"M*A*S*H" (1972) TV series 1972-1983

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:

Sun. Nov. 22	9:00 PM	TVLAND	The Light That Failed	#6.6
Sun. Nov. 22	9:30 PM	TVLAND	Change Day	#6.8

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce (251 episodes, 1972-1983)
Loretta Swit	...	Major Margaret Houlihan (247 episodes, 1972-1983)
Jamie Farr	...	Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger / ... (211 episodes, 1972-1983)
William Christopher	...	Father Francis Mulcahy (209 episodes, 1972-1983)
Harry Morgan	...	Colonel Sherman T. Potter / ... (180 episodes, 1974-1983)
Mike Farrell	...	Captain B.J. Hunnicut (179 episodes, 1975-1983)
Kellye Nakahara	...	Lieutenant Kellye Yamato / ... (165 episodes, 1973-1983)
Gary Burghoff	...	Corporal Walter Eugene O'Reilly (159 episodes, 1972-1979)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Major Charles Winchester (130 episodes, 1977-1983)
Larry Linville	...	Major Franklin Marion 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 (some episodes) | 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:

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).

Goofs:

Continuity: Hawkeye's background and family situation changes quite a bit during the run of the series. At the beginning he is from Vermont, both parents are living, he has a married sister that sends him an oversized homemade sweater, and a nephew. By the end of the show, he is from Crabapple Cove, Maine, and he is an only child whose mother died when he was about 10.

Quotes:

Margaret: I am a woman, after all.
Hawkeye: [turning to Burns] Is that true, Frank?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Yes, Dear: Kiss and Yell (#1.14)" (2001)

I'll never forget that day

... that day in 1975, when we were watching our favourite TV show, "M*A*S*H", "we" being big brother -- that's me! -- and little brother. "M*A*S*H" had always been our favourite, probably because it seemed so grown-up, but also because it was so irreverent (a word we wouldn't have used back then) and smart-alecky (a word we would have). And so funny. It was tough to say which was the top episode. The one with the wounded Luxembourg soldier? (And the crazy Turk, of course.) One of the ones mentioning our very own Canadian troops? Maybe the one about Capt. Tuttle, graduate of the Berlinisches Polyteschnicum, and the best friend Maj. Frank Burns had ever had? Or possibly any episode even alluding to the wacked-out Col. Flagg?

Anyway, this was an important day because Col. Henry Blake had received orders to ship back home to the States. We were feeling pretty sad; we really loved Henry. Hawkeye and Trapper were always putting things over on poor Henry, but Henry always took it with good humour. And probably a little wisdom, and common sense. So Henry had been sent home. The show went to commercial. We were both feeling a little glum. We were sitting quite close to the television; you had to adjust the controls by hand in those days. The show came back from commercial. Radar came into the operating room. "The plane containing Col. Henry Blake", if I may paraphrase from memory, "was shot down over the Sea of Japan. There were no survivors." My brother was to my left. We just sat there with our mouths open. Then we ran to tell our parents what had just happened. I can still get a little choked up thinking about it 25 years later. That was the first death I ever experienced in my "family"; the show seemed that real to us at the time.