# M\*A\*S\*H (TV show) is 40! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 18, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034 "2012-09-18T02:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/1 "2012-09-18T02:09:43Z")
M_A_S\*H, the TV show about the 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, based on the movie by Robert Altman and the book by Richard Hooker, is 40 years old today. It first aired on September 17, 1972 on CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/2 "2012-09-18T02:14:01Z")
Still one of my favorite shows of all time. I know it got preachy towards the final few years, but I still liked the characters quite a bit and is the only show from the 70’s I still enjoy today. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/3 "2012-09-18T02:18:05Z")
MeTV is showing the pilot episode right at this moment. I remember when the final episode came on, I had to work that night. Fortunately my boss was an early VCR adopter and taped it for me and allowed me to watch it later at her house. ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/4 "2012-09-18T02:58:57Z")
Aw, the early Radar was so much cooler than the later Radar. ---
**Author:** ![HansH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@HansH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HansH)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/5 "2012-09-18T13:53:32Z")
MASH is like Olver and Hardy or Chaplin’ movies, you can look at it once at several years and still enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/6 "2012-09-18T14:33:33Z")
We held a M_A_S\*H marathon one evening when my teenage nieces were up here last spring, and they laughed all the way through it. It’s held up really well, mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/7 "2012-09-18T20:33:20Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > Aw, the early Radar was so much cooler than the later Radar. Yeah, they really dumbed Radar down over the years. My theory is that it was in retaliation for Gary Burghoff being such an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/8 "2012-09-19T00:19:41Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Yeah, they really dumbed Radar down over the years. My theory is that it was in retaliation for Gary Burghoff being such an asshole. He was? ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/9 "2012-09-19T03:19:42Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > He was? I’ve heard rumors that he was hard to work with on _MASH_, but I’ve never heard the specifics. I do know he was unbearable to watch on _Match Game_, especially during his extended substitution for Charles Nelson Reilly. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/10 "2012-09-19T18:07:59Z")
I have all 11 seasons on DVD, and my kids (not just my wife and myself) love watching it over and over. It holds up VERY well. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/11 "2012-09-19T18:13:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > He was? According to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=665725) he was. I was just riffing on that. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/12 "2012-09-19T18:30:03Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > MeTV is showing the pilot episode right at this moment. Is it about boxing? ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/13 "2012-09-19T18:36:01Z")
The pilot episode was the raffle where the prize (a pass to Tokyo? with a nurse) went to a Father Mulcahy that was not William Christopher. ---
**Author:** ![DZedNConfused](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dzednconfused/32/15991_2.png) [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/14 "2012-09-20T00:04:30Z")
According to Wikipedia’s entry: As summed up by one of the principals: 'Gary had personality problems. He always felt there was a conspiracy against him. He was rude to everyone, but if anyone ever said anything back to him, he’d throw a tantrum. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary\_Burghoff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Burghoff) ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/15 "2012-09-20T00:33:19Z")
it got too preachy more than once, but over-all I loved it. in general I liked the earlier ones when they were just flat-out silly. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-a-s-h-tv-show-is-40/635034/16 "2012-09-20T01:20:57Z")
Fascinating stuff about Gary Burghoff, folks. I had no idea. Thanks. 🙂