No doubt about it, but M*A*S*H is one of the greatest television shows of all time! Not just because the series finale STILL holds the record for the “largest audience to ever watch a scripted program on American television”. But also because of the numerous awards the show, its creators and cast earned! This Korean War-set show revolutionized the comedy and drama television world as we know it. With that, take a look at some of the most thrilling tidbits that have been kept under wraps for some 40 years!
The hit show was based on a book
In 1968, Richard Hooker penned the book MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The plot is about a fictional American Mobile Army Surgical Hospital based in Korea during the Korean War. The genre of the book was considered, drama, war and comedy. And yes, it was this book that was the sole inspiration for the former hit TV show M*A*S*H.
The Hit Show Was Based On A Book
That wedding dress
It’s the repeat of the wedding dresses! Three different people on the show wore the exact same wedding dress on three separate occasions. Klinger wore it when he married Laverne Esposito. Margret Houlihan wore it when she married Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott. And finally Soon Lee wore it when she married Klinger, looks like husband and wife share the same tastes.
That Wedding Dress
Writer’s block
The famous pilot episode, which aired on September 17, 1972, was actually in just three days. Three days! Crazy. Larry Gelbert wrote the pilot episode and earned a whopping $25,000 for just that ONE episode. Back then, that was considered a lot of money. Gene Reynolds received the Directors Guild of America Award for that episode and it was also nominated for Emmys in Directing and Writing.
Writers Block
11 seasons
Can you believe it but the show actually lasted than the Korean War! The war lasted just over three years while the show was around for 11 seasons, spanning from 1972 until 1983. And did you know that the Writers Guild of America ranked it as the fifth-best written TV series ever while TV Guide ranked it as the eighth-greatest show of all time. I totally agree with that.
11 Seasons
Walter
This particular pilot only aired once and followed Radar’s return home. After Radar returns back home from the Korean War, he loses his family and becomes a cop. It seems fitting that he would become a cop but its also so incredibly tragic that Radar loses his whole family.
Walter
Triple threat
Alan Alda was the very first person ever to win Emmys for directing, writing, and acting all on the same show. Talk about a serious triple threat. He was actually nominated for 21 Emmy Awards but won five.
Triple Threat
What’s a contract?
The actor who played Captain “Trapper” John McIntyre, Mr. Wayne Roberts, never signed a contract. It was because he never singed that he was able to leave the show as he did, forever breaking hearts all over!
Whats A Contract
Hey, Hawkeye
Could you imagine if the actor Mclean Stevenson, who portrayed the lovable Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, was actually cast as Hawkeye?! I just can’t process what the show would have been like if that were the case. We are so glad that even though Mclean wanted to play Hawkeye, he opted to go in another direction.
Hey Hawkeye
Before they were famous
Before the following stars were super famous in Hollywood, they made a special appearance on M*A*S*H. Remember seeing dreamy Patrick Swayze who played a solider with leukemia on the show? Or Leslie Nielsen who played a Colonel? What about Xander Berkeley who played a marine? Or Gregory Harrison who played Lt. Tony Baker? The list goes on and on folks!
Before They Were Famous
Names matter
The writers of the show chose very specific names for the characters. There’s an episode in season six where the characters are named after the 1977 California Angels players. And in another episode, one character was actually named after a writer’s ex-girlfriend. Which is quite the way to honor an relationship.
Names Matter
I’ll pass
I wonder if the comedian, Robert Klein, is kicking himself for shooting down a chance to star in M*A*S*H. When offered the part of Trapper John, Robert actually turned the role down because he wanted to focus solely on his stand-up routine. Hey, fair plan to him to sticking to his guns.
Ill Pass
Crazy Klinger
Crazy to think that Jamie Farr, the man portraying “Corporal Klinger” was actually hired for just one day’s work on the episode “Chief Surgeon Who?” However because he gave such a great performance, he was asked back dozens of times before eventually becoming a series regular. I guess Farr was able to really tap into his portrayal of a man who crossed dressed just to get out of the Korean War and go home.
Crazy Klinger
Laughing tracks
Laughing tracks are played in the background of the show, to obviously emulate laughter, as M*A*S*H was not filmed in front of a live audience. However Gelbert and the executive producer, Gene Reynolds, did not want a laughing track whatsoever but CBS overruled their decision. Although you can notice that the laughing tracks dies down with each passing season.
Laughing Tracks
Real soldiers
Both actors Jamie Farr and Alan Alda served in the U.S. Army. Alda served in Korea in the Army Reserve for six months while Farr was sent to Japan. That’s pretty noble of the two famous actors.
Real Soldiers
“Abyssinia, Henry”
My heart breaks every time I see the episode, “Abyssinia, Henry”, because that’s when the incredible, kind, humble, hysterical Lt. Colonel Henry Blake dies. Blake’s death was kept a secret from the entire cast until that final scene of everyone in the OR room when Radar reads the tragic words out loud. Gelbert kept it a secret so that they could capture genuine sadness and raw emotion from the cast. In fact, the only person who did know that Blake was leaving was Alan Alda. Fun fact, the producers received about 1,000 letters from heart broken fans.
Abyssinia Henry
Anything you can do
During all 11 seasons, Alan Alda seemed to do it all! Alan actually wrote 19 and directed 32 episodes of the iconic show. He was also the only series regular that was in every single episode, 251 episodes to be exact.
Anything You Can Do
Series finale
‘Goodbye, Farewell and Amen’ is the name of 2 and half hour long series finale. To this day, that series finale hold the record for the most watched series finale of all time. 77% of the American population actually tuned in and watched the final episode. Wow.
Series Finale
Time capsule
If you remember, in the last season, the characters actually bury a time capsule under the Fox Ranch. If you skip ahead a few months, a construction worker actually found the capsule. What a find!
Time Capsule
Diversity
There weren’t a lot of Korean actors back then so just about everyone from second-generation Chinese-American actresses to Japanese actors played the part of Korean soldiers, officers, captains, and girlfriends.
Diversity
That’s my hat
In 1970, the film was created! While the TV show wouldn’t actually start for another two years after. You’ll see that Alan Alda is wearing a hat in the opening credits. This hat is the exact same one that Donald Sutherland (who played Hawkeye) wore in the movie, but weirdly enough, it never appeared again in the entire series.
Thats My Hat
Erin
Captain B.J. Hunnicutt, portrayed by Mike Farrell, asked that his on-screen daughter’s name be changed. Hunnicutt’s daughter was supposed to be called Melissa but he requested that it would be changed to Erin, after his real-life daughter. How adorable.
Erin
Complain much?
The actors complained multiple times about the script so writer Ken Levine and some other writers did something pretty radical. The decided to have the actors act out cold winter scenes in heavy coats in scorching 90-degree weather. It wasn’t long after that the complaints soon ended.
Complain Much
Teddy bear
Good ol’ Radar. The actor who played that iconic role, Gary Burghoff, said that the Radar’s famous teddy bear had been lost for over 30 years. Until it appeared in 2005 at an auction but it was later sold back to Burghoff. Seems fitting.
Teddy Bear
Let’s vote
The ultimate and sad decision to end the series was determined by a vote the cast members of the show. The cast members who voted in favor of continuing on with the series were actually featured on “After MASH” in 1983.
Lets Vote
That’s not the finale
“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” which was the series finale, in fact was not the last episode filmed. “As Time Goes By” was the final episode filmed, where they took the time to honor and pay tribute to the characters who left the show before its conclusion.
Thats Not The Finale
That’s my wife
Colonel Sherman T. Potter had a photo of his wife, Mildred on his desk, but that photo was actually a picture of Harry Morgan’s then wife Eileen Detchon. How sweet!
