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American war comedy-drama TV series (1972–1983) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
M*A*S*H is an American war comedy-drama television series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series, which was produced with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53).
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M*A*S*H | |
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Genre | |
Based on | MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker |
Developed by | Larry Gelbart |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Johnny Mandel (written for the film) |
Opening theme | "Suicide Is Painless" (Instrumental) |
Ending theme | "Suicide Is Painless" (Big Band Version) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 11 |
No. of episodes | 256 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Production locations | Los Angeles County, California (Century City, Malibu Creek State Park) |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 25 minutes; except "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (2 hours) |
Production company | 20th Century Fox Television |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | September 17, 1972 (1972-09-17) – February 28, 1983 (1983-02-28) |
Related | |
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Though a number of changes were made to the cast throughout the show's run, Alan Alda as surgeon Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, Loretta Swit as head nurse Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, Jamie Farr as medic Corporal Maxwell Klinger, and William Christopher as chaplain 1st Lieutenant Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy, held constant roles for all 11 seasons. Other notable characters, including Wayne Rogers as surgeon Captain Trapper John McIntyre, McLean Stevenson as company commander Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, Gary Burghoff as company clerk Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly, played in main roles for many seasons and a number of suport roles were played by recurring cast such as Kellye Nakahara as Nurse Kellye and Jeff Maxwell as Private Igor Straminsky.
Much of the shows variability in style and voice can be attributed to fluctuating writing staff over the life of the show and the variety of sources contributing to the story, such as actor Alan Alda and surgeons who served in the Korean War.[1] The show's title sequence features an instrumental version of "Suicide Is Painless," the original film's theme song.[2]
The show was created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, failed. The television series is the best-known of the M*A*S*H works, and one of the highest-rated shows in U.S. television history. Its final episode, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen", was the most-watched television broadcast in American history from 1983 until 2010,[3] and remains both the most-watched finale of any television series and the most-watched episode of a scripted series.[4]
The title is an acronym for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.