M*A*S*H [the TV series as opposed to the film] lasted 3.5 times as long as the war [or "police action"] that it portrayed. I've always assumed that viewers saw the series as commentary on the Vietnam War as well as war in general and that this contributed to its longevity.

If you're new to the series, watch for the evolution of "Hot Lips" Houlihan, which starts about halfway through and continues for the rest of the series in a character arc about becoming what one is meant to be.

One moment in the series that I'll comment on personally has to do with Henry Blake.

I'll avoid spoilers. But M*A*S*H was one of the first major TV series to do what they did in this context. People, including a teenage me, were stunned.

The network received 1,000s of letters about that episode. It was the turning point where M*A*S*H decided to become what it was meant to be as a series.

Unlike as in TV today, people spent every week with characters like these. Every week for much of the year and continuing for years. It was entirely different than TV today. So, strong reactions to TV episodes weren't unusual.

Illustration: Two 1970s M*A*S*H TV Guide covers. FWIW TV Guide used to have fun covers and articles as well as TV listings.

I think that, left to right, the left cover features Henry Blake, Trapper John, Frank Burns, Hawkeye Pierce -- with a hot dog instead of the usual martini so as not to corrupt young people -- "Hot Lips" Houlihan, and I'm not sure of the last person. That might be Radar O'Reilly, but it doesn't look like him. It's been 50 years, so it's probably O.K. to get only 5 out of 6.

TV Guide disintegrated in later years due to two factors: The magazine's inability to list TV shows for all channels -- the era of print listings was over -- and the decision to try to become a hip and trendy magazine similar to "People".

#1970s #tv #war