film – The M*A*S*H Historian

From the MAS*H Library 31: “Laughing Matters”

What is it? Gelbart, Larry. Laughing Matters: On Writing M*A*S*H, Tootsie, Oh, God!, and a few Other Things. New York: Random House, 1998. Why should M*A*S*H fans care? Larry Gelbart is the comedic and writing genius behind M*A*S*H. He is widely credited with the success of the series and with its longevity. Even though he left the seriesContinue reading “From the M*A*S*H Library 31: “Laughing Matters””

MAS*H-ish 9: MASH Film 30th Anniversary Reunion (2000)

January 25 marks the anniversary of the release of M*A*S*H (1970) in theaters across the United States. When the movie was released, it was not expected to perform well, and its low budget was evidence of that. However, events of the late 1960s and early 1970s, specifically the Vietnam War, led to the dark satireContinue reading “M*A*S*H-ish 9: MASH Film 30th Anniversary Reunion (2000)”

MishMASH 19: Banning MASH

When the series M*A*S*H debuted in 1972 on CBS, it was the third act in M*A*S*H reaching American audiences following the successful Robert Allan film and the Richard Hooker novel. However, M*A*S*H wasn’t only released in the United States, and it wasn’t an instant classic. In its first season M*A*S*H did poorly in the ratings,Continue reading “MishM*A*S*H 19: Banning M*A*S*H”

MishMASH 14: “Song from MASH”

I know what you are probably thinking…”Song from M*A*S*H“?! That isn’t its name! And you’re right, it’s not. But the name of the theme song from M*A*S*H is not known by many people because it was often sold as “Theme from M*A*S*H” or “Song from M*A*S*H” since the full name is “Suicide is Painless.” IContinue reading “MishM*A*S*H 14: “Song from M*A*S*H””

MAS*H-ish 4: MASH (1970) Pressbook

When the movie MASH debuted in January 1970, it was an unlikely hit in the midst of the Vietnam War. Add that MASH was a comedy, and it seemed even more crass than a film about war at the time. While the movie was about the Korean War, the anti-war commentary was just as applicableContinue reading “M*A*S*H-ish 4: MASH (1970) Pressbook”