mashhistorian - Tumblr blog

[mashhistorian]

AfterMASH has often been criticized for not capturing the “magic” of M*A*S*H. While that is largely true, there was one episode of AfterMASH that came close. The season one episode “Fallout” is about a veteran of atomic bomb testing who has cancer due to his exposure to the radiation. Learn more about AfterMASH and “Fallout” in this week’s post.

[mashhistorian]

The set designers on M*A*S*H used real Army tents in the series, but that didn’t make the set design any easier. They still had to determine how the furniture would be arranged and how the tents went together. These details were important logistically for filming. The art department used blueprints to aid in the building and arrangement of the sets. In this week’s post, I review a set of blueprints for the most famous tent on M*A*S*H: The Swamp!

[mashhistorian]

Happy birthday, Jeff Maxwell! M*A*S*H’s incomparable Private Igor Straminsky!

[mashhistorian]

Larry Gelbart has been praised as a writer of television, movies, and theater. He is credited with creating, writing, and directing on M*A*S*H, and in this week’s post, take a deeper look at Gelbart’s career as we look at his memoir: “Laughing Matters: On Writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a few Other Things.”

[mashhistorian]

Happy birthday, Harry Morgan (1915 - 2011), M*A*S*H’s Colonel Sherman T. Potter (and for one episode in season 3, the delightfully crazy General Bartford Hamilton Steele)

[mashhistorian]

When ��Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” aired in February 1983, the M*A*S*H series finale smashed all previous ratings records according to Nielsen. In this week’s post, read an article from March 3, 1983 announcing the record breaking audience of the M*A*S*H finale!

[mashhistorian]

Happy birthday, Wayne Rogers (1933 - 2015), M*A*S*H’s Captain “Trapper” John Francis Xavier McIntyre

[mashhistorian]

Happy birthday, Gene Reynolds (1923 - 2020), M*A*S*H co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director

[mashhistorian]

Since today is April 1, there was only one choice of M*A*S*H episode and script to review this month: “April Fools.” The episode is filled with April Fool’s Day gags, but the ultimate prank is played by a surprising member of the 4077th! Learn more and see the script in this week’s post, and that’s no April Fool’s!

[mashhistorian]

Mike Farrell’s memoir, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist, offers a deep dive into his acting career, personal life, family, and the causes that he has championed for decades. It is a must read for M*A*S*H fans and fans of Farrell. Learn more about his memoir in today’s post!

[mashhistorian]

In the 1990s, when a television station bought a M*A*S*H syndication package, they would receive a syndication kit with series information, episode synopses, cast biographies, photos, slides, and promotional materials. They received all of the materials they needed to successfully promote M*A*S*H in their local market. In this week’s post, see a syndication kit from 1990 and all of its contents!

[mashhistorian]

Happy birthday, Burt Metcalfe (1935 - 2022), M*A*S*H’s only producer to work with the series for all 11 seasons (associate producer then executive producer)

[mashhistorian]

On February 28, 1983, the M*A*S*H finale aired on CBS, and millions of people tuned in across the country. For many, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” was more than a family gathering. It was a chance to gather with fellow fans of the series and watch the finale together! In this week’s post, see photos from a few of these “M*A*S*H bashes” and video from an Iowa M*A*S*H finale party!

[mashhistorian]

This week, we take a look at one of my favorite episodes in the series, “Dear Sigmund.” The balance of comedy and drama illustrate what made M*A*S*H so great. In fact, this is the episode that I recommend to people who have never seen the series before because I feel like it demonstrates how M*A*S*H could have you laughing in one scene and crying in the next. We will also look at not one script, but four!

[mashhistorian]

Today marks the 41st anniversary of “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” airing on CBS. The record breaking finale closed out the eleven year run of M*A*S*H and brought an end to the Korean War. The final scene of the series with “Goodbye” written out in rocks, a message from B.J. to Hawkeye, with the broken down 4077th in the background has become an iconic image.

[mashhistorian]

Tomorrow marks the 41st anniversary of “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” and the end of M*A*S*H after eleven seasons. It was a tremendous moment in television history, so how was it covered in this press? In this week’s post, we review a collection of national and local magazines and the build-up to M*A*S*H’s grand finale!

[mashhistorian]

Sad news for the M*A*S*H community. Dan Wilcox, writer and producer, passed away last week at the age of 82.