50 years of M*A*S*H

[rayge]

Feeling old yet?

[Charlie O.]

That's the least of the things to make me feel old lately. (Not that I've anything against the show.)

[Sneelock]

I  hated it when it was new. The very thought of turning that film into a sit-com filled me with inertia. spending time with family often meant watching TV together so I guess I eventually got my head out of my ass & managed to enjoy it on it’s own terms.

It’s easy to forget what a 500 pound pop culture gorilla it was and for how long. I’ve watched it frequently if not reliably. I’ve watched it enough that the Altman movie requires a bit of a mental adjustment. The way they mock Frank Burns praying and straight up harass “hot lips” in the movie are a far cry from what the TV show was about.

I’m an Altman fan. The movie is more to my liking but I’ll give the TV show some due. Mainstream audiences don’t need to be told when to laugh. They can process serious matters in the comedy format. The show was a trend setter in these matters and that’s nothing to sneeze at. Having said that, I think my favorite character in the whole shebang was the corniest and most laugh tracky of them all. Larry Linville as Frank Burns gave the show something I don’t think it had after he left. While I admire taking on serious subjects I think the lack of a straight up bad guy was a mistake. What do I know? It only lasted eleventy more seasons and got more popular than ever.

I think the show fell into a “itchy and scratchy drinking lemonade”sort of groove. The antagonists were usually episode specific brass. Every regular seemed to become morally upright in the same measure that they spoke implausibly. I LOVE Harry Morgan but his “ I reckon we better wrassle with the horny toads” type dialogue drove me up the fucking wall.

I might look at some. I’m sure I’ll see some faces that are more familiar now than when the episodes were new.

[Sneelock]

I never warmed to Alan Alda as Hawkeye. Not liking a show’s main character is certainly a problem. His squinty-eyed Bargain Groucho delivery got on my nerves even more than the horny toads.