M*A*S*H (TV series): Difference between revisions

M*A*S*H
The M*A*S*H title screen (1972-77)
Created by	H. Richard Hornberger
Developed by	Larry Gelbart
Starring	Alan Alda Loretta Swit Jamie Farr William Christopher Wayne Rogers (1972–1975) McLean Stevenson (1972–1975) Larry Linville (1972–1977) Gary Burghoff (1972–1979) Harry Morgan (1975–1983) Mike Farrell (1975–1983) David Ogden Stiers (1977-1983)
Theme music composer	Johnny Mandel (written for the film)
Opening theme	"Suicide Is Painless"
Ending theme	"Suicide Is Painless"
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	251 (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations	Los Angeles County, California (Century City and the Malibu Creek area)
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	24–25 minutes (per episode)
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 17, 1972 – February 28, 1983

M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the 1961 novel Catch-22. The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, "M*A*S*H Goes To Maine", failed. It is the most well-known version of the M*A*S*H works.

The series was a medical drama/black comedy produced by 20th Television Fox for CBS. The show followed a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War. M*A*S*H's title sequence featured an instrumental version of the song “Suicide Is Painless,” which also appears in the original film.

The series premiered on September 17, 1972, and ended February 28, 1983, with the finale becoming the most-watched television episode in U.S. television history. The show is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations (mostly during the late night/early morning hours) and in 2007 began a run on TV Land with the "Major, Major M*A*S*H Marathon". The series spanned 251 episodes and lasted eleven seasons covering a three-year war.

Many of the stories in the early seasons are based on real-life tales told by real MASH surgeons who were interviewed by the production team. Like the movie, the series was as much an allegory about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the series began) as about the Korean War.[1] The show's producers have said that it was about war in general.

M*A*S*H was a weekly half-hour situation comedy, sometimes described as “black comedy” or a "dramedy," because of the dramatic subject material often presented (the term "dramedy", although coined in 1978, was not in common usage until after M*A*S*H had gone off the air). The show was an ensemble piece revolving around key personnel in a United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH; the asterisks in the name are meaningless, introduced in the novel) in the Korean War (1950–1953). The 4077th MASH was just one of several surgical units in Korea. As the show developed, the writing took on more of a moralistic tone. Richard Hooker, who wrote the book on which the show (and the film version) was based, noted that Hawkeye was far more liberal in the show (in one of the sequel books, Hawkeye in fact makes reference to “kicking the bejesus out of lefties just to stay in shape”). While the show was mostly comedy, there were many episodes of a more serious tone. Stories were both plot- and character-driven. Most of the characters were draftees, with dramatic tension often occurring between them and "Regular Army" characters, either among the cast (Swit as Houlihan, Morgan as Potter) or as guest stars (including Eldon Quick, Herb Voland, Mary Wickes, and Tim O'Connor).

A letter to TV Guide written by a former MASH 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 MASH units encouraged this behavior out of a desperate need for something to laugh at. (Another former MASHer, though, pointed out later that an habitual crossdresser would not last long in such a place; real women were too scarce.)

For a complete list of characters, see Category:M*A*S*H characters.

M*A*S*H maintained a relatively constant ensemble cast, with four characters – Hawkeye, Mulcahy, Houlihan and Klinger – appearing on the show for all eleven of the seasons in which it ran. Several other main characters who left or joined the show midway through its original run supplemented these four, and numerous guest stars and one-time characters supplemented all of them.

• Nurse Kealani Kellye, a recurring nurse character in the 4077th appearing in 82 episodes, played by Kellye Nakahara

• Jeff Maxwell played the bumbling Pvt. Igor Straminsky in 66 episodes. In his earlier appearances, he was the camp cook's aide, complaining that despite not actually cooking the food, he still had to listen to everyone's gripes about it. He was often the target of Hawkeye's wrath because of the terrible food - and the recipient of his "river of liver and ocean of fish" rant in "Adam's Ribs".

• Supply sergeant for the 4077th, Zelmo Zale, was portrayed by Johnny Haymer. He made his first appearance in the Season 2 episode, "For Want of a Boot", and his final appearance in the Season 8 episode, "Goodbye Radar". Zale's name is mentioned for the final time in "Yes Sir, That's Our Baby".

• G.W. Bailey played the perpetually lazy Sgt. Luther Rizzo in 14 episodes.

• Dr. Sidney Freedman, a psychiatrist, was played by Alan Arbus who appeared twelve times (once as Dr. Milton Freedman).

• Col. (Sam) Flagg, a paranoid intelligence officer, was played by Edward Winter and visited the unit six times.

• Herb Voland appeared four times as Henry Blake's commander, Brigadier General Clayton.

• G. Wood appeared three times as Brigadier General Hammond, the same role he played in the movie.

• Robert F. Simon appeared three times as General Mitchell.

• Loudon Wainwright III appeared three times as Captain Calvin Spaulding, who was normally seen playing his guitar and singing. (His name was probably an allusion to Capt. Geoffrey T. Spaulding, a character played by Groucho Marx)^{[citation needed]}.

• Eldon Quick appeared three times as two nearly identical characters, Capt. Sloan and Capt. Pratt, officers who were dedicated to paperwork and bureacracy.

• Sgt. Jack Scully, played by Joshua Bryant, appeared in three episodes as a love interest of Margaret Houlihan.

• Pat Morita appeared twice as Capt. Sam Pak of the army of the Republic of Korea Army.

• Sorrell Booke appeared twice as Gen. Bradley Barker.

• Robert Alda appeared twice as Maj. Borelli, a visiting surgeon.

• Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot appeared twice (played by two different actors), once as Margaret's fiancé and once as her husband.

• Sgt. "Sparky" Pryor, a friend of Radar and Max, was mostly a person people would pretend to talk to on the telephone. He was seen only once, played by Dennis Fimple, in Tuttle (Season 1, Episode 15), but was sometimes faintly heard on the phone when he yelled.

• Sal Viscuso and Todd Susman played the announcer throughout the series. The normally invisible speaker broke the fourth Wall only once, in episode "Welcome To Korea" (4-2) when introducing the regular cast members. Normally he just tells the camp about the incoming wounded with a sense of humor. Both appeared as characters in at least one episode.

At least 17 guest stars made appearances as multiple characters:

• Dennis Dugan appeared twice; as O.R. orderly Pvt. McShane in 3.20, "Love and Marriage" and again in 11.11, "Strange Bedfellows" as Col. Potter's philandering son-in-law, Robert (Bob) Wilson.
• Tim O'Connor appeared as wounded artillery officer Colonel Spiker, and as visiting surgeon, Norm Traeger. Both characters were noticeably at odds with Hawkeye.
• Dick O'Neill appeared three times (each time in a different U.S. service branch); as a Navy Admiral Cox, as an Army Brigadier General Prescott, and as a Marine Colonel Pitts.
• Harry Morgan played both the 4077th's second beloved C.O.(Col. Sherman T. Potter), and the mentally unstable Major General Bartford Hamilton Steele in the show's third season in the episode "The General Flipped at Dawn".
• Soon-Tek Oh appeared five times; twice as North Korean POWs (in 4.6, "The Bus", and 8.10, "The Yalu Brick Road"), once as a North Korean doctor (5.9, "The Korean Surgeon"), once as O.R. orderly Mr. Kwang ("Love and Marriage") and once as a South Korean interpreter who posed as a North Korean POW (11.3, "Foreign Affairs"). (Soon-Tek Oh is one of the few Korean actors to play a Korean on MASH; most of the other characters were played by Japanese actors.)
• Robert Karnes appeared twice: once as a Colonel in 4.1 and as a General in 6.4.
• Clyde Kusatsu appeared four times; twice as a Korean bartender in the Officer's Club, once as a Chinese-American soldier, and once as a Japanese-American surgeon.
• Robert Ito played a hood who works for the black market in 1.2, "To Market, To Market", and a North Korean soldier, disguised as a South Korean, looking for supplies, in "The Korean Surgeon".
• Mako appeared four times; once as a Chinese doctor, once as a South Korean doctor, once as a South Korean officer, and once as a North Korean soldier.
• Jerry Fujikawa appeared as crooked Korean matchmaker Dr. Pak in "Love and Marriage" , as Trapper John's tailor in 3.3, "Officer of the Day", and as an acupuncturist named Wu in 8.24 "Back Pay".
• John Orchard starred as the Australian medic, Ugly John, in the first season, and later appeared in 8.13 as a disgruntled and drunken Australian MP.
• Richard Lee Sung appeared ten times as a local Korean who often had merchandise (and in one case, real estate) he wished to sell to the hospital staff.
• Jack Soo appeared twice; once as black market boss Charlie Lee with whom Hawkeye and Trapper made a trade for supplies in "To Market, To Market", and in "Payday" as a peddler who sold Frank a set of pearls.
• Ted Gehring appeared twice: in 2.12 as moronic Supply Officer Major Morris who refuses to let the MASH doctors have a badly needed incubator, and in 7.6 as corrupt supply NCO Sgt Rhoden.
• Edward Winter appeared as a Intelligence Officer named "Halloran" in 2/13, and in 6 episodes as Colonel Flagg.
• Shizuko Hoshi appeared at least twice: once as "Rosie" of "Rosie's Bar" in episode 3.13, "Mad Dogs and Servicemen," and once in 4.18, "Hawkeye," as the mother in a Korean family.
• John Fujioka, who played the uncredited role of a Japanese Golf Pro in the movie, appeared three times in the series. The first time was in "Dear Ma" (1975) as Colonel Kim, the second time was in "The Tooth Shall Set You Free" (1982) as Duc Phon Jong and the last time he played a peasant in "Picture This" (1982).

• Throughout the series, Klinger frequently introduces himself by his full name, Maxwell Q. Klinger, but never says what the Q. stands for.
• B.J.'s real name is never given. In one episode, Hawkeye goes to extreme lengths to learn what "B.J." stands for, but all official paperwork concerning his friend claims that B.J. really is his first name. Toward the end of the episode, B.J. explains that his parents' names are Bea and Jay, and claims that this is the reason for his odd name. A recurring joke in that episode is that upon being asked what B.J. stands for, B.J. merely replies "Anything you want."
• Frank Burns had three middle names during his time on the show: W., Marion, and D.

• Antony Alda, Alan Alda's half-brother, appeared in one episode ("Lend a Hand") as Corporal Jarvis.
• Robert Alda, Alan Alda's father, had guest appearances in two episodes, "The Consultant" and "Lend a Hand". According to Alan Alda, "Lend a Hand" was his way of reconciling with his dad; he was always giving suggestions to Robert for their vaudeville act, and in "Lend a Hand" Robert's character was always giving Hawkeye suggestions. It was Robert's idea for the doctors to cooperate as "Dr. Right" and "Dr. Left" at the end of that episode, signifying both a reconciliation of their characters and in real life as well.
• While most of the characters from the movie carried over to the series, only three actors appeared in both: Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) and G. Wood (General Hammond) reprised their movie roles in the series (though Wood appeared in only three episodes). Timothy Brown (credited as "Tim Brown") played "Cpl. Judson" in the movie and Spearchucker Jones in series.
• Two of the cast members, Jamie Farr (Klinger) and Alan Alda (Hawkeye Pierce) served in the U.S. Army in Korea in the 1950s after the Korean War. The dog tags Farr wears on the show are his actual dogtags. Farr served as part of a USO tour with Red Skelton.
• Gary Burghoff's left hand is slightly deformed, and he took great pains to hide or de-emphasize it during filming. He did this by always holding something (like a clipboard), or keeping that hand in his pocket.
• Most of the M*A*S*H main cast guested on Murder She Wrote. Wayne Rogers made five appearances as roguish PI Charlie Garrat. David Ogden Stiers appeared thrice as a Civil War-infused college lecturer. G.W. Bailey appeared twice as a New York City cop. Larry Linville made two appearances as a cop who was sure that Jessica was CIA. Harry Morgan appeared once in a cleverly cut episode that mixed with a film he had once been in. William Christopher made an appearance as a murderous bird-watcher. Loretta Swit appeared in an episode with Jamie Farr, and Mike Farrell appeared as a side character as well.

The 4077th actually consisted of two separate sets. An outdoor set, located in the mountains near Malibu, California, was used for all exterior and tent scenes for the first few seasons. The indoor set, located on a sound stage at Fox Studios, was used for the indoor scenes for the run of the series. Later, after the indoor set was renovated to permit many of the "outdoor" scenes to be filmed there, both sets were used for exterior shooting as script requirements dictated (for example, night scenes were far easier to film on the sound stage, but scenes at the chopper pad required using the ranch).

The location is today known as Malibu Creek State Park in Malibu, California. Formerly called the Fox Ranch, and owned by 20th Century Fox Studios until the 1980s, the site today (as of early 2001) is overgrown with foliage, and marked by a rusted Jeep and an ambulance used in the show, as well as a small sign. The state park is open to the public. It was also the location where "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) and the "Planet of the Apes" (1974) TV series were filmed.

When M*A*S*H was filming the last episode, the producers were contacted by the Smithsonian Institute, who requested a part of the set be sent to them. The producers quickly agreed and sent the tent, signposts and contents of "The Swamp," which was home to Hawkeye, BJ, Trapper, Charles and Frank during the course of the show. The Smithsonian Institute has The Swamp on display to this day. ^[1] Originally found on the Ranch, Radar's teddy bear, once housed at the Smithsonian, was sold at auction July 29, 2005, for $11,800.

During the first season, Hawkeye and Trapper's bunk mate was a black character called Spearchucker Jones, played by actor Timothy Brown, who appeared in the film version as a neurosurgeon. The character disappeared after 1.11 "Germ Warfare," when it was discovered there were no black doctors in the Korean War.^[2] Another actor, George Morgan, played Father Mulcahy only in the pilot episode.

By season three, McLean Stevenson was growing unhappy playing a supporting role to Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers. Midway through the season, he informed the producers he wanted out of the show. With ample time to prepare a “Goodbye Henry” show, it was decided that Henry Blake would be discharged and sent home for the Season Three finale, which aired on Tuesday March 18, 1975. In the final scene of his last episode, “Abyssinia, Henry,” Radar tearfully reports that Henry’s plane had been shot down over the Sea of Japan, and he was killed. The scene was the last one shot of the entire episode, and the page of script that reveals that development was only given to the cast moments before cameras rolled. The scene had to be shot twice due to a noise off camera, the actors had to recompose and act shocked at the news a second time. Up until then, they were going to get a message that Blake had arrived safely home. Although this is now regarded as a classic episode, at the time it garnered a barrage of angry mail from fans. As a result, the creative team behind M*A*S*H pledged that no other characters would leave the show in such a tragic fashion. Following his successful run on M*A*S*H, Stevenson starred a few short-lived television shows and appeared in small roles in numerous others, including guest host of The Tonight Show (1975-79) and regular panelist on Match Game (1981-82). He died on February 15, 1996 of a heart attack.

Wayne Rogers (Trapper John McIntyre) was planning to return for Season Four but had a disagreement over his contract. He was told to sign a “morals clause” on his contract renewal ^{[citation needed]}, but he refused to do so, demanding the producers sign one as well. Though Rogers had been threatening to leave the series since Season One, his departure was unexpected, as compared to that of McLean Stevenson. In addition, Rogers felt his character was never given any real importance and that all the focus was on Alda’s character. Mike Farrell (Rogers’ replacement) was hastily recruited during the 1975 summer production hiatus. Actor Pernell Roberts later would assume the role of a middle-aged John "Trapper" McIntyre, in the seven-year run of "Trapper John MD". Rogers later starred in the TV drama City of Angels (1976) set in 1930s Los Angeles that lasted 13 episodes and the short-lived hospital sitcom, "House Calls" (1979-1981), that would implode over the rights of its costar, Lynn Redgrave, to breast-feed on the set.

As a result of two of the three leads having departed the series, Season Four was, in many ways, a major turning point for M*A*S*H. 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, while B. J. Hunnicutt came in as Trapper’s replacement. In the season’s second episode, Colonel Sherman T. Potter was assigned to the unit as commanding officer, replacing Frank Burns (who had taken over as commander after Blake’s departure). The series, while still remaining a comedy, gradually became more emotionally rounded. Major Houlihan’s role continued to evolve during this time; she became much friendlier towards Hawkeye and B.J., and had a falling out with Frank. She later married a fellow officer, Lieutenant Colonel Donald Penobscot, but the union did not last for long. The “Hot Lips” nickname was rarely used to describe her after about the midway point in the series. In fact, 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. However, Swit did originate the Cagney role in the made-for-TV movie which served as that series' pilot. As the show progressed into its last few seasons, episodes frequently were used to demonstrate a moral point, most often about the horrors of war, in a move that has been criticized by some fans for overshadowing the careless comedic style for which the show had become famous. Episodes written or directed by Alan Alda had an even greater propensity to follow a moral path.

Larry Linville noted that his “Frank Burns” character was easier to “dump on” after head comedy writer Larry Gelbart departed after Season Four and "Frank" and "Margaret" parted ways. Throughout Season Five, Linville realized he’d taken Frank Burns as far as he could, and he decided that since he’d signed a five-year contract originally, and his fifth year was coming to an end, he would leave the series. During the first episode of Season Six, Frank Burns had suffered a nervous breakdown due to Margaret’s marriage, was transferred stateside, and was, in turn, promoted to Lieutenant Colonel (in a sense, Frank’s parting shot at Hawkeye), all off-camera. Unlike McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, Linville had no regrets about leaving the series, saying “I felt I had done everything possible with the character.”

Major Charles Emerson Winchester, III (David Ogden Stiers) was brought in as an antagonist of sorts to the other surgeons, but his relationship with them was not as acrimonious (although he was a more able foil). Unlike Frank Burns, Winchester did not care for the Army. His resentment stemmed, in part, from the fact that he was transferred from Tokyo General Hospital to the 4077th thanks, in part, to a cribbage debt owed to him by his CO, Colonel Horace Baldwin. What set him apart from Burns as an antagonist for Hawkeye and B.J. was that Winchester was clearly an excellent physician, though his work sometimes suffered from his excessive perfectionism when rapid “meatball surgery” was called for.

Winchester was respected by the others professionally, but 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, the protection of a stuttering soldier from the bullying of other soldiers (it is revealed later that his sister stutters), his keeping a vigil with Hawkeye when Hawkeye’s father went into surgery back in the States, or his continuing of a family tradition of anonymously giving Christmas treats to an orphanage. The episode featuring this tradition is considered by many fans to be among the most moving in the series, as Winchester subjects himself to condemnation after realizing that “it is wrong to offer dessert to a child who has had no meal.” Isolating himself, he is saved by Corporal Klinger's own gift of understanding. For the final moment of the episode, Major and Corporal are simply friends.

Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) had been growing restless in his role since at least season 4. With each season he appeared in fewer and fewer episodes, and by his final year (season 7), Radar appears in barely half of the shows. Burghoff planned to leave at the end of season 7, but was convinced by producers to hold off until the beginning of season 8, when he filmed a 2-part farewell episode, plus a few short scenes that were inserted into episodes preceding it.

Max Klinger also grew away from the transvestite moniker that overshadowed him. He dropped his Section 8 pursuit when taking over for Radar as Company Clerk. Both Farr and the producers felt that there was more to Klinger than a chiffon dress, and tried to develop the character more fully. Farr stayed throughout the rest of the series.

Template:FixHTML

Template:FixHTML

Template:FixHTML

“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 United States television history, a record which still stands. The episode was seen by so many people that just after the end of the episode, the New York City Sanitation/Public Works Department reported the largest use of water ever around the city; apparently New Yorkers had been waiting to go to the toilet through the whole show.^[3]

As the series progressed, it made a significant shift from pure comedy to become far more dramatically focused. In addition, the episodes became more political, and the show was often accused of “preaching” to its viewers. This often involved visiting authority figures, such as generals or other lower ranking platoon leaders, who were portrayed as incompetent, insensitive glory hounds, thus vilifying the military. This has sometimes been connected with Alan Alda taking a more involved role in production, and many of the episodes in which this change is particularly notable were written and/or directed by Alda. Another significant factor was the change in the cast, as Colonel Henry Blake, Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre, Major Frank Burns, and Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly departed the show. Still another change was a greater focus on the supporting cast (Father Mulcahy, Klinger) as opposed to the top-billed characters.

While the show remained popular through these changes, eventually it began to run out of creative steam. Harry Morgan, who played Colonel Potter, admitted in an interview that he felt "the cracks were starting to show" by Season Nine ^[4], and the cast had agreed to make season ten their last. In the end, they decided to extend the show for an additional year, making for a total of eleven seasons.

In retrospect, the eleven years of M*A*S*H were generally split into two eras: the Larry Gelbart/Gene Reynolds "comedy" years (1972–1977), and the Alan Alda "dramatic" years (1978–1983) ^[5].

M*A*S*H won a total of 14 Emmys during its eleven-year run:

• 1974 - Outstanding Comedy Series - M*A*S*H; Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds (Producers)
• 1974 - Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Alan Alda
• 1974 - Best Directing in Comedy - Jackie Cooper
• 1974 - Actor of the Year-Series - Alan Alda
• 1975 - Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series - Gene Reynolds
• 1976 - Outstanding Film Editing for Entertainment Programming - Fred W. Berger and Stanford Tischler
• 1976 - Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series - Gene Reynolds
• 1977 - Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series - Alan Alda
• 1977 - Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series - Gary Burghoff
• 1979 - Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series - Alan Alda
• 1980 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series - Loretta Swit
• 1980 - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series - Harry Morgan
• 1982 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series - Alan Alda
• 1982 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Variety or Music Series - Loretta Swit

• 1972-73: #46
• 1973-74: #4
• 1974-75: #5
• 1975-76: #15
• 1976-77: #4
• 1977-78: #9
• 1978-79: #7
• 1979-80: #5
• 1980-81: #4
• 1981-82: #9
• 1982-83: #3

Starting on January 1, 2007, TV Land aired M*A*S*H from 8 p.m. until 8 a.m. for one week in a marathon. According to a press release available at the Futon Critic,^{[citation needed]} the marathon of M*A*S*H episodes and specials that aired during the first week of January drew "an average of 1.3 million total viewers and scored double-digit increases in demo rating and delivery." Additionally, the marathon helped TV Land rank in the top ten basic cable channels among the adults 25–54 demographic for the week. Ratings for specific episodes and specials are also included in the press release:

• "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen "– 1.3 million total viewers
• Memories of M*A*S*H (20th Anniversary) – 1.5 million total viewers
• 30th Anniversary Reunion Special – 1.4 million total viewers.

M*A*S*H also airs four times a day, Monday through Friday on Hallmark Channel. In Australia, M*A*S*H is aired every weekday at 5pm on the Seven Network, and the network recently screened the final 2½-hour-long final episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" at the special time of midday in place of the normal midday movie.

The outdoor set used for the movie, the early years of the series, and then limited times in later seasons, is now a part of Malibu Creek State Park and has returned to its mostly feral state and can hardly be distinguished as what it once was: one of the most recognizable sites in entertainment history. It can be visited with park entry, but after an over four mile hike, across some pretty rugged terrain (the roads formerly leading to the set have long since washed away). The indoor scenes were filmed on sound stage 5 at 20th Century Fox Studios in Century City, Los Angeles, California.

• Author Paulette Bourgeois credits "C*A*V*E" (episode 164), in which Hawkeye was afraid of being in a dark cave, as the inspiration for the first work in the children's book series, Franklin.
• Glen Charles and Les Charles, the creators of Cheers, started their careers in television by writing "The Late Captain Pierce." They wrote no other episodes of the series.
• On an episode of "Family Guy", a character remarks "When I fire rockets, I like to think I'm shooting at Jamie Farr and Alan Alda."
• On "Sesame Street" (1969), Big Bird's teddy bear is named Radar. This is in homage to Radar O'Reilly's teddy bear.

• The first episode gives the date as June 1950 and mentions "wounded Canadians". The first Canadians in Korean Conflict - the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry - did not arrive in Korea until December 1950.
• Episodes during the first two seasons often featured a plastic model of a U.S. Army UH-1 "Huey" helicopter, hanging from Henry Blake's office ceiling, near or over the file cabinet, near his liquor cabinet. This was not designed or built during the Korean War; it is an icon of the Vietnam War. There were no commercially available models of the Bell 47 helicopter at the time of the show's creation.
• 1.12 (the Christmas episode) shows Hawkeye descending to a foxhole on a summer day. The real Korean War December campaign was not only one of the coldest on record, but the fighting at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir was in North Korea and not near the DMZ-which didn't come into existence until after 1950.
• The Army-Navy Game and Propaganda Bomb Episode, 1.20, takes place after the first Christmas 1950, (1.12.) In fact, the real Army-Navy Game is played every first Saturday in December at least 18 days before Christmas. The radio announcer calls this the "53rd Gridiron Classic", which ends up being a 42-36 Navy win. The actual 1950 game (the 51st overall) was won by Navy, but by a score of 14-2. The "53rd" game two years later was also won by Navy, 7-0.
• In 2.4, a "Dear Dad" episode, gives the date as May 24 1951, and still stationed at Uijeongbu. Uijeongbu and Seoul fell to Chinese forces in January, 1951.
• In 2.4, the 248th Artillery Unit is mentioned, and in 2.20, the 278th Artillery Unit is mentioned. The 248th and 278th Field Artillery Battalions were World War II formations.
• In 2.15, a general's wounded son is in the Paratroops. Of the four 1950's Airborne units, only one - the 187th Infantry Regiment R.C.T. - was in the Korean conflict, and never Seoul. The 11th Airborne Division (United States), 82nd Airborne, and 101st Airborne were not deployed into the Korean War.
• In 4.6, the North Korean POW wears a "Brown" uniform; Chinese and North Koreans wore light colored quilted uniforms in the Korean War.
• In 4.10, Hawkeye refers to the Vice President as Richard Nixon, yet in 4.14, it's stated to be May 1952, and Nixon became Vice President in January 1953.
• In 4.18, the episode opens with a scene of Radar asleep with an issue of The Avengers published by Marvel Comics in his hands. "The Avengers" was not published until September, 1963. Also, during the time of the Korean War, Marvel was known as Atlas Comics and would not become Marvel until 1961. And between shots, the comic changes very clearly between two separate issues (one with the original title logo, and a second issue with the then-new "A-with-an-arrow" logo).
• In 5.21, "Movie Tonight", Radar impersonates and quotes John Wayne from the 1963 film, "McLintock."
• In 6.18, the British Gloucestershire Regiment, is mentioned, but this unit was in Korea from 1950-1951, not 1952-1953.
• In 8.13, an Australian military unit is stationed next to MASH 4077 - the Royal Australian Regiment was not stationed near Seoul.
• In 8.25, Potter pulls an April Fool's joke in April 1950; fighting began in Korea in June 1950 - before the M.A.S.H. had even been set up.
• In 9.12, "Depressing News", Hawkeye can briefly be seen wearing a pair of 1980s shoes.
• In 11.6, Winchester refers to the President as Harry S. Truman whose term of office ended January 20, 1953, yet this episode also mentions Ted Williams going home-which happened in June, 1953.
• In 11.7, Potter goes into a tirade when he thinks his wife is going to buy a Florida houseboat and learn scuba diving; scuba was not taught in the United States until 1954.
• In 11.8, Hawkeye and B.J. see a movie banned in Boston, The Moon is Blue. The movie premiered in July 1953.
• In 11.16, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu is mentioned, which didn't happen until 1954.
• From the first to last seasons, various episodes feature appearances of the U.S. Marines; however, the 1st Marine Division were only in the Seoul area from September-December, 1950.
• In several episodes characters are seen drinking from ring-pull beer cans, despite the fact that ring pull drinks cans did not come into production until at least 10 years after the war ended.
• Henry was discharged according to a points system that was not applicable to doctors during the Korean war.
• Frequent mention was made to the Godzilla movie series, which was not filmed until after the war.

M*A*S*H had two official spin-off shows: the short-lived AfterMASH, which features several of the show's characters reunited in a midwestern hospital after the war, and an unpurchased television pilot, W*A*L*T*E*R, in which Walter “Radar” O’Reilly joins a stateside police force. A court ruled ^{[citation needed]} that the more successful Trapper John, M.D., is actually a spinoff of the original theatrical film.

A documentary special titled Making M*A*S*H, narrated by Mary Tyler Moore and taking viewers behind the production of the Season 9 episodes "Old Soldiers" and "Lend a Hand", was produced for PBS in 1981. The special was later included in the syndicated rerun package, with new narration by producer Michael Hirsch.

Two retrospective specials were produced to commemorate the show's 20th and 30th anniversaries, respectively. Memories of M*A*S*H, hosted by Shelley Long and featuring clips from the series and interviews with cast members, aired on CBS in 1991. A 30th Anniversary Reunion special, in which the surviving cast members and producers gathered to reminisce, aired on the Fox network in 2002. Both specials are included as bonuses on the Collector's Edition DVD of "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen".

Many of the show's cast members appeared in a series of television commercials for IBM personal computers in the late 1980s.

20th Century Fox has released all 11 Seasons of M*A*S*H on DVD in Region 1 & Region 2 for the very first time.

M*A*S*H was the first American network series to use the phrase "son of a bitch",^{[citation needed]} and there was brief partial nudity in some of the episodes of the series (most notably "The Sniper.") A different innovation was the show's producers not wanting a laugh track as the network did. They compromised with a "chuckle track", played only occasionally. (DVD releases of the series mostly allow viewers a no-laugh-track option.)

An interesting comment about on-set malaise: In his blog, writer Ken Levine revealed that on one occasion when the cast offered too many nit-picky "notes" on a script, he and his writing partner changed the script to a "cold show" - one set during the frigid Korean winter. The cast then had to stand around barrel fires in parkas at the Malibu ranch when the temperatures neared 100 degrees. Levine says, "This happened maybe twice, and we never got a ticky tack note again."

Throughout the run of the series, any "generic" nurses (nurse characters who had a line or two, but were minor supporting characters otherwise) were generally given the names "Nurse Able", "Nurse Baker", or "Nurse Charlie". These names stem from the phonetic alphabet used by the military and HAM operators at the time. During the time period of the Korean War, the letters A, B, and C in the phonetic alphabet were Able, Baker, and Charlie (since then, the standard has been updated, and A and B are now Alpha and Bravo). In later seasons, it became more common for a real character name to be created, especially as several of the nurse actors became semi-regulars. For example, Kellye Nakahara played both "Able" and "Charlie" characters in season three before becoming the semi-regular "Nurse Kellye"; on the other hand, Judy Farrell (then Mrs. Mike Farrell) played Nurse Able in eight episodes, including the series finale.

By the time the series ended, three of the regulars were promoted: Klinger (Jamie Farr) from Corporal to Sergeant, and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher) from Lieutenant to Captain. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel when he was shipped back to the US following Margaret's marriage. (Farr and Christopher also saw their names move from the closing credits of the show, to the opening credits.) Radar O'Reilly was temporarily promoted to Second Lieutenant, but disliked officer's duties, and asked Hawkeye and B.J. to "bust" him back to Corporal.

It was Mike Farrell who asked to have his character's daughter's name be Erin, after his real-life daughter (the character's name was originally going to be Melissa). When B.J. spoke on the telephone on-camera, Erin or his then-wife Judy were on the other end.

There were three MASH 4077 deaths: Colonel Blake when his plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan; an ambulance driver, O'Donnell, in a traffic accident; and a nurse, Millie Carpenter, by a landmine.

Among those wounded were Hawkeye Pierce (4.18, "Hawkeye"), Radar O'Reilly (6.3, "Fallen Idol"), B.J. Hunnicutt and Max Klinger (9.10, "Operation Friendship"), Father Mulcahy (the series finale) and Sherman Potter (4.16, "Dear Ma"). Henry Blake was injured twice - once by a disgruntled chopper pilot (1.8, "Cowboy"), and once by friendly fire (1.20, "The Army-Navy Game").

At least three personnel suffering nervous breakdowns were Hawkeye Pierce (Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen), Frank Burns (Fade Out, Fade In (Part 1), Fade Out, Fade In (Part 2)), and B.J. Hunnicutt (a near nervous breakdown in "Period of Adjustment".). Sherman Potter had two near-nervous breakdowns, once when he almost lost a patient and once while he was given information on treating burn victims.

The series had several unique episodes, which differed in tone, structure and style from the rest of the series, and were significant departures from the typical sitcom or dramedy plot. Some of these episodes include:

• The "letter episodes", which are flashback episodes narrated by a character as if they are writing a letter: Hawkeye writes to his Dad ("Dear Dad", "Dear Dad Again", "Dear Dad...Three", and he tape records a message in "A Full Rich Day"); Potter writes to his wife ("Dear Mildred"); BJ writes home to his wife ("Dear Peg"); Radar writes to his mother ("Dear Ma"); Sidney writes to Sigmund Freud ("Dear Sigmund"); Winchester "writes" home by recording an audio message ("The Winchester Tapes"); Winchester's houseboy—a North Korean spy—writes to his superiors ("Dear Comrade"); Father Mulcahy writes to his sister, a nun ("Dear Sis"); Klinger writes home to his uncle ("Dear Uncle Abdul"); and the main characters all write to children in Crabapple Cove ("Letters").
• "O.R." (originally aired October 8 1974), which takes place entirely within the confines of the operating room and preop/postop ward (and was the first episode to omit the laugh track completely).
• "Hawkeye" (originally aired January 13 1976), in which Hawkeye is taken in by a Korean family (who understand no English) after a jeep accident far from the 4077th, and he carries on what amounts to a 23-minute monologue in an attempt to remain conscious. Alan Alda is the only cast member to appear in the episode.
• "The Interview" (originally aired February 24 1976), which is a sort of mockumentary about the 4077th. It is shot in black and white and presented as a 1950s television broadcast, with the cast partially improvising their responses to interviewer Clete Roberts' questions. Roberts returned for "Our Finest Hour" (originally aired October 9 1978), which interspersed new black and white interview segments with color clips from previous episodes.
• "Point of View" (originally aired November 20 1978), which is shot from the point of view of a soldier who is wounded in the throat and taken to the 4077th for treatment.
• "Life Time" (originally aired November 26 1979), which takes place in real-time as the surgeons perform an operation that must be completed within 22 minutes (as a clock in the corner of the screen counts down the time).
• "Dreams" (originally aired February 18 1980), in which the dreams of the overworked and sleep-deprived members of the 4077th are visually depicted, revealing their fears, yearnings, and frustrations. This episode was a hybrid that Alan Alda had been wanting to complete for years.
• "A War for All Seasons" (originally aired December 29 1980), which compresses an entire year in the life of the 4077th into a single episode.
• "Follies of the Living—Concerns of the Dead" (originally aired January 4 1982), in which a dead soldier's spirit wanders around the compound, and only a feverish Klinger is able to see him or speak with him.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "M*A*S*H" TV series – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• CNN.com: "Alda's favorite 'M*A*S*H' episodes"

Wikiquote has quotations related to M*A*S*H (TV series).

• M*A*S*H at IMDb
• M*A*S*H at TV.com
• M*A*S*H at epguides.com
• M*A*S*H in the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Hollywood Stories
• M*A*S*H on TVLand.com
• M*A*S*H Online - fan site
• Finest Kind - fan site
• Best Care Anywhere - fan site
• The 4077th Home Page - fan site
• M*A*S*H Opening Credit Sequences 1972-1983 - compares different versions of the open throughout the show's run
• Google Maps view of the camp.