Press Pass 30: “M*A*S*H Bash” Press Photos and Video

Update (3/11/2024): Corrected the location of some of the press photos as they were all originally identified as being from the Houston, Texas area. The photos are from various locations, and I apologize for the error.

This is the final post in the series celebrating the 41st anniversary of “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” on February 28. The previous posts in the series have featured a M*A*S*H Bash benefit for MDA, a TV Guide article by Alan Alda, and a set of photo collages promoting the finale.

On February 28, 1983, the majority of Americans watched the final episode of M*A*S*H on CBS. The ratings proved this with just over 105 million viewers and a Neilson rating of 60.2. While the record number of 105 million viewers has been beaten (due to the increased population of the United States), the Neilson rating will likely never be matched in today’s fractured television world. The story many newspapers presented in the following days was American families gathered around their televisions watching “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” however, this was not the only way fans watched the finale. In many cities across the country, bars and hotels held events called “M*A*S*H Bashes” and the faithful filled facilities to watch the finale with other fans of the series. Many of these parties included contests and raffles all before they sat down to watch the two and a half hour finale. I have a collection of photos from M*A*S*H bashes, so let’s look at those images and a video from a local Iowa news station.

In the press photos collection, I have seven photos from M*A*S*H bash parties. These photos show fans of the series in costume watching the finale together. The photos were taken at local bars and hotels across the country including Doc Holliday’s, Mrs. O’Leary’s, Major Goolsby’s (Milwaukee, WI), and a Marriott hotel. (If you know the location of the bars and hotels in the photos, please comment below or contact me.) In the images, we see fans dressed as wounded, in fatigues, in M*A*S*H shirts, or dressed as their favorite characters. Everyone is all smiles for the camera, but in the photos, everyone’s attention was on the TV once the show began. The photos show that not everyone stayed home to watch the M*A*S*H finale, and in fact, Alan Alda has said that he believes the 105 million viewer estimate is low due to the fact that there were many gatherings like these across the United States on February 28.

As I was researching for this post, a CBS affiliate in Iowa, Iowa’s News Now, posted a video on YouTube from their archives that featured coverage from the night M*A*S*H concluded. The footage perfectly illustrates the atmosphere at the “M*A*S*H Bash” parties that were held in honor of the series. The on air report aired during the late news on February 28, and it showed fans gathering at a bar called The Field House in Iowa City. The reporter interviewed several fans, and highlighted the contests that they held including a Klinger look-alike contest! There were several Radar cosplayers as well since Iowa is the home state of the character. The reporter also interviewed fans dressed as Margaret and Father Mulcahy. There were some creative contests, and what impressed me most was that the bar appears to be full! One bar in Iowa City demonstrates just how big of an event “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” was across the country.

There are not many television events today that bring together people like the M*A*S*H finale did in 1983. The Super Bowl is likely the only event left where millions of people tune in, or attend Super Bowl parties similar to these “M*A*S*H bashes.” It’s sad to think how television could bring people together, yet today, there are so many choices that it is hard for one single show to break into the wider popular culture like M*A*S*H did. In 1983, there were only three networks, so that contributed to a collective pop culture surrounding television and the shows that were on. The concept of “must see TV” is something of the past. It seems the same can be said for parties for television finales, but we can look back and reminisce about the M*A*S*H bashes that once were.