M*A*S*H (TV series)

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M*A*S*H
Image:MASHcast.jpg
From left to right: Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy, Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, Col. Sherman T. Potter, Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, (Behind) Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III, Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt.
Format Sitcom (Dramedy)
Run time approx. 23 minutes (per episode)
Creator Larry Gelbart
Based on the M*A*S*H movie and novel.
Starring Alan Alda
Gary Burghoff
William Christopher
Jamie Farr
Mike Farrell
Larry Linville
Harry Morgan
Wayne Rogers
McLean Stevenson
David Ogden Stiers
Loretta Swit
Country USA
Network CBS
Original run September 17, 1972 – February 28, 1983
No. of episodes 251

Inspired by the 1970 20th Century-Fox film of the same name, M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was an American television series about a team of medical professionals and support staff stationed at MASH 4077th in Korea during the Korean War. The series originally aired on CBS from September 17, 1972 to February 28, 1983, but can still be seen in syndication. The series spanned 251 episodes and lasted longer than the war which served as its setting.

Behind the scenes, those most involved with the show were Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds, Burt Metcalfe, and (in later seasons), star Alan Alda.

Much like the movie, it combined elements of comedy with a darker antiwar message. Many of the stories in the early seasons were based on real-life tales told by hundreds of real-life M*A*S*H surgeons, interviewed by the production team. Some said the series seemed to be more about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the series began), given the attitudes of the characters, than the Korean War. The show's producers have said that it was really about war in general.

Although primarily an ensemble show, M*A*S*H became centered around Alan Alda's character, Hawkeye Pierce, especially as other founding characters left. Alda wrote and directed some episodes; additionally, during the last few seasons, Alda and Metcalfe were listed as the show's "Creative Consultants".

The show's tone changed over the years. Initially, it placed most of its emphasis on the "zany" elements, but later focused on more serious topics and character development; however, both the serious and the comedic sides were present throughout. The cast voted (by a majority) to end the series following the tenth season, but CBS and 20th Century Fox offered the actors a shortened eleventh season, permitting an opportunity for the show to have a grand finale. Alda's increasing prominence both inside and outside the series led to a change in focus, with more sentimentality. This change, according to some, caused the series to jump the shark.

The series had three spin-offs, the short-lived AfterMASH, which featured several of the show's characters reunited in a midwestern hospital after the war, the more successful Trapper John, M.D. (which a court later ruled was actually a spin-off of the original film), and an unpurchased television pilot, W*A*L*T*E*R, in which Walter "Radar" O'Reilly (played by Gary Burghoff) joins the police force.

Contents

Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

A letter to TV Guide written by a former M*A*S*H doctor in about 1973 stated that the most insane jokes and idiotic pranks on the show were the most true to life, including Klinger's crossdressing. The hellish reality of the M*A*S*H units encouraged this behavior out of a desperate need for something to laugh at.

Gary Burghoff ("Radar" O'Reilly) was one of two M*A*S*H actors to reprise his role from the movie, and the only main character (the other was G. Wood as "General Hammond"), retaining his extraordinary ability to detect the arrival of choppers transporting wounded long before anyone else could hear a thing. He left the series in 1979, and rather than adding a new character to replace him, the company clerk role was taken up by Jamie Farr as Corporal (later Sergeant) Klinger, whose cross-dressing never got him the discharge he wanted. Radar's departure meant Klinger became a more prominent character in the series, his attempts at being discharged were downplayed, and by the last few seasons of the series, he rarely wore women's clothing anymore.

The show survived many personnel changes. Out of all the starring characters, Hawkeye, Maj. Houlihan, Klinger, and Father Mulcahy were the only ones in the show for its entire run. (Klinger and Mulcahy, in fact, were listed as guest stars throughout the first few seasons of the show.)

McLean Stevenson left the show at the end of the third season, and his character Henry Blake was discharged and sent home. In the final scene of his last episode it was reported that Blake's plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan and he was killed. None of the cast (with the exception of Alan Alda, who wrote the scene) knew about that development until a few minutes before Gary Burghoff was told to go in and have Radar report that Blake had died. Up until then, as far as anyone knew, they were going to get a message that Blake had arrived safely home.

Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre) left the series after the end of season three due to disagreements about his character. He felt that his character was never given any real importance, that all the focus was on Alda's character. Rogers has also mentioned that he was told to sign a "morals clause" on his contract renewal, which he refused to do.

The fourth season was in many ways a turning point for the entire series. At the beginning of the fourth season, Hawkeye was informed by Radar that Trapper had been discharged while Hawkeye was on leave, and audiences did not see Trapper's departure. At the same time, Colonel Sherman T. Potter was assigned to the unit as commanding officer, replacing Blake, while B.J. Hunnicutt was drafted in as Trapper's replacement. The series, while still having an element of comedy, gradually became more emotionally rounded. Major Houlihan's role continued to evolve during this time; she became much more friendly towards Hawkeye and B.J., and had a falling out with Frank. She later married a fellow officer,Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscott ("I could never love anyone who didn't outrank me"), but the union did not last for long. The "Hot Lips" nickname was rarely used to describe her after about the mid-way point in the series. Loretta Swit wanted to leave the series in the 8th season to pursue other acting roles (most notably the part of Christine Cagney on Cagney & Lacey), but the producers refused to let her out of her contract.

Larry Linville, frustrated with the lack of development of his character, left at the end of season five. During the first episode of season six, Frank Burns suffered a breakdown, was transferred stateside, and promoted. Major Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers) was brought in as an antagonist of sorts to the other surgeons, but his relationships with them was not as acrimonious. Unlike Frank, Winchester did not really care for the Army and was a very highly skilled surgeon whom the others respected professionally. At the same time, as a Boston "blueblood", he was also snobbish, which drove much of his conflict with the other characters. Still, the show's writers would allow Winchester's humanity to shine through — such as in his dealings with a young piano player who had partially lost the use of his right hand, or his keeping a vigil with Hawkeye when Hawkeye's father went into surgery 8,000 miles away.

"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"

Main article: Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen

"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" was the final episode of M*A*S*H. The episode aired on February 28, 1983 and was 2½ hours long. It was viewed by nearly 106 million Americans (77% of viewership that night) which established it as the most watched episode in television history, a record which stands as of 2005. [1]

Trivia

  • The television series, set during the Korean War, lasted eleven seasons. The actual Korean War lasted only three years.
  • At the end of its first season, the show was 46th in the ratings. CBS responded by moving the show to Saturday night, between hits All in the Family and Mary Tyler Moore. As a result, M*A*S*H would end the next nine of ten seasons in the top ten.
  • The show's theme song was "Suicide is Painless" (by Johnny Mandel), an instrumental version of the song (with lyrics by Mike Altman) used in the film. Due to the nature of the lyrics (which were specific to the plot of the movie only), the producers couldn't use the original version for a television series theme.
  • The producers wanted the show broadcast without a laugh track, but were overruled by CBS; eventually, as a compromise, the operating room scenes were shown without a laugh track. The show as first seen in the United Kingdom was broadcast by the BBC without a laughter track, although the Paramount Comedy satellite channel later rescreened the series there in the U.S. version. The DVD releases offer a choice of soundtracks with or without laughter. As the series progressed, Alan Alda and the producers were allowed to produce a number of episodes without laugh tracks.
  • Gary Burghoff said in an interview that he realized it was time to leave the show when he was relaxing in his pool. He heard a plane fly overhead and froze, like his character would do on the show.
  • Gary Burghoff has a couple of fingers on his left hand that are smaller than normal. Realizing that it's unlikely to get drafted with such a hand, Gary Burghoff always managed to hide this from the audience, by covering his left hand, or holding something with it.
  • The full name of Captain B.J. Hunnicutt is never established, with B.J. always answering "Whatever you want it to stand for." In one episode, B.J. asserts that he was named after his mother - Bea Hunnicutt ("B") - and his father - Jay Hunnicutt ("J"). Hawkeye, for one, chose not to accept this explanation, and the matter remained unresolved.
  • One of the most asked questions about the series is the name of Radar's teddy bear. The series never revealed the bear's name, or even whether the bear has a name. When Radar is discharged, he leaves the teddy bear, which is buried in a time capsule in one of the last episodes of the series.
  • The cast actually did bury a time capsule on the set in the hopes that it would be found many years after the series ended. This plan was thwarted when 20th Century Fox sold the land shortly after the series ended. A construction worker found the capsule soon after the sale and thought that the cast would want it back. When he tried to return it to them, Alan Alda told him to keep it. [2]
  • In the series finale, Dr. Freedman repeats a line from one of his first appearances: "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice: pull down your pants, and slide on the ice."
  • Whenever a character left, the producers intentionally filled the gap with a character who was wholly dissimilar from his predecessor:
    • Trapper John McIntyre, every bit the womanizer and prankster as Hawkeye, was replaced by B.J. Hunnicutt, a devoted family man who tended to take life with a benign stride.
    • Lt. Colonel Blake, a buffoonish draftee placed in charge of the M*A*S*H despite a thorough lack of command skill, was replaced by Colonel Potter, a life-long member of the Army with a cool-head who commanded a great deal of respect from the 4077th.
    • Major Burns, a completely incompetent doctor and rather unintelligent person in general but fiercely loyal to the military, was replaced by draftee Major Winchester, who not only is as skilled a surgeon as Hawkeye, but frequently outwits the other doctors.
    • Radar O'Reilly, a pure and innocent midwestern youngster with an unflappable ability to keep the M*A*S*H running like a well-oiled machine, was replaced (in his job function) with Maxwell Klinger, who was already well known to lie and scheme on a daily basis—and who was the epitome of disorder.
  • Unlike many other series where characters that left the show are never referred to again, Henry Blake, Trapper, Frank Burns and Radar O'Reilly are regularly referred to in the rest of the series.
  • Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is the only character to appear in every episode, by virtue of the episode fittingly titled "Hawkeye", in which none of the other characters appear, and he has a 30 minute monologue while in the home of a Korean family, to avoid falling asleep with a concussion.
  • McLean Stevenson, who played Lt. Col. Henry Blake, died of a heart attack on 15 February 1996. The next day, 16 February, Roger Bowen, who played Lt. Col. Henry Blake in the movie, died of the same cause.
  • Loretta Swit as Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, and Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce are the only two actors who appear both in the first episode and the last episode. Their two characters, along with Father Francis Mulcahy, all appear in both episodes; however, Mulcahy was played by George Morgan in the pilot, while being played by William Christopher for the rest of the series.
  • The series was groundbreaking in its use of language, being one of the first network series, and certainly the first comedy series, to allow the phrase "son-of-a-bitch" in dialogue.
  • Demotion or blooper? Horace Baldwin, who sent Winchester to MASH 4077 "Fade Out, Fade In" held the rank of full Colonel (silver eagle insignia). Later, when Baldwin visited MASH 4077 No laughing matter, he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (silver oak leaf).
  • Nearly all the stars of M*A*S*H have guest starred on Murder, She Wrote and The Love Boat.
  • The piece of music Charles is teaching to the Chinese musicians in the last episode is named Quintet for Clarinet and Strings (K. 581) by Mozart.
  • In some episodes (ie. "Too Many Cooks), we learned Colonel Potter can if he wishes serve out the rest of the Korean War stateside. Yet each time, whether by his own choice or by his colleagues urgings, he chooses to stay. Perhaps Potter himself should get a Section 8 (eh, Klinger?), of course in reality the show couldn't let Harry Morgan go.
  • In the episode "Edwina", the female nurses refuse to be intimate with the men unless one of the men date the clumsy nurse Edwina. Yet in other episodes nearly all the nurses refuse to date Radar.
  • Radar usually goes after Nurses who aren't interested, yet on at least two occassions (episodes Lt.Radar O'Reilly and Springtime) when faced with a women who want to get romantic, Radar turns chicken.
  • We never knew if Radar's Uncle Ed, was his mother's (Mrs.O'Reilly) brother or brother-in-law.

Continuity errors

M*A*S*H is known for a number of continuity errors and anachronisms used in the show.

  • In his first appearance in the series, Dr. Sidney Freedman's first name was Milton.
  • Mrs. Blake's (Henry's wife) name was Mildred in the early episodes; later it was Lorraine. (Hawkeye jokes that she couldn't marry him, because then she'd be Mildred Pierce.) Trapper once went with a girl named Mildred & Potter's wife has the name Mildred, indeed a popular name. Frank and Trapper's wives were both named Louise, another apparently popular name.
  • Early in the series, Hawkeye mentions spending Christmas at home in Vermont, shows Trapper a sweater that his sister knitted, and writes a letter home to his father where he tells him to "give my love to mom and sis". Later in the series he makes numerous referrences to Crabapple Cove, Maine as his boyhood home, indicated that he was an only child, and tells Radar that his mother died when he was a child and his father had never remarried.
  • Early in his stint at the 4077th, Colonel Potter mentions going home to Nebraska. Later, Hannibal, Missouri became his hometown.
  • When Colonel Potter arrives to take command of the 4077th, the announcer gives the date as September 19, 1952. In an later episode, Potter appears at a New Years Eve party held on December 31, 1950.
  • Numeous references to pop culture items such as Godzilla, the Blob, Mickey Mouse Club and Spiderman are made throughout he show, even though they did not exist until after the Korean War.
  • In The Incubator (episode # 2.12), Colonel Lambert (played by actor Logan Ramsey) makes reference to the B-52 bomber, which made it's first flight in 1954 ( a year after the war ended) and did not enter service until 1955.

Main characters

Note: Arranged alphabetically by actor. Years in parenthesis mark when the character appeared on the show; those without years were on the show for the entire series.

* The only regular character portrayed by the same actor as in the film version.
** Played by George Morgan in the pilot episode.

Recurring characters

The M*A*S*H series frequently used recurring characters, as either supporting staff or visitors to the 4077th. While they were not given "star" credit, their familiarity to the viewers is an integral ingredient to the success of the show.

Notable guest stars

  • Antony Alda, brother of Alan Alda, in "Lend a Hand" (episode 820)
  • Robert Alda, father of Alan Alda, as "Dr. Anthony Borelli" in "The Consultant" (episode 317) and "Lend a Hand" (episode 820)
  • Joan van Ark as "Lt. Erica Johnson" in "Radar's Report" (episode 203)
  • Ned Beatty as "Col. Hollister" in "Dear Peggy" (episode 410)
  • Ed Begley, Jr. as "Pvt. Paul Conway" in "Too Many Cooks" (episode 801)
  • Andrew Dice Clay as "Cpl. Hrabosky" in "Trick or Treatment" (episode 1102)
  • Barry Corbin as "Sgt. Joe Vickers" in "Your Retention Please" (episode 907)
  • James Cromwell as "Bardonaro" in "Last Laugh" (episode 603)
  • Blythe Danner as "Carlye Breslin Walton" in "The More I See You" (episode 422)
  • Brian Dennehy as "M.P. Ernie Connors" in "Souvenirs" (episode 522)
  • Laurence Fishburne as "Corporal Dorsey" in "The Tooth Shall Set You Free" (episode 1014)
  • Ed Flanders as "Lt. Bricker" in "Yankee Doodle Doctor" (episode 106)
  • Teri Garr as "Lieutenant Suzanne Marquette" in "The Sniper" (episode 210)
  • Charles Hallahan as "Colin Turnbull" in "Taking the Fifth" (episode 909)
  • Gregory Harrison as "Lt. Tony Baker" in "The Nurses" (episode 505)
  • Mariette Hartley as "Dr. Inga Halverson" in "Inga" (episode 716)
  • Ron Howard as "Private Wendell Peterson" in "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" (episode 117)
  • Makoto Iwamatsu as "Dr. Lin Tam" in episode: "Rainbow Bridge" (episode 303), as "Major Choi" in episode: "Hawkeye Get Your Gun" (episode 510), as "Lt. Hung Lee Park" in episode: "Guerilla My Dreams" (episode 803) and as "Li Chan" in episode: "The Best of Enemies" (episode 901)
  • Alex Karras as "Lyle Wesson" in "Springtime" (episode 306)
  • Bruno Kirby as "Pvt. Lorenzo Boone" in "Pilot" (episode 101)
  • Mary Kay Place as "Louise" in "Springtime" (episode 306)
  • Clyde Kusatsu as "Kwang Duk" in "Officers Only" (episode 215) and in "Henry in Love" (episode 216), as "Sgt. Michael Yee" in "Goodbye, Cruel World" (episode 821) and as "Capt. Yamato" in "The Joker Is Wild" (episode 1104)
  • Shelley Long as "Lt. Mendenhall" in "Bottle Fatigue" (episode 816)
  • Richard Masur as"Lt 'Digger' Detweiler" in "The Late Captain Pierce" (episode 404)
  • Pat Morita as"Capt. Sam Pak" in "Deal Me Out" (episode 213) and "The Chosen People" (episode 219)
  • Leslie Nielsen as"Col. Buzz Brighton" in "The Ringbanger" (episode 116)
  • Soon-Tek Oh as "Mr. Kwang" in "Love and Marriage" (episode 320), as "Korean Soldier" in "The Bus" (episode 406), as "Dr. Syn Paik" in "The Korean Surgeon" (episode 509), as "Ralph" in "The Yalu Brick Road" (episode 810) and as "Joon-Sung" in "Foreign Affairs" (episode 1103)
  • John Ritter as "Pvt. Carter" in "Deal Me Out" (episode 213)
  • Susan St. James as "Aggie O'Shea" in "War Co-Respondent" (episode 823)
  • Patrick Swayze as "Pvt. Gary Sturgis" in "Blood Brothers" (episode 918)
  • Jeffrey Tambor as "Maj. Reddish" in "Foreign Affairs" (episode 1103)
  • Vic Tayback (episode 412)
  • George Wendt as "Pvt. La Roche" in "Trick or Treatment" (episode 1102)
  • Larry Wilcox as "Mulligan" in "The General's Practitioner" (episode 520)

Joan van Ark's character "Lt. Erica Johnson" is actually spelled the more uncommon way of "Lt. Erika Johnson" in "Radar's Report" (episode 203)

References

Episode 203 credits CNN.com article about Alan Alda and his favorite episodes

See also

Image:Portal.gif M*A*S*H portal

External links

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