M*A*S*H Memories

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Wildest cat from montana, Oct 11, 2019.

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  1. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Flagg may be my favorite character on the show. So many great lines.

    The first three seasons have always been my favorite, but the few after that were good too. I agree that when the conflict between the characters diminished so did the quality of the show. The later seasons I watched out of habit, really. It just became dull at that point. So I'd argue it's three shows: the early years, the period after Potter took over and before Frank left, and the last five or so. BJ was never a very interesting character, and seemed such a personality taken right from the 70s that he never rang true. The mustache killed it.
     
  2. carrick doone

    carrick doone Whhhuuuutttt????

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    For me, it was a great episode. It was the first time I watched a series end. A bit too much focus on Alda in the first half for sure which by that point was all too much overall but I will love it for at least one moment. Winchester, devastated by the loss of the orchestra he worked with to craft some vision of the music he loves, is now deeply scarred by a situation he fought so hard to keep away from his internal life, describes for everyone the successful life he will move on to. And you can see he is utterly changed and emotionally torn up, possibly forever. That counterpoint seemed so sophisticated and profound to my young eyes. I saw the episode again recently and I was just as easily impacted by it.
     
  3. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    An important part of my life growing up. Watched the new ones on Sunday evening, the reruns at 7:30 p.m. IIRC, the M*A*S*H reruns were among the highest rated shows in the D.C. market.
     
  4. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader Thread Starter

    Location:
    ontario canada
    I was telling this guy at work about this forum and thIs thread in particular as he is a MASH lover.
    His advice : " Skip any episode where BJ is wearing a pink shirt".
     
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  5. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    There were a lot of things I liked about BJ Hunnicutt. His earnestness. His loyalty. His fidelity to his wife & daughter. The one time he was human & did slip for a brief affair, it devastated him. But, when he almost slipped again, he was also brutally honest about his feelings for Maggie O'Shea. The fact that he could be a self absorbed ahole, without being unlikable, & admit when he was being one & apologize for it. He was perhaps the most human overall of all the characters on M*A*S*H. The episode where the entire group helps him to celebrate his anniversary while he's away from all he loves & holds dear still gets to me.

    Trapper was funnier to a great extent & I always loved him, but the character itself never felt like it was designed for a lot of growth. When BJ replaced him, thay had a blank slate to shade & fill in. If he'd remained only Hawkeye's straight laced drinking buddy & partner in crime, BJ would have become boring. Instead we saw a lot of facets to BJ over the years.
     
  6. musicarus

    musicarus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Saratoga, NY
    Cap'n Tuttle was the best, and most economical, character.
     
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  7. questrider

    questrider Forum Resident

    Location:
    Middle, Nowhere
    "And now, here he is, for the sixth hit week! Five O'Clock Charlie, his airplane, and his astigmatism!"

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Ignatius

    Ignatius Forum Resident

    "Starting tomorrow... he gets taller."
    [​IMG]
     
  9. slowhand1964

    slowhand1964 A Tadpole in a Jar

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Frank: Another week of command and I'd have had you out of that dress!
    Klinger: I'm not that easy.

    [​IMG]

    With our trusty M1 Garand rifle
     
  10. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    Episode when BJ is accused of being a fake doctor -

    BJ: "My credentials are impeccable! Acme Medical School, Joe's Hospital ..."
     
  11. vinnie

    vinnie Senior Member

    Location:
    New Jersey
    Fig Newtons and scotch! They're great when you dunk 'em!
     
  12. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    This clip is hilarious! Klinger tries to get Henry to believe his father is dying -

    Blake: Here's an oldie but a goodie: half of family dying, other half pregnant! Klinger, aren't you ashamed of yourself?

    Klinger: Yes sir. I don't deserve to be in the army!

     
  13. willwin

    willwin Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto
    "I have nothing to do with intelligence."
     
  14. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    Flagg: "I'm with the CIA, but I tell people I'm with the CID, it makes them think I'm with the CIC ..."
     
  15. czeskleba

    czeskleba Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    Margaret didn't really grow so much as become transformed into a completely different character. In order for Frank to have fit into the melodramatic tone of the later years, they would have had to do the same thing for him. Potter's arrival helped ruin the Frank character. Prior to that, Frank was the symbol of Army authority (since Blake refused to truly exercise much authority or discipline). He was sometimes able to create real problems for Hawkeye and Trapper by using his authority, or by going over Blake's head to appeal to a greater authority. With Potter's arrival, that aspect of the character was lost, since Potter immediately shut down any attempt by Frank to use his rank, and was not someone who could be hurt by Frank going over his head. This, coupled with the loss of Hot Lips as an ally, made Frank completely powerless. He was no longer an adversary, but became simply a punching bag. In order for Frank to work on the later years of the series, they would have had to figure a way to change that. I'm not sure what that might have been though.
     
  16. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI

    I liked Klinger early on when he was bucking for a Section 8... Once he decided to give in and accept he was stuck there and/or when he "became one of the gang" with Hawkeye, BJ, Margaret, and Potter, his character was pretty much over as far as I was concerned...
     
  17. Grand_Ennui

    Grand_Ennui Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI



    I'd have to double check it, but I believe he was actually in three episodes...
     
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  18. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    Yep. Three.
     
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  19. Knightrider7007

    Knightrider7007 Active Member

    Location:
    Canada
    Klinger - what a character. These days you wouldn't bat an eye lid but I bet it raised the odd eyebrow in some quarters.
     
  20. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    The problem there is they didn't plan on bringing in a new character as company clerk, so Klinger was the only one who could take on the responsibility, & as Jamie Farr said, once they did that, Klinger had to become more "serious". & abandon the dresses & the Section 8 pursuit. In order to still play him for laughs though, they focused on his "creative" ways of getting & doing things.

    Interestingly, when Burghoff left the show, the writers wanted to make the recurring Dr Sidney Freeman character, played by Allan Arbus, a full time cast member. Arbus declined the offer, preferring to remain a recurring guest star.
     
  21. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    Excellent points, & much as with Trapper, I'm not sure how much capacity the character of Frank Burns had to change & grow. The first three seasons are still my favorites, but at the same time, I see the characters of Trapper, Burns & Blake as being somewhat locked into the way they were. Changing any of them as drastically as Margaret was changed might not have been as easy to do. Burns especially, since he was there for five years, during the transitional years for the characters, & it was obvious that either the writers didn't see a way to change him successfully, or the character was simply incapable of such a change. Likely a bit of both.

    After all, he couldn't suddenly become a more competent or caring surgeon, or less of a prudish ninny, or suddenly become a character we could have more empathy for. That would hare gone too far against the grain, & likely weakened the dynamics of the show.

    When Winchester came aboard, since he was another blank slate, the writers & David Stiers could flesh him out differently from Burns. He was still a foil for Hawkeye & BJ, still an adversary, but at the same time, since he was their equal, (at least), as a surgeon & in intelligence, he could hold his own with them, & since he had a more empathic side to him, we could view him in a better light than we did Burns. To me, though I liked the more rounded character of Winchester as compared to Burns, that still weakened the show's dynamics a bit, though not as drastically as having Burns going a 90 or 180 degree change would have.
     
  22. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    I think Winchester was one of the show's bright spots in the later series, especially when he moved away from Frank's shadow
     
  23. Bluesman Mark

    Bluesman Mark I'm supposed to put something witty here....

    Location:
    Iowa
    Character & acting wise I agree, it just slightly weakened the show dynamics a bit. But, the way the show had grown & developed, such a change was inevitable, especially once Burns was gone.

    I will say this, & I may be in a minority here; if the show had continued with the same original cast, (plus Klinger & Father Mulcahy), as great as it was, I don't thing it would have lasted eleven years. Changing characters, along with the usual change of writers over such a long time period kept things fresher, & enabled the show to grow & expand, thus helping ensure it's longevity.

    I wonder once Larry Gelbart & Gene Reynolds left, & after the Vietnam war ended & stopped being such an inspiration for the writing staff, just how well it actually would have worked with the original cast. One thing the writers & cast always said as the show became more character driven, there were only so many ways they could say "War is hell" without running out of ideas. It was always there in the background, & often in the main thrust of the storylines themselves, but changing the focus of the show opened up new avenues to explore.
     
  24. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    I think you're right. Personally, I think that if you omit all the duff episodes (and there are some even in the first three series), you still probably have six - seven series of really good stuff, but while I never missed the show, I could forgive them if the last three series weren't made. The gems are few and far between there and I particularly struggle with the output of Messrs Mumford, Wilcox, Davis and Pollock.
     
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  25. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader Thread Starter

    Location:
    ontario canada
    Another episode I don' t like is the one where the characters all have bad dreams.
     
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