As was pointed out upthread, MAS*H was a Vietnam movie disguised as a Korea movie. The sheer number of by the book regular Army clowns who hit the shit and came back with drastically changed perspectives is a little mind boggling by current standards. And the audiences were right there with it–it might help to know I first saw this movie at Camp Zama in Japan, first run, along with a bunch of soldiers who laughed like hyenas through the whole thing. I was like ten or eleven at the time so a lot of it went right over my head but I got enough of it to laugh along with. My dad was MEGA PISSED when he found out I went to see it too. Heh heh.
I was just thinking about this movie in regard to living cast members … and those who aren’t.
The actors for two minor characters died quite recently:
Danny Goldman who played Capt. Murrhardt died on the 12th from a stroke. We recently saw him when we re-watched Young Frankenstein. He played the annoying student in Victor’s class. Did a lot of voice over work but best known for doing Brainy Smurf.
Timothy Brown who played Cpl. Judson died on the 2nd from Covid-19. He also appeared as Capt. Oliver Harmon ‘Spearchucker’ Jones on the MASH TV series. He had been an NFL player prior to becoming an actor.
For a movie that came out in 1970, a surprisingly high percentage of the main cast are still alive. Of the first 12 listed on IMDb, only Roger Bowen, Rene Auberjonois and David Arkin have passed. And Auberjonois not too long ago.
Re: The OP.
Margaret’s last name is given as “O’Houlihan” on IMDb. But it appears to be “Houlihan” in both the book and the TV series.
Yeah, I FF thru much of the football game when I watch it.
Note that they also abuse Frank, steal a Jeep, blackmail a colonel, make unkind comments about the properties a nurse must have when working in close, talk a nurse into sleeping with a suicidal guy to cheer him up, cheat on their spouses, etc.
You expect them to be choirboys?
No, this is a suspension-of-disbelief moment for sure. It’s mostly there so we can have some comedy football hi-jinks.
Whom are you asking? This has nothing to do with what I’ve posted.
Wasn’t the original novel based on the author’s actual experiences serving as a surgeon in the Korean War, at least the first one? I wonder how he envisioned it.
I don’t know specifically about football during the Korean War, but during WWII there were armed forces teams playing for league championships in the Pacific Theater. So obviously they were able to obtain the necessary equipment.
There were college FB teams during WW 2 that were made up of Navy trainees such as this one at UNC
Anyone who hasn’t read the book is missing some fun–my favorite is at the end when they’re going home on a Navy boat and give their captain’s bars to some enlisted guys and explain to them how to do short arm inspection. Cracks me up just thinking about it. The sequels, though, don’t bother. Did not hold up to the original–lightning does not often strike the same spot more than once, literarily speaking.
IIRC, Maine isn’t all that bad if one can get past its implausible premise.
The key problem with the sequels is that, after Maine, the original author had virtually nothing to do with them.
As far as the football game went, past the time of the Korean War there were various Army post teams featuring former college players or NFL players doing an Army stint. So yes, I believe if the medical generals had an “in” to a capable football player, he’d be playing football.
The book and the movie were more anti authority than anti war. Original author Hornberger was a conservative. The surgeons were young arrogant guys who knew the Army was no threat to them because their skills were too valuable. To me they were assholes in the movie. Where Trapper is going at that nurse with the umbrella, I guess that was supposed to be funny or something. He was just being an asshole to me.
I love that book. I keep a copy of it by my bed because I frequently reread the chapter about “Moose” Lord.
But the subsequent sequels (and to be fair I gave up after the fourth book) felt like they were written by someone who had heard about the originals, but never read them.