Press Pass 18: “M*A*S*H Move is Almost Like Starting New”
The first season of M*A*S*H was not a ratings success. Far from it, in fact. But the show’s second season was more successful and finished the year solidly in the top ten in ratings. While M*A*S*H did see some ratings success during the summer re-runs, it was CBS’s decisions to…
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Script Spotlight 18: “Radar’s Report”
Typically I try to choose a script that is related to an event or holiday that is coming up. However, there isn’t much happening in March besides St. Patrick’s Day and the beginning of spring. So this week I decided to pick a random script from the collection to review.…
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MishM*A*S*H 18 (Follow-Up): The Officers’ Club Sign
On Monday, I published a look behind the scenes at the Smithsonian in which I featured a number of items including the “M*A*S*H 4077” sign that appeared in Officers’ Club. In my original post, I stated that the names on the sign appear to have been created by the art…
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MishM*A*S*H 18: Behind the Scenes at the Smithsonian
UPDATE (3/9/2023): I apologize because I made a mistake in saying that none of the names on the “M*A*S*H 4077” sign in the Officers’ Club were real. Thanks to Dan Harrison, nine of the names have been identified, and more details on the sign can be found in this new…
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Press Pass 17: “It’s ‘Goodbye, Farewell and Amen’ to M*A*S*H”
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the M*A*S*H finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” It would be the most viewed television program ever to that point, and would gain critical success. The two-and-a-half hour finale ended the Korean War and allowed fans to say goodbye to their favorite characters. The last…
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Script Spotlight 17: “In Love and War”
Since last week was Valentine’s Day, it seemed fitting to look at a M*A*S*H episode with a love story at its core. As I was looking through the possible episodes, I noticed that I have two copies of the script for “In Love and War” (06×08). In this episode, Hawkeye…
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From the M*A*S*H Library 17: “Entertainment Nation”
What is it? Cohen, Kenneth and John W. Troutman, eds. Entertainment Nation: How Music, Television, Film, Sports, and Theater Shaped the United States. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2022. Why should M*A*S*H fans care? The Smithsonian is currently displaying (2023) the M*A*S*H signpost, and the exhibit catalog features the signpost and discusses M*A*S*H…
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MishM*A*S*H 17: M*A*S*H Signpost at the Smithsonian
In late January, I had the opportunity to visit the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. In December, a new exhibit featuring objects from television, movies, sports, music, and more opened at the museum. Entitled “Entertainment Nation,” the exhibit explores entertainment in the United States from the mid-1800s…
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M*A*S*H-ish 5: Battle Circus (1953)
“Long before M*A*S*H, there was Battle Circus. Made during the Korean War, this tribute to the indomitable human spirit takes an authentic, almost documentary-like look at the nurses and doctors who operated in the battlefront Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals. Major Jed Webbe (Humphrey Bogart) is a brilliant, hard-bitten Army surgeon…
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MishM*A*S*H 16: MAD Magazine
MAD is an American humor and parody magazine that began publication in 1952. With MAD, no topic is off limits. They tackle movies, television shows, politics, news makers, celebrities, and more. It is known for its over-the-top parodies and stylized artwork. Being featured in MAD was a point of pride…
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From the M*A*S*H Library 16: TV’s M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book
What is it? Solomonson, Ed and Mark O’Neill. TV’s M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book. Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2009. Why should M*A*S*H fans care? The title of this claims it is the “ultimate guide book,” and it is not wrong! This book is Suzy Kalter’s The Complete Book of M*A*S*H on steroids. The…
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Script Spotlight 16: “The Longjohn Flap”
Since we are now in the depths of January and it has been pretty cold, I decided to pull out a cold weather episode for this week’s post. There are several to choose from, but I was really excited when I saw that I had a script for “The Longjohn…
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Press Pass 16: 1976 Emmy Award Nominations
Entering a new year, television show runners begin to turn their attention to award season, specifically the Emmy Awards. This was no different when M*A*S*H was on the air in the 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, the awards were even more important then because there were only three major…
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Script Spotlight 15: “‘Twas the Day After Christmas”
Since today is the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in some parts of the world, there was only one episode that made sense for this week’s post: “‘Twas the Day After Christmas” (10×09). In this episode, the camp celebrates Boxing Day by having the officers and enlisted personnel…
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MishM*A*S*H 15: 1979 M*A*S*H Christmas Party Invitation
Each year, the M*A*S*H cast and crew had a Christmas party. There would be food, an annual gift, and, I would assume, great time! According to this invitation from 1979, the Christmas party was held on December 21st on Stage 9. The invitation says that a “name tag is necessary…
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The M*A*S*H Historian 