Is MASH worth watching?

It's worth watching. Not every single episode is going to be first rate (the show was on for 11 years) but it's worth watching.

My fav seasons are the earlier ones with Henry Blake, Trapper and Frank Burns. But I've watched them all.

Incredibly boring.

It's great in the beginning, until it gets all preachy. Once the totally-unfunny Mike Farrell comes on, it's unbearable.

By the fourth season, it becomes all about caring. And also, sharing.

The early seasons are more like the movie, which means great.

The later seasons, not so much.

I actually liked a lot of the later shows, which certainly had more depth than the earlier. ones. I did get sick of all the episodes where the MASH crew were always trying to "help" somebody. In one of the earlier shows they helped a soldier get a nose job (?). And yes, Hawkeye and later B. J. could get so sanctimonious it was sickening. I was a kid when this show came on; I used to think Hawkeye was pretty cool. When I got a little older I realized he was a total asshole. I always liked sweet Henry Blake. It's kind of hard watching the shows that feature him, knowing his ultimate fate.

I haven't seen the movie. Do I need to see that first, or I can I just dive right into the series?

What modern comedies have a similar sensibility? (For the record, my favorite comedy is Parks and Rec, but I also really like Arrested Development, 30 Rock, Community, Veep- to name a few.)

[quote]I always liked sweet Henry Blake. It's kind of hard watching the shows that feature him, knowing his ultimate fate.

You mean knowing he was a miserable alcoholic wife-beater in real life fate?

It's dated, but still good TV, and it's nothing like the movie, much softer edged.

"You mean knowing he was a miserable alcoholic wife-beater in real life fate?"

You're saying McLean Stevenson was a "miserable alcoholic wife beater in real life?" Well, I certainly never heard that. Where'd you find that out, The National Enquirer?

I always confused McLean Stevenson and Conrad Bain.

The wife beater was Harry Morgan.

Harry Morgan played two different characters on the show.

Lousy cup of coffee speech I did for my drama school audition!

[quote]later B. J. could get so sanctimonious it was sickening.

FUCK YOU

"Harry Morgan played two different characters on the show.'

Yes, in one of the earlier episodes he played a totally crazy colonel visiting the 4077th. Several actors played multiple roles on the show, especially the Asian ones.

[quote]Several actors played multiple roles on the show, especially the Asian ones.

Except they weren't Asian

"Except they weren't Asian."

Mako was Asian. He was on at least three episodes of MASH. He was Japanese, born in Kobe, Japan. Soon-Tek Oh was in several MASH episodes; he born in Japan, but raised in Korea. Are you saying that all the actors who appeared on MASH were born and raised in America? I truly don't think that's the case.

It lost its satirical edge in the second half when Alda took over and made it sentimental and kinda wushy-washy but the supporting characters were always great.

Klinger would be trans now, not pretending to be trans.

Yeah! Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould were at their prime.

Keep your eyes on Trapper John and BJ's crotches, especially when they're wearing scrubs. Both actors liked to go commando and it shows now and then.

I liked the episodes when Robert Alda guest starred, he was a much better actor than junior.

The first 3 seasons are great television. After that, not so much.

It was fine except for Loretta Swift and Alan Alda and Father Mulcahey

It takes itself way too seriously.

I agree the first three seasons are the best, a veritable master class on TV comedy writing. The fourth and fifth seasons are OK.

Also, the show was gay positive before it was cool.

I loved this show, even as a kid. I'll bet you'll enjoy it too, OP. It is also considered by many to be a realistic portrayal of MASH units. Many years ago I heard about an interview with an actual surgeon/officer from one. He said the show was bang on in every way but one: "More drinking."

Spoiler alert: it was a BABY!!!!

Much better after Henry died and Frank left; ceased being a silly vaudeville skit.

I looked at MASH on dvd a few years ago and was quite distressed by the sexism. There are all kinds of jokes about Margaret "Hot Lips" being a slut, in the earliest episodes.

It seemed "cool" back in the 70s, but think about it, it's not cool and it's not clever!

Has anyone seen the film?

What do y'all make of the plot line about the dentist wanting to commit suicide?

I had heard that Wayne Rogers left the show because, Alan Alda,, as a co-writer was giving himself all of the funny lines.

If this is true, what a selfish performer!!

Just think of a show like "Friends" where each character has funny lines in every episodee!

I don’t understand how they were able to make the show last for ten years, when the Korean War lasted for only three years.

Well, R33, the M.A.S.H. theme song is titled "Suicide is Painless." Since Painless is the dentist's nickname, you see?

Through early morning fog I see Vision's of the things to be The pains that are with held for me I realize and I can see

That suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please

The game of life is hard to play Gonna to lose it anyway The losing card I'll someday lay So this is all I have to say

That suicide is painless It brings on many changes And I can take or leave it if I please

R36, thanks for the lyrics.

I agree with all who have said it is a great song. And I think it was written by R.Altman's teenage so

R36, my question about what do y'all make of the "Painless Pole" dentist, referred to him being afraid he had "latent homosexual tendencies" and wanting to commit suicide for that reason?

If you can get it without the laugh track, yeah.

One thing I find remarkable about the show is that nearly everyone (It seemed) was cheating on the wife back home. Even good 'ol Beej had a one night stand with a character played by Susan St. James. Would something like this fly on TV today? In a comedy?

For some reason I thought Mike Farrell was cute!!

R38 that was only in the movie.

The character, played by tJohn Schuck, was also known for having a huge dick. Thus the "Pole" part of the nickname. I believe his reason for attempting suicide was that he'd found himself impotent. The "latent homosexual" thing was just a throwaway line.

What I actually never understood about that whole thing was they showed many men in the camp, including Radar, lining up at the shower to catch a glimpse of Pole's big dick. Those guys were all straight, or mostly straight, so it never made any sense to me.

The series finale Goodbye, Farewell, Amen (actually it's a self contained mini-film) drew and audience of 121.6 million, the highest ever rated program on US TV between 1983 and 2010. The series itself was sometimes great, sometimes not and often dreadful, but they did end it on a brilliant note with a sober look at the psychological scars of war.

I think Mike Farrell is hot.

R42 straight guys are as fascinated by big dicks as gay men.

Thanks R42. The "Pole" pun had been lost on me. lol

Great actor, that John Schuck.

And Elliott Gould as an Irish guy? I don't think so!!

Captain Walter Koskiusko "Painless Pole" Waldowski was the camp dentist and a buddy of Hawkeye Pierce who began having questions about his sexuality. Waldowski tells Hawkeye that he has suffered a "lack of performance" with a visiting nurse and now believes he has latent homosexual tendencies. "I'm a fairy. A victim of latent homosexuality. I've turned into a fairy." Soon after, he reveals his desire to commit suicide and seeks advice on which method to use. Hawkeye, Trapper and Duke (Tom Skerritt) suggest that he use the "black capsule" (a fictitious, fast-acting poison). At an impromptu Last Supper, Painless takes the capsule (actually a sleeping pill) and falls asleep in a coffin to the strains of "Suicide is Painless". Hawkeye then persuades Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider (Jo Ann Pflug), a nurse who is returning to the U.S. the following day, to spend the night with Painless and cure him of his problems. Director Robert Altman thought the "Last Supper" scene as written was inadequate and asked composer Johnny Mandel and his own 14-year-old son Mike Altman to come up with a song for the scene, and it had to be "the stupidest song ever written," and the title had to be "Suicide is Painless." Mandel wrote the music and mike Altman wrote the lyrics. The song became famous with the film and the music to the song became the theme music for the TV series. The dentist character was not included in the TV series as the producers considered him not essential to the overall story.

Lets not forget that Altman's teenage son Michael wrote the lyrics for Suicide Is Painless. They were chosen because his father thought they were realistically bad for someone in an army unit to have written.

Because the song was used for the theme of the TV show, Michael Altman made $2 million. Which is more than the $75,000 his father made for directing the film. And the lyrics were not sung on TV.

And Altman, who was responsible for the look and feel of the show, got not one penny from it.

I used to love to watch it with my mom in syndication. I saw every episode at least 6 times. But this was circa 1982. I'm afraid it hasn't really aged well. When I try to watch it now, I become disinterested very quickly.

I watched it when it was first run and began to really detest Hawkeye or was it Alan Alda? I'm not sure.

My sympathy was always with Winchester, played by David Ogden Stiers.

I can't remember how I felt when I first started watching, but by the end it was over the top pompous.

I remember reading that Jackie Cooper (former child star) who became a frequent director of episodes was furious when he asked some of the actors to visit wounded vets and they refused. (Cooper himself was a Navy veteran apparently.)

This was a further indication to me about how hypocritical this bunch was.

> He said the show was bang on in every way but one: "More drinking."

This is interesting but points to something I always wondered when watching this show: considering Hawkeye and his cronies were often half in the bag, what happened if half or more of the surgical team was drunk when a big wave of wounded showed up at the hospital? I do remember a later episode where Hawkeye felt he was drinking too much, but it never addressed this scenario.

To the poster who pointed out the misogyny of the early seasons: true. But the Altman movie was even that much more so. The way the doctors treat Houlihan in the movie at times verges on sexual assault. Of course, this was almost certainly a realistic depiction of military culture at that time. If anything, it was probably worse in real life.

To the OP, I'd suggest you watch the first season, and then decide if you want to keep watching.

I saw the movie when I was a teen.

It had a repulsive song with celebrated suicide. The movie was shocking, gruesome, foul-mouthed and ugly in every way.

I avoided every episode of the TV show. It looked cheap and unamusing with cheap, self-absorbed actors. It looked like one of those TV shows which have a laugh-track recorded by hyenas.

R52, I agree with you about the movie being misogynistic as well.

Kind of shows off the hypocrisy of the 1960s generation: the heroes we are meant to admire are anti-war and anti-racism. Yet it is A-Okay to be utterly sexists who treat women like whores.

And at the end of the movie, Houlihan has a fling with Duke: that bordered on nonsensical.

The reasons a lot of the film seems nonsensical is that Altman shot reams and reams of film and pieced it together from there. Note how JoANn Plug's Nurse Dish is already in the jeep waiting to leave when Hot Lips arrives even though the Painless scene doesn't happen for a while later. Altman always shot lots of film so there's probably scenes of Hot Lips and Duke getting to know one another. Ceryainly the ook on her face when Duke learns he's getting to leave at the end of the film shows she has real feelings for him.

And i think the crooked football game is absolutely hilarious. I love the film and it was perfect for the anarchic early 70s.

Eat a peach, OP.

R55, thanks for your thoughts.

Now I want to watch it again to see the Nurse Dish leaving in the jeep before the Painless suicide, but I no longer have the VHS copy of the film that I had purchased in Walmart for 5 bucks!

I have a question, though: in another film, that would be a continuity error, but in MASH, it's just the genius of Robert Altman?

Btw, I read the novel on which the movie and tv show were based. The first one, anyway, there may be several.

As I recall, there was a lot more medical content to the book! I don't really remember the drinking and hanky panky.

And Hawkeye was married, if I recall correctly.

FRank was a buffoon on the show but was downright evil in the film. The scene when he blames a soldier's death on Bud Cort and makes him cry is horrible. No surprise Frank is a big Christian.

Was the misogyny not just a reflection of the times the movie was portraying?

I hope so because Hot Lip's perm was not.

The novel the movie & tv show is based on is fun reading. Haven't seen the movie in ages, but the cast was great. For all its eventual success, the tv show had horrible ratings the first season and was almost cancelled.

R62, I like that the movie Maj. Houlihan (Sally Kellerman) and the tv show Houlihan (Loretta Swit) resemble each other so strongly!

The last episode is on at 12:30 today on the Canadian History channel.

R60, perhaps but Alan Alda was presented as this "enlightened" and sensitive male who was anti racism, anti war and sex positive (to use a term that did not exist back then!) in the best way.

The misogyny was all directed toward Maj. Houlihan who is a career army person, hence conservative.

So there you have it, ugly misogyny towards conservative women is perfectly fine to some liberals, even though feminism is on the top of their agenda.

And I am a liberal!

R61, lol about Hot Lips' perm!

Perms were in style in the 1950s for sure, but 1950s women's hair was much shorter than1980s hair!

Look at your mom's HS Yearbook if you want to see lots of really bad perms! (Well, only if you are old like me.)

No it’s boring

[quote] Is it worth watching?

Why do people start threads like this? It's a tv show. It's not a major lifetime investment. Just watch it. Mash is only a half an hour long. If you like the first episode, keep watching it. You shouldn't need a crowd's opinion to tell you this

R68, well, this was an interesting thread at any rate!

Anyone who is a fan of the tv show, I do recommend checking out the film.

Donald Sutherland is excellent as Hawkeye!

R31, Alan Alda was terribly annoying with his Groucho Marx imitations.