1983 saw the end of an iconic American TV series: M*A*S*H. Set during the Korean War and focusing on a team of US Army doctors and their support staff, it ran for far longer than the actual Korean War, with eleven seasons and 251 episodes over a period of just over eight years. Although billed as a situation comedy (with a laugh track included initially), the subject meant it often covered more dramatic, serious material.'M*A*S*H' stood for 'Mobile Army Surgical Hospital' and the series grew from a film, itself based on a book by Richard Hooker: 'MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'.
The show made stars of Alan Alda, who played chief surgeon 'Hawkeye' Pierce, and Loretta Swit, cast as head nurse Major 'Hotlips' Houlihan. Other memorable characters included Jamie Farr as Corporal Klinger, who was trying to get discharged by partaking in madcap stunts including dressing in drag, and Corporal 'Radar' O'Reilly (so named for his exceptional hearing) played by Gary Burghoff, one of the few cast members who appeared in the film version.
M*A*S*H ended with a special feature-length episode directed by Alda (who also had a hand in writing it) and depicted the events leading up to the ceasefire and subsequent closure of the unit, as well as chronicling the effects the war had on the personnel involved. The final episode drew a reported 121.6 million viewers in the US when it was broadcast, a figure which was greater than the audience for the 1983 Super Bowl and still a record today for the most watched finale of any television series in the US.
Thirty years after the show ended, it is still run in syndication in the US and is still seen internationally, with the show being issued on DVD during the 2000s.
The opening and closing titles to the show can be seen here, and the DVD issues for both Region 1 and 2 are still available at your favourite online retailer:
*2023 update: old video link replaced*
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