled in this regard (Season 5, Episode 8, Dear Sigmund, written by Alan Alda).
The character of Sidney Freedman may also deserve a great deal of credit for normalizing psychological counseling on television and helping to remove some of the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Sidney Freedman appears in the final episode of MASH, Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen, treating Hawkeye Pierce after he suffers (yet another) breakdown.
I think many fans would have enjoyed having Sidney Freedman as a regular character on MASH, although it is unclear how a MASH unit could have justified the presence of a staff psychiatrist (not a regular part of the personnel). After Gary Burghoff, who played Radar, left the show, the producers tried to bring Alan Arbus on full time. However, Arbus did not want to commit to being a full-time member of the cast, requiring long hours of regular filming, and preferred to only appear now and again as a guest character.
