M*A*S*H (TV)

Identification American television series

Date Aired from September, 1972, to February, 1983

M*A*S*H was television’s first dark comedy, combining comic irreverence with the serious subjects of war—in this case, the Korean War—and death.

The television series M*A*S*H began as a book, written by Richard Hornberger (under the pen name Richard Hooker) and based on his one-and-a-half-year experience as a surgeon with a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit in Korea. The novel, rejected seventeen times until William Morrow Publishing saw its promise, became a best-seller. Filmmaker Robert Altman produced a highly successful film version in 1970, which led to Twentieth Century-Fox’s decision to create a pilot for television and eventually a series. With Gene Reynolds as producer-director, Larry Gelbart as writer, and Burt Metcalfe as casting director and associate producer, the basic concepts behind the success of M*A*S*H the film were translated into M*A*S*H the television series.

The Actors

Playing the part of chief surgeon Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce was Alan Alda. Both Reynolds and Gelbart felt that Alda was the only choice for this key role. Gelbart described Alda, with his humor and humanism, as “the linchpin” holding the show together. After reading Gelbart’s script for the pilot, Alda remarked, “It was the best pilot script I had ever read.” His only reservation was that the subject of war not be taken lightly. Alda was one of the three cast members who stayed with the show for its duration. Over the course of the series, Alda also directed and wrote a number of episodes.

Other cast members were McLean Stevenson, playing Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake, commander in charge of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit. Unhappy with working conditions, Stevenson left the show at the end of its third season. The manner of his character’s departure from the show provoked more comment than perhaps any television show to date. Although the cast knew that Stevenson was leaving, they did not know that his character would die on his way back home. As Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff) reads the telegram announcing Blake’s death, the shock on the faces of the cast is real. In TV Guide’s survey of the “One Hundred Greatest Episodes of All Time,” this M*A*S*H episode, titled “Abyssinia, Henry,” was number twenty. Blake’s job was filled by Colonel Sherman T. Potter, played by Harry Morgan. Hawkeye’s fellow surgeon and partner in mischief was Captain “Trapper John” McIntyre, played by Wayne Rogers. Rogers left the show after four years, and his role as Hawkeye’s sidekick was assumed by Captain B. J. Hunnicut, played by Mike Farrell.

Larry Linville played the part of Major Frank Burns, who served as the butt of the pranks and jokes of Pierce, Trapper John, and later Hunnicut. His pettiness and “stick to the rules” mentality made him the perfect vehicle to show the humanity and caring of Pierce and others who saw the war as grim reality, not an opportunity to “flex one’s rank.” Linville was perfect as the “ferret-faced” Major Burns and once said that he developed his character by thinking of “every idiot I’ve ever known.” Linville left the show after five years; the surgeon who took his place at the 4077th was Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, played by David Ogden Stiers. The only female lead role was that of Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, played by Loretta Swit. A multifaceted character who changed from a martinet officer to a more warm and caring individual, Houlihan was a frequent opponent of Pierce. Swit remained with the show for its entire run.

Rounding out the cast of regular characters were Radar, Father Francis Mulcahy(William Christopher), and Corporal Maxwell Klinger (Jamie Farr). Burghoff, the only actor who was in the film, again played Radar. As company clerk, he had a sixth sense about what someone was going to say or when wounded would be coming. Burghoff left the show after seven years. His job was taken over by Farr. Originally Farr was cast for only one episode, playing a cross-dresser bucking for a Section 8 discharge. His character, clad in a dress that showed his hairy legs and talking like a regular soldier, was a hit; Farr was written into the show as a permanent cast member and stayed with the show until it ended.

Broadcast History

The first showing of M*A*S*H in September, 1972, received a poor review in Time magazine, which stated that “The show, which began as one of the most promising series of the new season, is now one of its biggest disappointments.” The program aired on Sunday at 8 p.m. on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) network, but low ratings initially put the show in danger of cancellation. However, the following season, the network switched the show from Sunday to Saturday, between “America’s favorite sitcom” All in the Family and the highly rated Mary Tyler Moore Show. Audiences discovered M*A*S*H and loved the show, making it the fourth-most-watched series of the season. When CBS again moved M*A*S*H to a new night, Tuesday, the audience followed. M*A*S*H maintained its high ratings for the next decade.

Impact

M*A*S*H aired 251 episodes and won many Emmy Awards for writing, directing, and editing. Alda won two Emmys in 1974 for acting, and Burghoff, Morgan, and Swit won Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor or Actress.

Over the years, M*A*S*H, which had begun with an antiwar scenario, evolved into more of a study of the characters and how they changed. The series was first aired during American involvement in Vietnam, and the increasing antiwar attitudes within the United States in the early 1970’s are reflected in the portrayal of war in M*A*S*H. However, by the second half of the 1970’s, the country had become a more conservative place, and, leaving behind the fierce liberalism of its early days, M*A*S*H reflected this change.

As a result of its comic treatment of serious subjects, innovative and multilayered story lines, and depiction of believable characters, M*A*S*H became one of the most widely syndicated television shows in history. The final episode, a 150-minute program, aired in February, 1983, to an audience of more than 125 million people.

Bibliography

Gehring, Wes. “M*A*S*H Turns Thirty.” USA Today, September, 2002, 66-70. A comprehensive overview detailing how the series evolved.

Gelbart, Larry. Laughing Matters: On Writing “M*A*S*H,” “Tootsie,” “Oh, God!”, and a Few Other Funny Things. New York: Random House, 1998. A view of M*A*S*H from the writer’s perspective.

Kalter, Suzy. The Complete Book of “M*A*S*H.” New York: Abrams, 1984. Full of pictures, with detailed information about the actors.