M*A*S*H- a season by season discussion!

You know, I'm re-watching series 7 at the moment and it's not bad at all...

 

Season 7's not bad- when it's good it's really good. Other than Hunnicut's mustache it sorta has the same feel as season 6.

In line with this discussion, oddly enough, the History Channel is currently on season 8 right now. So I'm sucking up the laugh track and syndication cuts and watching that every morning before my kid gets home from school. They showed "The Yalu Brick Road" and "Lifetime" this morning And, yeah, seeing Rizzo in "Yalu" I was like "They totally had this written with Zale in mind!". I forgot Mike Farrell wrote that episode...

 

They overdid it with parties interrupted by wounded. Adam's Ribs, Margaret's Wedding, Goodbye Radar. Mulcahy's corn in A War For All Seasons (how would Igor have known how to cream corn from scratch anyway?)

When did they not do it? Abyssinia Henry. Oh wait... (Henry's actual last words, on the plane. "I wonder why the wounded never... uh oh!") Of course, Radar set up Henry's "death" all the way. No one else ever saw those telegrams! He'd already pulled it with Tuttle, and Tuttle didn't even exist! Henry was a piece of cake. He didn't die anyway, per Mac's cameo on Cher, which I consider canon because he's wearing the fishing hat! Henry lives! His death will need to be retconned out anyway, since he lived in the books and they will need to collapse all of the M*A*S*H universes at some point, Crisis Of Infinite MASHes style.

So Radar's childlike behavior was all a ruse because he thought people started getting suspicious after Tuttle. Makes a lot more sense than anything else!

Anyway, as far as the two-parter goes, I'm pretty sure that was all due to network dictates and whatever money they threw at Burghoff to do those episodes. Also explained the change in billing. Burghoff didn't want to do it, the network kept upping the offer until he caved in.

 

Gary Burghoff continued getting a front credit for a few episodes after he left.

 

I am inclined to think that was the case- I wonder how much he got paid for "Goodbye Radar" and his cameos in "Too Many Cooks" and "Guerrilla My Dreams". Why do I have a feeling Burghoff got his usual season's wages for those three episodes...

True- sorta like how they still show the clean shaven Hunnicut in the intro of the early season 7 episodes.

 

I recall that not being true in the original airings. Some of the opening credit sequences (particularly season 5) are messed up quite a bit in the current rerun package, wrong shots are used from how they originally aired...and the theme is noticeably out of sync from the picture (pay attention to the chopper sound effects). For some reason the DVD's don't seem to have these issues.

 

I just started season 6. While the bit where Johnny Haymer's voice is overdubbed for another character in "Mulcahy's War" in Season 5 is very obvious, am I cracking up or is Haymer also overdubbed for the couple of lines that Jeff Maxwell has in "Fade Out, Fade In"? (Don't ask me why they'd do this, but give it a listen, assuming this isn't already MASH common knowledge.)

 

Yep, that's Haymer all right. I suspect that the boom mic didn't pick up Maxwell's lines as he's cleaning tables in the Officers' Club, and he wasn't available to loop the dialog later, so they just dubbed in Haymer.

In all of these years, over the many times I've seen that episode, I never noticed it until you just pointed it out.

 

"This must be my Kim Lucky day!"

 

Does this man ever not steal a scene he's in? Even at the garbage auction, his bid ("One buck!") comes out funny. And who knew (not me!) that he was a Korean War vet.

 

I love the way he adds a sense of awe to the phrase, "Hitler's pencil box..."

 

I will assume the DVDs have all correct opening sequences, though sometimes they're not 100% accurate for that season. And I believe Burghoff gets his "also starring" credit up until at least the "Lifetime" episode in season 8.

I find in the later seasons it's the actual theme music that gets confusing. The season 9 opener ("The Best Of Enemies") has a completely different theme than the rest of the season- subtle differences, but still noticeable. Not unlike the final season 1 episodes with their "sitcom theme" variation, a chopped up version of the end theme is used for the last few season 10 episodes (and a couple in season 11). A couple of season 11 eps also use a chopped up season 4 theme song, in addition to the season 10 theme and yet another brand new variation used in about half a dozen season 11 eps. As I recall these variations appear in syndication as well...mind ya, in syndication season three gets the season 1 and 2 theme instead of the same as season 4.

 

And speaking of season 9...

The ninth season of M*A*S*H aired Mondays at 9:00-9:30 pm on CBS.

Cast
Actor Role
Alan Alda Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Mike Farrell Capt. B.J. Hunnicut
Harry Morgan Col. Sherman T. Potter
Loretta Swit Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan
David Ogden Stiers Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III
Jamie Farr Cpl. Maxwell Q. Klinger
William Christopher Father Francis Mulcahy

Episodes
199 1 "The Best of Enemies" Charles S. Dubin Sheldon Bull November 17, 1980 Z-404
On his way to Seoul, Hawkeye is captured by a North Korean (Mako) who forces him to save his comrade. Meanwhile, Potter and Charles compete to find out who is better at bridge.
200 2 "Letters" Charles S. Dubin Dennis Koenig November 24, 1980 Z-403
The camp answers letters from fourth-graders in Hawkeye's hometown, and Hawkeye struggles to respond to a boy who holds doctors accountable for the death of his soldier brother.
201 3 "Cementing Relationships" Charles S. Dubin David Pollock and Elias Davis December 1, 1980 Z-401
Klinger supervises the creation of a cement floor in the OR, while Margaret is wooed by an amorous patient (Joel Brooks) from Italy.
202 4 "Father's Day" Alan Alda Karen Hall December 8, 1980 Z-405
Margaret tries to whip the camp into shape before her father (Andrew Duggan) comes for a visit.
203 5 "Death Takes a Holiday" Mike Farrell Story by : Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox and Burt Metcalfe
Teleplay by : Mike Farrell, John Rappaport and Dennis Koenig December 15, 1980 Z-408
The spirit of Christmas is felt at the 4077th during a truce as they throw a potluck party for the orphans. But when Hawkeye, B.J. and Margaret receive a mortally wounded soldier, they attempt to keep him alive until the day after Christmas for the sake of his wife and kids.
204 6 "A War for All Seasons" Burt Metcalfe Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford December 29, 1980 Z-409
The lives of the 4077th M*A*S*H unit are seen through all four seasons of the year after Potter's 1951 New Year's Eve party.
Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford received a Writers Guild Award nomination for this episode.
205 7 "Your Retention, Please" Charles S. Dubin Erik Tarloff January 5, 1981 Z-406
Klinger decides to reenlist after learning his ex-wife Laverne is marrying his best friend.
206 8 "Tell It to the Marines" Harry Morgan Hank Bradford January 12, 1981 Z-410
With Charles temporarily in command, Hawkeye fights for the cause of a Dutch immigrant marine about to be discharged.
207 9 "Taking the Fifth" Charles S. Dubin Elias Davis & David Pollock January 19, 1981 Z-407
Hawkeye uses a bottle of wine as bait for a date with a nurse, while Potter is mad at the Army for banning a certain anesthesia.
208 10 "Operation Friendship" Rena Down Dennis Koenig January 26, 1981 Z-412
Charles indebts himself to Klinger for saving his life during an explosion, while a specialist (Tim O'Connor) is brought in to treat B.J. for a Compartment Hemorrhage injury to his right wrist.
209 11 "No Sweat" Burt Metcalfe John Rappaport February 2, 1981 Z-402
The 4077th deals with a sudden heat wave in their own personal ways: Klinger disassembles the P.A. system, Charles goes through all of his tax returns and bonds, B.J. stresses over a letter from Peg, Margaret develops a severe case of prickly heat, and Colonel Potter can't get a good night's sleep.
John Rappaport received a Writers Guild Award nomination for this episode.
210 12 "Depressing News" Alan Alda Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford February 9, 1981 Z-411
Klinger finds the perfect story to start his unit newspaper when half a million tongue depressers are sent to the 4077th. In one scene, Alan Alda can be seen still wearing his blue, 1980's-style sneakers.
211 13 "No Laughing Matter" Burt Metcalfe Elias Davis & David Pollock February 16, 1981 Z-413
B.J. challenges Hawkeye to go through one day without making any jokes, while Charles confronts the colonel who sent him to Korea. Robert Symonds reprises his role as the colonel after playing it in the season 6 episode "Fade Out, Fade In".
212 14 "Oh, How We Danced" Burt Metcalfe John Rappaport February 23, 1981 Z-414
Hawkeye plans a surprise for B.J.'s wedding anniversary, while Charles offends a hot-tempered frontline officer. Catherine Bergstrom plays B.J.'s wife Peg.
213 15 "Bottoms Up" Alan Alda Dennis Koenig March 2, 1981 Z-415
Margaret is worried that her friend and colleague (Gail Strickland) has been drinking, while Hawkeye is a social pariah for embarrassing Charles too much during surgery.
214 16 "The Red/White Blues" Gabrielle Beaumont Elias Davis & David Pollock March 9, 1981 Z-416
Potter is given too much kindness when word gets around about his blood pressure, while Klinger has an adverse reaction to medicine.
215 17 "Bless You, Hawkeye" Nell Cox Dan Wilcox & Thad Mumford March 16, 1981 Z-417
Potter calls Sidney for help when Hawkeye keeps sneezing nonstop.
Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford received a Writers Guild Award nomination for this episode.
216 18 "Blood Brothers" Harry Morgan David Pollock & Elias Davis April 6, 1981 Z-421
Hawkeye discovers troubling news regarding a patient's (Patrick Swayze) blood test, while Father Mulcahy works his heart out to prepare the camp for a visiting Cardinal.
Harry Morgan received a Directors Guild Award for this episode.
217 19 "The Foresight Saga" Charles S. Dubin Dennis Koenig April 13, 1981 Z-422
Potter's feeling down when his eyeglasses break, while a letter from Radar and fresh vegetables make everyone else happy.
218 20 "The Life You Save" Alan Alda John Rappaport & Alan Alda May 4, 1981 Z-418
Charles becomes obsessed with death after surviving a near-fatal sniper attack.

 

According to Harry Morgan, the wheels started coming off the M*A*S*H series in season 9. It's not bad -probably on par with season 8- but it's probably the first season where the episodes tended to focus more on the main characters' individual problems and not on the actual war, medicine etc. "Father's Day" and "Oh How We Danced" are probably the biggest offenders on that score. Continuity is thrown out the window in "A War For All Seasons". The only episode here I really don't care for is "Bless You Hawkeye". "Taking The Fifth", "Bottoms Up" and "The Life You Save" are my favourites.

As decent as some of the episodes are I think it's safe to say that generally speaking there's really nothing of the standard/quality of the series' early seasons to be found here. It really is like a completely different show by this point.

 

My least favorite season...though I find "No Sweat" to be the funniest episode of the last four years.

 

The scene where Potter is rambling incoherently about Margaret's prickly heat over the newly fixed PA is a hoot for sure.

I think what stands out most for me about season 9 is how much of a prick BJ can be at times. Especially when it comes to how mean spirited his practical joking can be. His endless goading Hawkeye into making jokes in "No Laughing Matter" isn't one of Hunnicut's finer moments. Being a bit of antagonist for Hawkeye is one thing; from season 9 on in when he's not whinging about missing his wife and kid BJ's a bit of jerk all around IMO.

 

A lot of Season 9 played great the first time through on CBS. M*A*S*H was a treasured show by then, solid in its time slot and heaped with many awards. Just getting new stories was a treat, and the funny stuff seemed funnier that first time around. But it hasn't worn very well with repeated views.

I can still enjoy most of the episodes in S9, though it's nowhere near a favorite. The parts that annoy me tend to be nicely balanced with a better a- or b-story that makes most episodes bearable.

 

My experience was being extremely disappointed the first time around...

 

No, I remember laughing like crazy at Margaret's Italian lover, the prickly heat, Potter trying to keep his blood pressure down when the series aired on CBS. I found it genuinely funny at the time. But as I've watched the full series many times since buying the original DVDs, plus catching it on various local and cable runs, those bits have worn thin with me. I can see how forced they were.

Opinions change as we age.

 

Reading the list and summary of all season 9 episodes I was struck that none stood out in my memory. This is a first for this thread -make of it what you will. Edit: I do remember the episode with Mako.

 

I probably need more time to think about this, but for me it's the first season where the weker shows outweigh the good ones.

I recall liking Death Takes a Holiday, The Life You Save, Depressing News, Bottoms Up and Father's Day - and A War for All Seasons (continuity problems and all). Never cared for No Laughing Matter or Bless You... Much as I like Friedman.

 

Where did Morgan say that? I'm curious to hear more about his comments, and what specifically he felt was wrong starting in season 9.

"Taking the Fifth" is an episode that amply demonstrates how Hawkeye had changed as a character, or perhaps more accurately how the camp as a whole had changed. It's hard to imagine the womanizing Hawkeye of the first few seasons being so desperate for a date that he needs an expensive bottle of wine to bribe a nurse. And this is largely because the nurses (for largely anachronistic reasons) now view him as an object of ridicule rather than a desirable companion.

Yes indeed. Many times in the later years, I found myself wondering why Hawkeye even regarded BJ as his best friend. As you've noted, BJ does almost become a House to Hawkeye's Wilson.

It's funny... Hawkeye was the undisputed star of the series from the beginning, but Alda really seemed determined in later years to take him down several pegs, making him often the object of ridicule and making his friends treat him poorly.

 

S9 was the first season I watched in "real time", just having started watching the syndicated reruns late in 1979 (I was 13 years old then). I enjoyed it at the time, but it does seem pretty weak now compared with earlier seasons.

 

I don't know which season this was, but remember when Major Burns grabbed Radar by the collar and screamed at him for not respecting rank(addressing Hawkeye and Trapper as "Guys")? Kind of painful, because it reminds me of a head cashier I suffered under at Barnes and Noble!