Even Longtime Fans Of ‘MASH’ Don’t Know All These Facts And Behind-The-Scenes Secrets
MASH was a beloved series that ran for 11 seasons on CBS. Based on Roger Altman’s film about the Korean War - and thinly veiled critique of the Vietnam War - the television show would go on to break viewership records and win numerous awards during its historic run. It still has quite a large fan base today!
From behind-the-scenes creative frustrations to life after MASH, here are some really interesting facts about the show that generations of Americans have come to love.
The Pilot Took Only Two Days To Write
Show creator and producer Larry Gelbart penned the pilot episode in just two days in November 1971, for $25,000. At the time, he was living in London, disillusioned with the Hollywood scene.
But he jumped at the chance to adapt Robert Altman’s MASH film into a television sitcom and actually found it quite easy. A decade later, the show would probably be even more influential and beloved than the movie.
Real Baseball Players' Names Were Used For Characters
Writer Ken Levine said that in Seasons 6 and 7, the 4077th included several patients named after California-based ballplayers. Those included the Angels infield in Season 6 and the 1978 Los Angeles Dodgers team (the entire roster and even the owner Walter O’Malley, and legendary announcer Vin Scully).
Levine also used names of his former girlfriends (“Patty Haven” and “Linda Nugent”) for the objects of Radar’s affection. We wonder what other inspiration he used.
No Army Boots During Filming
Army boots were not typically worn during filming because they were loud on the show's soundstage. Actors also claimed that they were too uncomfortable to wear for an entire day of shooting.
It was easy to avoid the boots because most of the actors were filmed from the waist up. Most actors wore sneakers while filming. The more comfortable footwear made filming, and record sound, much easier on everyone involved.
Wayne Rogers Never Signed A Contract
The star who played Trapper John for the first three seasons made a notorious break with the show after becoming “Alan Alda’s second banana.” He had originally expected a fairly equal role to Alda’s Hawkeye, as in the film version, but over time that changed.
When he decided to leave the show, the producers sued him for breach-of-contract. But it turned out that he had never signed his contract in the first place and there was actually nothing to breach.
Radar Is Now A Wildlife Painter
Gary Burghoff, the actor behind the Radar O’Reilly character in both the MASH film and TV show, is now a self-taught wildlife painter. The change in career interests stemmed from one of his earliest childhood loves.
Burghoff took his childhood love of animals and lifelong commitment to wildlife as a basis for his art. “I’m hoping to make the viewer see the beauty and soul of the animal,” he told The New York Times in 2004.
MASH Star Alan Alda Is A Veteran Who Served In Korea
Alan Alda played Captain Hawkeye Pierce in a fictionalized account of the Korean War, but he also served in Korea post-war as part of the Army Reserve. Alda joined up after his graduation from Fordham University in New York and served as a gunnery officer.
Jamie Farr, who portrayed Corporal Klinger, also served in the U.S. Army and acted in training films. This training helped inform both actors when it came to the most accurate ways to portray their characters.
MASH Was Almost Canceled In 1973
While it set a viewership record in 1983, things were a bit different a decade earlier. MASH’s first season was such a ratings bomb (it finished in 46th place in the Nielsen ratings) the network considered canceling the series.
But the next season CBS moved the show to a different time slot - between All In The Family and The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Saturday nights. It would finish the season 4th in the ratings and spend the next decade as a reliable hit.
…And Again In 1980
MASH star Alan Alda told the Chicago Tribune’s Gene Siskel in 1979 that the show might not make it past the conclusion of its eighth season in 1980. “It depends on whether we think we can think up more stories,” he said.
“By the end of next year, we will have done 200 stories. If we develop a staff that feels like it has the energy to go on, then maybe we’ll decide to go on. We don’t want to run it into the ground. A couple of times lately, we’ve felt as though we were repeating ourselves, and we don’t want to do that.”
Wayne Rogers And McLean Stevenson Left Out Of Frustration
Both Wayne Rogers (Trapper John) and McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake) left the series out of frustration at their supporting roles. Rogers joined MASH assuming that Trapper John would be equal in status to Hawkeye Pierce, as in the film, but Alan Alda soon became an audience favorite. Stevenson, meanwhile, wanted a starring role and left when his contract ended after the third season.
Writer Ken Levine disputes that Stevenson or Rogers was really unhappy with the show or crew. They were just seeking more prominent roles and probably would have stayed on if they had known what a success the show would turn out to be!
The Cast May Not Have Liked Gary Burghoff
There was apparently no love lost when Radar actor Gary Burghoff left the series in 1979. TV columnist Mike Drew wrote in 1983 that, “No castmates cried much over the departure of Burghoff.” The actor personally wrote to Drew, saying “While there may not not have been tears shed by my cast members over my leaving the show, they did know - and still do - of my contribution.”
The other cast members rebutted the accusation, which also appeared in TV Guide, in a telegram that closed by saying “When Gary left the show, he left in friendship and with our warm wishes for a happy and successful life.”
CBS Rejected One Episode As ‘Unpatriotic’
The network rejected one episode during MASH’s long run: a story about the soldiers standing outside in a bid to get sick and sent home to the States.
“Such an anti-military event was deemed too unpatriotic for mass audiences,” wrote author James Wittebols in Watching MASH, Watching America, is a perfect example of the tensions creators faced between telling a story about the realities of war but needing to cater to commercial realities of television at the same time.
CBS Forced The Producers To Use A Laugh Track
According to series creator Larry Gelbart, not everyone on the set loved the laugh track. CBS forced the use of the laugh track since it was a de facto part of sitcoms back then. But in some cases - operating room scenes and the black-and-white documentary-style episode “The Interview,” for example - the producers were able to omit it.
However, Gelbart said that the network got its way. When the show aired in England, however, the laugh track was cut.
Alan Alda Was One Heck Of A Family Man
Alan Alda was offered the job while living in New Jersey. He didn't want to uproot his family and move them to California full time.
Instead, his wife and young daughters stayed behind and he would fly home to New Jersey every weekend and during other breaks in filming. He must have been exhausted during filming, but that wasn't what mattered to him at the time. And you thought you couldn't love him more than you already did.
Wayne Rogers Was Not The First Choice For Trapper John
Actor Wayne Rogers is known for his three seasons on the show as Trapper John, but he actually was not the producers’ first choice for the character. Comedian Robert Klein was offered the role but turned it down, something he allegedly regretted afterward. Hindsight is 20/20.
His manager, Larry Brezner, said that Klein told him later that he should have made him take it. But Klein denies he ever felt that way.
McLean Stevenson Originally Auditioned For Hawkeye
McLean Stevenson auditioned for the role of Hawkeye Pierce, the lead character who would be memorably portrayed by Alan Alda. But the producers liked Stevenson for a different role altogether: the bucket hat-adorned Lt. Colonel Henry Blake.
Blake became a much-loved character in his own right. When he finally left the 4077th in “Abyssinia, Henry,” viewers were shocked by the news, delivered at the end of the episode by Radar, that Blake’s plane home had been shot down over the Sea of Japan.
Like His Character, McLean Stevenson Was From Bloomington, Illinois
Actor McLean Stevenson didn’t just portray a character who was from the central Illinois city of Bloomington, he actually was from the city. In fact, Stevenson was a cousin of another famous Bloomingtonian: Adlai Stevenson. Yes, that one, who was the one-term governor of Illinois, two-time Democratic presidential nominee, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
McLean brought more than just the hometown to his character. He said about Henry Blake to the Los Angeles Times: “I played my dad. My father was a country doctor, and he was 80 years old when he passed away.”
Many Of The Plotlines Were Based On Real Events
Many of the storylines featured in the first few seasons were based on real events that were relayed to the production team by real MASH surgeons, nurses, and patients who lived through the Korean War.
Screenwriter Ken Levine even claims that some of the true stories they heard were so shocking that they had to be toned down by the writers for the series. It would be interesting to see what they could add in today's more relaxed television landscape.
Real Phone Calls And Names
Mike Farrell asked producers to name his character's daughter Erin, after his real-life daughter. The producers agreed, and even let the actor go one step further with the request.
In fact, when he was filming scenes in which he talked on the phone, it was often his then-wife Judy or his real-life daughter who spoke on the other side of the line. Knowing this just makes us love his character even more.
Did You Catch How The Nurses' Names Were Chosen?
A lot of nurses only lasted a short time on the show and they were given very few lines. They were typically given very generic names such as "Nurse Able," "Nurse Baker," and "Nurse Charlie."
The names were chosen based on the phonetic alphabet used by the military and HAM operators at the time. Naming small characters this way may seem silly, but it must have proved helpful to the writers if they kept doing it.
MASH Spawned Three Spin-Offs
The first spin-off was the most successful. Trapper John, M.D. focused on the post-Korea life of the title character, now portrayed by Pernell Roberts and serving as Chief of Surgery at a San Francisco hospital in the late 1970s. Roberts would go on to spend more time in the role than Wayne Rogers did on MASH, as the series lasted for seven seasons.
The other two series were not as well-received, with AfterMASH being canceled after two seasons and "W*A*L*T*E*R" airing only once. The former followed several characters in their immediate post-Korea lives while the latter starred Burghoff as Walter “Radar” O’Reilly after the war. Interestingly, the series finale episode of AfterMASH has never been aired on television.
On-Air Mistake: The Wrong Wife In The Photo
If you look at Potter's desk you will notice that a photo of his wife Mildred is prominently displayed. There's one thing about the photo you might not realize. Like with another actor, the show wasn't afraid to get personal with this detail.
That photo was actually a real life photo of Harry Morgan's wife, at the time, Eilenn Detchon. Producers and the cast loved to bring in little personal touches as much as possible.
Punishing An Annoying Cast
In 1972, writer Ken Levine was approached with so many script change requests from the cast that he decided to punish them in a pretty funny way. He wrote a "cold show" that would show off the freezing conditions of the Korean winter.
The cast was forced to stand around barrel fires in parkas in temperatures that reached about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. "This happened maybe twice and we never got a ticky tack note again," Levine explained.
The Loss Of A Joke Over Time
Klinger's recurring joke of wearing women's clothing was eventually phased out by Jamie Farr. He didn't want his children to be teased by friends who realized their dad was wearing women's clothing on the show.
After he accepted the role of company clerk from Radar, Klinger stopped the gag altogether. While it was initially an audience favorite gag, the era just wasn't right for it to be a recurring gag for the length of the series.
A 15-Year-Old Soldier
Colonel Potter fought in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. He lied about his age when he was 15 so he could join the cavalry. Lying about a young man's age was common during World War I and World War II, but that doesn't make this fact any less stunning.
His mother-in-law moved in with him and his wife one day before World War II started. That's an impressive track record.
The Recycled Wedding Dress
Klinger's wedding dress was used three times by three different people. Klinger wore the dress when he married Laverne Esposito, Margaret Houlihan donned the dress when she married Lt. Col.
Donald Penobscott and Soon Lee wore it when she married Klinger. If the show had continued, who knows how many more weddings would have taken place and who else would have been lucky enough to wear this now classic wedding dress.
Tony Packo's Is Real
Klinger is a big fan of a Toledo, Ohio restaurant called Tony Packo's. He mentioned the restaurant at various times throughout filming. It turns out that Tony Packo's is a real place located on Toledo's east side.
It's a favorite among locals and people who live within a decent driving distance of the area. If you're a fan of the show, we recommend trying out the restaurant.
Trivial Pursuit Is A Big Fat Liar
In the popular game Trivial Pursuit, there is a claim that Hawkeye only saluted once during the entire series.
He actually saluted Radar on two different occasions, saluted Frank without thinking about it, and then also saluted on several other occasions. That's a pretty big oversight for a board game that prides itself on accuracy. Hopefully, this mistake will be corrected in the updated versions of the classic board game.
Gary Burghoff Hid His Deformed Hand
You might not realize that Burghoff has a deformed left hand. It's only a slight deformity but he felt the need to hide it while filming.
He is often seen hiding his hand with a clipboard or various other objects. In other cases, he simply put his hand in his pocket. While this might not seem like it would be a big deal today, back then the actor felt the need to protect himself.
Alan Alda Was The Only Actor To Appear In Every Episode
Alan Alda was the only star on M*A*S*H* who appeared in every single episode. He was nearly joined by Loretta Swit, who was contracted for all 11 seasons but missed a few episodes. Alda also starred in the movie and would go on to become of the most beloved actors of his era.
She was not shown in the "Hawkeye" episode and she missed several other episodes before and after that episode.
The Significance Of Jamie Farr's Dog Tags
Jamie Farr wore dog tags throughout the series and they were his personal tags from his time served in the military. The tags show his actual personal military info, including his name, serial number, and his religion.
That fact wasn't revealed until the DVD boxset for the series was released and interviews with the cast were featured. Of course, if you to zoom in to read his tags, you won't have much luck.
A Technology-Focused Cast
While the show was filmed in a desolate location the show's actors were actually well-connected to the technology community. Many actors from the show appeared in IBM Personal Computer commercials and Alan Alda took on a personal endorsement for the Atari personal computer.
Technology and MASH - who would have pictured that connection. That's pretty incredible considering the era the TV show was filmed during. Today, no one would bat an eye.
A John Wayne Quote That Didn't Even Exist At The Time
Radar was doing impressions in one episode and he performed a John Wayne bit with a line from a movie that hadn't even been made yet, based on the show's timeline. Mistakes like this happen a lot in "period" pieces and it can be fun to try and spot them all!
The line is "I'm not gonna hit ya" and it would be nearly 10 years after the Korean War that the line would appear in 1963's McLintock.
The Movie To TV Survival Rate Was Low
Hawkeye, Margaret, and Father Mulcahy appeared in the MASH movie and the TV series. They were the only three characters that lasted from the original movie all the way through to the end of the series.
That's an impressive run, across two very different forms of entertainment, and it works out great for fans of both. It also ensured the actors likely never had to work another day in their lives again, although they obviously did.
Actor Soon-Tek Oh Had Five Different Roles
Soon-Tek Oh appeared in five different roles on the show. You can spot them in the episode "The Bus" during the fourth season. Later he appeared in "The Yalu Brick Road" during the eighth season.
Check out the full series and see for yourself if you can spot him in three other roles that he took on. Casting the same actors for multiple roles is common with stage performances, but less common with television shows.
One Actor Had Problems With The Show's Working Conditions
Actor McLean Stevenson had several disputes with the producers over the conditions the actors had to work in. McLean left the show when a new contract was offered.
To send his character off Lt. Colonel Blake was killed off. A planned death or a warning to other actors on the show maybe? We may never know. It most likely depends on what terms he was on with the producers at the time of his contract dispute.
The Meaning Behind "The Swamp"
The tent that Hawkeye and Trapper John live in is called the Swamp. The nickname was taken straight from the book MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, on which the show was based.
The book's writer said that the name was bestowed on Hawkeye's dorm room by some of his college buddies, and he took it along with him overseas. What a great detail to make sure to include in the TV show!
What's My Name?
Everyone knows well that Henry's wife was named Lorraine. But she initially had a different name -- in the first season of MASH his wife was called Mildred. After Henry had left the show, Potter's wife was called Mildred.
Inconsistencies like this are fascinating to die-hard fans of classic shows like MASH. If you go back and watch the series today, it can be a fun game trying to spot all of these moments.
The Show Could Be A Real Tearjerker
One fansite dedicated to all things MASH polled its audience about whether the long-running show had ever made them cry. The results? 81% reported that they had indeed experienced waterworks while watching MASH (only 19% hadn't cried).
The episode cited as being the most tear-jerking, unsurprisingly, was “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.” Of course, all great shows have those episodes that stand out for their dramatic impact and emotional resonance.
Hot Lips Houlihan, M*A*S*H Sweetheart
Loretta Swit played Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan for the series' entire 11 season run. She won two Emmys for the role as the blonde bombshell.
During the course of the show, her character evolved from an icy woman who had an affair with a married man to a jovial and friendly pal to her fellow nurses and surgeons. The character's popularity likely led to the evolution of her softened personality.
Alan Alda Directed The Series Finale
Alan Alda directed the series finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” and also had a writing credit on the episode. He had a hand in writing 13 episodes altogether and directed 30 before the record-breaking finale.
Thanks to his multitasking, Alda won Emmy Awards for acting, directing and writing during his time on MASH. That was the first time someone had done so much on the same series. Today it has become a more common practice.
The Cast Buried A Time Capsule...But It Didn't Stay Buried For Long
In the last episode filmed for the series, "As Time Goes By," the character of Major Margaret Houlihan decides to build a time capsule to commemorate their time together during the war.
Rumor has it that Alan Alda loved this idea so much that he decided to create one for the cast and crew in real life. Unfortunately, the capsule was discoverd and dug up a mere two months later when construction was begun for a new office building on the site. At least they'll always have their memories!
A Fiery Goodbye
When the final episode, titled, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," was in the middle of filming, a fire ravaged the area and the show's set was burned to the ground.
They decided not to rebuild the sets and instead finished filming the series indoor. That explains why most of the final scenes are set at night and mostly take place inside buildings. They did not take the fire as a sign to keep the show going.
The Finale’s ‘Most-Watched’ Record Hasn’t Been Beaten By Another Series
The series finale on Monday, February 28, 1983, was watched by about 106 million people, over three-quarters of the United States’ television watching population, that night. It’s a record that still has not been beaten by a non-Super Bowl telecast.
The show ran for eleven seasons on CBS, and was followed by a short-lived spin-off series called AfterMASH. The original was consistently in TV’s top 20 most-watched programs for the majority of its run after a shaky first season. “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” the finale, ran for two-and-a-half hours.
Forever Fan Mail
Unsurprisingly, Loretta Swit receives fan mail to this day, 45 years after MASH hit television screens across the country for the first time. She has said that she enjoyed her time on the show immensely.
Swit’s favorite episodes are "Margaret's Engagement," "Hot Lips & Empty Arms", and "The Nurses." We can't say for certain whether or not she reads all of her fan mail, but we do know that she is flattered by the love she still receives.
