The M*A*S*H TV series wasn’t just TV-land comedy. It had weight attached to its humorousness which actually touched on serious societal matters. It was borne out of the work of Richard Hooker, who wrote MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, based on the author’s own experiences as a soldier during the Korean War.
Hooker would go on to publish two more novels afterward, but none of them were as successful as the first. It was filled with everything needed to make a stellar show that would last 11 seasons. And it was published at just the right time to pique interest and draw a strong readership.
Where The Magic Happened
For a TV series that has reached a certain legendary status for its tenure and strong viewership, it is quite interesting to note that M*A*S*H had only two places to shoot their scenes.
Neither of these sets was ever used for any other purposes at first, so the one that was nestled in the mountains near Malibu in California was used exclusively for M*A*S*H’s outdoor and tent scenes. This meant heavy use, especially for the first few seasons. For indoor shooting, they had to bunk up in Fox Studios. Eventually, Fox Studios was given a makeover, allowing the show to shoot its outdoor scenes there as well.
Dishonorable Discharge
Not only did the writers of M*A*S*H come up with names cherry-picked from people they knew personally, but they also enjoyed injecting their own relatable experiences into the lives of the characters in the program.
Lenny Bruce was given a dishonorable discharge while serving the Navy, and he wanted a similar circumstance applied to Klinger, whose zany personality fit the shoe. So the latter was made to crossdress in an attempt to get thrown out of the organization.
To Laugh Or Not To Laugh
The use (or misuse) of the laugh track mechanism wasn’t such a laughing matter when the M*A*S*H series was initially shot. In fact, CBS made it clear that its use was not merely a matter of choice, but mandatory.
This put the actors and producers in a quandary, especially for scenes in operating rooms where doctors are dealing with a patient’s guts. Some viewers found it annoying, while the network wanted to use it along with a live audience to serve as a cue for them to react accordingly to any laughing matters. Like all disputes between cooler heads, they came to an agreement and today’s DVD versions have an option to toggle the laugh track on or off.
Wanted- Korean Actors
As much as the creative minds behind M*A*S*H had wanted to portray every single detail of the show with authenticity, there was nothing much they could do with regard to one aspect: the absolute shortage of Korean actors.
To make up for this void, they ended up choosing from among a line of Asian actors, the closest they could get to fill the role of a Korean. They came up with a list that consisted of a Chinese-American, Japanese, and Japanese-American, all signed up to play the single role. Only one real Korean national was ever tapped for the Korean role.