Cowboy (M*A*S*H) Cowboy (M*A*S*H) "Cowboy" was the eighth episode of the M*A*S*H television series. Originally shown on November 12, 1972 and repeated May 6, 1973, it was written by Bob Klane and directed by Don Weis. It is the only first-season episode listed in "TV Guide" as a "classic episode". The episode's guest stars are Billy Green Bush as John "Cowboy" Hodges, Patrick Adiarte as Ho-Jon, Timothy Brown as Spearchucker Jones, Mike Robello as the cook, Jean Powell as a nurse, Joe Corey as Goldstein, and John Orchard as Capt. "Ugly John" Black. "The Cowboy", a chopper pilot whose nickname stems from
Alan Alda "Scientific American Frontiers", during which he mildly surprised a young doctor with his understanding of medical procedures, which he had learned from "M*A*S*H". He also talks about his mother's battle with schizophrenia. The title comes from an incident in his childhood, when Alda was distraught about his dog dying and his well-meaning father had the animal stuffed. Alda was horrified by the results, and took from this that sometimes we have to accept things as they are, rather than desperately and fruitlessly trying to change them. In 2006, Alda contributed his voice to a part in the audio book of