‘M.A.S.H.’ starts again

Press, 3 October 1983, Page 19

‘M.A.S.H.’ starts again

“I don’t think there’s been any great formula for why we survived for 1 11 years. You had a group of people who have a wonderful sense of professionalism, discipline and dedication to try to do something really out of the ordinary for television.”

So said Burt Metcalfe, executive producer of “M*A*S*H,” after the cameras had rolled for the final time on one of television’s longest-running and best-loved series.

Something out of the ordinary was what “M*A*S*H” turned out to be. While the actual Korean conflict began on June 25, 1950, and ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953. the popular television series turned its first camera in the summer of 1972 and ended on January 14, 1983. Beginning today on One at 6 p.m., Television New Zealand is repeating “M*A*S*H” right from the start: series one, episode one. So it is welcome back to Trapper John, Radar, Henry Blake and Frank Burns, all of whom were

gradually written out during the first eight years. It was not until series three that Klinger and Father Mulcahy became regulars (up until then they appeared only in the occasional episode). By the time the final episode went on air, only Alan Alda as Hawkeye and Loretta Swit as “Hotlips” Houlihan remained from the first series. In addition to them, Metcalfe himself served a full term with the 4077th. He began as casting director, moved up to associate producer and producer—and finally became executive producer in series seven.

The series’ action derives from the grim work which the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital staff try to forget by unpredictable after-hours antics which somehow help them to remain sane in an insane environment.

In its first decade the series garnered 99 Emmy nominations (with a dozen golden statuettes), numerous Golden Globes, People’s Choice, Writers’ Guild, Actors’ Guild, Humanitas Awards and the most cher-

ished kudo in television—the George Foster Peabody Award, the only comedy so honoured. Alan Alda stars as Hawkeye; with Wayne Rogers as Trapper John; McLean Stevenson as Lieutenant Colonel Blake; Larry Linville as Frank Burns; Loretta Swit as Hotlips and Gary Burghoff as Radar O’Reilly.

“M*A*S*H” will be screened every week night (except Wednesday this week).