MASH units were first designed in 1948 and were deployed to Korea by the United States army in June 1950. These Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals were designed to be highly mobile, flexible, and forward-deployed. This means they were able to be moved to a new location in a very short time. They were also designed … Read more
There were many Asian actors who appeared on MASH as Koreans or “indigenous personnel.” However, during the 1970s and 80s, unfortunately, there were few actual Korean actors working in television or film. Almost all of the Korean people on MASH were played by Japanese or Chinese actors. Jack Soo, Pat Morita, Mako, Sab Shimoto, Keye … Read more
Laurence Fishburne is famous for so many roles it seems disrespectful to only mention Morpheus in The Matrix series, or the John Wick Films. How about Apocalypse Now, Boyz in the Hood, or his role as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It? You know who I’m talking about. He was also … Read more
There is a long history of men dressing up as women to avoid military service. For example, Bonnie Prince Charlie disquised himself as a maidservant to avoid the Battle of Culloden. However, there is no other cross-dressing solider more famous than Corporal Maxwell Klinger of MASH, fictional though he may be. Throughout much of the … Read more
The iconic TV show MASH was definitely a comedy. However, it also had deeply dramatic elements and dealt seriously with the realities of war. There were plenty of jokes and “situations” that were contrived to cause comedic scenes. And, the character of Frank Burns was himself such a contrivance. The character existed to create situations … Read more
Alan Alda, who played Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce on MASH, started writing episodes for the show early on in season one. The first episode penned by Alda was Season 1, Episode 19, The Longjohn Flap, a title Alda hated. It aired on February 18, 1973. Season 1, Episode 19: The Longjohn Flap In The … Read more
No other character shows the writing prowess of the MASH writers better than Klinger. As Jamie Farr said, how many times are you going to laugh at a guy wearing a dress. If you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it. Klinger had so much dimension and there was always something new to laugh about or … Read more
Gary Burghoff, the actor who played Radar O’Reilly on MASH, always hid his left hand because of a congenital condition called Poland Syndrome. This hand deformity caused the fingers on his left hand to be significantly shorter than his right. This hand deformity caused Gary Burghoff to cleverly hide his left hand, but not for … Read more
In MASH, a drug was portrayed that did strange thing to a marine’s urine. In Episode 20 of Season 10, Sons and Bowlers, the Marines are gloating over beating the unit the 4077th, again, at football and basketball. Klinger has the idea that they could maybe beat the Marines at bowling. So, Colonel Potter and … Read more
For fans of the 4077th, the doctors and staff of MASH feel less like television characters and more like old friends. The loss of Loretta Swit in May 2025, the unforgettable Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, serves as a poignant reminder of how much time has passed since the series finale. Today, only a small … Read more