The widely loved franchise, M*A*S*H, began in 1968 with Richard Hooker’s (H. Richard Hornberger) book series. The books, inspired by Hornberger’s own experiences as a military surgeon during the Korean War, told of great stories. Hornberger’s books told of inspired stories during his time serving as a captain in the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). The books started the initial franchise and it only grew from there. Since the books came out, toys, a movie, sitcom series, video game, and spin-off shows make up the world of M*A*S*H. Both the film and sitcom series told of the harsh realities of war while using comedy to portray the messages to people all over the world. Follow along in our Retrospective of M*A*S*H to learn more about this incredible franchise.
Following the release of the first initial M*A*S*H book in 1968, toys began releasing for the franchise in 1969. Then, the M*A*S*H film came out in 1970. This put those loved characters on screen for the first time. The film inspired the sitcom television series to come out in 1972 which sparked immense popularity all over the world. The video game released the same year that the last episode of the television series released, continuing the franchise. The spin-off series, AfterMASH, came out just two years later in 1985. Along with this, two more spin-off series came into production- Trapper John M.D. and W*A*L*T*E*R. Even since then, the franchise continues to be a hit worldwide and keeps fans coming back.
Join Us in a Retrospective of M*A*S*H
Join us in a Retrospective of M*A*S*H! Follow along with us as we go through the franchise from 1968 to present day. We will mention the books, toys, film, sitcom series, video game, and spin-off shows that make up the franchise.
M*A*S*H Book Series
First up on our Retrospective of M*A*S*H are the novels. H. Richard Hornberger’s books were written under his pen name, Richard Hooker. His first book, M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, influenced the plot of the movie and film series. Many novel sequels released after the start of the sitcom series in 1972. As well as Richard Hooker, William E. Butterworth (W.E.B. Griffin) shows as credited co-author for many of the novels. The first book begins with the character, Radar. Radar sits playing poker while listening in on a conversation between Colonel Henry Blake and General Hammond. They discuss the arrival of two new surgeons, Captains Duke Forrest and Hawkeye Pierce. Upon their arrival, the two meet Col. Blake while at lunch. They get assigned to work the night shift and to lodge with Major Jonathan Hobson who was a Midwestern surgeon and preacher.
The two captains experience friction with others and face some challenges as told in a dramatic, humorous way throughout the novel. Almost all later novels leave out these original characters and instead feature mostly characters of pop culture reference in the 70s. The second novel, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, released in 1972. Following this, M*A*S*H Goes to Paris(1974), M*A*S*H Goes to New Orleans(1975), and M*A*S*H Goes to London(1975) came out. M*A*S*H Goes to Vienna, M*A*S*H goes to San Francisco, M*A*S*H Goes to Morocco, M*A*S*H Goes to Miami, M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas, and M*A*S*H Goes to Hollywood all released in 1976. The last to release in 1977 were M*A*S*H Mania, M*A*S*H Goes to Texas, M*A*S*H Goes to Moscow, and M*A*S*H Goes to Montreal.
M*A*S*H Toys
Next up on our Retrospective of M*A*S*H are the toys. Many action figures, vehicles, and playsets released for this franchise. M*A*S*H toys first began releasing in 1969 with action figures. Durham Industries were the very first to introduce these loved M*A*S*H action figures to the world. These figures allowed fans to act out their favorite scenes with their favorite characters. Each of the figures released by Durham showed incredible detail through the fans’ cherished characters. These figures stood at 9 inches tall and featured characters such as Trapper John McIntyre, Radar O’Reilly, and Hawkeye Pierce. These action figures immediately sparked popularity among both children and adults. In 1982, more M*A*S*H action figures released, this time by Tristar. These M*A*S*H action figures featured more characters on a much smaller scale at 3 3/4 inches. They also featured more accessories and articulation throughout the figure to enhance play.
Along with these action figures, vehicles and playsets also released. Durham released two vehicles, a helicopter and motorcycle for the franchise. Ja-Ru released a series of plastic role play accessories as well as vehicles. Kidco released vehicles and a play set. Matchbox released the M*A*S*H Jeep made of metal. Zee Toys released vehicles and playsets as well. Along with Tristar’s action figures, the company also released three vehicles, a playset, role play utility belt, and dog tags. The vehicles included an ambulance, Jeep and helicopter. The playset was able to cover up to 16 feet of space with the playmat and featured the entire military base. These toys brought the characters from the books, movie, and series to life again through the many items released.
M*A*S*H Film
Next up on our Retrospective of M*A*S*H is the film. Released in 1970, this film brought to life the loved characters from the M*A*S*H novel of 1968 for the first time on screen. This film was directed by Robert Altman and distributed by 20th Century Studios.
The film takes place in 1951 and begins with the camp’s two new surgeons, Captains Hawkeye Pierce and Duke Forrest. These two surgeons arrive at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in their stolen Jeep. After a couple months, the 4077th gets a new head nurse and thoracic surgeon whom Hawkeye remembers from college football. Then, while Henry is out visiting General Hammond at the 325th EVAC, the new chief surgeon, Trapper, decides to host a big party for the entire camp. Things get messy and Frank gets permanently shipped out of the camp. Near the end of the movie, the 4077th MASH and 325th EVAC decide to play against each other in a game of football. Here, both teams have tricks up their sleeve, one more than the other.
This rated R comedy/ drama/ war film sparked popularity and continued on the widely loved franchise. M*A*S*H was a box- office hit as it held the place of the 3rd highest-grossing film released in 1970. The M*A*S*H film was then followed by a very successful sitcom television series and also won an Oscar for best screenplay. Along with it’s Oscar, the film also won multiple other awards proving it’s popularity.
M*A*S*H Television Series
The hit television sitcom series appears next on our Retrospective of M*A*S*H. The series released after the previous M*A*S*H film in 1972 and lasted 11 seasons until it’s final episode in 1983. Since the show followed after the characters and storyline from Richard Hooker’s novel, it also took place at the 4077th MASH in South Korea during the Korean war. The series consisted of 256 episodes lasting 26 minutes long and was developed for CBS-TV by Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds. This hit series won 14 Emmy awards out of the 99 total nominated. Along with these, it also received nomination and awards for the series’ writers, producers, and actors.
The series features the actors: Alan Alda, Gary Burghoff, Loretta Swit, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, Jamie Farr, and Larry Linville. Along with these, William Christopher, David Ogden Stiers, Wayne Rogers, and McLean Stevenson as well as others starred in the hit series. The series showed popularity as it allowed character development over a long period of time. The storyline of M*A*S*H captured the hearts of so many fans that it continued for the complete 11 seasons. M*A*S*H‘s final episode also reached a groundbreaking record for the most watched episode on television. The series reached people all over the world and continues to be a staple in many lives.
Trapper John M.D.
This M*A*S*H spin-off series, Trapper John M.D, featured the Trapper John McIntyre character played by Pernell Roberts. The show aired from 1989 to 1986, and consisted of 7 seasons. Trapper John M.D. featured 151 episodes that released through CBS-TV. The episodes lasted much longer than the other shows at an hour long. This spin-off series showed the character 28 years after his discharge from the 4077th MASH in the Korean War. McIntyre worked as the chief of surgery at the San Francisco Memorial Hospital. The show held a comedic element much like the M*A*S*H film and series, however, it also dealt with serious medical topics going on in the world at the time of it’s run.
This series hit popularity, was nominated for seven Primetime Emmys, and received six of them. Although it proved to be very popular, the show announced it’s cancelation during the seventh season. The final four episodes still released for the series even well after the cancelation annunciation. This put an ending to the show instead of leaving fans on big cliffhangers.
M*A*S*H Video Game
The M*A*S*H video game, released in 1983, by Fox Video Games. At the time, many studios licensed their IP to other video game studios but Fox decided to do it themselves. Fox Studios unfortunately didn’t last long after the video game industry crash. However, the M*A*S*H game still released as a collection of eight on one cartridge- four games with both single and two player versions. Fox studios released this game for a wide range of popular consoles. These included the Atari, Commodore VIC-20, Texas Instruments TI-99/ 4A, Intellivision, and ColecoVision.
The first game, titled “Welcome to Korea”, features Hawkeye and Frank Burns as the played characters. The goal of this game is to maneuver a helicopter between trees to rescue wounded soldiers. These soldiers then must return to your MASH base for medical care. The second game, titled “Colonel Potter”, features the character Frank Burns as the player takes his role to rescue skydiving medics. While rescuing these medics, the player must watch out for the helicopter at the bottom of the screen launching projectiles.
The third game plays a lot like the first game except the North Korean tank no longer fires at you, hence the name of the game, “Cease Fire”. To make up this factor, the helicopter carries less soldiers back to your MASH unit, making it more difficult to finish the level. Lastly, in the fourth game, titled “O.R.”, the player acts as a surgeon to remove shrapnel from a wounded soldier. If a piece of the shrapnel touches the soldier, the player’s turn ends and they lose those points.
AfterMASH
The spin-off sitcom, AfterMASH takes the next spot on our Retrospective of M*A*S*H. This show released from 1983 to 1985 and aired on CBS-TV. Characters Potter, Mulcahy, and Klinger reunite on staff at the Missouri hospital after the Korean War. The two season series consisted of 29 episodes and followed the continued storyline of these three popular characters. Although this series featured actors as the same characters and the storyline continued, AfterMASH canceled after these first 29 episodes. The show wanted to produce the same kind of humor and drama as it’s previous series. However, since the series was set after the war, it didn’t show the same levels of popularity among fans as M*A*S*H did.
The show did start off a hit as the first season finished off with a 15th place in the Nielsen ratings. After time, though, the show’s ratings plummeted to number 90 and the series ended during the second season. The show never aired it’s series finale but gave fans a continuation of the incredibly popular M*A*S*H series.
W*A*L*T*E*R
Another spin-off of M*A*S*H, W*A*L*T*E*R, was a pilot episode released that never picked up as a series. This pilot episode aired on July 17, 1984 and CBS aired it as a “Special Presentation” instead of the beginning of a series. The show intended to follow the life of Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly after the Korean War. The character moved away from Iowa, no longer called himself Radar, and now took root in St. Louis, Missouri. Here, he took the job as a light-hearted and simple policeman. The pilot meant to aim as a comedic relief but lacked the drama and social value of the M*A*S*H series. The episode takes place following the two-part guest appearance of AfterMASH where Walter sold his family’s farm.
Final Thoughts
The M*A*S*H franchise stretches throughout decades and brought joy to people all over the world. The comedic franchise featuring the truths of life in war and as a surgeon brought comfort and knowledge to viewers. From the video game to the movie to the series and spin-off shows, the world of M*A*S*H continues to show popularity and nostalgia to people all over the world.
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Chris Ingledue
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Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!