M*A*S*H - the Greatest Show Ever Written?
Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Mike Farrell Changed the Way We Watch TV
Jan 25, 2009
Was there ever a better show? Conceived in the dark, dank laboratory of daft genius Larry Gelbart, the show was actually based on the 1970 feature film of the same title. Both contained characters created by Richard Hooker in his the novel, MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors.
The Show that Would be King
The story of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital first aired September 17, 1972 and would forever change the way we looked at war, surgery and effectively – television. It had so much of an impact on its audience that the final episode – which aired February 28, 1983 – still holds the record for the most watched show in American television history…weighing in with nearly 106 million viewers.
It takes place behind the lines in South Korea during the Korean war. At first blush this far-from-funny scene is foreboding, drab, and completely without opportunity for so much as a single joke. However, the brilliance of head writer Larry Gelbart and executive producer Gene Reynolds allowed the atrocities of war to explode in deep rooted belly laughs.
Besides the side splitting howls delivered each week by Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), Captain Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), and replacing McIntyre later in the show’s history, Captain B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), there were other aspects of the show worth noting. M*A*S*H’s creation coined the term “dramedy” used to describe it back in 1978. Plus, the show often dealt with the most formidable facets of war and because it was released in 1972, was often likened to the Vietnam war which was still going on at the time and even its memory lasting farther into M*A*S*H’s 11 year run.
But M*A*S*H was not only an on-screen plethora of antics, practical jokes and random chuckles, it was also a powerful drama illustrating the practice of “meatball surgery” – the fast and furious style of putting the wounded back together as fast as possible to get them back on the line and fighting – and dealing with the fragile mental state of the doctors and patients as they went through the motions of daily horror and fright.
Trouble in the O.R.
However, the show was not without its troubles. Some actors were none too pleased with playing second fiddle to Alan Alda’s hilarious Hawkeye Pierce character. Most notably, McLean Stevenson (Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake – 1972-75) grew more and more irritated supporting Alda and by season 3, put in his notice. Alda’s side-kick and O.R. buddy Wayne Rogers had threatened to leave as early as season one. But he made it to the end of the 3rd when he abruptly cashed in on the expiration of his contract.
Eventually, Gelbart and Reynolds also left the show for greener pastures and that’s when the real changes took place. Alda and then executive producer Burt Metcalfe became the new Gelbart/Reynolds team.
The Darker Side of M*A*S*H
The show took a decidedly darker turn…the once clever, well executed comedy lines were replaced by timed quips and homogenized puns. The relationships between the members of the 4077 went from a brash collection of unlikely teammates to a family of brothers and sisters gathered to execute a common goal. The show went from purposely alternating between comedy and drama to consciously focusing on the latter sparsely tossing out moments of welcomed lightness.
Each episode often had a clear message about how wrong war is which had some viewers complaining the show was too preachy.
That said, it was still a terrific romp, even in the later years, though some might argue a different show. Today, every episode of M*A*S*H remains beloved, respected, and the series as a whole is a milestone in American television programming.
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