The creators of the MASH TV Series, Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds, always objected to having a laugh track on the show. It was a show set in a warzone, about a medical unit dealing with the horrific aftermath of bloody battles, so they felt that a laugh track was inappropriate. CBS insisted on treating … Read more
They began as pure antagonists. Hawkeye, the anti-authority, irreverent prankster, and Margaret, the by-the-books head nurse who valued military discipline. Both grew as characters, and their relationship grew into one of the most complex and debated ones in TV history. You may remember an episode of MASH where Hawkeye and Margaret fall into each other’s … Read more
Have you ever noticed something odd about the MASH 4077 camp? In the outdoor shots, during the daylight, with the mountains and chopper pads in the distance, the camp seems large and more spread out than in the other close-in shots, such as most night-time shots and shots inside tents. The camp is suddenly more … Read more
The most inaccurate medical detail on MASH involves not the surgeries and medical care, although this is not entirely accurate, but what happens after those procedures. Like many things at the MASH 4077th, the patients hung out way too long! In fact, you can summarize a real MASH unit with one word: transient. Everything was … Read more
For dedicated fans, the MASH pilot is like an archeology dig, full of artifacts! The pilot featured several details that were never again used in the show. Some of these were creative decisions, and others created inconsistencies in the storyline. One of the major inconsistencies in the first season concerned Ho-John, the Korean “house-boy” for … Read more
Hawkeye’s red robe on MASH is as iconic as the character. He’s seen wearing it throughout the series. What says “I shouldn’t be here” more than a bathrobe? But is it really red? Or is it, as Hawkeye himself once said, purple? Hawkeye’s color-changing robe has confused some fans, and some curious internet conclusions have … Read more
You’ve seen them hundreds of times—a group of nurses running to the helicopter pad during the opening credits of MASH. One of the most popular questions about MASH is who these running women are in this iconic shot. With the revolving door nature of the nurse characters on MASH, it was not always clear who … Read more
Many of you reading this may not be familiar with this legendary comedian and actor. When I was growing up, in the 1970s, he was a huge star in stand-up comedy. I saw him so many times on the Tonight Show and elsewhere. He sold tons of comedy albums. And, believe it or not, his … Read more
You’d be forgiven for never noticing this change in the opening credits of MASH. For the first 8 seasons of the show, the first shot in the opening credits is the back of Radar’s head as he looks up at the arriving helicopters. But after Gary Burghoff left the show for personal reasons, this opening … Read more
This is the second time I’ve found myself reacting to a Screen Rant article. What can I say, there is fact and there is just “let’s make some stuff up.” It’s not that any of the facts in this article are wrong; it’s that the heady consequences described never occurred. In the piece titled MASH’s … Read more