"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

Cast

Alan Alda	...	Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce (251 episodes, 1972-1983)
Loretta Swit	...	Major Margaret Houlihan (245 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 / ... (164 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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Throughout the run of the series, any "generic" nurses (nurse characters who had a line or two, but were minor supporting characters otherwise) were generally given the names "Nurse Able", "Nurse Baker", or "Nurse Charlie". These names stem from the phonetic alphabet used by the military and HAM operators at the time. During the time period of the Korean War, the letters A, B, and C in the phonetic alphabet were Able, Baker, and Charlie (since then, the standard has been updated, and A and B are now Alpha and Bravo). In later seasons, it became more common for a real character name to be created, especially as several of the nurse actors became semi-regulars. For example, Kellye Nakahara played both "Able" and "Charlie" characters in season three before becoming the semi-regular "Nurse Kellye"; on the other hand, Judy Farrell (then Mrs. Mike Farrell) played Nurse Able in eight episodes, including the series finale.

Goofs:

Continuity: Colonel Potter enters the series as a Methodist and is a Presbyterian just after Radar goes home.

Quotes:

[some wounded arrive during the night]
PA System Announcer: Attention, all personnel - this is your wake-up call.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Daily Show: (2008-07-22)" (2008)

Still Funny After 30 Years

This is still one of the funniest shows on television, especially the first four seasons when they still had a broad sense of humor. To me the glory days of M*A*S*H ended with the departure of Larry Linville (Major Frank Burns). After his departure, especially in the final three years, the show became more and more issue oriented and pretty much lost me until the classic finale. Other than that, it was still a great show.