MASH is a American Academy Award-winning
satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
dark comedy
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
directed by
Robert AltmanRobert Bernard Altman was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective...
and written by Ring Lardner, Jr. based on the novel
MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by
Richard HookerH. Richard Hornberger was an American writer and surgeon, born in Trenton, New Jersey, who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. His most famous work was MASH , written in collaboration with W.C...
. It is the only
feature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening...
in the
M*A*S*H franchise.
The film, which depicts a unit of medical personnel stationed at a
Mobile Army Surgical HospitalThe Mobile Army Surgical Hospital refers to a United States Army medical unit serving as a fully functional hospital in a combat area of operations. The units were first established in August 1945, and were deployed during the Korean War and later conflicts. The U.S...
during the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
; however, the
subtextSubtext is content of a book, play, musical work, film, video game or television series which is not announced explicitly by the characters but is implicit or becomes something understood by the observer of the work as the production unfolds. Subtext can also refer to the thoughts and motives of...
is really about the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
. It stars
Donald SutherlandDonald McNicol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian character actor with a film career spanning over 50 years. He is currently working in the American television series, Dirty Sexy Money. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, in...
and
Elliott GouldElliott Gould is an American actor. He became known during the 1970s, having starred in many Hollywood films, and has since continued appearing in supporting roles.-Early life:...
, with
Robert DuvallRobert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards....
,
Sally KellermanSally Claire Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
,
Tom SkerrittThomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Career:Skerritt made his television debut in the series Gunsmoke...
,
Roger BowenRoger Bowen was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col Henry Braymore Blake in the 1970 film MASH. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series...
,
Gary BurghoffGary Richard Burghoff is an American actor, best known for playing the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the M*A*S*H series and Charlie Brown in the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown....
,
Rene AuberjonoisRené Murat Auberjonois is an American actor, known for portraying Father Mulcahy in the movie version of M*A*S*H and for creating a number of characters in long-running television series, including Clayton Endicott III on Benson , Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and attorney Paul Lewiston on...
,
David ArkinDavid Arkin was an American actor best known for his numerous supporting appearances in films by Robert Altman.- Filmography :*Popeye .... The Mailman/Police Officer...
, and
Fred WilliamsonFred “The Hammer” Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional football player, a star defensive back in the AFL during the 1960s.- Football career :...
. The film went on to inspire the television series
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
.
The film's title is often rendered as
M*A*S*H, but, although asterisks were included in the original poster art and in the subsequent TV series, the title that appears onscreen in the film omits them.
Overview
MASH juxtaposes gory operating-room procedures with
anti-establishmentAn anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine New Statesman to refer to its political and social agenda...
humor. Occasionally, these two elements coexist within the same shot. For example, while Hawkeye is amputating a patient's leg, he asks a nurse to scratch his nose, when all the while the sound of the saw cutting the bone is audible.
The film, the plot of which is episodic, is marked by Altman's trademark editing style, in which many scenes contain several simultaneous or overlapping conversations, as well as his frequent use of zooms.
Some really sharp surgeons
The 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital is in need of replacements, and is assigned two:
Captain "Hawkeye" PierceCaptain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce is a fictional character and lead protagonist in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series...
(Sutherland) and
Captain "Duke" ForrestCapt. Augustus Bedford "Duke" Forrest is a fictional character from the M*A*S*H novels and film. In the film, he is played by Tom Skerritt as a Southern gentleman/rascal type character. Although referring to black men as "nigras", Duke is apparently more racist in word than deed, being on generally...
(Skerritt). On their arrival, it becomes clear that they are rebellious, womanizing, mischievous rule-breakers (they arrive having "borrowed" a
JeepJeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler. It is the oldest off-road vehicle brand, with Land Rover coming in second. The original vehicle which first appeared as the prototype Bantam BRC became the primary light 4-wheel-drive vehicle of the US Army and allies during the World War II and postwar...
, and immediately begin flirting with the nursing staff), but they soon prove beyond argument that they are also good at their jobs. They immediately clash with their new tentmate
Major Frank BurnsMajor Franklin Delano Marion "Frank" Burns is a fictional character in the M*A*S*H film and television series. Burns first appeared in the original M*A*S*H novel by Richard Hooker, where he had the rank of captain...
(Duvall), who is both a religious man and an inferior surgeon. Hawkeye and Duke put pressure on
Lt. Colonel Henry BlakeLieutenant Colonel Henry Braymore Blake is a fictional character introduced in the 1968 novel M*A*S*H, written by H. Richard Hornberger under the pen name of Richard Hooker...
(Bowen), the unit's CO, to have Burns removed from "their" tent. At the same time, they ask him to apply to have a specialist
thoracic surgeonThoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in the surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax . Generally treatment of conditions of the lungs, chest wall, and diaphragm....
assigned to the 4077th.
The new chest-cutter
The mysterious new thoracic surgeon arrives, and gives away little about who he is or where he's from. Hawkeye, though, is convinced he has seen the new man somewhere before. It is only after an impromptu football game that Hawkeye recalls a
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
game he played in which he scored the only
touchdownA touchdown is the term for scoring American and Canadian football.-Description:To score a touchdown, one team must take the football into the opposite end zone. This can be done by rushing, in which the ball carrier carries the football forward into the end zone. It can also be done by passing,...
by intercepting a pass from the opposing team's (Dartmouth) quarterback, the new thoracic surgeon,
Captain "Trapper" John McIntyreFor the Scottish radiologist, see John Macintyre. For the American actor, see John McIntire."Trapper" John Francis Xavier McIntyre is a fictional character in Richard Hooker's M*A*S*H novels, as well as the film and the two TV series that followed them...
(Gould).
The new chief nurse
Major Margaret HoulihanMajor Margaret J. "Hot Lips" Houlihan is a fictional character first created in the book M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. Actress Sally Kellerman portrayed the character in the Robert Altman film adaptation...
(Kellerman), the newly assigned chief nurse of the camp, arrives to be greeted by Henry Blake (who mistakenly refers to her as "O'Houlihan" several times). At the same time, in the post-op ward, Trapper observes Frank Burns blaming Private Boone, an orderly, for a patient's death when he doesn't get to Burns in time with a cardiac needle. During Houlihan's tour of the camp, Trapper confronts Burns and punches him. Since Houlihan witnesses this outburst, Henry must wait before he can appoint Trapper as the new chief surgeon.
"Kiss my hot lips!"
While Henry is away visiting General Hammond at the 325th Evac Hospital, the camp, led by Trapper, lets loose. Burns and Houlihan are appalled, and together they write a report on the unmilitary goings-on. In the process, they give in to their own passions and engage in a sexual encounter. But their tryst winds up being broadcast over the PA system and leads to Houlihan gaining her nickname, "Hot Lips". They are forced to end this when they realize the whole camp is listening to them. The following day, Hawkeye quietly taunts Burns about the encounter, so much so that Burns leaps across the mess table to attack him. This leads to Burns' being sedated, restrained, and shipped back stateside.
"Suicide is painless"
"Dago Red"Francis John Patrick Mulcahy, commonly called Father Mulcahy, is a principal character from the film M*A*S*H, played by Rene Auberjonois, and the television series, played by William Christopher...
(Auberjonois), the camp's chaplain, tells Hawkeye that "Painless Pole" Waldowski (
John SchuckConrad John Schuck is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best-known for his roles as police commissioner Rock Hudson's mildly slow-witted assistant, Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama McMillan and Wife, and as Lee Meriwether's husband, Herman Munster in...
), the unit's dentist, has consulted him about a problem. Though Mulcahy feels unable to divulge any details (Waldowski had come to him in
confessionThe confession of one's sins is a religious practice important to many faiths, e.g., Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.- Christianity :...
), he makes clear the severity of the problem. Waldowski, the "best equipped dentist in the army", tells Hawkeye that he has suffered a "lack of performance" with a visiting nurse and now believes that he has latent homosexual tendencies. Soon after, he reveals his desire to commit
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
and seeks advice on which method to use. Hawkeye, Trapper, and Duke suggest that he use the "black capsule" (a fictitious, fast-acting poison). At an impromptu
Last SupperIn the Christian Gospels, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and disciples before his death...
, Painless takes the capsule (actually a sleeping pill) and falls asleep in a coffin to the strains of "
Suicide is Painless"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman , which is best known for being featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H...
". Hawkeye then persuades Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider (Pflug), one of the nurses who is returning to the U.S. the following day, to spend the night with Painless, thus curing him of his problems.
A natural blonde
During a discussion, Duke announces that he is partial to blondes, to which Hawkeye responds by claiming his friend has a thing for "Hot Lips". Duke counters by suggesting she isn't even a natural blonde and bets $20 with Hawkeye to find out. Together, the boys come up with a scheme: when the nurses are all going to use the showers, each of them is waylaid except Hot Lips. Then, on cue, the flap covering the shower tent is lifted to expose Hot Lips, naked, to the camp, plunging her into complete and total humiliation.
In hysterics, "Hot Lips" storms off to Colonel Blake's tent and screams at him that the camp is an insane asylum and that it's his fault for letting the doctors get away with practically anything. She threatens to resign her commission if Blake doesn't turn them over to the MPs. However, Blake says that she can resign her own commission.
"The pros from Dover"
Ho-Jon, a local teenager who works in the camp, is drafted into the South Korean army. Hawkeye drives him to the induction center in Seoul for his physical, where he is found to have high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat. The examining doctor refuses to disqualify Ho-Jon, insinuating that Hawkeye may have given Ho-Jon some medicine to induce these symptoms and keep him from being conscripted. Hawkeye reluctantly has to let him go.
Back in camp, Trapper is ordered to proceed to
Kokurais an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyūshū, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshū and Kyūshū. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR Kyūshū and an important part of the...
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, to operate on the
GI-Science and measurement:* Galvanized iron - iron that has been electrochemically rustproofed with zinc* Gastrointestinal - a division of the human anatomy in medicine* GenInfo Identifier - a database key in the NCBI's Genbank database...
son of a U.S. Congressman who has been injured in training. Seeing an opportunity to
golfGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
on the quality courses, he takes Hawkeye to assist. The two barge into the hospital and order the young man into surgery within the hour. With Hawkeye's old friend "Me Lay" Marston as the anaesthetist, they quickly finish the surgery; but on the way out of the hospital, they are cornered by the
MPsMilitary police are normally the police of a military organization.Military police may refer to:* a section of the military solely responsible for policing the armed forces...
and are escorted to the hospital's commander, Col. Wallace Merrill. Reminding the Colonel that "the Pros from Dover" have bailed him out of a potential situation with the Congressman's son, any threats that Merrill could make are effectively nullified.
While recuperating at the hospital/whorehouse where Me Lay moonlights as a doctor, Hawkeye and Trapper come across a Japanese-American baby with a serious medical problem. Taking advantage of their status as "the Pros from Dover", they go to the military hospital to operate, but are stopped by Merrill. However, the three anesthetize him and then blackmail him by taking nude pictures of him in bed with one of the prostitutes.
On their return from Japan, Hawkeye and Trapper immediately go into surgery for several hours. Done with the surgery and eager to get some sleep, they head back to their tent only to find that Duke has locked it up. They then observe him sneaking Hot Lips out, making it clear that Duke was not as averse to the chief nurse as he claimed.
The football game
On a visit to the 4077th, General Hammond shares a drink with Hawkeye, Trapper, and Duke and suggests that their two units play a "friendly"
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
game, with some money thrown into a pot to make bets ($5,000 or $6,000). Seeing an opportunity to make some money, Hawkeye comes up with a plan. First, they get Henry to apply for a specific
neurosurgeonNeurosurgery is the surgery discipline focused on treating the central nervous system, peripheral nervous systems and spinal column diseases amenable to surgical intervention....
: Dr. Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones, a former professional football player for the
San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team. The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in Santa Clara...
. Then, Hawkeye's plan calls for them to bet half their money up front and keep the ringer (Jones) out of the first half of the game. Once the other team has racked up some easy points and become confident enough to offer good odds to bet the rest of the money, the 4077th brings in Jones for the second half. The game goes down to the last play, described as "semilegal", which calls for the ball to be returned from the
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
(Trapper) to the
centerCenter is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
(Vollmer), who then hides the ball under his jersey. While everyone chases the phantom ball, Vollmer runs unobserved to score a touchdown, winning the game and the bets for the 4077th.
Not long after the football game, Hawkeye and Duke receive their discharge orders and begin their journey home—in the same Jeep they arrived in.
Cast
- Donald Sutherland
Donald McNicol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian character actor with a film career spanning over 50 years. He is currently working in the American television series, Dirty Sexy Money. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, in...
as Capt. Hawkeye PierceCaptain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce is a fictional character and lead protagonist in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series...
- Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He became known during the 1970s, having starred in many Hollywood films, and has since continued appearing in supporting roles.-Early life:...
as Capt. John Francis Xavier "Trapper John" McIntyreFor the Scottish radiologist, see John Macintyre. For the American actor, see John McIntire."Trapper" John Francis Xavier McIntyre is a fictional character in Richard Hooker's M*A*S*H novels, as well as the film and the two TV series that followed them...
- Tom Skerritt
Thomas Roy "Tom" Skerritt is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962.-Career:Skerritt made his television debut in the series Gunsmoke...
as Capt. Augustus Bedford "Duke" Forrest
- Sally Kellerman
Sally Claire Kellerman is an American actress and singer known for her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in the film MASH , for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.-Early life:...
as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" HoulihanMajor Margaret J. "Hot Lips" Houlihan is a fictional character first created in the book M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. Actress Sally Kellerman portrayed the character in the Robert Altman film adaptation...
- Robert Duvall
Robert Selden Duvall is an American actor and director. He has won an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards....
as Major Frank Burns
- Roger Bowen
Roger Bowen was an American comedic actor and novelist, known for his portrayal of Lt. Col Henry Braymore Blake in the 1970 film MASH. He often portrayed roles as a stuffy defender of the upper class and had regular roles on a number of television series...
as Lt. Col. Henry Braymore BlakeLieutenant Colonel Henry Braymore Blake is a fictional character introduced in the 1968 novel M*A*S*H, written by H. Richard Hornberger under the pen name of Richard Hooker...
- René Auberjonois as Father John Patrick "Dago Red" Mulcahy
- John Schuck
Conrad John Schuck is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best-known for his roles as police commissioner Rock Hudson's mildly slow-witted assistant, Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama McMillan and Wife, and as Lee Meriwether's husband, Herman Munster in...
as Capt. Walter Koskiusko "The Painless Pole" Waldowski, DDS
- Carl Gottlieb
Carl Gottlieb is an American screenwriter, actor, comedian and executive. He is probably best known for co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, as well as directing the 1981 low-budget cult film Caveman.-Early life:...
as Capt. John "Ugly John" Black
- Danny Goldman
Danny Goldman is an American actor, voice artist, and, more recently, casting director. Among his many notable credits include a small role in Young Frankenstein, the voice of Brainy Smurf and Ozzie the Answer in the 80s detective drama Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer...
as Capt. Murrhardt
- Corey Fischer
Corey Fischer , born in 1945 in Los Angeles, received a BA in French and Theatre Arts from UCLA. In the mid-sixties he worked in Los Angeles in improvisational theatre, notably with The Committee, and went on to work in film and television appearing in Robert Altman's first three Hollywood movies:...
as Capt. Dennis Patrick Bandini
- Jo Ann Pflug
Jo Ann Pflug is a former American motion picture and television actress, who retired in the 1990s.Pflug's first major role was as U.S. Army nurse Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider in 1970's MASH. Other notable roles include the voice of Invisible Girl in the 1967 animated version of Fantastic Four, Lt...
as Lt. Maria "Dish" Schneider
- Indus Arthur
Indus Arthur was an actress in motion pictures and television in the 1960s.-Background:She was from Los Angeles County. She had blue eyes, blonde hair, and a humorous quirk to her lips. Both Arthur and her grandmother were named for the Indus River in Tibet. Her grandmother once visited the river...
as Lt. Leslie
- Dawne Damon as Capt. Scorch
- Tamara Wilcox-Smith as Capt. Bridget "Knocko" McCarthy
- David Arkin
David Arkin was an American actor best known for his numerous supporting appearances in films by Robert Altman.- Filmography :*Popeye .... The Mailman/Police Officer...
as SSgt. Wade Douglas Vollmer/PA Announcer. (Note: In the movie, Duke called him "Lee".)
- Gary Burghoff
Gary Richard Burghoff is an American actor, best known for playing the character Corporal Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly in the M*A*S*H series and Charlie Brown in the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown....
as Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'ReillyCorporal “Radar” O’Reilly is a fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, the film, the television series, the television pilot, W*A*L*T*E*R, and two episodes of the series, After MASH. The character was portrayed by Gary Burghoff in both the film and on television — the only actor from the film to...
- Ken Prymus as Pvt. Seidman
- Fred Williamson
Fred “The Hammer” Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional football player, a star defensive back in the AFL during the 1960s.- Football career :...
as Capt. Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones
- Michael Murphy
Michael George Murphy is an American film and television actor.-Career:Murphy played Woody Allen's friend Yale in the film Manhattan...
as Capt. Ezekiel Bradbury "Me Lay" Marston IV
- Timothy Brown
Thomas Allen Brown is a former professional American football player and actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Knightstown, Indiana...
as Cpl. Judson
- Bud Cort
Bud Cort is an American film and stage actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his portrayal of Harold from Hal Ashby's 1971 film Harold and Maude.-Early life:...
as Pvt. Lorenzo Boone
- G. Wood
George Wood was an American film and television actor.Wood was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He was one of three actors to appear in both the 1970 film M*A*S*H and the television series M*A*S*H In both the film and the television series, Wood played General Hammond...
as Brig. Gen. Charlie Hammond
- Kim Atwood as Ho-Jon
- Dale Ishimoto
Dale Ishimoto was an American actor of Japanese descent. He was born in Delta, Colorado in 1923 and was raised in Guadalupe, California. -Military Service:...
as Korean doctor
- Bobby Troup
Robert William "Bobby" Troup Jr. was an American actor, jazz pianist and songwriter. He is best known for writing the popular standard " Route 66", and for his role as Dr. Joe Early in the 1970s US TV seriesEmergency!.-Life and music:Bobby Troup was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania...
as Sgt. Gorman
Because of the number of unknown actors that Altman had cast, the opening credits, after the established stars, are entirely "Introducing…."
Gary Burghoff was the only member of the movie cast to become a regular on the
television seriesM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
. However, other actors did appear in both.
G. WoodGeorge Wood was an American film and television actor.Wood was born in Forrest City, Arkansas. He was one of three actors to appear in both the 1970 film M*A*S*H and the television series M*A*S*H In both the film and the television series, Wood played General Hammond...
, who played Gen. Hammond, appeared also in three episodes of the series.
Timothy BrownThomas Allen Brown is a former professional American football player and actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Knightstown, Indiana...
had different roles in the film (as Cpl. Judson) and, for a brief time, the series (as "Spearchucker" Jones).
Corey FischerCorey Fischer , born in 1945 in Los Angeles, received a BA in French and Theatre Arts from UCLA. In the mid-sixties he worked in Los Angeles in improvisational theatre, notably with The Committee, and went on to work in film and television appearing in Robert Altman's first three Hollywood movies:...
played Capt. Bandini in the film and the guitar-playing dentist Cardozo in the TV episode "5 O'Clock Charlie".
Fred WilliamsonFred “The Hammer” Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional football player, a star defensive back in the AFL during the 1960s.- Football career :...
, who portrays "Spearchucker" Jones—a neurosurgeon who played professional football before being drafted into the Army—actually played professional football (for the
Pittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are currently a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
,
Oakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team in the NFL based in the city of Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and
Kansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
. In the film's football sequence, he appears wearing anachronistically white football shoes (football players did not wear white shoes until
Joe NamathJoseph William "Joe" Namath , also known as Broadway Joe or Joe Willie, is a former American football quarterback...
sported them in the late 1960s).
Tom WoodeshickThomas Woodeshick is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League....
appears in one shot at the end of the football game taking a hit off of a
jointJoint is slang for a cigarette rolled using cannabis. Rolling papers are the most common rolling medium among industrialized countries, however brown paper, cigarettes with the tobacco removed, and newspaper are commonly used throughout the developing world. Modern papers are now commonly made...
. Likewise, Timothy Brown had a real-life career with the
Green Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League and are the third-oldest franchise in the NFL.The Packers are the last vestige of "small town...
,
Philadelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and Baltimore Colts.
Ben DavidsonBenjamin Earl Davidson is a former collegiate and professional American football player between 1961 and 1971, most notably in the American Football League with the Oakland Raiders from 1964 through 1969, and for the NFL Raiders in 1970 and 1971. He had also played in the NFL for the Green Bay...
, who was the player who spat his drink in Radar's face and was thrown out of the game in the second half, had a long career with the Raiders.
Production
The screenplay is radically different from the original novel; in the
DVD audioDVD-Audio is a digital format for delivering high-fidelity audio content on a DVD. DVD-Audio is not intended to be a video delivery format and is not the same as video DVDs containing concert films or music videos. The first discs entered the marketplace in 2000...
commentary, Altman refers to the novel as "pretty terrible" and possibly "racist"—the major black character in the movie has the nickname "Spearchucker". He claims that even Lardner's screenplay was used only as a springboard. However, the screenplay itself reveals that, while there is some ad-libbing in the film, and although Altman moved major sequences around, most sequences are in the screenplay. The main deletion is a subplot of Ho-Jon's return to the 4077th—as a casualty. When Radar steals blood from Henry, it is for Ho-Jon's operation under Trapper and Hawkeye's scalpels. When the surgeons are playing poker after the football game, they are resolutely ignoring a dead body being driven away—Ho-Jon's. The main deviation from the script is the trimming of much of the dialogue.
The filming process was difficult, due to tensions between the director and his cast. Sutherland has stated that he was the only member of the principal cast and crew not using drugs during the filming. During
principal photographythumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is actually shot, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
, Sutherland and Gould spent a third of their time trying to get Altman fired; Altman, relatively new to the filmmaking establishment, at that time lacked the credentials to justify his unorthodox filmmaking process and had a history of turning down work rather than creating a poor-quality product. Altman: "I had practice working for people who don't care about quality, and I learned how to sneak it in." Altman later commented that if he had known about Gould and Sutherland, he would have resigned. Gould later sent a letter of apology, and Altman used him in some of his later works, but he never worked with Sutherland again.
There were only a few uses of loudspeaker announcements in the original cut. When Altman realized he needed more structure to his largely episodic film, editor Danford Greene suggested using more loudspeaker announcements to frame different episodes of the story. Greene took a second-unit crew and filmed additional shots of the speakers. On the same night that these scenes were shot, American astronauts landed on the moon.
During production, a caption that mentions the Korean setting was added to the beginning of the film, at the request of 20th Century Fox studios. The Korean War is explicitly referenced in announcements on the camp
public addressA public address or "PA" system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a given sound, e.g., a person making a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often...
system and during a radio announcement that plays while Hawkeye and Trapper are
puttingGolf is a precision club-and-ball sport, in which competing players , using many types of clubs, attempt to hit balls into each hole on a golf course while employing the fewest number of strokes. Golf is one of the few ball games that does not require a standardized playing area...
in Col. Merrill's office.
In his director's commentary on the
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
release, Altman says that
MASH was the first major studio film to use the word "
fuckFuck is an English word that is generally considered profane, that in its most literal meaning refers to the act of sexual intercourse. However, by extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed, and it is due to the convergence...
" in its dialogue. The word is spoken during the football game near the end of the film by "The Painless Pole" when he says to an opposing football player, "All right, Bud, your fucking head is coming right off!" The actor,
John SchuckConrad John Schuck is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best-known for his roles as police commissioner Rock Hudson's mildly slow-witted assistant, Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama McMillan and Wife, and as Lee Meriwether's husband, Herman Munster in...
, has said in several interviews that Altman encouraged ad-libbing, and that particular statement made it into the film without a second thought. Interestingly, the offending word was not censored during a late-night broadcast of the film on ABC in 1985; subsequent broadcasts of the film on network television have the word removed altogether. (
MASH had its television premiere as a
CBS Friday Night Movie on September 13,
1974The year 1974 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1974.For the American TV schedule, see: 1974-75 American network television schedule.-Events:...
@ 9:00 (EDT), 3 days after the start of the third season of the
M*A*S*HM*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH . The series is a medical drama/black comedy that was produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS...
TV series; it was repeated on CBS March 5,
1976The year 1976 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1976.-Global television events:*The Olympics, broadcast from Montreal, Canada, draw an estimated one billion viewers worldwide....
.)
Music
MASH features the song "
Suicide Is Painless"Suicide Is Painless" is a song written by Johnny Mandel and Mike Altman , which is best known for being featured as the theme song for both the movie and TV series M*A*S*H...
", with music by
Johnny MandelJohnny Mandel is a Grammy Award-winning American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz.Among the musicians he has worked with are Count Basie , Frank Sinatra Johnny Mandel (November 23, 1925) is a Grammy Award-winning American composer and arranger of popular songs, film...
and lyrics by
Mike AltmanMike Altman is the son of film director Robert Altman and is best known for writing the lyrics to "Suicide Is Painless", the theme song for his father's 1970 movie, M*A*S*H.The younger Altman wrote the song at the age of only 14...
, the director's 14-year-old son. The version heard under the opening credits was sung by uncredited session vocalists
John BahlerJohn Bahler is an American vocalist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer.John Bahler is brother of Tom Bahler and husband of Janet Lennon .-Early career:...
,
Tom BahlerThomas Lee Bahler , is an American singer, composer, songwriter, arranger and producer.He is the brother of John Bahler.-Early career:...
, Ron Hicklin and Ian Freebairn-Smith (on the single release, the song is attributed to "The Mash"); the song is reprised later in the film by the character of Pvt. Seidman (played by Ken Prymus). Altman has noted in interviews that his son made quite a bit more money off publishing royalties for the song than the $70,000 or so he was paid to direct the film.
An instrumental version of the song by Al DeLory was a hit in 1970. Ten years after the film's release, the song reached number one in the UK charts. The
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
show used an
instrumentalRock Instrumentals have a separate page.An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. This term is used when referring to popular music rather than to other musical genres such as European...
version of the song as its
theme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. The tune has notably been covered by
Manic Street PreachersManic Street Preachers are an alternative rock band from Blackwood, Wales, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield , Nicky Wire and Sean Moore...
and
Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
. "Suicide is Painless" also became a standard of jazz music, with versions by
Bill EvansWilliam John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
, on
You Must Believe in Spring (recorded in 1977 but only released after his death in 1980) and
Ahmad JamalAhmad Jamal is a noted American jazz pianist.Jamal was one of Miles Davis's favorite pianists and was a key influence on the trumpeter's "First Great Quintet"...
, on
Digital Works (1985).
Mandel also composed incidental music used throughout the film. Also heard on the soundtrack are
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family. There are a number of proposed relationships with other languages, but none have gained general acceptance...
vocal renditions of such songs as "Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy", "
My Blue Heaven"My Blue Heaven" is a popular song. The music was written by Walter Donaldson, the lyrics by George Whiting .The song was published in 1927 and became a huge 1928 hit for crooner Gene Austin, when its was charted for 26 weeks, stayed at #1 for 13, and sold over five million copies. The song has...
","
Happy Days are Here Again"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp...
", "
Chattanooga Choo Choo"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a big-band/swing song which was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle and Joan Davis...
", and "
Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo"Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" is a popular song with music by Bronislau Kaper, and lyrics by Helen Deutsch. The song was published in 1952. The song was featured in the movie Lili which starred Leslie Caron .-Recorded versions:*Eve Boswell *Gene Vincent...
"; impromptu performances of "
Onward, Christian Soldiers"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, and the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St...
" and "
Hail to the Chief"Hail to the Chief " is a march primarily associated with the President of the United States. Its playing accompanies the appearance of the President at many public appearances. For major official occasions, the United States Marine Band and other military ensembles generally are the performers,...
" by cast members; and the instrumental "Washington Post March" during the climactic football game.
Awards and honors
The film won the
Grand PrixThe Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film...
at the
1970 Cannes Film FestivalThe 1970 Cannes Film Festival was the 23rd competition. This year, Robert Favre LeBret, the founder of the festival, decided not to include any films from Russia and Japan...
. It was nominated for five
Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
, including
Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible...
, Best Director,
Best Supporting ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
(Sally Kellerman), and
Best Film EditingThe Academy Award for Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; it was first given for films released in 1934. The name of this award is occasionally changed; in 2008, it was listed as the Academy Award for Achievement in Film Editing. The New York...
, and won an Oscar for its screenplay.
The film won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy has been awarded annually since 1952 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1950s:* 1952 - An American in Paris* 1953 - With a Song in My Heart...
in 1971.
The movie was the 38th film to be released to the
home videoHome video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or hired for home entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into the current DVD/Blu-ray Disc age...
market when 20th Century Fox licensed fifty motion pictures from their library to
Magnetic VideoMagnetic Video was a home video/audio duplication service established by Andre Blay in 1968 and based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. In 1977 it became the first corporation to release theatrical motion pictures onto Betamax and VHS videocassette for consumer use. Magnetic Video was a home...
.
In 1996,
MASH was deemed "culturally significant" by the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
and was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film RegistryThe National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
This film is number 17 on
Bravo'sBravo is an American cable television channel owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film, drama, and the performing arts when it launched by Cablevision as an advertisement-free channel in December 1980...
"100 Funniest Movies".
American Film InstituteThe American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
recognition
- 1998 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies
The first of the AFI 100 Years… series of cinematic milestones, AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies is a list of the 100 best American movies, as determined by the American Film Institute from a poll of more than 1,500 artists and leaders in the film industry who chose from a list of 400 nominated movies...
#56
- 2000 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 comedy movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of manners and comedy...
#7
- 2004 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs
|Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs is a list of the top 100 songs in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute June 22, 2004 in a CBS special hosted by John Travolta, who appeared in two films honored by the list, Saturday Night Fever and...
:
- "Suicide is Painless," #66
- 2007 AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)
AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies — 10th Anniversary Edition was the 2007 updated version of 100 Years… 100 Movies. The original list was first unveiled in 1998....
#56
External links