Press Pass 28: “Alda tells why M*A*S*H was a Success”

February 28, 2024 will mark the 41st anniversary of the M*A*S*H finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” There was a lot of anticipation for the two and a half hour finale, and over the next several months, I am going to use the Press Pass posts to highlight a few ways that the finale was previewed and celebrated. Last month, I featured a press release announcing a M*A*S*H related fundraiser in Dallas, Texas benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. This month, we look at a press release from TV Guide discussing Alan Alda’s thoughts on why the series was successful, and the release teases an article written by Alda in the February 12, 1983 issue of the magazine (M*A*S*H was the the issue’s cover story). He offers some interesting thoughts about the series, and his comments remain true today.

Dated February 7, 1983, this release likely came out at the same time as the February 12 edition of the magazine. In the release, they discuss Alda’s many roles on the show including actor, writer, and director. Alda wrote an article for TV Guide about a few of his favorite episodes from the series, and he discussed the difficultly he had narrowing down the list due to the variety of episodes the show produced. The episodes he highlighted include “Old Soldiers” (08×18), “The More I See You” (04×22), “Fallen Idol” (06×02), “The Party” (07×25), and a few others. While I do enjoy the episodes he discusses, Alda said one thing that stood out to me, “When I’m in the audience, I like comedy that admits life is not a cinch and tragedy that knows there is still laughter.” I think this is a very profound statement, and why I feel the series is hard to categorize. It isn’t strictly a comedy, nor is it a drama. An episode could be funny and sad at the same time, just like life.

Much of what Alda says is exactly why fans, young and old, still love M*A*S*H today. In fact, Alda’s discussion of the artistic range of the series including “comedy, drama, satire, burlesque, romantic comedy…” is very similar to what he said in M*A*S*H: The Comedy that Changed Television. It is interesting how his thoughts on M*A*S*H from 1983 are just as true in 2024. I believe the emotional range of the series is why people still watch. There is an episode for just about every mood. Need a laugh? There are genuine comedy episodes such as “Deal Me Out” (02×13). Need to cry? Maybe an episode like “War of Nerves” (06×04) will sooth your soul. In 251 episodes, there is truly something for everyone, and that is what made the series not only successful, but timeless.