Like most pilots, there is something stiff and jerky about this first MASH episode. It does accomplish what it should have. It introduces us to the personalities and foibles of what were to become solid characters. We get to meet Hawkeye, Trapper, Henry, Radar, and Hot Lips. There are also peripheral characters who had varying roles in the early episodes but would be unrecognizable later. The plot involves efforts to get a young Korean man who works as a houseboy to go to the States to become a doctor. In order to finance this, they decide to raffle off a weekend with a nurse in Tokyo. First they must convince the nurse and then figure out a way to get permission. Because Henry goes away, Frank is put in charge of the MASH unit and vindictively puts a stop to everything. This is a mistake. Anyway, the conclusion is quite cleverly done and allows things to wrap up nicely. The maiden voyage of one of the best of all television series.
11 Reviews
Interesting start
kellielulu2 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The pilot starts with a noble cause and Radar helps make sure a raffle to help one of the locals takes place despite orders otherwise.
Blake is away and unbeknownst to Margaret Frank is being passed off as a patient.
There raffle to take place is for a weekend in in Tokyo with a popular nurse nicknamed Dish. It's rigged and the celibate priest Mulcahy wins! This is the pre William Christopher Mulcahy.
In fact there are a number of characters that don't last although a few of the lesser known ones last some longer than others.
Biggest issue with Hawkeye and Trapper is the womanizing and misogyny. Problem with that is twofold. One the term Hot Lips actually comes from a General Margaret calls ( using his fondness for her ) so the nickname itself isn't originally from Hawkeye or Trapper although it shouldn't have been used for so long. The other thing is this is the first of many times Margaret uses herself as bait to get higher ups to come running when she and or Frank complain about antics at the camp, The raffle succeeds and the General and Blake show up just as incoming wounded are arriving. The General promises a court martial for Pierce and McIntyre in the meantime they recruit the General to help in O. R. He's more than impressed with their skill as surgeons and tells Blake not to lose them. Pretty much this insures they can withstand opposition from Burns and Houlihan .
Basically setting up the character dynamics . We of course don't see Klinger just yet and we get the incomparable William Christopher as Father Mulcahy after the pilot but it how plots develop and the roles the characters play . A bit jagged in terms of how the characters come across initially they become more nuanced over time.
Blake is away and unbeknownst to Margaret Frank is being passed off as a patient.
There raffle to take place is for a weekend in in Tokyo with a popular nurse nicknamed Dish. It's rigged and the celibate priest Mulcahy wins! This is the pre William Christopher Mulcahy.
In fact there are a number of characters that don't last although a few of the lesser known ones last some longer than others.
Biggest issue with Hawkeye and Trapper is the womanizing and misogyny. Problem with that is twofold. One the term Hot Lips actually comes from a General Margaret calls ( using his fondness for her ) so the nickname itself isn't originally from Hawkeye or Trapper although it shouldn't have been used for so long. The other thing is this is the first of many times Margaret uses herself as bait to get higher ups to come running when she and or Frank complain about antics at the camp, The raffle succeeds and the General and Blake show up just as incoming wounded are arriving. The General promises a court martial for Pierce and McIntyre in the meantime they recruit the General to help in O. R. He's more than impressed with their skill as surgeons and tells Blake not to lose them. Pretty much this insures they can withstand opposition from Burns and Houlihan .
Basically setting up the character dynamics . We of course don't see Klinger just yet and we get the incomparable William Christopher as Father Mulcahy after the pilot but it how plots develop and the roles the characters play . A bit jagged in terms of how the characters come across initially they become more nuanced over time.
Starring George Morgan
safenoe14 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
George Morgan starred as Father Mulcahy in the pilot episode of one of the greatest TV series of all time (along with Community and Parker Lewis Can't Lose). Interestingly, he doesn't have a speaking part and this was his last appearance before William Christopher took over. Well, actually George Morgan appears in each opening credit crouching down.
The pilot is quite serious for prime time television, and the ending was fascinating with the closing credits with references to Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit, G. Wood, Larry Linville, Gary Burghoff, Karen Philipp, George Morgan, Patrick Adiarte, Timothy Brown, Odessa Cleveland. The last five didn't survive the cut longer term.
The pilot is quite serious for prime time television, and the ending was fascinating with the closing credits with references to Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Loretta Swit, G. Wood, Larry Linville, Gary Burghoff, Karen Philipp, George Morgan, Patrick Adiarte, Timothy Brown, Odessa Cleveland. The last five didn't survive the cut longer term.
Great start for a GREAT show ! !
Ci-ti-zen11 April 2008
I have to hand it out for M*A*S*H, it's my favorite piece of television. I'm not in the TV industry, but I believe it's hard to put together a pilot for a TV show and to put all your future expectations on it. I only think how dreadful it would've been for us fans if this pilot wasn't picked up so I guess it had all the right things in it. For someone who's not a M*A*S*H aficionado like me :) I guess watching the Pilot wouldn't stir someone's emotions too much but it might stir up some laughs.M*A*S*H started out as a comedy show mostly as it was intended in the cinema version as well but it managed to morph itself into this TV show that kept generations and became atemporal. The pilot might not have the works of the greatest TV series(according to my humble opinion) but it's certainly remembered in the history of the show as the seed that developed into a sequoia. For all who say the pilot wasn't all that, try watching "Abyssinia, Henry" "Goodbye,Farewell and Amen", "5 O'Clock Charlie" just to name a few... Anyway, for all of you who will be watching the MASH pilot for the first time, maybe even decades from now, I tell you, you are in for a great show, stick with it and it will give you life-time memories. Enjoy watching it!
Amazing How This Already Seems in the Groove
DKosty12330 May 2009
This pilot seems like the show is off and running and this episode seems like it is already in mid-season form. Interesting how the beginning sequence shows for the only time what preceded the choppers coming in.
Hawkeye is already the conniving Doctor here who plots to get what he needs to send Ho Jong to college which was the purpose behind his selling Nurse Dish in a rigged raffle along with a week-end in Tokyo.
Of course the drawing is rigged and the superiors are out smarted. Everything is here for what happened when the series continued. The difference is that the drama is not ramped up yet. That will happen later, this one is just a fine introduction to the series.
Hawkeye is already the conniving Doctor here who plots to get what he needs to send Ho Jong to college which was the purpose behind his selling Nurse Dish in a rigged raffle along with a week-end in Tokyo.
Of course the drawing is rigged and the superiors are out smarted. Everything is here for what happened when the series continued. The difference is that the drama is not ramped up yet. That will happen later, this one is just a fine introduction to the series.
The Pilot of Mash
garyldibert18 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The first episode or in this case the pilot aired on September 17 1972. The show opens with Trapper and Hawkeye (and Ho-Jon) are playing golf on a plateau, only to hit a ball into a minefield. Col. Blake and Nurse "Dish" are working feverishly on something, only to learn later that they were opening a bottle of Champagne. Father Mulcahy is swatting a fly while crossing himself at the same time. Hot Lips and Frank are reading the bible while playing Tootsie with each other; and Radar and Spearchucker are tossing a football. In the final scene of the prologue, Radar catches the football thrown by Spearchucker and yells, "Here they come!" Spearchucker says, "I don't hear nothing'," to which Radar says, "Wait for it!" He then puts the football under his left arm and looks skyward. The "Suicide is Painless" song begins and we see Radar's familiar back and cap (and football) that is used in subsequent episodes for the opening sequence. After surgery, Hawkeye is standing outside when Major Burns and Hot Lips start giving him and Trapper hard time. They go into the swamp where there given mail from Radar. Hawkeye tells Ho Jon that he has been accepted by his graduating school and all they have to do is come up with $2000.00 dollars to send him to school. Hawkeye and Trapper decide to throw a party with the with a raffle and the winner gets two days in Tokyo with the gorgeous LT Dish. Now some facts on some of the character of "Hot lips Houlihan" was inspired by the real-life Korean War MASH head nurse "Hot lips Hammerly," also a very attractive blonde-haired person, of the same disposition, and from El Paso, Texas. Wayne Rogers was originally considered for the Hawkeye role; finding the character too sardonic for his tastes, he asked if he could instead test as Trapper John, who was more upbeat. In the original pilot episode, the song playing at the beginning (My Blue Heaven) is the same one that is played frequently on an Armed Forces Radio broadcast in _M*A*S*H (1970)_ .For this episode only, the show does not begin with the "Suicide is Painless" theme song. Rather, the individuals are introduced in using the following comedic sequence. Before the theme song in this episode, the words "KOREA, 1950, a hundred years ago" appear on screen. He introductory theme song in this episode is about twice as long as in the version shown in syndication for all other episodes. Other changes to this sequence include: "Attention all personnel, report immediately to admitting ward and operating room" being announced over the PA, a man running from the shower stall, a man following a woman out of a bunk marked "Off Limits to Male Personnel", and Hawkeye shouting "This guy's got a rapid pulse, he's in shock, get him down, we're going to work on him first thing. Let's go!" during the landing pad triage. I give the episode 10 weasel stars because of Lt Dish.
Boom
bevo-1367827 October 2021
Great pilot wrong chopper!
devansde-4267413 July 2022
Pilot episode always funny noticed one slight error.
The Helicopter most used in the series was the Bell model 47G.
In the pilot another helicopter was used for transporting Henry, his nurse escort to and included General Hammond coming back from Seoul.
The helicopter was also a Bell 47. But this model is the J version. It was known as the Ranger which first flew in 1956 three years after the Korean war.
The Helicopter most used in the series was the Bell model 47G.
In the pilot another helicopter was used for transporting Henry, his nurse escort to and included General Hammond coming back from Seoul.
The helicopter was also a Bell 47. But this model is the J version. It was known as the Ranger which first flew in 1956 three years after the Korean war.
Terribly Dated
film_poster_fan28 August 2021
Granted the pilot was broadcast in September 1972, but it has not aged well. The humor is stale and the surgery surprisingly bloodless. The canned laughter is annoying. Only the first episode was watched, I could not revisit this series more than that. Apologies to the longtime fans of the show.
First time I've ever watched an episode.
bretttaylor-0402216 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Most pilots are not the best and I really hope that this gets better. I did not find it funny, it is quite misogynistic and 90% of the jokes are about sex. I also did not find it very believable. I understand that it is dated and I always try to judge stuff from its time.
The best thing so far is the theme tune.
The best thing so far is the theme tune.
And so it all starts
jarrodmcdonald-14 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The pilot episode of M*A*S*H establishes the show's original six characters, most of them previously included in the book and feature film. In the opening credits the top three actors' names are presented first, with a delay before the last three actors' names are presented while an instrumental version of 'Suicide Is Painless' is heard. The first three are Alan Alda playing Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce known as Hawkeye; Wayne Rogers playing Captain John McIntyre known as Trapper; and McLean Stevenson playing Col. Henry Blake.
There are some live action shots with the men and women meeting helicopters bringing wounded to the camp, before we see the other three actors' names. The last three actors presented in the opening credits are Loretta Swit playing Major Margaret Houlihan, known as Hot Lips (a term she dislikes); Larry Linville playing Major Frank Burns; and Gary Burghoff playing Corporal Walter O'Reilly known as Radar. Jamie Farr who plays Corporal Maxwell Klinger in the series and William Christopher who plays Father John Mulcahy are not seen yet, though the Father Mulcahy character is present in the pilot, played by George Morgan. As for the main cast, Alan Alda and Loretta Swit are the only two who will appear every season, all the way till the final episode.
Speaking of the final episode, that was a five-part finale which aired on Monday February 28, 1983. It was a huge television event and the broadcast obtained very high ratings. One thing I remember about the finale is that people across the U. S. were having M*A*S*H parties to celebrate the end of the show's iconic run. Many fans referred to this ritual as a "M*A*S*H bash." I mention the finale because it was slated to fill a 2.5 hour time slot that evening, meaning if you lived in the Central time zone like my family did, it ran from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.. And CBS gave the first half hour to a special rebroadcast of the pilot episode. Meaning this very first episode of the series had a primetime broadcast on September 17, 1972 and then again on February 28, 1983 (even though it was already in syndicated reruns by that point).
The plot for the pilot episode is detailed on the IMDb page, but I do want to reference it quickly because it involves a few of the show's recurring characters that transitioned over from the movie but did not last beyond the inaugural season. These peripheral characters include Hawkeye and Trapper's Korean houseboy Ho-Jon, whom they are trying to send to America. And there is also someone named General Hammond, a former paramour of Hot Lips', as well as a nurse named Lt. Dish. Plus we have two African American characters, one with a derogatory nickname. If the show was launched today, political correctness would dictate that there be at least one continuing black character and most likely a continuing Asian character.
It is fitting that the first characters we meet at the top of the pilot episode are Hawkeye and Trapper, and that it doesn't take long for us to see them all in the operating room. The pilot quickly finds its groove. The direction and writing were nominated for Emmys, and while several of the characters are a bit rough and will require some polishing as the show goes on, things do get off to a decent start. One thing that strikes me in retrospect, watching the show in 2023, is how irreverent the tone is about war, which probably reminded viewers in 1972 of Hogan's Heroes. The show would retain a fair amount of sardonic humor but would also become much more dramatic in terms of the storylines that would be depicted over the next eleven years. It's interesting that a war which started in 1950 and ended in 1953, and basically lasted three years, ran for eleven years on TV though nobody ever complained about the actors aging more than a decade during its 1972-1983 run.
One final comment about the pilot. In the beginning a phrase appears on screen that says Korea 1950, a hundred years ago. So was this meant to be a show that was actually taking place in 2050, with someone looking back at all the stories of these medics in Korea a century earlier? Yes, I get that 'a hundred years ago' is probably meant to be sarcastic, but it is kind of fascinating to think that M*A*S*H the TV series suggests a flash forward to a time we have not yet reached, as of this writing.
There are some live action shots with the men and women meeting helicopters bringing wounded to the camp, before we see the other three actors' names. The last three actors presented in the opening credits are Loretta Swit playing Major Margaret Houlihan, known as Hot Lips (a term she dislikes); Larry Linville playing Major Frank Burns; and Gary Burghoff playing Corporal Walter O'Reilly known as Radar. Jamie Farr who plays Corporal Maxwell Klinger in the series and William Christopher who plays Father John Mulcahy are not seen yet, though the Father Mulcahy character is present in the pilot, played by George Morgan. As for the main cast, Alan Alda and Loretta Swit are the only two who will appear every season, all the way till the final episode.
Speaking of the final episode, that was a five-part finale which aired on Monday February 28, 1983. It was a huge television event and the broadcast obtained very high ratings. One thing I remember about the finale is that people across the U. S. were having M*A*S*H parties to celebrate the end of the show's iconic run. Many fans referred to this ritual as a "M*A*S*H bash." I mention the finale because it was slated to fill a 2.5 hour time slot that evening, meaning if you lived in the Central time zone like my family did, it ran from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.. And CBS gave the first half hour to a special rebroadcast of the pilot episode. Meaning this very first episode of the series had a primetime broadcast on September 17, 1972 and then again on February 28, 1983 (even though it was already in syndicated reruns by that point).
The plot for the pilot episode is detailed on the IMDb page, but I do want to reference it quickly because it involves a few of the show's recurring characters that transitioned over from the movie but did not last beyond the inaugural season. These peripheral characters include Hawkeye and Trapper's Korean houseboy Ho-Jon, whom they are trying to send to America. And there is also someone named General Hammond, a former paramour of Hot Lips', as well as a nurse named Lt. Dish. Plus we have two African American characters, one with a derogatory nickname. If the show was launched today, political correctness would dictate that there be at least one continuing black character and most likely a continuing Asian character.
It is fitting that the first characters we meet at the top of the pilot episode are Hawkeye and Trapper, and that it doesn't take long for us to see them all in the operating room. The pilot quickly finds its groove. The direction and writing were nominated for Emmys, and while several of the characters are a bit rough and will require some polishing as the show goes on, things do get off to a decent start. One thing that strikes me in retrospect, watching the show in 2023, is how irreverent the tone is about war, which probably reminded viewers in 1972 of Hogan's Heroes. The show would retain a fair amount of sardonic humor but would also become much more dramatic in terms of the storylines that would be depicted over the next eleven years. It's interesting that a war which started in 1950 and ended in 1953, and basically lasted three years, ran for eleven years on TV though nobody ever complained about the actors aging more than a decade during its 1972-1983 run.
One final comment about the pilot. In the beginning a phrase appears on screen that says Korea 1950, a hundred years ago. So was this meant to be a show that was actually taking place in 2050, with someone looking back at all the stories of these medics in Korea a century earlier? Yes, I get that 'a hundred years ago' is probably meant to be sarcastic, but it is kind of fascinating to think that M*A*S*H the TV series suggests a flash forward to a time we have not yet reached, as of this writing.
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