Laughter and Tears as the Action goes On

~~~Background~~~
In 1968, a man named Richard Hooker penned a blackly humorous novel entitled M*A*S*H, A Novel About Three Army Doctors. It became a popular read, and spawned several sequels. The book told the tale of surgeons Hawkeye, Trapper, Frank Burns and their comrades at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. In 1971, a film adaptation was released in cinemas and gathered a huge following. Inspired by the film, the books, and by the plot of the 1961 novel catch-22 by Joseph Heller (it is a dark satire taking place in WW II), television producer Larry Gelbhart decided to develop the M*A*S*H concept for television, starring an all new cast barring the return of the film's original Radar O'Reilly, Gary Burghoff.

The Vietnam War was still raging, and despite accepting the series, CBS feared it would fail. Sensitively researched, by interviewing real Army M*A*S*H doctors, nurses, and medics, many of the stories had strong basis in fact. Surprisingly, most of the outrageous gags are amongst the true to life recountings, with one former doctor writing to tell TV Guide magazine just how true most of the jokes were, right down to Klinger's cross dressing. It was perhaps this attention to detail, the current parallels in the ongoing police action in South east Asia, and the fine depth of portrayals by the cast, that led to this show becoming one of the most syndicated programmes in TV history, with its finale 11 seasons later garnering it the distinction of the most watched television episode in history.

Dealing with issues of racism, glory hunting, political red tape, military fubars, and the day to day lives of regular Army staff and often unwilling draftees, the programme never flinched from displaying the pathos of the common human drama during a time of war and deprivation, but did so with a light touch. Tongue firmly in cheek, the staff struggle to remain human and humane in a brutal situation, knowing that they either laugh, or go insane. Interestingly enough, the series ran from 1972 to 1983, giving 11 years worth of episodes for a war that lasted only three years. The enduring popularity of the series has little diminished, with T-shirts, jackets, ring tones of the opening theme (which was an instrumental version of Suicide is Painless, which was sung in the film), several fan websites, and the fantastically popular release onto DVD all easily purchased even today.


~~~The Cast~~~
We have Alan Alda portraying the somewhat liberal and sarcastic swinging bachelor doctor Benjamin Hawkeye Pierce. An extremely gifted surgeon, he is unwillingly drafted, and refuses to be Army, though willing to care for his patients as per his Hippocratic Oath. He drinks heavily, living in pig sty of a tent nicknamed The Swamp, with co-conspirator, draftee doctor Trapper John, played by Wayne Rogers. Trapper is married, but is a bit of a philanderer, though he adores his wife and kids. He knows he has double standards, but figures the war gives him leeway. He is the one who manufactured the still in The Swamp. Trapper and Hawkeye also share their tent with another drafted doctor, Frank Burns, who has questionable medical skills, but adores the Army in a rather juvenile playing at Action man sort of way. Frank Burns is portrayed by Larry Linville, and he makes an excellent foil for the great camaraderie and thumb nosing antics of Trapper and Hawkeye.

Added into the mix we have commanding officer, Henry Blake (MacLean Stevenson), who mostly daydreams about being back home with wife Lorraine and their two little girls, and who is only as Army as he has to be. He is usually seen wearing a fishing hat with lures, and avoiding G.I. type "stuff", relying heavily on company clerk, Corporal Radar O'Reilly. (Gary Burghoff). Radar has an uncanny second sense, knowing when the wounded are coming in by chopper before they can be seen or heard, and knowing ahead of time when Blake needs something, often before the occasion even arises that leads him to needing said form or item. Blake's lack of military correctness and friendship with Hawkeye and Trapper infuriate Burns, who covets command, and who is egged on by Major Margaret Houlihan (Loretta Swit). Nicknamed Hot Lips, Houlihan comes from a military family and strongly desires to impress her father from afar. She also is a very feminine woman, desiring nothing more than to not only be top of her field in the Army, but to marry an officer who will give her great social standing. She secretly longs for children, and her most revealing moments are not when she spouts regulatory nonsense in an effort to climb the political ladder, but those times that show us her hidden softness.

Amidst the chaos, we also have he camp's chaplain, Lt. Francis Mulcahy. A Jesuit priest, he also performs services for all the other faith. Usually he does so to an empty tent, and finds his services needed all too often in order to perform last rites when the wounded are brought in He is a gentle soul trapped in a bewildering world of violence and seemingly senseless tragedy, yet he steps up to the plate and takes his place to try and make where he is a better place for all about them, giving comfort where he can. He does this not only by doing the last rites and visiting the wounded in the wards, but by championing the cause of the local population who are displaced, particularly those of the orphaned children. The serenity of actor William Christopher is perfect for his role, giving us a glimpse of a strong, gentle, and usually overlooked member of the camp, whose presence none the less provides a vital part of the glue that allows the unit to function and forge their somewhat dysfunctional familial bond.

~~~Series 2~~~

Series 2 first aired from the September of 1973, and despite the decades passing, it has not dated at all save for the fact that the last M*A*S*H unit officially closed last year. Indeed, many of the episodes in this particular series have frightening parallels to current administrations and policies in the US and UK, showing that certain brands of patriotism and security are never new, but instead allows us to look at them from a historical viewpoint without getting caught up in the current political doublespeak

This DVD contains all 22 of the original episodes of the second series, unedited, nicely cleaned up, and the mono soundtrack redubbed into digital mono for greater clarity. The episodes are:

1. Divided We Stand
Original airdate: September 15, 1973
A psychiatrist is sent to examine and report on the members of the 4077th. Afraid their antics will get them split up, the unit is on their best behaviour, but cannot keep up military perfection for long.

2. 5 o'clock Charlie
original airdate: September 22, 1973
Every afternoon at 5 pm, an inept N. Korean pilot attempts to bomb the 4077th and misses. It becomes a spectator sport with the camp as they rush out to see what he will hit next instead. This is one of the series' most famous episodes.

3. Radar's Report
original airdate: September 29, 1973
This enjoyable episode showcases the screwball goings on in the day to day happenings of a typical week in the 4077th. Radar compiles his weekly company report complete with information on Hawkeye's flirting, a patient attacking the doctors with a scalpel, and a request from Maj Burns and Maj Houlihan to have Cpl. Klinger examined by a psychiatrist.

4. For the Good of the Outfit
original airdate: October 6, 1973

A nearby friendly Korean village is accidentally shelled by the US Army, and they blame it on the N Koreans in order to not look bad to their S. Korean allies. The 4077th know better from retrieving bits of mortar from wounded victims, and Hawkeye and Trapper decide to do something about it.

5. Dr. Pierce and Mr. Hyde
original airdate: October 13, 1973

After being on duty for 72 hours straight and no sleep, Hawkeye decides it would be a great idea to send the 4077th's officer's latrine to N. Korea as they do not has as good a quality of toilet facilities, and he feels sorry for them. Great hilarity ensues as it is discovered the toilets have gone.

6. Kim
original airdate: October 20, 1973

A recently orphaned child victim of a bombing is brought to the 4077th in need of treatment, and Trapper becomes very attached to the small boy.

7. L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel)
original airdate: October 27, 1973

The title refers to the US military speak for citizens of the country they are serving in. There are numerous rules and regulations in place about speaking to; being friends with said LIPs, etc. Young Cpl. Walker has fallen in love with a S. Korean girl and cannot marry her without the Army saying he can, nor can she return to the US with him. This episode is a good hard, but funny look, at government red tape.

8. The Trial of Henry Blake
original airdate: November 3, 1973

Majs Houlihan and Burns really lust after Henry Blake's command, and decide to snatch it from him by challenging his fitness to command with Army headquarters. To make sure Hawkeye and Trapper are unable to help him, temporarily in charge Maj Burns has them put under house arrest.

9. 33. Dear Dad...Three
original airdate: November 10, 1973

Once more, Hawkeye writes a letter home about the happenings that week in camp. A fine vignette in the day of the life of a soldier away from home.

10. The Sniper
original airdate: November 17, 1973

Seeking glory in war, a young N. Korean lays down sniper fire into the camp, thinking he is firing on Gen. Macarthur’s contingent.

11. Carry On, Hawkeye
original airdate: November 24, 1973
The entire camp is struck down with an especially virulent bout of influenza. Everyone that is, save Hawkeye.

12. The Incubator
original airdate: December 1, 1973

This fine episode treats us to a bout of frustration as Radar, Hawkeye, and Trapper try to get an incubator for the hospital. The Army agrees that this would be helpful, but refuses the request, offering a BBQ grill instead.

13. Deal Me Out
original airdate: December 8, 1973
Radar interrupts the weekly camp poker game when he panics after "hitting" an elderly Korean man with a jeep.

14. Hot Lips and Empty Arms
original airdate: December 15, 1973
Tired of getting nowhere, Maj. Houlihan decides to break up with Maj. Burns and requests a transfer elsewhere.

15. Officers Only
original airdate: December 22, 1973
After saving a general's son, Hawkeye and Trapper are rewarded by the general pulling strings and getting an officer's club built. Knowing it was a group effort, they are not happy that the enlisted personnel cannot benefit.

16. Henry in Love
original airdate: January 5, 1974
While on R and R in Tokyo, lonely Henry meets and gets a crush on a young ingénue who is a former cheerleader. he invites her back to the 4077th for a visit, convinced he is in love.

17. For Want of a Boot
original airdate: January 12, 1974
A truly funny episode sealing with short supplies and graft. Hawkeye desperately needs a new pair of boots, but none are to be had...easily that is.

18. Operation Noselift
original airdate: January 19, 1974
This comedic episode provides a sensitive look into how others perceive us based on looks, and how we ourselves often distort it, to great enduring mental anguish. A young soldier with an extremely large nose seeks a nose job to avoid acute embarrassment and anxiety.

19. The Chosen People
original airdate: January 26, 1974

Not letting us forget that the setting is Korea, and that the forces are there to render assistance, the indigenous locals feature in this episode. They provide many unusual and somewhat hair tearing scenarios for the staff to cope with on their behalf.


20. As You Were
original airdate: February 2, 1974
A good look at the characters and their personalities, the actors get to shine here. This episode focuses on getting back to feeling human again during a several days long lull in the incoming wounded, before becoming overwhelmingly inundated again.

21. Crisis
original airdate: February 9, 1974

Usually short of supplies anyway, the 4077th faces sheer desperation and must creatively deal with extremely chronic shortages when the enemy cuts through the Army supply lines.

22. George
original airdate: February 16, 1974
Sadly a tale that is all too true today due to a lack of change in US military regulations, a highly decorated soldier faces a dishonourable discharge after his sexual orientation is accidentally discovered by Frank.


23. Mail Call
original airdate: February 23, 1974
Homesick and lonely, mail call is looked forward to desperately by the camp. It unfortunately also brings out painful feelings of loneliness and alienation by those receiving missives from home.

24. A Smattering of Intelligence
original airdate: March 2, 1974

This classic episode introduces us to Col. Flagg, a ridiculous character who is an earnest cardboard cut out of a far right patriot. Col. Flagg is an intelligence operative for the Army 9so he says), and is in camp. So is another operative from a rival agency, and they both are after each other and the no goodnik the other is after. Confused? They certainly are, especially after Hawkeye and Trapper set up a hugely funny practical joke centring around the unsuspecting GI hardcore wannabe, Frank Burns.

~~~The Boxset~~~
Released by Paramount, these are RCE encoded discs, so if you buy a region 1 set for playing in a different region, you may have trouble playing these on certain, usually branded, multiregion players. There is no current advantage to buying Region 1 as opposed to your DVD region, as the sets are exactly the same. That is to say, neither set has any extra features on the disc. They do, however, provide paper inserts which are little full colour brochures with photos and titbits about the series, and a synopsis of each episode, which is nice. The episodes are remastered so the pictures have been nicely cleaned up and restored, and the original mono track digitised to Dolby Digital mono for greater clarity. It comes in a nice plastic case that is not overly flimsy, making a nice change from those easily dog-eared paperboard slipcovers one so often sees. Also welcome is that the discs are single sides, so you get three discs that are easily distinguished without needing a magnifying glass to read incredibly minute print round the inner ring.
Another welcome feature is that during audio set up, you are able to turn off the laugh track. During its original UK broadcast, the BBC turned it off, but later showings, including those today on the Paramount Comedy Channel, have left the laugh track on. The comedic timing is much better appreciated with the track switched off, as many are n the sarcastic side, and best savoured, rather than tipped of by inane canned laughter as they happen. The discs are in spoken English only, though subtitles in English and French are available, currently priced at about 21.50 GBP for all 22 episodes, the cost is about right despite the disappointing lack of any extras.

~~~My Verdict~~~

The M*A*S*H Series 2 boxset is a worthy investment for those who love military programmes and/or comedy. The talented cast are believable in their portrayals, and the situations slightly grim, but not gory, and always slightly tongue in cheek without being disrespectful to those who serve with honour. Taking its digs at the politics of war, it remains a revealing commentary on current events, and provides talking points for us to consider. This makes a nice break from yet another reality TV programme, which I personally find less interesting than watching paint dry, and is suitable for family viewing with children over the age of 8, due to the nature of the situations.