The downfall of MASH was not the arrival of BJ Honeycutt

[TimmySmith 2,782]

It was the departure of Frank Burns. BJ was a poor choice, though, as he was just another version of Alan Alda's ego.

 

Even then, the show officially jumped the shark when Klinger got a bigger role.

 

I can see the meeting right now.

 

Idiot MASH exec: I think we can save the show and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

Idiot MASH exec several years later: I think I see a spinoff, and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

And what about Gary Burghoff. In the film, in the show, in the spinoff, and made a pilot after that to extend the character. And apparently he was universally hated by the rest of the cast. Played Radar for 14 years, which has to be some sort of a record.

[kilroy69 994]

My first pet was named radar. I loved his character.

[cyclone24 1,814]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_watched_television_broadcasts_in_the_United_States

 

This still fascinates me. 105 million people watched the mash finale. And look at the company that it's in. Superbowls. Crazy.

[edjr 5,564]

never watched, don't care

[Drizzay 645]

"Who do I see about a Section 8?"

[Thornton Melon 544]

Played Radar for 14 years, which has to be some sort of a record.

 

Kelsey Grammar played Frasier Crane for 20 years

[edjr 5,564]

 

Kelsey Grammar played Frasier Crane for 20 years

 

 

Susan Lucci played Erica Kane for 41 years

[TimmySmith 2,782]

The character of Trapper John Mcintyre was played by 3 actors.

[Baker Boy 1,485]

When Alan Alda took over the producing responsibilities and used the show as a soap box it became unwatchable!

[parrot 789]

When Alan Alda took over the producing responsibilities and used the show as a soap box it became unwatchable!

 

It ain't every day I agree with you but .

 

It changed from a comedy with an occasional moral message to a preachy weekly morality play with an occasional laugh. I don't know if that is all on Alda but a good portion of it is.

 

Also:

Henry > Potter

Trapper >> BJ

Frank >>>Winchester

[edjr 5,564]

How old are you focking people?

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

How old are you focking people?

 

My 13 year old son saw one episode last summer and ended up binge watching the entire series. He really liked that show.

[vuduchile 1,941]

My dad was a huge fan so we watched the first and re runs constantly. He actually wrote and submitted a teleplay once but they never used it.

 

It was a 2 hour special where Hawkeye, Hot Lips, Radar and Frank get ambushed on the way to help another unit. Peace loving Hawkeye is forced to pick up a gun and mow down 3 gooks so they can get out alive. Hilarity ensues.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

Also:

Henry > Potter

Trapper >> BJ

Frank >>>Winchester

Hotlips enemy of Hawkeye >>> Hotlips friend of Hawkeye

 

Zale, Igor and Kellye needn't ever have uttered a word and the show would have been fine.

 

Harry Morgan played 2 different characters.

[jerryskids 5,204]

 

It ain't every day I agree with you but .

 

It changed from a comedy with an occasional moral message to a preachy weekly morality play with an occasional laugh. I don't know if that is all on Alda but a good portion of it is.

 

Also:

Henry > Potter

Trapper >> BJ

Frank >>>Winchester

 

I didn't realize that was because Alda took over but... I agree with everything in this post.

[TimmySmith 2,782]

To show the difference in network TV from then to now. It's 1st season MASH got a 17.4 rating and finished #46th overall. Last week the #1 show got an 8.7 rating.

[Mike Honcho 4,031]

It was the departure of Frank Burns. BJ was a poor choice, though, as he was just another version of Alan Alda's ego.

 

Even then, the show officially jumped the shark when Klinger got a bigger role.

 

I can see the meeting right now.

 

Idiot MASH exec: I think we can save the show and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

Idiot MASH exec several years later: I think I see a spinoff, and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

And what about Gary Burghoff. In the film, in the show, in the spinoff, and made a pilot after that to extend the character. And apparently he was universally hated by the rest of the cast. Played Radar for 14 years, which has to be some sort of a record.

 

+1

[vuduchile 1,941]

To show the difference in network TV from then to now. It's 1st season MASH got a 17.4 rating and finished #46th overall. Last week the #1 show got an 8.7 rating.

Back then we had 3 VHF networks, PBS and one other UHF channel.

[Thornton Melon 544]

Back then we had 3 VHF networks, PBS and one other UHF channel.

Ha ha. We had 2 UHF channels!

[kutulu 1,545]

Not sure if common knowledge, but radar had one deformed baby like hand... If you look he's usually holding a pencil or notebook or something to conceal it. Maybe this should go in the random fact thread.

[wiffleball 4,640]

Mash was one of the few if not only shows that my dad and I watch together. And the only show other than Naked Gun in which I heard my father laugh. Which, alongside my brother's is the best sound in the whole wide world. So, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

I couldn't type that without choking up and tearing up.

 

Having said that, Alan Alda became absolutely insufferable during that series. And the whole show ended up revolving around hey let's get this guy an Emmy.

 

Ironically, I really like him as an actor now. And I think he would be the first one to admit his flaws back then.

 

BJ was not the problem. And he certainly was not an extension or another facet of Hawkeye's character. You couldn't have two single guys for that many years. It would have become boring. And it did.

 

Frank's character was played out.

 

Potter was a fine replacement. Albeit an entirely different direction from Henry. True fans struggle to this day with the fact the Potter played a totally different character earlier on in that show and it was hard to reconcile that fact as he became a regular.

 

Klinger should have died off long ago. He was a horrible actor and the character was at best one-dimensional.

 

However, if you are looking for a fatal flaw in a series that did as phenomenally well as it did it is this:

 

More female characters should have been fleshed out and highlighted, especially in that era.

 

I swear, and I don't know if this was a result of Alda or result of Switt, but every other female character other than hot lips was regarded as the equivalent of a Star Trek red shirt.

 

Winchester was fine, but for those of you that are contextually and socially aware, can you imagine a character like Murphy Brown being alternatively a foil and eventual love interest like we saw in Moonlighting?

 

Again, given the times, we would have seen a huge Resurgence of the show and a rise in popularity even more than it had for at least an additional five years. But God forbid, a female be anything other than a nurse in that show.

 

Not to belabour the point, but go back and look at the ratings for various shows towards the latter phases of mash and you will see that shows like Moonlighting, Murphy Brown, Designing Women and others really were the rage back then. But MASH was tone deaf to what was occurring all around them. It remained a boys club in a rapidly changing social era. Candice Bergen would have been an incredible asset to the show. But I'm sure Loretta Switt would have hated that and Alan Alda at the time was too insecure to deal with a competing star of her gravitas - which would have made the tension all the more realistic and dynamic.

[edjr 5,564]

Ha ha. We had 2 UHF channels!

 

38 and 56

[wiffleball 4,640]

Radar's scene where he announced that Robert Henry Blake's plane spun out and went down in the sea of Japan was and is inarguably one of the finest moments in television history.

 

GDammitt, I teared up again.

 

What most people don't realize is that due to entirely technical reasons, he had to redo that shoot and even then, the entire cast and crew still teared up.

[wiffleball 4,640]

Anybody else notice that 'SpearChucker' lasted about as long as a fart in a windstorm?

[Thornton Melon 544]

 

38 and 56

 

Actually, now that I think about it, we had 4, but only 38 and 56 were worth anything. There was 27 and 44, too. 44 was just the UHF version of PBS. 27 was more Boston local. I think you had to suspend yourself from the ceiling and contort like a Cirqu de Soleil performer while holding the rabbit ears to get anything other than a blast of snow on your screen.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

When Alan Alda took over the producing responsibilities and used the show as a soap box it became unwatchable!

 

In the book, Hawkeye was a conservative and nothing like the bleeding heart that Alda played him as.

[rholio 339]

When Alan Alda took over the producing responsibilities and used the show as a soap box it became unwatchable!

This. The show went from a comedy to a mess.

[ROCKFORD 134]

It was the departure of Frank Burns. BJ was a poor choice, though, as he was just another version of Alan Alda's ego.

 

Even then, the show officially jumped the shark when Klinger got a bigger role.

 

I can see the meeting right now.

 

Idiot MASH exec: I think we can save the show and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

Idiot MASH exec several years later: I think I see a spinoff, and it all centers around the character of Max Klinger

 

And what about Gary Burghoff. In the film, in the show, in the spinoff, and made a pilot after that to extend the character. And apparently he was universally hated by the rest of the cast. Played Radar for 14 years, which has to be some sort of a record.

 

link?

[BunnysBastatrds 1,915]

I don't watch the reruns if Trappers not in them. He was a a much better character than BJ.

[tanatastic 2,061]

I'm sure it's a good show but never caught an episode.

[kilroy69 994]

 

It ain't every day I agree with you but .

 

It changed from a comedy with an occasional moral message to a preachy weekly morality play with an occasional laugh. I don't know if that is all on Alda but a good portion of it is.

 

Also:

Henry > Potter

Trapper >> BJ

Frank >>>Winchester

the entire thing was a soap box from the start and was an indictment of the Vietnam war cleverly disguised as Korea.

[frank 2,144]

Radar's scene where he announced that Robert Henry Blake's plane spun out and went down in the sea of Japan was and is inarguably one of the finest moments in television history.

 

GDammitt, I teared up again.

 

What most people don't realize is that due to entirely technical reasons, he had to redo that shoot and even then, the entire cast and crew still teared up.

I thought about that scene a few days ago.

 

Maybe distracting a bunch of surgeons with tragic news while they are elbow deep in patients isn't a great idea.

[frank 2,144]

Not sure if common knowledge, but radar had one deformed baby like hand... If you look he's usually holding a pencil or notebook or something to conceal it. Maybe this should go in the random fact thread.

Once you know that, it's hard not to look for it. His hand is always in his pocket or holding something.

[frank 2,144]

Once you know that, it's hard not to look for it. His hand is always in his pocket or holding something.

Kind of like how this guy had back trouble and couldn't sit down normally.

 

[kilroy69 994]

WTF. Dude I lived sng and never even noticed

[shotsup 832]

John Ritter played a wounded soldier in one episode.

[shotsup 832]

I don't watch the reruns if Trappers not in them. He was a a much better character than BJ.

We get it. You can't finish a BJ.

[jerryskids 5,204]

We get it. You can't finish a BJ.

 

Well played.

[kilroy69 994]

John Ritter played a wounded soldier in one episode.

so did Patrick Swazy

[frank 2,144]

so did Patrick Swazy

So did Alan Alda.