M*A*S*H is an American medical comedy/drama media franchise. It depicts a group of characters who serve at a mobile army surgical hospital (the titular M*A*S*H unit) during the Korean War and is best known for the TV series which was on the air for eleven seasons, from 1972 to 1983.
The M*A*S*H franchise began with the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. The novel was adapted into a film in 1970. The film was a box office success, and the TV series followed in 1972. The franchise also gave rise to 14 additional novels, which appeared between 1972 and 1977, and two spin-off television series. AfterMASH was a continuation of M*A*S*H. It was poorly received and lasted only two television seasons, from 1983 to 1985. Far more successful was Trapper John, M.D. which aired from 1979 to 1986 and was technically a spin-off from the 1970 film rather than the TV series.
Over the course of its original broadcast run, the M*A*S*H TV series won numerous awards and, after its first season, enjoyed consistently high ratings. The series finale, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", set a number of viewership and ratings records. Some of those records still stand thirty-plus years later, including being the most-watched series finale in American television history.
M*A*S*H is also notable for using its Korean War setting as an allegory for speaking out about the Vietnam War, which was still in progress when the movie appeared and during the early seasons of the TV series. Also, the TV series had a large number of not-quite-famous guest stars, some of whom later appeared on The Simpsons in guest roles.
M*A*S*H has been referred to in several television episodes of The Simpsons.
References
| Picture
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Season
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Episode number
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Episode name
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Reference
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4
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69
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"Lisa's First Word"
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In a flashback scene from the spring of 1983, Marge and two neighbor women are talking about the last episode of M*A*S*H. One of them says, "That Mike Farrell really boils my potato", and the other one says she already misses Klinger.
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73
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"Brother from the Same Planet"
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Lisa goes to Dr. Hibbert's office, is given eardrops, and then has to wait 20 minutes for them to sink in. Hibbert offers her a M*A*S*H coloring book in case she gets bored, then glances at the pictures and chuckles at one where the caption is "Hawkeye's antics irritate the other surgeons."
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6
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104
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"Bart of Darkness"
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During an intense heat wave, the statues in the Springfield Wax Museum melt, which prompts Principal Skinner to complain, "I hardly think it's fair to be charged full price. I'm up to my knees in the original cast of M*A*S*H!" As Skinner speaks, the signpost showing the distances to various places in America and elsewhere (often seen in both the film and TV series) is visible in the background. After he finishes, the camera pans down to show that he is standing in a puddle of melted wax, and floating in the wax are assorted items associated with the characters: Klinger's fur stole; a belt, shirt and boots from an Army uniform; a stethoscope; and Colonel Blake's fishing hat.
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12
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263
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"Hungry, Hungry Homer"
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After Homer begins his hunger strike, Lisa gives him a copy of Mike Farrell's autobiography, My Core Beliefs, to inspire him.
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13
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279
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"Half-Decent Proposal"
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When Artie Ziff sends his private helicopter to pick up Marge to spend the weekend with him, the M*A*S*H theme music plays as it lifts off from the Simpson home. Marge looks out the window as the helicopter gains altitude, and she sees that Homer has spelled out "KEEP YOUR CLOTHES ON" with white rocks in the backyard. This is a sight gag on the scene at the end of "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" where Hawkeye leaves the 4077th in a helicopter and sees that B.J. has spelled out "GOODBYE" with white rocks on the ground.
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24
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527
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"Whiskey Business"
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When Moe calls the suicide hotline and gets put on hold, the on-hold music is "Suicide Is Painless", the sung version of the M*A*S*H theme song, which was only heard in the film. (The lyrics were considered to be too dark for television in the 1970s, so an instrumental version was used as the TV theme song.)
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25
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552
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"The Yellow Badge of Cowardge"
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After Dr. Hibbert diagnoses Milhouse with traumatic amnesia and says he may never recover his memory (to Bart's relief), he quickly runs off to treat some cases of ice cream headache. As the M*A*S*H theme music plays, Hibbert is seen in closeup looking down at his patient, the same as Hawkeye in the TV series' opening sequence. Hibbert then helps to load his patient onto what at first appears to be a medical evacuation helicopter with two outboard platforms for carrying patients, but moments later is revealed to be a carnival ride.
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Common cast and crew
Cast
| Picture
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Name
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Role in M*A*S*H
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Role on The Simpsons
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Ed Begley, Jr.
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Guest-starred in the episode "Too Many Cooks" as an inept infantryman who turns out to be a highly skilled chef.
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Voiced himself in the Season 10 episode "Homer to the Max" and the Season 20 episode "Gone Maggie Gone".
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Elliott Gould
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Played Trapper John McIntyre in the M*A*S*H movie.
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Voiced himself in the Season 14 episode "The Dad Who Knew Too Little"; was also interviewed in The Simpsons: Celebrity Friends, The Simpsons: Mischief & Mayhem, and The Simpsons: Access All Areas.
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Ron Howard
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Guest-starred in the episode "Sometimes You Hear the Bullet" as a young soldier who is discovered to be underage for military service.
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Voiced himself in the Season 10 episode "When You Dish Upon a Star" and the Season 11 episode "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder".
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Harry Morgan
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Played Colonel Sherman Potter in the M*A*S*H TV series and in AfterMASH. Also had a guest appearance on M*A*S*H as the eccentric General Steele before the Potter role began.
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Reprised the role of his Dragnet character Bill Gannon in the Season 7 episode "Mother Simpson".
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Joe Pantoliano
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Guest-starred in the M*A*S*H espiode "Identity Crisis" as a soldier who appropriates a fallen friend's identity (and discharge papers) in an attempt to get out of the fighting. Also had a guest appearance on Trapper John, M.D. in the episode "Where There's a Will".
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Voiced Dante Calabresi in the Season 18 episode "The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer".
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Donald Sutherland
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Played Hawkeye Pierce in the M*A*S*H movie.
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Voiced Hollis Hurlbut in the Season 7 episode "Lisa the Iconoclast".
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George Wendt
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Had a brief, but memorable, guest appearance in the episode "Trick or Treatment" as a Marine who gets a billiard ball stuck in his mouth.
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Reprised the role of Norm Peterson, his Cheers character, in the Season 6 episode "Fear of Flying".
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External links
[[wikipedia:{{{1}}} ({{{2}}})|{{{1}}}]] at Wikipedia
