# The only M\*A\*S\*H fan. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2003, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561 "2003-05-26T11:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![survivorology.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@survivorology.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survivorology.com)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/21 "2003-05-26T20:03:56Z")
M_A_S\*H did have an episode without a laugh track, pioneering for a comedy. It is the episode where Frank, Radar, Hawkeye and maybe one or two others take a bus and end up in North Korean territory. A North Korean turns himself in and fixes the bus. I remember that Frank was stashing away Hershey bars. I can’t remember more than that about the particular episode. What really hurt M_A_S\*H and caused it to lose its bite was the end of the Viet Nam war. And when Major Burns left the show. He represented the Army incompetence that the show thrived on. ---
**Author:** ![superstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f4b2a3/32.png) [@superstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/superstar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/22 "2003-05-26T21:29:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Pretty sure you’re not the only MASH fan… > > Of the four shows you listed, none were really contemporaries of MASH, which ran from 1972 to 1983: > > Bewitched (1964-1972) > I Dream of Jeannie (1965-1970) > Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967) > > Only Bewitched was even on, and that was during MASH’s first year and Bewitched’s final year. Gilligan had been off the air for five years, and Jeannie had been gone for two. > > You’re right, though, it was groundbreaking in many ways - war comedies previously had leaned heavily on slapstick, whereas MASH was a lot more intellectually driven and didn’t mind being dramatic from time to time. It was innovative and inspiring. \*\* Maybe in the US but probably not in OZ. We are a little behind the times down here. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/23 "2003-05-26T22:07:45Z")
I loved _M_A_S_H\*, but it went on for so many years, the actors ended up being much too old for their characters. By the time Gary Burghoff/Radar left, for example, he must have been the oldest corporal in the army. And those “young doctors,” by the time they got sent home, were pretty close to going into semi-retirement, and playing golf two or three days a week. Other long-running shows often run into the same problem. It certainly happened with _Seinfeld_, and it’s about to happen with _That '70s Show_ (catch a rerun of an episode from the first season, and look at how _young_ they look!). Only the characters on _The Simpsons_ manage to stay at their assigned ages. I wonder how they do it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/24 "2003-05-26T22:51:59Z")
Who knew the Korean War lasted 11 years? I stopped liking the show when Klinger stopped wearing a dress. Also, I hate being preached at, even if I agree with the message. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/25 "2003-05-27T03:12:37Z")
I loved M_A_S\*H, which ran in primetime from when I was a child until I was in college. I watched the final episode with my entire college choir somewhere in Ohio, where we were on tour. A great memory. Anyway, I always rationalized that the length of the Korean War was not parallel to real time; that is, the length of time the show was on didn’t necessarily mean we were seeing events chronologically. It was episodic. And anyway, it was entertaining. As a teen, Alda’s platform introduced me to some ideas, as opposed to vapid entertainment (Charlie’s Angels and Fantasy Island, anyone?). Mmm mmm mmm. '70s television. I absorbed practically ever ion of it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/26 "2003-05-27T03:36:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ellen Cherry \* > **Anyway, I always rationalized that the length of the Korean War was not parallel to real time; that is, the length of time the show was on didn’t necessarily mean we were seeing events chronologically. It was episodic.** Right you are. One episode took place over the entire year of 1951. ---
**Author:** ![Netbrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71e660/32.png) [@Netbrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Netbrian)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/27 "2003-05-27T03:45:35Z")
Hi! I’m fairly young, and was introduced to MASH by my parents. Right now we don’t get FX to catch the proper reruns, but by carefully rationing out the DVDs (which are awesome, what with the scenes usually removed and the option to dispose of a laught track), they’ve been continuing to watch it. I’m actually a fan of the later episodes, mainly because I thought Winchester was a far more interesting and human character than Burns, whom though decent in the very earliest episodes (like that one where he actually starts getting back at Hawkeye) quickly degraded into a caricature. Margaret also wasn’t a horribly believable character at first, and improved dramatically as the series went on. I do agree it occasionally gets preachy, but in general, I think it is a very good series. ---
**Author:** ![big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@big\_yellow\_kingswood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_yellow_kingswood)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/28 "2003-05-27T04:23:54Z")
Can anyone tell me why the first season DVD set’s second disc has a picture of BJ Hunnicut on it? Any why the picture on the first disc is of an OLDER Houlihan (when she had white hair)? The Hawkeye on the other disc may also be an older version… it’s kinda hard to tell though. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/29 "2003-05-27T04:31:54Z")
It was consistently well-written throughout its run, if heavy-handed at times. I don’t know about best sitcom, but it was certainly one of the best. Along with Cheers and Seinfeld, it sits high on the heap. ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/30 "2003-05-27T05:27:17Z")
The episode during the Blake/Trapper seasons that entirely took place in the OR didn’t have a laugh track. It’s the one where they are so backed up that when Sidney shows up for their card game they make him scrub in. It’s one of my favorite episodes and to me proves that the laugh track was unnecessary. That’s one of the strongest episodes from a writing and acting standpoint. I want the DVD sets of at least the first three season since those are my favorites, and I want to compare the rest of the series without the laugh track. I still enjoy most of the later seasons, but by the time they got to the “dream” episode and Winchester and Klinger (who seemed to live in that Mudhens jersey for the last couple of seasons) fussing like an old married couple the show was clearly past its peak. _M_A_S_H\* was part of a new movement of US sitcoms that pushed limits in the 70s. _All In The Family_ has been mentioned, but shows like _Maude, Good Times,_ and _Barney Miller_. While I still enjoy it, _Barney Miller_ has not held up as well as the other series mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/31 "2003-05-27T11:35:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by widdershins \* > \*\*While I still enjoy it, _Barney Miller_ has not held up as well as the other series mentioned. \*\* I grew up watching them both, and would now much rather tune into Barney Miller than I would M_A_S_H. I think that Miller’s changes in character retained much more of the flavor and interest of the early seasons, as opposed to M_A_S_H, which frequently went off in very odd and unreal directions toward the end. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/32 "2003-05-27T11:45:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by superstar \* > \*\*Maybe in the US but probably not in OZ. We are a little behind the times down here. \*\* Is it still in first runs there? 🙂 Sorry about that. Meant the US. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/33 "2003-05-27T14:52:15Z")
I didn’t care for “M_A_S\*H” the movie and wasn’t crazy about the novel by Richard Hooker, but I LOATHED the TV series. It was a lot like Alan Alda himself: smug, overly impressed with itself, and rather cowardly. Richard Hooker was not an anti-war liberal. On the contrary, he was a very conservative, patriotic American. He simply wasn’t the kind of patriot who ignored the dark, grim, and absurd sides of war. He described what he saw in Korea as accurately as he could, SOMETIMES with both gruesome and hilarious results. Hooker didn’t care whom he offended, and that was part of the novel’s small charm: no matter who you are, no matter what you believe in, and no matter what you hold sacred, there’s SOMETHING in Hooker’s book that will outrage you. And, to a lesser extent, that’s true of Robert Altman’s film, too. But the TV series was wimp-ified beyond redemption. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/34 "2003-05-27T15:00:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\* > Richard Hooker was not an anti-war liberal. On the contrary, he was a very conservative, patriotic American. > \*\* Those two statements aren’t contrary, though. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/35 "2003-05-27T15:50:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > \*\* By the time Gary Burghoff/Radar left, for example, he must have been the oldest corporal in the army. \*\* You are right about him being too old(it’s why he left), but he was a lieutenant by the time he left. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/36 "2003-05-27T16:32:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > \*\*You are right about him being too old(it’s why he left), but he was a lieutenant by the time he left. \*\* No, that was just a temporary thing. A sergeant from I-Corps owed Hawkeye after a poker game and offered him a promotion, which ended up going to Radar. Radar decided he didn’t like being a lieutenant and at the end of the episode he asked to be a normal corporal again. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/37 "2003-05-27T17:26:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Khadaji \* > \*\*MASH was OK, but lost its fun when Alda took creative control and turned it into a soapbox for his political agenda. \*\* This pretty much sums up my opinion. Once it got preachy, I ceased caring about it. To this day, I avoid anything with Alan Alda. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/38 "2003-05-27T17:36:22Z")
Well, I finally saw the series finale last night on FX!!! It’s good to have some closure! ---
**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:** [May 27, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/39 "2003-05-27T19:26:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*No, that was just a temporary thing. A sergeant from I-Corps owed Hawkeye after a poker game and offered him a promotion, which ended up going to Radar. Radar decided he didn’t like being a lieutenant and at the end of the episode he asked to be a normal corporal again. \*\* I humbly apologize for my incorrect correction. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561/40 "2003-05-27T20:09:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > \*\*I humbly apologize for my incorrect correction. 🙂 \*\* Truth be told, I couldn’t quite remember whether Radar got promoted (for real) before he left the series. Trivia time for the rest of you: which characters, if any, _did_ get promoted during the course of the series? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-m-a-s-h-fan/177561.md?page=3)