When someone asks me when The M*A*S*H Historian Collection began, I typically say that it started in 2007 with a set of scripts. That is technically true, but there were M*A*S*H items that I purchased before the scripts. In 2002, 20th Century Fox began to release each season of M*A*S*H on DVD. Every six months, a new DVD set was released, for the next five and half years, I collected the DVDs of my favorite show until I had the complete series. I was not alone as fans still discuss the benefits of owning the DVDs, including the ability to turn off the laugh track. For me, this was the first time I had ever collected a series. Up to that point, I had to rely on my local Fox affiliate and the cable network FX to watch my favorite show. The DVDs brought M*A*S*H into the homes of millions and allowed new generations to discover the show. When it was announced that M*A*S*H was being released on DVD, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment sent out a press kit announcing the release of the series and the re-release of the original M*A*S*H film from 1970. Let’s take a deeper look at this press kit!
The release of M*A*S*H on DVD and VHS was a big deal in 2002. The series had previously been released on VHS by Columbia House in the 1990s, but the 2002 release was different. The Columbia House VHSs were organized by theme, so the episodes were not in order. The new DVD sets beginning in 2002 would release M*A*S*H season by season. So, for the first time since it aired, a M*A*S*H fan could watch the series in the order it originally broadcast. Affiliate stations and FX often showed the series close to broadcast order, but I learned as I watched the DVDs that episodes were always in order in syndication and some episodes were left out completely. As a fan, I was really excited to own all 251 episodes of the series, so I began collecting. I remember the commercials and print advertisements for the DVD release, and in order for all the fanfare to take place, 20th Century Fox had to promote it.
The press kit contains several informational items in addition to some fun gifts for the reviewer. The cover letter from Fox Home Entertainment is dated December 3, 2001, and it announced two things: 1. the release of a 2-disc special edition of the M*A*S*H movie from 1970, and 2. the release of a 3-disc set of M*A*S*H Season 1. Both DVDs were scheduled to hit shelves on January 8, 2002, so this gave reviewers a month to watch and review the DVDs. As with a lot of screener kits from this time, there are some cool objects in this kit in addition to the DVDs. This kit includes:
- A M*A*S*H Canvas Tote Bag
- M*A*S*H (1970) DVD
- M*A*S*H Season 1 (Disc 1) Preview DVD
- Press Material Envelope
- Fox Home Entertainment Cover Letter
- Press Announcement for Release of M*A*S*H Season 1 DVD and VHS
- “M*A*S*H Tidbits” Sheet (series)
- M*A*S*H (1970) Five Star Collection Press Announcement
- Original 1970 Production Notes (movie)
- “Suicide is Painless” Lyrics
- 4 Color Slides and Description Sheet (2 photos from the movie, 2 photos from the series)
The DVDs, press releases, photos, and “tidbits” sheets provided the reviewer with talking points they could use for their review articles or on their shows. Interestingly, this letter is addressed to “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies” which refers to famed movie reviewers Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper. At the time, they would were hosting the series Siskel & Ebert.
As a fan who purchased these DVDs as they came out every six months between 2002 and 2006, I am excited to have this press kit in the collection. It is an important story of how fans could interact with M*A*S*H in a new way. When M*A*S*H originally aired from 1972 to 1983, being able to watch your favorite show any time you wanted was unthinkable. Fans watched M*A*S*H when it aired and, if they were lucky, when the episode reran in the summer. Over the following decades, they could watch the show in syndication or buy the Columbia House VHS tables. In the early 2000s, classic TV shows were being released on DVD for fans, and it allowed them to own their favorite shows and share them with others. Of course, M*A*S*H is streaming today and can be watched whenever we want, but owning a full series on DVD was a novel concept in 2002. The announcement of M*A*S*H being released in collections by season was a big deal, and this press kit was a great way to promote it. There are fun facts about the show in the press kit, but the inclusion of the DVDs of the movie and disc one of the series was enough to get reviewers interested and enlist their help in getting the word out. I’ve looked on IMDb at the episode guide for Siskel & Ebert, and I cannot find any evidence that they discussed this release in January 2002, but I remember their show being more focused on new movies and not the release of classics. Perhaps that is why this press kit has remained in tact for over 25 years!
The M*A*S*H Historian 
This is one of those “unless you were there when it happened, you can’t understand how exciting it was” moments. Not only could you own M*A*S*H instead of having to rely on syndication, but the DVDs were the first time I’d ever seen the complete, unedited episodes. Watching the pilot with the cold open and then the smooth transition to the opening credits was unbelievable. The quality was much better than the syndication, too. Watching on TV in the ’80s, things like Henry’s fishing hat didn’t really come through. I had no idea he’d speared his hand on a hook when he tried to salute! And in “Peace on Us,” it was almost impossible to tell they’d dyed their hair red. I get why people like the convenience of streaming, but I’ll never give up my DVDs.
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I agree! Every 6 months for 5 1/2 years, I looked forward to watching a new season of M*A*S*H! And there were new scenes too! The ones cut from syndication were put back in!
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