"M*A*S*H" (1972) TV series 1972-1983

User Rating:

8.6/10   

Writers:

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (writer) (5 episodes 1973-1976)
Elias Davis (writer) (17 episodes 1981-1982)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Release Date:

17 September 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | War

Plot:

The staff of an army hospital in the Korean war find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation.

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Colonel | Doctor | Korean War | Captain

Awards:

Won 8 Golden Globes. Another 42 wins & 130 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	5:00 PM	HALMRK	Change Day	#6.8
Mon. July 6	5:30 PM	HALMRK	Images	#6.9

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce (251 episodes, 1972-1983)
Loretta Swit	...	Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' Houlihan (251 episodes, 1972-1983)
Jamie Farr	...	Cpl. Maxwell 'Max' Q. Klinger / ... (215 episodes, 1972-1983)
William Christopher	...	Lt. Father Francis John Patrick Mulcahy / ... (213 episodes, 1972-1983)
Harry Morgan	...	Col. Sherman T. Potter / ... (180 episodes, 1974-1983)
Mike Farrell	...	Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt (179 episodes, 1975-1983)
Gary Burghoff	...	Cpl. Walter Eugene 'Radar' O'Reilly (175 episodes, 1972-1979)
Kellye Nakahara	...	Lt. Kellye Yamato / ... (159 episodes, 1973-1983)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III (131 episodes, 1977-1983)
Larry Linville	...	Maj. Frank Marion 'Ferret Face' Burns (120 episodes, 1972-1977)

Also Known As:

"MASH" (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

25 min (255 episodes) | 25 min (256 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Photophone Sound Recording) | Mono (1972-1973)

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | USA:TV-PG | Finland:K-7 (2006) (DVD) | New Zealand:M (Complete Box Set) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Australia:G (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: In early episodes, Margaret's father is deceased. However, later in the series her father "Howitzer Al Houlihan" actually visits the 4077.

Quotes:

Col. Potter: I think I can open a box of pills without stressing myself.
[opens the box]
Col. Potter: [angrily] What in Hanna's hell have you done now?
Klinger: What are you talking about?
Col. Potter: You ordered the wrong damn medicine again, that's what!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion (2005) (TV)

Outstanding television, mostly.

I've found many of the comments about this series to be quite amusing, particularly the ones bashing it for "shoving" a liberal agenda down viewers throats. Given it's success for 11 years, I don't think the audience seemed to agree with that assessment. Quite simply, the show was one of the best written, best acted, and most entertaining shows in television history. Yes, it wore out its welcome in the end; but, it is a masterpiece that later shows rarely measured up to.

I have no great preference for one season's cast over another. Each character was unique and had something to contribute. When we lost the bumbling, but loveable Henry Blake, we got the stern but loving Sherman Potter. Both were the C.O., but each was a different person, a smart move by the creators. The same is true for Frank Burns and Charles Emerson Winchester III. Burns was a neurotic, vindictive, childish fool; while Winchester was an arrogant blowhard, but one who could hold his own with Hawkeye. Burns was incompetent, while Winchester was an outstanding surgeon; just ask him. Characters were missed when they left; but, they were not replaced with doppelgangers. That is part of the reason this show lasted so long.

The show did take on a more serious tone in the later seasons, but not entirely. There are plenty of laughs right up to the end. Those serious shows were often some of the most memorable, and they kept the series from becoming stale. With that said, they did tend to resort to Hawkeye's mental problems a bit too much, especially in the farewell. You can argue that a character like Hawkeye, with his passion for preserving life, was ripe for mental breakdowns; but, in reality, he probably would have been shipped home by the second breakdown.

The show is not perfect (it lasted 8 years longer than the actual war) but it comes far closer than most. It seems to be fashionable to bash popular shows and movies after their days is over. Part of this is a new generation trying to establish their own identity and dominance. Well, I didn't like my parent's movies, shows and music when I was younger; until I actually watched them and listened to them. Some of it turned out to be quite good, some not. Real quality stands the test of time. MASH will be around far longer than most of what I see on tv today.