History Series / MASH

"Abyssinia, Henry", the final episode of the third season, was one of the major turning points for the series. The last appearance for both Henry Blake (Creator/McLeanStevenson) and "Trapper" John [=McIntyre=] (Creator/WayneRogers), its tragic shock ending – Henry's home-bound plane was shot down; "there were no survivors"-- delineated the line between "Funny ''M*A*S*H''" and "Dramatic ''M*A*S*H''" (which therefore became a DramaticHalfHour), as many fans would later divide the series. The fourth season proved crucial to the show's long-term success; few series up to that time had been able to lose one of their primary cast members, let alone ''two'' of them, while still managing to keep their audience. But the creators' decision to replace Henry and Trapper with completely different character types in Sherman Potter (Creator/HarryMorgan) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Creator/MikeFarrell) succeeded, and the show continued to enjoy high UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} and critical acclaim.

"Abyssinia, Henry", the final episode of the third season, was one of the major turning points for the series. The last appearance for both Henry Blake (Creator/McLeanStevenson) and "Trapper" John [=McIntyre=] (Creator/WayneRogers), its tragic shock ending – Henry's home-bound plane was shot down; "there were no survivors"-- delineated the line between "Funny ''M*A*S*H''" and "Dramatic ''M*A*S*H''" (therefore becoming a DramaticHalfHour), as many fans would later divide the series. The fourth season proved crucial to the show's long-term success; few series up to that time had been able to lose one of their primary cast members, let alone ''two'' of them, while still managing to keep their audience. But the creators' decision to replace Henry and Trapper with completely different character types in Sherman Potter (Creator/HarryMorgan) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Creator/MikeFarrell) succeeded, and the show continued to enjoy high UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} and critical acclaim.

"Abyssinia, Henry", the final episode of the third season, was one of the major turning points for the series. The last appearance for both Henry Blake (Creator/McLeanStevenson) and "Trapper" John [=McIntyre=] (Creator/WayneRogers), its tragic shock ending – Henry's home-bound plane was shot down; "there were no survivors" – delineated the line between "Funny ''M*A*S*H''" and "Dramatic ''M*A*S*H''", as many fans would later divide the series. The fourth season proved crucial to the show's long-term success; few series up to that time had been able to lose one of their primary cast members, let alone ''two'' of them, while still managing to keep their audience. But the creators' decision to replace Henry and Trapper with completely different character types in Sherman Potter (Creator/HarryMorgan) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Creator/MikeFarrell) succeeded, and the show continued to enjoy high UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} and critical acclaim.

The show aired on Creator/{{CBS}} for [[LongRunner 11 seasons]] (1972–83) – seven years longer than UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar during which it takes place. The setting is the 4077th MASH ([[FunWithAcronyms short for]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Army_Surgical_Hospital Mobile Army Surgical Hospital,]]'' a type of US Army field hospital first activated in the last month of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), located three miles from the front line in Uijeongbu. There the doctors and nurses perform "meatball surgery" and otherwise do what they can to patch up the wounds (physical and/or psychological) of the war's casualties, all while staving off their own stress, fear, boredom, and fatigue.

The show aired on Creator/{{CBS}} for [[LongRunner 11 seasons (1972–83)]] – seven years longer than UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar during which it takes place. The setting is the 4077th MASH ([[FunWithAcronyms short for]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Army_Surgical_Hospital Mobile Army Surgical Hospital,]]'' a type of US Army field hospital first activated in the last month of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), located three miles from the front line in Uijeongbu. There the doctors and nurses perform "meatball surgery" and otherwise do what they can to patch up the wounds (physical and/or psychological) of the war's casualties, all while staving off their own stress, fear, boredom, and fatigue.

''M*A*S*H'' revolutionized the use of camera movements and editing styles on television--one example is the use of long [[TrackingShot tracking shots]] moving with the action (usually of wounded being transported from the helicopter/bus/Jeep to the OR). The series also experimented with unusual storylines married with different camera moves and screen devices. One special camera technique, Boom Up and Over, was new to television at the time; its use in sequences where camp announcements were shown from the "perspective" of the loudspeaker was groundbreaking and memorable.

For twenty-five years, the [[GrandFinale final episode]] of the series--"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", which aired on February 28, 1983--held the record for the most-watched single broadcast in U.S. television history, with a 60.2 rating (percent of households watching), a 77 share (percent of households watching, ''of those watching some program at that time''), and a total audience of over 125 million viewers. Although several UsefulNotes/{{Super Bowl}}s have since surpassed it, the ''M*A*S*H'' finale still holds the record for non-sports programming.

"Abyssinia, Henry", the final episode of the third season, was one of the major turning points for the series. The last appearance for both Henry Blake (Creator/McLeanStevenson) and "Trapper" John [=McIntyre=] (Creator/WayneRogers), its tragic shock ending--Henry's home-bound plane was shot down; "there were no survivors"--delineated the line between "Funny ''M*A*S*H''" and "Dramatic ''M*A*S*H''", as many fans would later divide the series. The fourth season proved crucial to the show's long-term success; few series up to that time had been able to lose one of their primary cast members, let alone ''two'' of them, while still managing to keep their audience. But the creators' decision to replace Henry and Trapper with completely different character types in Sherman Potter (Creator/HarryMorgan) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Creator/MikeFarrell) succeeded, and the show continued to enjoy high UsefulNotes/{{ratings}} and critical acclaim.

One of the most commercially and critically successful series in American television history, ''M*A*S*H'' is – to quote its lead character, Capt. "Hawkeye" Pierce (Creator/AlanAlda) – "finest kind".

One of the most commercially and critically successful series in American television history, ''M*A*S*H'' is -- to quote its lead character, Hawkeye Pierce (Creator/AlanAlda) -- "finest kind".

The show aired on Creator/{{CBS}} for [[LongRunner 11 seasons (1972–83)]], seven years longer than UsefulNotes/TheKoreanWar during which it takes place. The setting is the 4077th MASH ([[FunWithAcronyms short for]] ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Army_Surgical_Hospital Mobile Army Surgical Hospital,]]'' a type of Army field hospital first activated during the last month of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII), located three miles from the front line in Uijeongbu. There the doctors and nurses perform "meatball surgery" and otherwise do what they can to fix up the wounds (physical and/or psychological) of the war's numerous casualties, all while staving off their own fear, boredom, stress, and fatigue.

''M*A*S*H'' was first presented as a [[ArmedFarces wacky]], [[PuttingTheMedicInComedic slightly edgy sitcom]] based on Creator/RobertAltman's [[Film/{{MASH}} hit movie]]--which was itself an adaptation of Richard Hooker's novel--but the series moved away from strictly comedic storylines early in its run (starting with [[WhamEpisode Season 1's "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"]]), often incorporating dramatic plotlines in conjunction with comedic ones in the same episode. The show is often cited as TV's first true {{Dramedy}}.

''M*A*S*H'' was first presented as a [[ArmedFarces wacky]], [[PuttingTheMedicInComedic slightly edgy sitcom]] based on Creator/RobertAltman's [[Film/{{MASH}} hit movie]]--which was itself an adaptation of [[Literature/{{MASH}} Richard Hooker's novel]]--but the series moved away from strictly comedic storylines early in its run (starting with [[WhamEpisode Season 1's "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"]]), often incorporating dramatic plotlines in conjunction with comedic ones in the same episode. The show is often cited as TV's first true {{Dramedy}}.

Considering that [[Literature/{{Mash}} the original novel]] consisted mostly of the characters engaging in {{wacky fratboy hijinx}} and boasting about how much sex they have (and showed [[ValuesDissonance a truly awful degree of sexism]][[note]]"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line, "Me lay, you lay," to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.[[/note]] to boot), to have worked it into such a long, successful, and at times thoughtful series is an excellent example of PragmaticAdaptation, and a very welcome change in a world full of AdaptationDecay. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and kinda probably [[AuthorAvatar the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way; he was [[CreatorBacklash known to rant about it]] at length. (In a sequel novel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye state how much he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals".)

--> ''♪ "My Blue Heaven..." ♪''

--> ''♪ My Blue Heaven ♪''

[-[[caption-width-right:350:Seasons 1-3 cast. Left to right: Maj. Frank "Ferret Face" Burns, Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Lt. Col. Henry Blake, Capt. "Trapper" John [=McIntyre=], Lt. (Father) Francis Mulcahy, Cpl. Walter "Radar" O’Reilly, and Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger.]]-]

Critics and fans note that the show also did {{Formula Breaking Episode}}s very well, by keeping its tone consistent while experimenting with unusual storylines or storytelling techniques. "Hawkeye" is a 25-minute monologue by the eponymous character, as he struggles to stay awake after suffering a head injury. In "Point of View," the entire episode is literally seen through the eyes of one wounded soldier via POVCam. "Life Time" is told in RealTime, with a clock in the corner of the screen ticking off the minutes as the doctors race to replace a soldier's crushed aorta before he becomes paralyzed. The series also has several VoiceoverLetter episodes, a FeverDreamEpisode, the obligatory ClipShow, and a DocumentaryEpisode shown as a series of (largely improvised) in-character interviews with the cast.

Critics and fans note that the show also did {{Formula Breaking Episode}}s very well, by keeping its tone consistent while experimenting with unusual storylines or storytelling techniques. "Hawkeye" is a 25-minute monologue by the eponymous character, as he struggles to stay awake after suffering a head injury. In "Point of View," the entire episode is literally seen through the eyes of one wounded soldier via POVCam. "Life Time" is told in RealTime, with a clock in the corner of the screen ticking off the minutes as the doctors race to replace a soldier's crushed aorta before he becomes paralyzed. The series also has several VoiceoverLetter episodes, a FeverDreamEpisode, the obligatory ClipShow, and a DocumentaryEpisode told as a series of (largely improvised) in-character interviews with the cast.

Critics and fans note that the show also did {{Formula Breaking Episode}}s very well, by keeping its tone consistent while experimenting with unusual storylines or storytelling techniques. "Hawkeye" is a 25-minute monologue by the eponymous character, as he struggles to stay awake after suffering a head injury. In "Point of View," the entire episode is literally seen through the eyes of one wounded soldier via POVCam. "Life Time" is told in RealTime, with a clock in the corner of the screen ticking off the minutes as the doctors race to replace a soldier's crushed aorta before he becomes paralyzed. The series also has several VoiceoverLetter episodes, a FeverDreamEpisode, the obligatory ClipShow, and a DocumentaryEpisode told as a series of (largely improvised) television interviews with the characters.

Critics and fans note that the show also did SomethingCompletelyDifferent very well, by keeping its tone consistent while experimenting with unusual storylines or storytelling techniques. "Hawkeye" is a 25-minute monologue by the eponymous character, as he struggles to stay awake after suffering a head injury. In "Point of View," the entire episode is literally seen through the eyes of one wounded soldier via POVCam. "Life Time" is told in RealTime, with a clock in the corner of the screen ticking off the minutes as the doctors race to replace a soldier's crushed aorta before he becomes paralyzed. The series also has several VoiceoverLetter episodes, a FeverDreamEpisode, the obligatory ClipShow, and a DocumentaryEpisode told as a series of (largely improvised) television interviews with the characters.

Considering that [[Literature/{{Mash}} the original novel]] consisted mostly of the characters engaging in {{wacky fratboy hijinx}} and boasting about how much sex they have (and showed [[ValuesDissonance a truly awful degree of sexism]][[note]]"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line, "Me lay, you lay," to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.[[/note]] to boot), to have worked it into such a long, successful, and at times thoughtful series is an excellent example of PragmaticAdaptation, and a very welcome change in a world full of AdaptationDecay. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and kinda probably [[AuthorAvatar the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way; he was [[CreatorBacklash known to rant about it]] at length. (In a sequel novel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals".)

Considering that [[Literature/{{Mash}} the original novel]] consisted mostly of the characters engaging in {{wacky fratboy hijinx}} and boasting about how much sex they have (and showed [[ValuesDissonance a truly awful degree of sexism]][[note]]"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line, "Me lay, you lay," to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.[[/note]] to boot), to have worked it into such a long, successful, and at times thoughtful series is an excellent example of PragmaticAdaptation, and a very welcome change in a world full of AdaptationDecay. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and kinda probably [[AuthorAvatar the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way; he was [[CreatorBacklash known to rant about it]] at length. (In a sequel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals".)

Considering that [[Literature/{{Mash}} the original novel]] consisted mostly of the characters engaging in {{wacky fratboy hijinx}} and boasting about how much sex they have (and showed [[ValuesDissonance a truly awful degree of sexism]][[note]]"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line, "Me lay, you lay," to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.[[/note]] to boot), to produce such a long, successful, and at times thoughtful series is a fine example of PragmaticAdaptation, and a very welcome change in a world full of AdaptationDecay. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and kinda probably [[AuthorAvatar the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way; he was [[CreatorBacklash known to rant about it]] at length. (In a sequel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals".)

Considering that [[Literature/{{Mash}} the original novel]] consisted mostly of the characters engaging in {{wacky fratboy hijinx}} and boasting about how much sex they have (and showed [[ValuesDissonance a truly awful degree of sexism]][[note]]"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line, "Me lay, you lay," to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.[[/note]] to boot), to produce such a long, successful and at times thoughtful series is a fine example of PragmaticAdaptation, a very nice change in a world full of AdaptationDecay. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and kinda probably [[AuthorAvatar the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way; he was [[CreatorBacklash known to rant about it]] at length. (In a sequel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals".)

Critics and fans note that the show also did SomethingCompletelyDifferent very well, by keeping its tone consistent while experimenting with unusual storylines or storytelling techniques. "Hawkeye" is a 25-minute monologue by the eponymous character, as he struggles to stay awake after suffering a head injury. In "Point of View," the entire episode is literally seen through the eyes of a wounded soldier via POVCam. "Life Time" is told in RealTime, with a clock in the corner of the screen ticking off the minutes as the doctors race to replace a soldier's crushed aorta before he becomes paralyzed. The series also has several VoiceoverLetter episodes, a FeverDreamEpisode, the obligatory ClipShow, and a DocumentaryEpisode told as a series of (largely improvised) television interviews with the characters.

''M*A*S*H'' revolutionized the use of camera movements and editing styles on television--one example is the use of long [[TrackingShot tracking shots]] moving with the action (usually of wounded being moved from the helicopter/bus/Jeep to the OR). The show also experimented with unusual storylines married with different camera moves and screen devices. One special camera technique, Boom Up and Over, was new to television at the time; the use of this technique in sequences where camp announcements were shown from the "perspective" of the loudspeaker was groundbreaking and memorable.