M*A*S*H - 1970's television series
Created | Updated Sep 21, 2005
Korea, 1950. At a M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit stationed three miles from the front, incoming helicopters full of wounded bring the horrors of war to the doorstep of these U.S. Army doctors. Jokes and satirical wit run wild in a world that seems to have fallen to chaos. While showing a lighter and humerous side of human nature the plot never strays too far from the basic message: War is hell.
Based on the movie of the same name, which was based on the book by Richard Hooker, this television series ran for eleven seasons and is on of televisions all-time favorite shows.
The Story
At the 4077th M*A*S*H unit in Korea(Based on the real 8055th),Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (Alan Alda) and his best friend John "Trapper" McIntyre try to relieve the stresses of war by any means possible, whether it be tying up their tentmate Major Frank Burns (Larry Linville), a real army drone, inventing imaginary personnel, or getting friendly with the nurses, they bring comedy to the unfunniest thing in the world.
Eras
This long-lived television series is sometimes divided into different eras by fans because of changes in the show over time such as changes in cast.
The cast of the show went through many changes. Every so often a character would leave and be replaced. There were only four characters that lasted the entire run of the show, Hawkeye, Margaret Houlihan, Father Malcahy and Klinger. During the course of the program you can watch Alan Alda age as his har turns from jet black to grey by the end of the series. In addition to the regular cast there are recurring characters such as Major Sydney Freedman (Allan Arbus), the psychiatrist, and Col. Flagg (Edward Winter), the paranoid and overanxous intelligence officer.
The Beginning
For the first three seasons everything remained the same. Hawkeye and trapper were pals and pranksters, Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) was their commanding officer, Frank Burns was a pain, Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit), the head nurse, was strict and Frank's lover. Walter "Radar" O'reilly (Gary Burghoff) was the company clerk, a short 18 year old who kept the unit running. Corporal Maxwell Q Klinger (Jamie Farr) wore dresses in an attempt to get a section 8 (psycho) discharge from the army, and Father Malcahy (William Christopher) was the company chaplin, except for the pilot episode where he was played by a different actor.
The First Changes
At the end of season three Henry Blake recieves his discharge and leaves the 4077th , and in one of the shows most tragic scenes the camp is read the news that "Lt. Col. Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the sea of Japan. It spun in; There were no survivors."
At the beginning of season four we also say goodbye to Trapper John. Before filming of the fourth season began the actor quit because of where the show was going. He stated that when the show began his character and Hawkeye were at the same level, but as the show went on his character became more of a sidekick and he was tired of playing second fiddle to Alan Alda, so he left.
At the begining of season four we meet Trapper's replacement, BJ Hunnicut (Mike Farrell). Family man, surgeon, and joker, he takes Trapper's place as Hawkeye's friend and roomate. We also meet the new commanding officer, Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan) regular army, ex-cavalry, but all around good guy.
Goodbye Ferret Face
At the end of the fifth season Major Houlihan gets married and Frank Burns, effectionatly called Ferret Face by his tentmates Hawkeye and BJ, goes insane. He runs away to Seoul after Margaret, unfortunatly she is in Tokyo. He mistakes a couple for her and her husband and jumps into a bath with them. He is given a section 8 discharge.
Short a surgeon the 4077th needs help and in comes Major Charles Emmerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers). This rich bald man with surgical skills that rival Hawkeye is also a lover of clasical music and has no problems with playing his records at whatever volume makes him comfortable. While being Frank Burns intelectual opposite he easily fits into the void he left in Hawkeye and BJ's hearts at the end of season five.
It was at this point in the series that you can begin to notice that the show is becoming less slapstick and more sentimental and ironic. The overall cast is evolving, and while comedy is a large part of the show, more and more drama is finding its way into the scripts, also giving the series better feel of war.
Klinger, where did your mother and I go wrong
This is not considered by some to be a mojor change in the show, but others feel strongly that it is. Klinger gives up on recieving a discharge and stops wearing dresses, only doning them occasionally when he feel's it necessary. "Who would even think of shooting a man and his wife out on a Sunday drive."
Radar's Discharge
During season eight the cast bids farewell to Gary Burghoff as his character Radar O'rielly leaves the cast. After the death of his Uncle, his mother is left alone to work their farm in Iowa, Radar recieves a hardship discharge and returns home. His job as company clerk is taken over by Klinger, who for the first few weeks, is terrible at the job, but is soon as good at it as Radar ever was.
Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen
It was no secret, the Korean war ended, and M*A*S*H would eventually have to end too. It was decided to end the show while it was still popular, and plans were underway for its finale. The Fox network had given them the rights for a 1 hour special and then extended it to 2 hours.
The final episode, fittingly name Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen was one of the most watched television events in history. The series finale features the end of the war in Korea, and also each character going through their own story. Hawkeye goes insane, the army accidentally sends BJ his discharge papers, Charles loses his love of music, Father Mulcahy loses his hearing, Margaret decides what she wants to do with her life, Klinger falls in love, and Col. Potter has to deal with the POWs and problems in his own unit. This episode weaves all these plots into a single beutiful event that sums up the entire series and puts an end to one of the best shows television has ever seen.
