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Contents 1 The One Where Henry Left 2 Caption 3 Laugh Track 4 Image 5 Hot Lips 6 "most watched episode" 7 Format 7.1 Choice 1 7.2 Choice 2 7.3 Choice 3 8 Question 9 Not a continuity error 10 Problems with this article 11 Continuity Errors 12 Another errors 12.1 Question about potters horse 12.2 M*O*S*H 12.3 Obituary 12.4 No Black Surgeons in Korea 13 Jumping the shark 14 M*A*S*H vs. MASH 15 MASH in alternative Timeline 16 What ep is this? 17 trivia thought

[edit] The One Where Henry Left

Guys, I don't think that episode is written by Alan Alda, as it says in this article. At least, it is not credited to him on the DVD. Anyone know any better?

Well, the article only says Alda wrote the bit at the end. It does not say he wrote th erest o fthe article.--Purpleslog 03:36, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Caption

The "goodbye" caption says "infamous" when it should read "famous". This is elementary word usage, I am going to correct this part. --Derinrob99 18:54, 11 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Could someone change this (Ive never edited an article and dont want to mess it up). According to both Mash4077.co.uk and IMDB they both say the episode was written by Everett Greenbaum & James Fritzell. The official site doesn't list the episodes in that much detail.

[edit] Laugh Track

Question - did they always have "canned" laughter from the first episode. (Aside from the surgery scenes of course!!) Answers to dunlop.sam@mtvne.com

• It's on the DVDs (so is the version without it). Because MASH was filmed like a movie they couldn't use a live audience, so the network insisted on a canned laugh track.

• It was always shown on BBC television without the laughter track; I think it works much better without it and was very pleased to find it could be switched off on the DVDs. jamesgibbon 00:25, 26 Jun 2005 (UTC)

On the DVDs we have, the canned laughter is automatically there for the first five seasons (but able to be turned off) and non exsistant after that. My parents say thats the way they remember it on TV too.--The Wizard of Magicland 13:18, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image

I moved the Season 1 image over to the right, and placed it in a thumbnail. I did that because I thinks it looks better that way.

Also, I don't really remember Maj. Houlihan's "Hot Lips" nickname really getting that much use during the show, certainly not to the extent that it was used in the movie. Even in the first seasons it didn't really seem to me that it got that much use, and once Holihan's character evolved in the later seasons you almost never heard that. From what I remember, most times the doctors would call her Margaret.

JesseG 04:32, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Hot Lips

Margaret is called "Hotlips" a couple of times in the early seasons (72 - 74), I remember her angrily stamping her foot in the mess tent.

Wasn't Houlihan another gaffe? As I heard the movie, as she gets off the 47, Henry introduces her as Major Margeret O'Houlihan. Confirm? Trekphiler 03:33, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

He does, but since it is Henry Blake it is an error made by the character. Throughout, she is called Houlihan, as well as in the credits.Shsilver 14:03, 9 December 2005 (UTC)

One should probably also bear in mind that the Television Series and the Movie are considered two drastically different continuities.Merle Whitefire 15:32, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "most watched episode"

The link in Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen which states that it is still the most watched episode of all time pointed to a non-existent page at Reuters. I have replaced it with an article at the Washington Post which mentions it in passing. I'd welcome a slightly more on-topic link. MrItty 16:02, 16 Nov 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Format

Should Corporal Walter (Radar) O'Reilly become Corporal Walter O'Reilly or Walter O'Reilly? Should Hawkeye Pierce become Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce, Captain Benjamin F. Pierce, Captain Benjamin Pierce, Benjamin Franklin Pierce, Benjamin F. Pierce, or Benjamin Pierce? Should Trapper John McIntyre be Captain John Xavier McIntyre, Captain John X. McIntyre, Captain John McIntyre, John Xavier McIntyre, John X. McIntyre, or John McIntyre? Should Major Frank Burns be Major Frank M. Burns, Major Frank Marion Burns, Frank M. Burns, Frank Marion Burns, or Frank Burns? - 68.72.119.26 06:39, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Choice 1

Include the full name of the character.

• Choice 1.1: Include the middle name.
  • Choice 1.1.1: Spell out the middle name.
  • Choice 1.1.2: Use the initial.
• Choice 1.2: Include only the first and the last names.

[edit] Choice 2

Include the title/rank of character.

• Choice 2.1: Include titles, such as Captain, Major, and Colonel
  • Choice 2.1.1: Spell out the ranks
  • Choice 2.1.2: Use the abbreviations, such as Lt. Col.
• Choice 2.2: Include other parts of the name, such as III, Jr., or Dr.

[edit] Choice 3

Include their nicknames which they are more commonly known by.

• Choice 3.1: Include it without any marks/signs around it.
• Choice 3.2: Include it with parenthesis around it.
• Choice 3.3: Include it with quotation marks around it.

I think that we should leave it as it is because some people might not know that Walter O'Reilly is Radar without that in the middle and same for Hawkeye. Whether or not you say what B.J. stands for isn't as important. I would say use choice 3.3 if I had to choose. ~Isabel123~

Maybe add redirection pages for all of them? MichaelBillington 07:09, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question

In the pilot episode it reads "Korea, 1950--a hundred years ago" at the bottom of the screen. What's that supposed to mean? The series certainly doesn't take place a hundred years ago.

• It's a joke. It's also a reference to the fact that the film -- on which this was all based -- was meant to be about Vietnam, by way of analogy. Being tongue-in-cheek about when the Korean war actually happened helps this suspension of disbelief. Or at least, I suspect that that was the thinking. It got far, far too tied into the Korean people, their customs, morals, and society, and became its own animal. User:neilfein 22:35, 1 oct 2005 (EST)

[edit] Not a continuity error

Harry Morgan appeared on MASH in the episode The General Flipped At Dawn, a guest appearance as Major-General Beford Hamilton Steele (first episode of season 1974-75). Later, Morgan became a regular cast member (beginnig in season 1975-76), as Colonel Sherman T.Potter. As these are two different characters, there's no continuity error. Does anyone agree? GoodDay 00:28, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

I still consider it a continuity error, or an error of some sort. If you want to move it to trivia, that's fine with me, though. Pfalstad 02:50, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

• I don't see it as a continuity error. Look at it this way: There's two guys in the US Army in Korea who happen to look alike. They have different names, different ranks and different jobs. In the continuity, they look alike, but that's it. It's entirely possible. Hell, maybe they're identical twins, separated at birth. A continuity error would be casting different people in the same role. I dunno if you can really call it an error at all. A quirk, an oddity maybe. -Le Scoopertemp [tk] 19:23, 19 November 2005 (UTC)

Can't argue with that.  :) But don't delete it, move it to trivia. Pfalstad 01:16, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Someone has just edited the Article, regarding Harry Morgan (having played both Steele & later Potter), moving it to the Trivia section. However, I've just notice that this info, is already listed under the Trivia section. GoodDay 17:19, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

• D'oh... I moved it (see the edit history) but didn't look to see if it was already there. I'll fix it up, as I've also just watched the episode and noted that the ultimate fate of the general isn't quite correct. -Le Scoopertemp [tk] 21:46, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Great edit "Scoops", that's exactly what happend to Steele. Oh by the way, I've mispelled Steele's first name (Nov.19/2005), it's Bartford not Beford, "What a dance, they all say..." GoodDay 22:58, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Problems with this article

I'm afraid don't have time to make major edits to this page, so here's a little constructive (I hope) criticism:

For a 36k page, the article could do a better job of explaining what the show is about. The synopsis, for example, isn't a synopsis. It assumes a familiarity with the show, which some readers might not have.

The "Main characters" and "Recurring characters" sections should probably be near the start of the article, with details of each. It makes little sense to list the actors first, since Alan Alda et al are not, in fact, characters in M*A*S*H.

I've made some fairly drastic deletions to the "Trivia" and "Continuity errors" sections. The trivia section, particularly, is too long for a trivia section anyway - about a third of this article. The pieces deleted were badly written and non essential, so please rethink the phrasing before re-instating any of them. TheMadBaron 20:17, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Continuity Errors

It's fiction! Not everything in the show happened in real life! So the story about the North Korean pilot defecting is not an anachronism. The fact that it didn't actually happen is just trivia. Pfalstad 22:09, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Another errors

• MASH had a Japanese American Nurse in the series-ignoring the

fact that Korea was just emerging from being explioted by Japan as a second class country from 1910 to 1945. Did the 4077 actually have Japanese AMericans on Staff???

• • The character of Spearchucker was removed from the series on the basis that there were no Negro surgeons in the Korean War; the character of Nurse Kellye was retained to the end. Presumably, the producers did their research equally well for both cases.
• Also Hawkeye was from MAine and C.E.W. III was from Massachusetts-where are their NEW ENGLAND ACCENTS??
  • David Ogden Stiers certainly affects a Boston accent for his character. I find it more strange that he derides the American League when following the baseball scores in A War for All Seasons. As a Bostonian, he would cerainly be aware of the Red Sox (American League champions in 1946 and one-game-behind runners-up for the pennant in 1948 and 1949. The Red Sox are, of course, an AL team.
• LAstly Lt. Col H. Blake- the only reference he makes to prior Korean war sercive is a remark that "In command School they taught me young men die" -a real military Surgeon of his rank and age would have had ACTIVE WORLD WAR II SERVICE.
  • And he probably did. The selected quote is "All I know is what they taught me in Command School. Rule Number One is Young Men Die (etc)". Nothing in that either confirms or denies active service in WWII. Just because he served in WWII does not mean he was a Lt-Col at that time or that he commanded at that time - those things were probably given to him upon his reactivation for Korea. There is no reference anytime to Col.Blake or Maj.Burns having been drafted, unlike the captains.

In fact, it is likley given their ages, that BJ/Trapper/Hawkeye were given deferments in WW2 for medical schools and had army reserve obligations. The "drafted" part was just angry words. --Purpleslog 03:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

• ALso in regard to Colonel Potter-a real mismash. He was either

born 1890 or 1901; lives in ether Nebraska or Missouri (where is his accent?}; always wants to be a doctor yet joins the army during World War I and becomes a POW; after the war still wants to be a doctor yet joins the Horse Cavalry; in the mid 1930's retries from the army and becomes a doctor in 4 years; in World War II is in two different battlefields in the same year 1944 in either Guam in the PACIFIC or Battle of the Buldge in EUROPE.

I always assumed he was downsized outo fthe army after WW1 (it shrunk big-time) became a MD afterward and then rejoined the Army. If he was attached to calvary unit as a surgeon that would work.--Purpleslog 03:42, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Question about potters horse

when radar gave the horse to potter....the horse was refered to as "him"

in later shows, the horses name is Sophie...so how did the sex of the horse change?

Er... there were alot of doctors on the show? ...Then again it's probably just a continuity goof. Gohst 06:40, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

I'd put that down as a continuity goof. Either that or the doctors were too busy trying to catch and cure the horse to check! ;)--The Wizard of Magicland 13:25, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] M*O*S*H

Is this a misspelling or what?

• Just someone being silly. It's been changed back. Zaui 18:05, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Obituary

i wonder if anyone can tell me if they know of anyone of the main charatcers who are dead?

all i have is McLean Stevenson. who died of heart attack at 66. if any one could reply or e-mail it would be great!

You didn't sign or date this, but if you're really interested I suggest you try the internet movie database; they should have actor profiles that will tell you when/if they died and so on. That should help for the lesser characters, while http://www.mash4077.co.uk/actor.html ought to help with the main cast. They have profiles and tributes to the ones who have died since they left the show. According to that it's only McLean Stevenson and Larry Linville that have.--The Wizard of Magicland 13:29, 2 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] No Black Surgeons in Korea

I've heard the quote as both "No Black Surgeons in Korea", or "No Black Surgeons in Korean M*A*S*H units. Which was the original quote exactly?

While I haven't been able to confirm it, there is someone on Koreanwar.org who claims his father "Captain Frank "Doc" Woodson", was a black surgeon in both Tokyo and Korea. However even if he helped in Korea, it doesn't necessarily mean he was ever stationed in a M*A*S*H unit, it is unknown if he ever visited a M*A*S*H unit. Apparently he was mainly stationed in Tokyo.

http://www.koreanwar.org/html/units/8167med.htm

I highly doubt the person would make up stories about his own father, but it would be nice if we had more history on this surgeon.

Also I found some info on another black surgeon in Korea; Dr. W. Ferguson Reid http://www.library.vcu.edu/jbc/speccoll/civilrights/freid01.html

Who was also apparently a surgeon in Korea(again apparently never stationed in a M*A*S*H unit). Though he uses the term "Medical Unit". What kind of Medical unit is he referring to exactly?

"One year in Korea with the 1st Marine Division and another year at the United States Naval Hospital at Bethesda...when I was in Korea I was the only black surgeon in the group, in the medical unit that we were in."

It seems to mean that the whole "no blacks surgeons in Korea" thing may be the innaccurate paraphrase of what was actually said(the phrase stated in the Wiki being more accurate). That being said if there were black surgeons who were stationed or visited Korea during the war, I would be interested in knowing where they were stationed or were visiting during the war. Did any ever visit M*A*S*H units at all during the war?

[edit] Jumping the shark

I've taken out the jumping the shark phrase, rewriting it to something less problematic to support. Jumping the shark is very subjective, and as such does not add useful information. The Jumping the Shark, M*A*S*H page, with the reader poll voting for when it jumped the shark, shows rather mixed results for when it jumped the shark anyway. --Carboncopy 04:16, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] M*A*S*H vs. MASH

There doesn't seem to be any consistancy in how this phrase is used - on this page and on others on characters, actors etc. Should M*A*S*H be used in reference to the show, film, and book while MASH is used to identify any mobile army surgical hospital? Or am I simply missing the method of the madness? :-) Any clarification would be appreciated. --JustAGal 17:05, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

• Unless I'm mistaken M*A*S*H should be used for the show/movie/books while MASH is for the actual facility, yes. Staxringold _talk^contribs 17:08, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
  • Well, that's what I would have thought but after reading Talk:MASH (film) I'm more confused than ever! --JustAGal 18:08, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] MASH in alternative Timeline

• Too Bad that MASH tooks place 1950-1953-if it took place in the future-such as Star Trek-there would probably be an alternative timeline epsiode of the 1950's MASH in which Blake/Hawkeye/Trapper John/BJ/Radar and Klinger would find them selves in a Front line aid station with 24 hour casualities/no hot food/no showers/no booze; Burns would be a petulant Army bureaucrat/Potter vs. Winchester taking place in a stateside hospital-and MASH 4077 would be commanded by Houilian!!

[edit] What ep is this?

>or his continuing of a family tradition of anonymously giving
>Christmas treats to an orphanage. The episode featuring this
>tradition is considered by many fans to be the most moving in the
>series (more so >than even the loss of Henry Blake), as Winchester
>subjects himself to condemnation after realizing that “it is wrong
>to offer dessert to a child who has had no meal.” Isolating
>himself, he is saved by Corporal Klinger’s own gift of
>understanding. For the final moment of the episode, Major and
>Corporal are simply friends.

What's the name of this episode? Should be included w/description.

That would be season 9's "Death Takes a Holiday". That's one of my favorites when it comes to the Christmas episodes. Hope this helps, Hotstreets 19:29, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] trivia thought

In the beginning of the series, the helicopter shows a wounded person coming in and an arm hanging down. Sometime in the middle of the series, the arm doesn't hang down. I don't know when the change takes place though. Bekkie 04:12, 18 October 2006 (UTC)