M*A*S*H at 50: the Robert Altman comedy that revels in cruel misogyny

The film follows the comic hijinks of three army surgeons – played by Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, and Tom Skerritt – stationed on a medical base during the Korean war. In between bursts of bloody activity, they become experts at killing time through football, golf, gambling and their pursuit of the female nurses. It starts immediately, when Hawkeye (Sutherland) and Forrest (Skerritt) arrive on base and aggressively proposition an attractive lieutenant, minding her own business in the mess hall. Hawkeye invades her personal space, sitting uncomfortably close to her despite the availability of other seats, and calls her “Lieutenant Dish”. Several scenes later, he’ll have her in his bed, a plot twist to reward him and the male viewers who want to see their hero complete his conquest.