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M*A*S*H (television): Difference between revisions
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[[File:MASH.jpg|frame|Seasons 1-3 cast. Left to right: Frank "Ferret Face" Burns, Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Henry Blake, "Trapper" John McIntyre, John Patrick Francis Mulcahy, Walter "Radar" O’Reilly, and Maxwell Q. Klinger]]
One of the most commercially and critically successful series in television history, '''''M*A*S*H''''' ([[Fun with Acronyms|short for]] ''[[wikipedia:Mobile Army Surgical Hospital|Mobile Army Surgical Hospital]]'', a type of Army field hospital first activated in the last month of [[World War II]]) is, to quote its lead character Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda), "Finest kind."
The show ran on [[CBS]] [[Long Runner|from 1972 to 1983]], seven years longer than [[The Korean War]] during which it takes place. At first seen as a wacky, slightly edgy sitcom based on [[M*A*S*H (film)|Robert Altman's 1970 movie]], the series moved away from strictly comedic storylines early in its run (Season 1's "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" was the first [[Tear Jerker]]), and began to incorporate dramatic plotlines in conjunction with comedic ones in the same episode.
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In the "Dramatic ''M*A*S*H''" phase, character development was key, and even one-note characters such as "Hot Lips" Houlihan (Loretta Swit) became more sympathetic and complex (as seen in Season 5's "The Nurses," in which she asked her nurses, "When did one of you ever even offer me a lousy cup of coffee?"). This shift probably led to Frank Burns (Larry Linville) getting a psychiatric discharge, since he had been developed as an unlikeable character with no room for change (Larry Linville even stated dislike for the character being so unlikeable). He was replaced by Charles Emerson Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers), a snooty [[Blue Blood]] doctor who was by contrast a real asset to the staff and even eventually becomes a nicer guy in [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|his own way]].
Other ways in which the series changed how the [[Sitcom]] was perceived was by its use (or disuse) of the [[Laugh Track]], commonly imposed by the networks if a studio audience was not going to be present at the episodes' filming. The show's creators grudgingly accepted the laugh track, but soon imposed rules on when it was not to be used (during any of the operating room scenes), and dropped it entirely in certain
''M*A*S*H'' revolutionized the use of camera movements and editing styles on television -- for example, in its use of long [[Tracking Shot
The use of [[Boom Up and Over]] was new to television at the time. The use of this technique in sequences where camp announcements were shown from the 'perspective' of the loudspeaker was groundbreaking and memorable.
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Its [[Grand Finale|final episode]] -- "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (aired February 28, 1983) -- was, for twenty-five years, the highest-rated TV program in United States history, with a 60.2 rating (percent of households watching) and a 77 share (percent of households watching, ''of those watching some program at that time''). It still holds that record for non-sports programming.
It produced three [[Spin-Off]]s/[[Sequel]]s: one successful (''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]''), one short-lived (''[[AfterMASH]]''), and one failed [[Pilot]] (''[[w:W*A*L*T*E*R|W*A*L*T*E*R]]'').
Considering that [[MASH (novel)|the original novel]] consisted mostly of young doctors boasting about [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|how much sex they have]] and shows a truly awful degree of sexism <ref>"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line - "Me lay, you lay" - to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors''' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.</ref> to produce such a long, successful and at times thoughtful series is a fine example of [[Pragmatic Adaptation]], a very nice change in a world full of [[Adaptation Decay]]. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and allegedly [[Author Avatar|the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way, and was known to rant about it at length (in a sequel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals").▼
▲Considering that [[MASH (novel)|the original novel]] consisted mostly of young doctors boasting about [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|how much sex they have]] and shows a truly awful degree of sexism <ref>"Trapper" got his nickname for using a train toilet to take advantage of his prom date and nobody seems to care that this may have been rape as long as he 'got some'; 'Me Lay' is famous for using his absurdly crass pick-up line - "Me lay, you lay" - to acquire a stupendous 'batting average'; the ''doctors{{'}}'' only interest in the epileptic whore down at the local brothel is in how much fun it is to have your penis inside her when she has a seizure; the reputation of the unit depends in part on the size of the dentist's male organ; the list goes on and on.</ref> to produce such a long, successful and at times thoughtful series is a fine example of [[Pragmatic Adaptation]], a very nice change in a world full of [[Adaptation Decay]]. Of course, Dr. Richard Hornberger, one-half of the writing team behind the pseudonymous author of the original book and allegedly [[Author Avatar|the model for Hawkeye]], didn't see it that way, and was known to rant about it at length (in a sequel, ''MASH Mania'', he has his version of Hawkeye remark how he enjoys going down to the State University to "kick the shit out of a few liberals").
Fun fact: Alan Alda was inspired to take over creative control of the show because he desperately needed the money that came with more responsibility. A year before, his business manager "invested" his entire fortune in a [[Ponzi]] scheme without his knowledge or approval. Alda lost almost everything.
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----
{{tropenamer}}
{{tropelist}}
== A-E ==
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* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: The movie itself [[Composite Character|combined two characters to create Major Burns]]. The show removed the character Duke Forest altogether, and Ugly John and Spearchucker Jones [[Chuck Cunningham Syndrome|disappear without explanation]] later on in the first season. Painless Pole, the camp dentist, seems to be an exception, since he shows up from time to time throughout the series.
** Painless is more of an [[Unseen Character]], being mentioned but rarely if ever actually appearing. The only dentist actually shown on screen who was stationed at the 4077 appears in one episode, completely paranoid about being injured in the last few hours before he goes home. (He does get injured, crashing the jeep as he's driving out of camp because he insisted on driving the jeep himself instead of allowing his assigned driver to do it.)
*** Painless shows
* [[A Day in the Limelight]]: Numerous times, generally at least once a season.
▲* [[After Show]]: The show's spin-off ''[[AfterMASH]]'' is the trope namer.
* [[All Asians Are Alike]]
* [[Aluminum Christmas Trees]]: Spearchucker Jones. There were, in fact, black doctors in Korea, and Spearchucker was based on a doctor Richard Hooker heard about at the 8055. Too bad the executives [[Did Not Do the Research|didn't look into it first]].
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** Also, the "points" system referenced was no longer current for rotation of officers.
** BJ's latter-seasons hairstyle was ''much'' longer than a professional man in the 1950s would have worn.
** Several times, Korean soldiers are shown with [[AKA-47|AK-47-type]] rifles ([http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_(TV_Series)#Valmet_M71 actually stand-ins]) before any communist nation even issued them yet.
** In one episode Radar hands out Hershey bars with UPC symbols on the back wrapper to recovering patients.
* [[Animated Adaptation|Animated Parody]]: Filmation's ''M*U*S*H'', a segment of the Saturday Morning Kid's Show ''[[Uncle Croc's Block]]''
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'''Trapper:''' Plato's ''Republic''? ''The Life of Red Grange''?
'''Hawkeye:''' Revolutionaries.
'''Frank:''' [[Sarcasm Blind|Right!]]
'''Trapper:''' ''Robinson Crusoe''?
'''Hawkeye:''' Everybody runs around half-naked.
'''Trapper:''' Norman Mailer?
'''Frank:''' It's got
* [[Bottle Episode]]: "O.R.", "The Bus", "Hawkeye", "A Night at Rosie's"
* [[The Boxing Episode]]: "Requiem for a Lightweight" has Trapper John taking on the champ of the 8063rd, a heavyweight enlisted man.
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'''Potter:''' I'm not fond of personal abuse, Flagg. I was in this man's Army when the only thumb you cared about was the one in your ''mouth''. }}
* [[Briefer Than They Think]]: As mentioned above, you could fit three Korean Wars into the show's run.
* [[Broken Ace]]: Captain Newsome in "Heal Thyself
* [[Bucket Booby Trap]]: Frank rigs one for Hawkeye (yep, you read that right) in "Showtime".
* [[Bug-Out]]: Amusingly averted for virtually the entire run of ''M*A*S*H''; the "M" in "M*A*S*H" stands for "Mobile", but for obvious reasons of production logistics the camp was almost always in the same location. The only exceptions were the two-part episode "Bug Out" from 1976, and the 1979 episode "C*A*V*E". In the former, the camp's comfortable location had to be abandoned in the face of an enemy advance; in the latter, a seemingly endless barrage of friendly artillery fire forces the camp to relocate to a nearby cave.
* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: No matter how madcap Hawkeye gets, his medical skills save him from court martial a few dozen times.
* [[Butt Monkey]]: Frank Burns
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** Another is [[Bus Crash|Henry's death]]. No allied transport plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. For virtually the entirety of the Korean War, allied air forces controlled the skies. For all intents and purposes, the moment Henry stepped on the plane, he was safe. This [[They Just Didn't Care|was more intentional]] by the writers than anything, if only to prevent [[Trope Namer|McLean Stevenson]] [[McLeaned|from returning to the role after leaving]] [[Killed Off for Real|by killing off his character]] [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|in the most dramatic way possible]], and show that war could take anyone at any time.
*** The notion that Henry was killed off as he was to underscore the inherently hazardous environment is supported by the next episode (at the beginning of season 4) introducing BJ. Just on the way from the airport at Kimpo back to the 4077, the three are shown coming under fire twice (once from infiltrators, and once from mortars) and encounter a family checking for mines in a could-be field.
** Well, that's not true: [https://web.archive.org/web/20130218074137/http://koreanwar.defense.gov/factsheetusairforcekw.html the first US plane shot down in the war] was a transport plane.
*** [[Word of God]] has it that Henry did not die; "reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated".
* [[Documentary Episode]]: "The Interview", "Our Finest Hour"
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* [[Executive Veto]]: One early season episode would have dealt with Hawkeye getting two different nurses pregnant simultaneously, and not wanting to marry either. After the script had been finished, CBS rejected it, feeling it would be a [[Moral Event Horizon]] for Hawkeye.
* [[Extreme Omni Goat]]: "That Darn Kid"
== F-J ==
* [[Facecam]]
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* [[The Klutz]]: Private Paul 'Look out below' Conway.
* [[The Lancer]]: Trapper, and later BJ, were basically this for Hawkeye.
* [[Last Rites (trope)|Last Rites]]: Father Mulcahy is frequently seen administering the last rites to dying and dead soldiers. We rarely get to see him do more than begin the process, though, but it's clear that it's the Anointing that he's performing, not the Viaticum -- if only because he's usually performing it on an unconscious soldier.
* [[Laugh Track]]: Employed over the objections of the producers and at the [[Executive Meddling|insistence of the network]], though averted in the O.R. scenes (and averted entirely for certain episodes). Also not used in foreign syndication. The DVD allows the viewer the option of having the laugh track turned off if they so choose.
* [[Limited Advancement Opportunities]]: Only Klinger and Father Mulcahy get promoted (though Burns makes Lieutenant Colonel after his departure). Radar also received a [[Status Quo Is God|temporary]] promotion.
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* [[Mattress Tag Gag]]: Variant: In "The General Flipped at Dawn", Henry dons a new set of fatigues in anticipation of Gen. Steele's arrival. He asks Radar if there are any tags visible, and Radar tears one off from the back of the pants before reading: "Do not remove this tag under penalty of Federal Code 764-J."
{{quote|'''Henry:''' Boy, you get me in trouble and I'm gonna have your keister.}}
* [[Mean Character, Nice Actor]]: Larry Linville (aka Frank Burns) has been described by his
▲* [[McLeaned]]: Col. Henry Blake, played by McLean Stevenson (the [[Trope Namer]])
▲* [[Mean Character, Nice Actor]]: Larry Linville (aka Frank Burns) has been described by his castmates as one of the sweetest men to walk this planet (Almost to the point of [[Too Good for This Sinful Earth]]). Even Frank's idiotic laugh was made up on the spot by Linville.
* [[Meaningful Echo]]: Provided by Sidney Freedman in the finale.
{{quote|"You know, I told you people something a long time ago, and it's just as pertinent today as it was then. Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice: Pull down your pants and slide on the ice."}}
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** Three different actresses played Rosie, the proprietress of Rosie's Bar, during the course of the show.
** There were also several different actresses playing "Nurse Able" or "Nurse Baker" in various episodes. And two different guys voiced the camp P.A. announcer.
*** The nurses may be an
** A vehicle example: in the finale, a tank is driven into the compound by a wounded tanker. After it starts drawing enemy mortar fire, Hawkeye drives it out of the camp. The tank driven into the camp is an [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/M24-Chaffee-latrun-1.jpg M24 Chaffee light tank]; the tank Hawkeye drives out is an [http://www.usarmymodels.com/AFV%20PHOTOS/M4%20SHERMAN/M4%20Sherman%20Front%20Left.jpg M4 Sherman medium tank]. The two look nothing alike.
* [[Out, Damned Spot!]]: Captain Newsome in "Heal Thyself."
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* [[Pungeon Master]]: Most of the characters at times, but Hawkeye and BJ in particular.
* [[Put on a Bus]]: Henry, Trapper, Frank, Radar. (In Henry's case, the bus [[Bus Crash|crashed]].)
** Each of these people [[Continuity Nod|get a mention]] in the final two episodes: Hawkeye and BJ contribute items once belonging to Radar and Henry for the time capsule, they explain to Charles that nothing of Frank's would be included due to his incompetence, and when
* [[Put on a Bus to Hell]]: Trapper in a minor example, at least from Haweye's point of view. His not leaving a note ([[Ho Yay|only a goodbye peck on the cheek]]) clearly upset Hawkeye and has been picked up on by many a fanfic.
** Of course, in real life, it was a "[[Take That]]" against actor Wayne Rogers, who had acrimoniously left the show because he was fed up with the fact that Trapper was being treated as a sidekick instead of an equal. In addition, he was also greatly frustrated with a "morals clause" in his contract, which stated he could be suspended or fired if he did anything the producers found objectionable. When Rogers left, in fact, the producers actually sued him for breach of contract, but their case fell apart when it was discovered that Rogers didn't even sign the contract in the first place, due to the clause issue.
* [[The Rabbit Died]]: In the sixth-season episode "What's Up, Doc?", the only way for Margaret to find out if she's pregnant (by her now-estranged husband) is to use one of Radar's rabbits for a rabbit test. Subverted, actually, in that Radar insists that they not kill his pet rabbit, and Hawkeye and Margaret perform surgery on the rabbit to remove its ovaries non-fatally – leading to the rabbit surviving, in both senses of the term.
* [[Rashomon Style]]: "The Novocaine Mutiny" has Hawkeye and Frank narrating very different versions of the same events during a court-martial hearing.
* [[Real Life Relative]]: Robert Alda (Alan's dad) appeared in two episodes as visiting surgeon Anthony Borelli. The second of these also featured Antony Alda (Robert's other son and Alan's half-brother) as a medic.
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* [[Really Dead Montage]]: "Abyssinia, Henry"
* [[Really Gets Around]]: Hot-Lips, Hawkeye, Trapper.
* [[Really Seventeen Years Old]]: There's a kid (played by [[Ron Howard]]) who lies about his age to get into the army; Hawkeye catches him and sends him home.
{{quote|'''Kid''': I'll hate you for the rest of my life!
'''Hawkeye''': Let's hope it's a long and happy hate. }}
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* [[Sarcasm Failure]]
* [[Scenery Censor]]: Hawkeye's naked stroll through the compound in "Dear Dad...Again".
** They even moved the signpost to just beside the door of the
* [[Screw the War, We're Partying]]: Subverted actually, as most of the personnel in camp were simply "acting crazy to keep their sanity".
* [[Scunthorpe Problem]]: Father Mulcahy's nickname of "Dago Red", used once in the pilot and then never again in the series. In a way, this inverts the movie, where he was initially introduced by his name, and then always addressed by his nickname after that.
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* [[Strip Poker]]: An early episode has a gag where Hawkeye and Trapper are down to their underwear while playing this with - and losing badly to - a nurse.
* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: Margaret Houlihan, [[Justified Trope|Justified]] in that she took her job as head nurse seriously (and that she was an Army brat). Frank Burns was too immature, and Donald Penobscot treated her poorly behind the scenes, but the likes of BJ, Col. Potter, [[Foe Yay|and especially Hawkeye]] helped [[Defrosting Ice Queen|soften her up]].
* [[Surgery Under Fire]]: Naturally ''M*A*S*H'' had multiple instances of this. In numerous episodes members of the 4077th were required to perform surgery at the front or under fire, including an episode where the entire camp was being shelled by [[Friend or Foe?|friendly fire]], and another where Father Mulcahy had to perform a tracheotomy on a wounded soldier in the back of a parked jeep at the side of a road while North Korean shells were falling all around him.
▲* [[Suicide Is Painless]]: The show's (and film's) theme song is the [[Trope Namer]].
* [[Surrogate Soliloquy]]: "Hawkeye"
* [[Tanks, But No Tanks]]: An interesting example. In the finale, a wounded tanker drives an [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/M24-Chaffee-latrun-1.jpg M24 Chaffee light tank] into the compound, destroying the latrine in the process. The tank begins drawing enemy mortar fire, so Klinger erects a tent to hide it. It doesn't work, and the mortar crew resumes firing on the camp, and Hawkeye drives it out of the camp. The tank he drives out is an
* [[The Tape Knew You Would Say That]]: In the "M*A*S*H Olympics" episode, Potter goes on the PA to announce daily calisthenics. Knowing what kind of reaction his announcement would get, he waited a beat and added "Same to you."
* [[Team Dad]]: Potter and Henry Blake.
* [[Technical Pacifist]]: Father Mulcahy, as a priest, chaplain, and medic, is forbidden from engaging in combat. That doesn't stop him from dropping a few folks with that right hook of his when the need arises.
* [[Telegraph Gag STOP]]: Used when Hawkeye sends a telegram to his family to let them know he is alive and safe. He even recites his intended message to Klinger, using TELEGRAM SPEAK STOP. He also integrates the STOP directions into his message, "Thinking of selling my golf clubs? STOP!"
* [[Temporary Blindness]]: Hawkeye (and, in another episode, Temporary Deafness for Klinger).
** Which leads to one of Klinger's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|CMOA's]].
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* [[Two Lines, No Waiting]]: Frequently, especially in later seasons.
* [[Tyrant Takes the Helm]]: Frank Burns, whenever he's given temporary command of the camp. Col. Potter could be considered something of a [[Bait and Switch Tyrant]].
== U-Z ==
* [[Ultimate Job Security]]: No matter what zany scheme Hawkeye pulls off or what general he offends, they need him as a doctor.
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** Occasionally moved into the realm of [[Vitriolic Best Buds]], whenever Hawkeye or BJ would have an actual problem and Winchester's empathy would kick in, and likewise Hawkeye and BJ both admitted a respect and care for Charles they never displayed for his predecessor Frank.
** Then there were those times when one of them (usually BJ) would form a [[Strange Bedfellows|temporary alliance]] with Charles, either against the remaining Swampmate (usually Hawkeye) or some other character.
* [[Wrote the Book]]: Hawkeye wrote the book on the appendix. (He even wrote the appendix, but [[Executive Meddling|they]] [[
* [[Yank the Dog's Chain]]: "Ceasefire"
* [[You Are in Command Now]]: "Carry On, Hawkeye"
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{{reflist}}
{{TV Guide's 50 Greatest}}
[[Category:World War I]]▼
{{Best in TV: The Greatest TV Shows of Our Time}}
[[Category:American Series]]
[[Category:The Fifties]]
[[Category:Dramedy]]
[[Category:TV Series]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 1970s]]
[[Category:Live-Action TV of the 1980s]]
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