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MASH (1977, & TV intro link) (media.piefed.ca)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/vintageads@sh.itjust.works
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M*A*S*H ran from 1972 to 1983, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time. Mobile Army Surgical Hospital units were real, but the show's 4077th was fictional. It was loosely based on the experiences of US Army surgeon Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr during the Korean War, who wrote the book MASH in 1968, spawning a film and a TV show.

The 2.5 hour final episode of M*A*S*H, set to the war's ceasefire, remains the most watched series episode in US TV history as of 2026, and for 27 years was the most watched TV production ever (not counting the Apollo 11 moon landing, which was categorized as a news story). The ad spots sold for more money than Superbowl spots.

This is the intro theme from the TV show (youtube).

Dr. Hornberger died in 1997 at age 73 from leukemia. This is Hornberger during the Korean War, serving in the real life 8055th MASH unit.

Hornberger

The main characters from the show are still household names 43 years after the end of the series.

M*A*S*H cast

M*A*S*H

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[–] [S] 9 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Hunted down a little more info. These actors are still alive, in their 80s and 90s now:

  • Alan Alda (Hawkeye), Jamie Farr (Klinger), Gary Burghoff (Radar), Mike Farrell (Hunnicut).

These actors are deceased.

  • Loretta Swit (Hoolihan), William Christopher (Father John), Wayne Rogers (Trapper), McLean Stevenson (Blake), Larry Linville (Burns), Harry Morgan (Col. Potter), David Ogden Stiers (Winchester).

Many of the episode plots were a direct result of the series producers finding and interviewing other real life MASH doctors about their experiences.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Gary Burghoff (Radar O'Reilly) was disliked by the cast and crew after getting a reputation for being extremely difficult on set. On the Andy Griffith Show, it was Francis Bavier, who played Aunt Bea, who was the difficult one.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    My only little tidbit about Radar that I knew was his hand. One of his hands is messed up. That's why he was seen primarily with objects in his hands, like clipboards or the teddy bear.

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  • [–] [S] 4 points 3 weeks ago

    Interesting. I've seen many of the episodes but never even noticed. Wikipedia:

    became a drummer, despite being born with brachydactyly caused by Poland syndrome, which made three fingers on his left hand significantly smaller than those on his right hand.

    And on his drumming,

    In the M*A*S*H episode "Showtime", Radar is seen playing a solo on the drums; he was actually performing, and the music was not overdubbed.

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