MishM*A*S*H 27: “M*A*S*H Greatest Hits” (1978 Cast Gift Record)

UPDATE (12/27/2023): Thanks to a reader, the episodes for two clips that I was unable to quickly identify have been found! The attached PDF file has been updated.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to review one of the cast and crew gifts that became an annual tradition on M*A*S*H. In June, I wrote about the two belt buckles that were gifts in different years. There were a number of other gifts over the eleven years including a drink set, a watch, and a record. This week, I want to focus on the record that was given to the cast and crew in 1978. The record has a holiday theme since it was likely given at the annual holiday party (see an invitation to the 1979 holiday party). It included 40 tracks, and most of the tracks are musical sequences from M*A*S*H, but there are a few unique recordings that seem to have been made just for this record. This week, let’s look at the record and the tracks that were on it.

The album included a custom record jacket. The front features an overview the 4077th from the helicopter pad. Wounded had just been removed from a helicopter, and the corpsman are working their way down to the main camp in Jeeps and on foot. The cover features a large red cross and the words “M*A*S*H‘s Greatest Hits.” From the front, you might think this was sold in a record store as a soundtrack for the series. However, when you turn it over to the back, that’s when you discover this is special. There is a standard Twentieth Century Fox copyright notice at the bottom, but it also states that the record is intended “For private use only and not for reproduction, sale, lease, performance in public or any other commercial use.” Not the typical wording on a late 1970s record!

The best part of the back of the jacket is the note from Alan Alda. He introduces the record as an album in which “the gutsy guys and gals of M*A*S*H crawl out of their foxholes and right into your hearts.” He comically previews the music on the record by stating that it will “set your teeth on edge.” Then, he introduces the performers on the record before joking, “Most of them have been asked by leading record companies to stay in Korea.” He closes his message by wishing the recipients of the record a happy holiday season. The fact that this was addressed from Alda is not surprising as it was customary on television series that the leading actor organize the annual gift for the cast and crew.

The record itself is double sided and features 40 tracks. The majority of the songs are from various episodes of the series up to that point (about half way through season seven). Then, there are a few extra tracks on the record that appear to have been recorded specifically for the record, but I’ll get to those in a moment. Side one has 24 tracks, all of which are from episodes ranging from season one to season seven. The first track is “The Army Song” from “Movie Tonight” (05×21), which is probably one of the most well known songs recorded by the M*A*S*H cast. Side two features 16 tracks and continues with musical numbers from the series and one quote from Hawkeye. At the end, however, there are two recordings that do not appear in the series. Loretta Swit singing “C’est Magnifique,” which she did sing in “Movie Tonight,” but this is a different rendition. Then, there is a recording of the cast signing “Angels We have Heard on High.” Since this was a Christmas album, I assumed this was recorded for this record. However, I recently reviewed the script for “Dear Sis” (07×14), and they were originally scripted to sing this song in the O.R. in the final scene, but it was not in the final episode. Perhaps this recording was intended for that episode. Finally, the record closes with the familiar instrumental M*A*S*H Theme, “Suicide is Painless.” (See the PDF below for a full track list.)

Unfortunately, I am not able to share the recordings from the record due to copyright and song licensing. However, I have listened to this record several times, and I listened again before writing this post. It is fun hearing a collection of the musical pieces from the series because for many I can visualize the scene in my mind. This was a great cast and crew gift, but I am sure Fox could have sold a M*A*S*H “soundtrack” in the late 1970s or early 1980s and have been successful. The 40 tracks range in length from under ten seconds to several minutes. Interestingly, based on my notes, it appears that season three is only season not represented on the record.

M*A*S*H writer Ken Levine wrote about cast and crew gifts December 2005, and he mentions the record. He also talks about the engraved watches the cast received another year. I do have one of the watches as well, but that is for another post! Seeing one of these cast and crew gift items is pretty rare as they were made in limited quantities and not available to the general public. The record may not be a watch or a custom belt buckle, but I feel like it captures the spirit of the show very well. There are a mix of funny, happy, and sad sound clips, and these are all emotions that M*A*S*H projected throughout its eleven season run. It is fitting that one of the final song titles on the record sends a message that is as true today as it was when the record was pressed in the 1970s and during the Korean War: “Dona Nobis Pacem.”