"M*A*S*H" is a rarity: a TV show based on a theatrical feature that immediately surpassed the original in quality, and eventually dwarfed it in popularity, as well.
On the downside, as "M*A*S*H" grew into a pop culture phenomenon in the late 70s and early 80s, its quality declined, a none too surprising development when actors gain more clout and demand a bigger piece of the pie. So instead of providing some solid laughs as a relatively minor character, Jamie Farr's cross-dressing Corporal Klinger put on pants and was pushed too much in the forefront, perhaps to compensate for co-star Mike Farrell's complete lack of charisma. Worse, perhaps, was the addition of David Ogden Stiers as Major Winchester, as pompous as Larry Linville's Major Burns but never as funny or believable.
The show's main failure was that its creators seemed to let the critical praise go to their heads. With each passing season, "M*A*S*H" took itself more seriously, and spent too much time sermonizing when the anti-war message was more effective when it was subtly weaved into the laughs.
The first three seasons are superb - classic television at its best - thanks in no small part to the presence of Wayne Rogers, likable as Trapper John where Alan Alda's Hawkeye was frequently smug, and McLean Stevenson as Col. Henry Blake who provided the show with much of its heart. Their simultaneous departure after the third season was a wound that the best surgeons of "M*A*S*H" couldn't heal.
Brian W. Fairbanks
On the downside, as "M*A*S*H" grew into a pop culture phenomenon in the late 70s and early 80s, its quality declined, a none too surprising development when actors gain more clout and demand a bigger piece of the pie. So instead of providing some solid laughs as a relatively minor character, Jamie Farr's cross-dressing Corporal Klinger put on pants and was pushed too much in the forefront, perhaps to compensate for co-star Mike Farrell's complete lack of charisma. Worse, perhaps, was the addition of David Ogden Stiers as Major Winchester, as pompous as Larry Linville's Major Burns but never as funny or believable.
The show's main failure was that its creators seemed to let the critical praise go to their heads. With each passing season, "M*A*S*H" took itself more seriously, and spent too much time sermonizing when the anti-war message was more effective when it was subtly weaved into the laughs.
The first three seasons are superb - classic television at its best - thanks in no small part to the presence of Wayne Rogers, likable as Trapper John where Alan Alda's Hawkeye was frequently smug, and McLean Stevenson as Col. Henry Blake who provided the show with much of its heart. Their simultaneous departure after the third season was a wound that the best surgeons of "M*A*S*H" couldn't heal.
Brian W. Fairbanks