M*A*S*H (TV series) 1 M*A*S*H (TV series) M*A*S*H Format Medical drama Dramedy Sitcom Satire Military Starring Alan Alda Wayne Rogers McLean Stevenson Loretta Swit Larry Linville Gary Burghoff Mike Farrell Harry Morgan Jamie Farr William Christopher David Ogden Stiers Theme music composer Johnny Mandel (written for the film) Opening theme "Suicide Is Painless" Ending theme "Suicide Is Painless" Country of origin United States Original language(s) English No. of seasons 11 No. of episodes 256 (List of episodes) Production Location(s) Los Angeles County, California (Century City and the Malibu Creek area) Camera setup Single-camera Running time 24–25 minutes (per episode) Production company(s) 20th Century Fox Television Distributor 20th Television Broadcast Original channel CBS Original run September 17, 1972 – February 28, 1983 Chronology Followed by AfterMASH W*A*L*T*E*R Related shows Trapper John, M.D. M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH (which was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker). The series, which was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. The show's title sequence features an instrumental version of "Suicide Is Painless", the theme song from the M*A*S*H (TV series) 2 original film. The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, failed. The T.V show version of MASH is the most well known version of the M*A*S*H works, and one of the highest rated shows in U.S. television history. The series premiered in the U.S. on September 17, 1972, and ended February 28, 1983, with the finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", becoming the most watched television episode in U.S. television history at the time, with a record-breaking 125 million viewers (60.2 Rating and 77 Share), according to the New York Times. It had struggled in its first season and was at risk of being cancelled. Season two of M*A*S*H placed it in a better time slot (airing after the popular All in the Family); the show became one of the top ten programs of the year and stayed in the top twenty programs for the rest of its eleven-season run. It is still broadcast in syndication on various television stations. The series, which depicted a three-year military conflict, spanned 256 episodes and lasted eleven seasons. Many of the stories in the early seasons are based on tales told by real MASH surgeons who were interviewed by the production team. Like the movie, the series was as much an allegory about the Vietnam War (still in progress when the show began) as it was about the Korean War.[1] In 1997, the episodes "Abyssinia, Henry" and "The Interview" were respectively ranked number 20 and number 80 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2002, M*A*S*H was ranked number 25 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[2] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked it as the fifth best written TV series ever[3] and TV Guide ranked it as the eighth greatest show of all time. Synopsis M*A*S*H aired weekly on CBS, with most episodes being a half-hour in length. The series is usually categorized as a situation comedy, though it is sometimes also described as a "dark comedy" or a "dramedy" because of the dramatic subject material often presented.[4] The show was an ensemble piece revolving around key personnel in a United States Army Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) in the Korean War (1950–1953). (The asterisks in the name are not part of military nomenclature and were creatively introduced in the novel and was only used in the posters for the movie version, not the actual movie.) The "4077th MASH" was one of several surgical units in Korea. As the show developed, the writing took on more of a moralistic tone. Richard Hooker, who wrote the book on which the television and film versions were based, noted that Hawkeye's character was far more liberal in the show than on the page (in one of the MASH books, Hawkeye makes reference to "kicking the bejesus out of lefties just to stay in shape"). While the show is traditionally viewed as a comedy, there were many episodes of a more serious tone. Airing on network primetime while the Vietnam War was still ongoing, the show was forced to walk the fine line of commenting on that war while at the same time not seeming to protest against it. For this reason, the show's discourse, under the cover of comedy, often questioned, mocked and grappled with America's role in the Cold War. Episodes were both plot- and character-driven, with several episodes being narrated by one of the show's characters as the contents of a letter home. The show's tone could move from silly to sobering from one episode to the next, with dramatic tension often occurring between the civilian draftees of 4077th—Hawkeye, Trapper John, B.J. Hunnicutt, for example—who are forced to leave their homes to tend the wounded and dying of the war, and the "regular Army" characters, like Margaret Houlihan and Colonel Potter, who tend to represent ideas of patriotism and duty (though Houlihan and Potter could represent the other perspective at times as well). Other characters, like Col. Blake, Maj. Winchester, and Cpl. Klinger, help demonstrate various American civilian attitudes toward army life, while guest characters played by such actors as Eldon Quick, Herb Voland, Mary Wickes, and Tim O'Connor also help further the show's discussion of America's place as Cold War war-maker and peacemaker. M*A*S*H (TV series) 3 Characters Main article: List of M*A*S*H characters See also: List of notable guest stars on M*A*S*H and List of M*A*S*H cast members M*A*S*H maintained a relatively constant ensemble cast, with four characters—Hawkeye, Father Mulcahy, Margaret Houlihan, and Maxwell Q. Klinger—on the show for all eleven seasons. Several other main characters left or joined the show midway through its run. There were also numerous guest and recurring characters. The writers found creating so many names difficult, and used names from elsewhere; for example, characters on the seventh season were named after the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers. • Note: Character appearances include double-length episodes as two appearances, making 260 in total. The cast of M*A*S*H from Season 2, 1974 (clockwise from left): Loretta Swit, Larry Linville, Wayne Rogers, Gary Burghoff, McLean Stevenson, and Alan Alda) Character Actor/Actress Rank Role Appearances Benjamin Franklin Alan Alda Captain Chief Surgeon 260 "Hawkeye" Pierce (Seasons 1–11) Margaret "Hot Lips" Loretta Swit Major Head Nurse, 243 Houlihan Temporary Adjutant (Seasons 1–11) Maxwell Q. Klinger Jamie Farr Corporal, Corpsman, 219 (Seasons 1–11) later Sergeant later Company Clerk John Patrick Francis George Morgan (Pilot Episode), First Lieutenant, Chaplain 218 Mulcahy replaced by William Christopher later Captain (Seasons 1–11) John Francis Xavier Wayne Rogers Captain Surgeon 74 "Trapper John" McIntyre (Seasons 1–3) Henry Braymore Blake McLean Stevenson Lieutenant Colonel Commanding Officer, 70 (Seasons 1–3) Surgeon Franklin Marion Larry Linville Major, Surgeon, Executive Officer 118 "Frank" Burns later Lieutenant Colonel Temporary Commanding Officer (Seasons 1–5) (off-screen) (following the discharge of Henry Blake) M*A*S*H (TV series) 4 Walter Eugene Gary Burghoff Corporal Company Clerk, 156 "Radar" O’Reilly (one episode as Second Bugler (Seasons 1–8) Lieutenant) (one episode ("Welcome to Korea") as the made up rank of Corporal Captain) B. J. Hunnicutt Mike Farrell Captain Surgeon 187 (replaced Trapper; Seasons 4–11) Sherman Tecumseh Harry Morgan Colonel Commanding Officer (after Lt. 188 Potter Col. Blake), (replaced Henry Blake; Surgeon Seasons 4–11) Charles Emerson David Ogden Stiers Major Surgeon, Executive Officer (after 137 Winchester III Major Burns) (replaced Frank Burns; Seasons 6–11) Recurring characters • Nurse Kealani Kellye, a recurring character in the 4077th (appearing in 164 episodes), played by Kellye Nakahara. A warm character, she had more to say than the other nurses. She is often seen dancing with Radar, and later, Charles. The first name "Kealani" was never used in the series. On several occasions, David Ogden Stiers and Loretta Swit have referred to her as "Nurse Nakahara" and "Lieutenant Nakahara", respectively. • Jeff Maxwell appeared as the bumbling Pvt. Igor Straminsky in 75 episodes. In his earlier appearances, he was the camp cook's aide, Alan and Robert Alda in 1975. complaining that, despite not cooking the food (SSG Pernelli was the cook, not revealed until Season 9 as described below), he still had to listen to everyone's gripes about it. He was often the target of Hawkeye's wrath because of the terrible food, and the recipient of his "river of liver and ocean of fish" rant in "Adam's Ribs". His bumbling even gained the ire of Father Mulcahy, when he creamed the fresh corn Mulcahy grew in "A War for All Seasons". In at least two episodes, he was called a sergeant by Major Burns because of his hatred of enlisted staff. In another episode, Burns asks his name and he replies "Maxwell", the actor's actual surname, Burns then replies with that name.