Doctor Sidney Freedman Trivia Quiz

Answer: Milton

Doctor Milton Friedman is sent to the 4077 to examine the mental fitness of Max Klinger. When Freedman first sees Klinger, he says incredulously "You brought me here to ask about that?"

Freedman examines Klinger, and calls his bluff by calling him a transvestite and homosexual. Klinger rejects the label, arguing that he is merely crazy.

"Radar's Report" was the third episode of season one, and aired September 29, 1973. It features Joan Van Ark as a new nurse that Hawkeye romances.

Answer: John Ritter

A young John Ritter plays a GI who is tired of the war. Frank Burns is his usual self and goads the private until he takes Frank hostage.

Sidney, who is playing poker in the swamp, is called in to talk down the upset soldier. He says nice things about Burns, which are blatant lies. Trapper is able to disarm the soldier as Sidney distracts him.

Arbus has lots of fun lines during the poker game. And Pat Morita gives a funny performance as a South Korean officer.

This is also the first appearance by Edward Winter (Colonel Flagg) although is playing an intelligence officer named Halloran. There is a theory that Halloran was another alias used by Flagg.

"Deal Me Out" was the 13th episode of season two which aired on December 8, 1973.

Answer: Slide on the ice

In "O.R.", Sidney arrives for a poker game, only to find the 4077 knee-deep in casualties. While he expresses doubts about his surgical skills, he does scrub up and help out.

As he is leaving, Sidney says "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice. Pull down your pants and slide on the ice " He would repeat the line in the series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen."

"O.R." was the fifth episode of season three and aired on October 8, 1974.

Answer: Bombadier

Chandler was a bombardier, which would have meant he was Air Force not Army. Chandler suffers from traumatic amnesia which manifests itself as delusions of being Jesus Christ.

Freedman's diagnosis is that Chandler grew tired of bombing people who had done nothing to him, and "the next bomb he dropped would be on himself." He chose to become Jesus, the antithesis of a violent warrior.

Alan Fudge plays Chandler and gives a wonderful nuanced performance. Highlights include discussing theology with Father Mulcahy and blessing Radar.

The episode also features a showdown between Freedman and Colonel Flagg. We learn that Freedman refused to sign a loyalty oath. Sidney calls Flagg "spooky." Flagg tells Freedman they played poker together, suggesting Halloran may be an alias for Flagg (if that is his real name).

"Quo Vadis" was the ninth episode of season four and aired on November7, 1975.

Answer: B.J.

B.J. pulls a series of pranks during the course of "Dear Sigmund." They include coating Colonel Potter's binoculars in grease and filling Frank's foxhole with water.

"Dear Sigmund" is the most Sidney centric episode of "M*A*S*H". He visits the 4077 after a patient commits suicide. The show follows the epistle style of other episodes like "Dear Dad" in using a letter to frame various events.

Freedman makes several sardonic observations about the 4077, including "Anger turned inward is depression. Anger turned sideways.... Is Hawkeye."

"Dear Sigmund" was the seventh episode of season five and aired on November 9, 1976.

Answer: Childhood friends

Hawkeye begins having nightmares about his childhood in Crabapple Cove, Maine. They start off peaceful, then his friends wind up dead. Hawkeye also plays basketball while sleepwalking.

Sidney discusses the dreams with Hawkeye and explains that the war is invading his subconscious. "Reality is the nightmare," notes Sidney.

Sidney tells Hawkeye that he is sane and that his nightmares will end when "the big nightmare" ends. They close the session by playing a phantom basketball game

"Hawkeye's Nightmare" was the 14th episode of season five. It aired on December 21, 1976.

Answer: Stevie

When we first meet Jerry Nielsen in "The Billfold Syndrome," he is a highly competent medical corpsman. He returns with traumatic amnesia.

Sidney suggests that some sort of trauma triggered Nielsen's amnesia. He uses hypnosis and some theatrics courtesy of BJ and Hawkeye to recreate the incident.

Nielsen's kid brother Stevie was killed in combat, and the guilt over being unable to protect his brother caused Jerry to repress the memories. When Sidney brings him out of hypnosis, Jerry breaks down sobbing.

Kevin Geer gives an excellent performance as Nielsen, especially during the hypnosis scene.

The Billfold Syndrome refers to someone who loses their identity after a psychological trauma

It was the fifth episode of season seven and aired on October 16, 1978.

Answer: His clothes

In "War of Nerves," Sidney visits the 4077 in mid-summer as humid weather has everyone on edge.

Sidney is depressed over a patient named Tom (Michael O'Keefe). Freedman helped Tom recover and return to the front, where Tom was wounded. Tom blames Freedman for his injuries.

The camp turns a small necessary fire into a large bonfire, which proves therapeutic for morale. The episode ends as they sing "Keep the home fires burning."

"War of Nerves" was the fourth episode of season six and aired on October 11, 1977.

Answer: Clyde Kusatsu

Clyde Kusatsu played Michael Yee, a decorated soldier in World War II, who feels guilt over killing Asian soldiers. He attempted suicide.

Sidney is able to hypnotise Yee and channel his guilt into twitching his hands.

This was actually Kusatsu's second time on "M*A*S*H". He played a bartender in season 2. He would return as Paul Yamato, a medical school classmate of BJ.

Clyde Kusatsu began acting in 1972, and his bartender role was his first credited role on television. He has made hundreds of television appearances in the five decades since. Kusatsu was still actively performing in 2024 at the age of 76.

"Goodbye Cruel World" was the 21st episode of season 8, and aired on February 11, 1980.

Answer: Moldy fabric

Hawkeye treated a patient in a moldy uniform. Shortly afterward, he appeared to be having an allergic reaction. Once allergens were ruled out, they called in Sidney.

Sidney discovered that Hawkeye was repressing memories of his cousin, who had pushed him into a pond when he was a child. Decades later, the moldy smell brought the incident forward.

"Bless You, Hawkeye" was the 17th episode of season 9 and aired on March 26, 1981.

Freedman would return during season 10 when Potter had a crisis of confidence over his surgical skills ("Pressure Points", February 15, 1982).

Freeman also returned for the series finale 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" where he helps Hawkeye work through a disturbing incident involving the death of a baby (February 26, 1983).