M*A*S*H Season Sets (1 Viewer)

[Bill Williams]

So far they've done four documentaries that I know of about the series:

The first one I recall was "Memories of MASH", which was hosted and narrated by Shelley Long (who was in the episode where Hawkeye gets on the sobriety wagon
). It was a 90-minute special, and what I recall of it was that it had some foreign language versions of clips at the very end of the program. It was re-broadcast on the Hallmark Channel last year.

The second one was the "MASH 30th Anniversary Reunion", where all the surviving cast members got back together again. It had some outtakes involving Alan Alda and Gary Burghoff that I recall. That one aired on CBS and then later on the Fox network.

A third one is the one-hour A&E Biography on MASH. It showed some behind-the-scenes documentary footage on the filming of the episodes and filming on the final half-hour episode, the one where the 4077th compiles the time capsule
. I remember it airing a few times and caught it during one of the A&E Biography TV week tributes.

The fourth one is a 60-minute special that aired on the E! Network. In some ways it's similar to the A&E Biography program but is more tabloid expose' in nature. Of the four specials, this is the only one I never did get around to recording for my home video collection.

I agree, they really need to pony up the extras with the remainder of the season box sets. We're now about halfway through the series and still no significant extras. That's not to say that viewing the episodes without the canned laugh track isn't significant, there are some good episodes that work well au naturel. And there are those episode moments that work well with the canned laugh track, such as the episode where Hawkeye goes to the mess tent wearing nothing but his captain's hat, his boots, and his dog tags - otherwise stark naked! - and loses a $50 bet to Trapper
and when Margaret pulls a practical joke on Hawkeye and BJ by stealing their bathrobes, and they have to run back to the Swamp stark naked and find themselves on the receiving end of a Chippendale's-style nurses' peep show
- totally hilarious! But having the sets with audio commentaries, any deleted scenes or outtakes, even any of the above documentaries, would be nice.

 

[Jim Pattison]

IMDb lists the following M*A*S*H documentaries/reunion shows:

Making 'M*A*S*H' (1981)

Memories of M*A*S*H (1991)

M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Reunion (2002)

M*A*S*H: TV Tales (2002)

Jim

 

[Chris:L]

Jim, Loretta Swit said that when they were filming the tenth season she knew it would be their last. It was divided on who wanted another season. I'm not sure who wanted another season and who didn't but it was a vote and half of the cast wanted a finale season.

I do hope when they release the last season it'll say The Complete Final Season instead of The Complete Eleventh Season to let newcomers of the show know that there won't be any more releases after that.

But, then, I guess it would pretty obvious that it would the final season since it would have the tv movie on the last disc.

 

[Jim Pattison]

If you look at the production numbers for the episodes in the last three seasons, it becomes pretty obvious that they were preparing for a shortened final season well in advance.

In season 9 (1980-81), they filmed 24 episodes, but only aired 20 of them. In season 10 (1981-82), they once again filmed 24 episodes. That year, they aired the four episodes left over from the previous year, plus 18 of the 24 new ones, for a total of 22.

For the final season (1982-83), they filmed a mere ten episodes (although that number includes 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen', which was two-and-a-half hours, not three as mentioned previously). So the 16 episodes in season 11 include the six left over from season 10, plus only ten new ones.

Jim

 

[David Lambert]

A good slice-and-dice on the numbers there, Jim. But no matter how you cut it, there are a large number of consumers who will want GF&A by itself, and not with any of the rest of the episodes.

My idea is that Fox release a "S11" set with everything on it, including GF&A. Separately, they can release GF&A by itself and at a bargain pricepoint for anyone who doesn't want the rest. Both should street on the same date.

If they really want to, they could even make the separate GF&A a "special edition" and load it up with all the supplements that have been missing from the individual season set releases (hopefully including the four items mentioned above). It would make it more interesting to both folks who've been buying the season sets and just want it for the extras, and it would add some spice to it for the GF&A-by-itself purchasers.

Thoughts?

 

[Jim Pattison]

Well, personally, I'd like to see a little something extra in every season set, but that hasn't happened so far, and I doubt that we're likely to see much of anything included with the remaining seasons, either. It'd certainly be a nice gesture if Fox saw fit to include something in the last few sets to make up for the smaller number of episodes they'll contain.

I think that releasing GF&A on its own would be a good idea. There are probably a lot of people who'd buy that, even if they weren't interested in the rest of season 11 (which was pretty dreadful, as I recall).

Ideally, I'd like to see GF&A included in the final season set, even if they also release it separately. Spicing up the separate release with bonus items would be nice, but I'd feel slightly cheated if I had to buy the extra disc just to get something that wasn't in any of the first 11 sets.

Jim

 

[Chris:L]

They won't add special features to the following seasons because of continuity. I don't think that GF&A should be sold separately. Bad idea to me. Sell it with the final season, in one package so that people don't have to spend more money than they need to.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I think it will be sold separately, for just the reason David Lambert mentioned, there are going to be people that want to own that particular episode, but won't much want to own season 11, or hey even any of the other seasons at all, its a piece of TV history and that will move a few copies. I can also express with some confidence that Fox is well aware of this fact.

If it is sold separately, and not included in season 11 at all, then I suspect that season 11 will have a lower price point, given that it will only be 15 episodes which would be 2 discs the way they're doing this now.

This is the only scenario I wouldn't like. If they included it as part of season 11 without extras, and then also had a separate release with extras that would annoy me, because then I'd either have to do without the extras, or buy a copy of an episode I already own. I doubt they'd take this approach, but we'll find out eventually. If they do include the finale as part of season 11, then its back up to 3 discs, and they can sell it at the same price point they're selling at right now.

If ultimately, I have all 11 seasons plus original movie, plus final episode with the only extras being related to the movie, I'll still be happy to have this show on DVD. You see, 1 thing that these do offer that really isn't an extra but is still nice, is that these episodes are full length and not cut for sindication, which is fun, because sometimes I watch an episode and go "Oh, they cut that for sindication."

All this M*A*S*H talk makes me want season 6 and beyond I love Winchester, but it will be harder for me once Radar leaves

 

[Chris:L]

Casey, having Trapper leave after Season Three
and then having Frank leave after Season Five
, I don't think it would curtail sales having Radar leave after his farewell episode in Season Eight.
As you can see sales haven't been buffed by the numerous cast changes so far
so I don't think it will change anything after Radar leaves.
Not to mention the numerous changes with Margaret
For those of us who would want to have GF&A included in the final season release, I think Fox should accomodate.

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

Chris, I wasn't speaking about the general sales of the show slipping after he leaves, just that I personally don't care for those eps as much. I'll still buy those seasons of course, but I might not watch them as soon as I typically do for this release.

You are right though I think all these seasons will sell in roughly the same range, Fox has already discovered this to be the case of multiple season releases of TV shows.

 

[Chris:L]

what would you like to see for the artwork of S11? It shouldn't give away the last scene from the last show... the "goodbye" written out in stone picture
. Opinions?

 

[David Lambert]

Chris, I'm glad you brought that up. It would be easy for them to do...figuring it would make the perfect cover art.

I hope that stay away from that, and all of the other departure scenes. Each character left by a different method, and those methods should be a surprise to the first time viewer of this episode. A good cover shot doesn't need to blow the ending of the show.

 

[Coressel]

Since before it was originally aired in '83, GFA has always been hyped as a "TV Movie." Therefore, I bet they will release it as a separate Special Edition DVD. That by itself could be a great 3-disc set, with GFA (maybe with commentaries?) on disc 1 and interviews and making-of shows on discs 2 and 3.
That early 1980's "Making MASH" doc from PBS is still by far the best behind-the-scenes show ever about this series. I do hope it is rereleased sometime!
As far as the GFA cover art - They'll probaby have some cheesy cut-and-paste job with all the main characters smiling and looking happy as hell to be in Korea...

 

[Chris:L]

I disagree Coressel. If they release the eleventh season without the final episode, it does not warrant a title of "The Complete Final Season." And it would ludicrous to be called "The Incomplete Final Season." I think they should release it this way. Episodes 236-242 on Disc One. Episodes 243-250 on Disc Two. GF&A on Disc Three with Commentary and special features. Such as bloopers from all seasons. Entertainment Tonight's GF&A news coverage in 1983. ET in TVLand's M*A*S*H. The PBS Special. The 30th Anniversary which includes rare guest appearances by Allan Arbus (Sidney Freedman). The Special that was narrated by Shelley Long. And any other goodies FOX can scrounge up.

I'm still waiting on E! True Hollywood Story to cover M*A*S*H

 

[Coressel]

If they release the eleventh season without the final episode, it does not warrant a title of "The Complete Final Season." And it would ludicrous to be called "The Incomplete Final Season."

That's very true. I'm just saying that they probably won't do it that way, since GFA has always been marketed as it's own special thing. Considering how most marketing executives think, the grand overblown finale, being one of the most-watched TV events in history, more than likely will get it's own DVD set.

I'd also like to see all the stuff you mention... However, I could live without seeing whatever Mary Hart was wearing that year...

 

[Bill Williams]

I remember way back in '84, when I had just gotten my first VCR, there was a cheapjack video rental place in town, and I clearly remember seeing on the store shelves GF&A released as a separate VHS release from Fox Home Video. Without the commercials it came out just about at an even two hours.

The next time I saw it, it was in local syndication on Fox-affiliated stations, and they cut a portion of a scene where Hawkeye says to Sidney Freedman, "You son of a bitch, why did you make me remember?"
during the pivotal moment of Hawkeye remembering that he had made a Korean woman kill her own baby
. That moment crystallizes Hawkeye's rationale from that point on in the finale.

I wouldn't be surprised if Fox releases GF&A in a separate DVD release with extras, but then again, there's enough argument to warrant it being included in the final season set but on a separate disc.

 

[Aaron Handy III]

I have DVDs of M*A*S*H from the 1970 movie all the way up to TV Season Five. I'm very much looking forward to the release of Season Six! :b

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I have DVDs of M*A*S*H from the 1970 movie all the way up to TV Season Five. I'm very much looking forward to the release of Season Six!

You and me both, I'm a big Winchester fan and so I'll be glad to be getting the seasons where he's involved. Oh, and let me also welcome you to the HTF!

 

[Chris:L]

Two more months.. Two more months until the sixth season... I can hardly wait.

 

[Sam Davatchi]

Yes that's actually where all the fun begins. That's the real perfect MASH for me. Burns is just too annoying and one dimensional. It's like they want to force us, "you have to hate this guy!". I prefer all the 3 major role changes to their original counterpart much better.

Potter’s age difference gives a contrast and he is like a father figure. He has also an edge that Blake didn’t have. He can become dead serious and give an order when it’s necessary.

Hunnicut is also a contrast to Pierce which is always more exciting. McIntyre was just a copy of Pierce. I mean who cares to see the same character twice!

And Winchester is of course my favorite. He is not a one dimensional character or someone there to hate or to make Pierce shine. I even remember an episode where Pierce loses his popularity when he makes practical jokes on Winchester. Winchester becomes the popular one. I loved that episode. Anyone knows what season/episode that was?