On Monday, March 30th, 1981 at roughly 2:30PM Eastern, John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagen in Washington, D.C., wounding the President and several others. As news of the shooting spread the television networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — interrupted their regularly scheduled programming for live coverage that continued into the evening.

ABC scrapped its planned broadcast of the Academy Awards while NBC went through with its airing of an NCAA basketball game. CBS aired a special hour-long special on the shooting from 8-9:00PM and then began its normal schedule. However, instead of the planned episode of M*A*S*H that was supposed to air from 9-9:30PM, CBS showed a repeat. Concerns over content.

The episode that had been scheduled to air March 30th was “The Life You Save,” in which Charles is shot at by a sniper and becomes tormented with the idea of death. Here’s the description from The Los Angeles Times:

“Maj. Winchester becomes more introspective and reclusive after a sniper attack on the camp.”

For obvious reasons, CBS didn’t think the viewing public would want to watch such an episode hours after their president was shot at. The episode that was shown on March 30th is unknown but it ranked 6th for the week with a 27.2 Nielsen rating. When “The Life You Save” was finally shown, on Monday, May 4th (after a repeat of “No Sweat”) it drew a 23.2 Nielsen rating and ranked 2nd for the week.

M*A*S*H wasn’t the only program affected by the attempted assassination. NBC pulled its scheduled broadcast of Tomorrow Coast-to-Coast because it involved gang influence on President Reagan’s cabinet (the episode prepared as backup couldn’t be shown either because it was about President Kennedy’s assassination). ABC pulled a planned episode of Mork & Mindy over content as well. And ABC executives asked Stephen J. Cannell to change the name of the main character in The Greatest American Hero. It was Ralph Hinkley.

References

• Jory, Tom. “Pre-emptions for Assassination Coverage Cost Networks Millions.” Associated Press. 31 Mar. 1981: AM Cycle.
• Margulies, Lee. “Inside TV: Barney Miller to Return After All.” Los Angeles Times. 2 Apr. 1981: I9.
• “‘Masada’ Helps ABC to First-Place Finish in Ratings Race.” Associated Press. 8 Apr. 1981: PM Cycle.
• “NBC Has Top-Rated Show, BUt CBS and ABC Win Race.” Associated Press. 13 May 1981: PM Cycle.
• No Title. Los Angeles Times. 29 Mar. 1981: 14.

As most M*A*S*H fans know, during the eleven years the series was on the air an incredibly amount of tie-in material — collectibles, toys, clothing, games, etc. — was released. But it wasn’t until May of 1984 that Fashion House Inc., the 500th licensee, revealed the product it would be selling: denim. It would sell a line of denim clothing both within the United States and in some fifty other countries where M*A*S*H was being syndicated.

Does anyone have some of Fashion House Inc.’s denim clothing? Was it worth the money?

References:

• Shister, Gail. “Williams’ new Series is Put Off.” Philadelphia Inquirer. 16 May 1984: C.12.

I haven’t updated M*A*S*H on TV since September of 2008. People used to e-mail with the days and times M*A*S*H was shown in their locations but it’s been a while since I got one of those e-mails. I checked the websites for many of the stations I have listed and I didn’t find M*A*S*H being aired anywhere.

It’s possible that ION now holds the exclusive broadcast rights to M*A*S*H*, meaning local stations can no longer air it. Or, with the show out on DVD and airing on two cable channels in addition to ION, maybe local stations simply don’t see it as a worthy investment. I know it has been years since it was shown in my area. But is it currently being shown on any local stations, anywhere in the country? Let me know.

Here is a commercial for Connecticut’s Community Health Care Plan featuring McLean Stevenson. CHCP was an HMO created in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The commercial was aired on WTXX, a Connecticut television station, in November of 1986. Unfortunately, it was cut off and I only have the first six seconds.

Notice that McLean is wearing a sweater with CHCP written on it, much like the University of Illinois sweaters his character, Colonel Blake, wore on M*A*S*H. The same can be said about the hat he’s wearing, although it doesn’t have any fishing lures in it. It seems fairly obvious the commercial was using McLean’s most famous role in an attempt to connect with viewers. Or maybe that’s just how McLean dressed regularly.

I’ve added another ten of your stories/entries to My First M*A*S*H. Here’s one from someone born in 1954:

“Yankee Doodle Doctor”, from the sixth week in 1972 was the first M*A*S*H episode I ever saw. I was in college, but worked nights. On a rare night off I turned on the TV to M*A*S*H, because my friends had told me about the show. In school I hung out with a group of Marx Brothers fanatics (they were undergoing a revival/re-discovery at that time). When I saw Alan (Hawkeye) playing “Groucho”, I was immediately hooked. And have been ever since. I never again missed an episode all the way to “Goodbye. Farewell. And Amen.”

Be sure to contribute your own first experience with M*A*S*H.