Another year has passed and another pair of M*A*S*H anniversaries were marked. 2011 was the 39th anniversary of the premiere of M*A*S*H (1972-2011) and the 28th anniversary of the end of the series (1983-2011). The biggest news story of the year was the passing of Harry Morgan on December 7th at the age of 96. Morgan’s death attracted a wide variety of media attention. Both TV Land and Me-TV scheduled tribute marathons of M*A*S*H in Morgan’s honor. Mike Farrell, Gary Burghoff and Loretta Swit released statements remembering Morgan. A poll conducted here at MASH4077TV.com asking fans to vote for the best episode of M*A*S*H featuring Morgan saw “Old Soldiers” win with a 45% of the vote, followed by “The General Flipped at Dawn” (26%), “Dear Mildred” (15%), “Potter’s Retirement” (5%), Other (5%) and “Pressure Points” (4%).

Charles S. Dubin, who directed 44 episodes of M*A*S*H (more than any other director) also passed away in 2011 (on September 5th at the age of 92). Other deaths in 2011 included director Jackie Cooper (May 3rd), scriptwriter Burt Styler (June 13th), actor Alan Fudge (October 10th), newscaster Robert Pierpoint (October 22nd) and actor Leonard Stone (November 2nd).

Aside from these sad passings, 2011 was another slow year for M*A*S*H. In March, the series was voted the third favorite television show of all time by adults in the United States, behind only two CBS shows currently on the air (NCIS and CSI). In June, the Associated Press reported that Tony Packo’s restaurant in Toledo, Ohio was in financial trouble (an update: in December two employees of Tony Packo’s Inc. were indicted on charges of aggravated theft and a judge approved the sale of the company). Finally, at some point over the summer ION Life, a specialty digital network related to ION Television, began airing M*A*S*H, although it appears to have since stopped doing so.

For those keeping track, 2012 will mark the 40th anniversary of M*A*S*H. Will there be another reunion special like the 30th Anniversary Reunion Special broadcast on FOX back in 2002? We shall have to wait and see.

Rather than end with the traditional quote from “A War For All Seasons,” which never seemed quite appropriate, here’s an exchange relating to New Year’s Eve from “Hot Lips and Empty Arms” instead:

Margaret: “Did either of you ever kiss Frank?”
Trapper: “Not me. How about you?”
Hawkeye: “I was hoping maybe this New Year’s Eve.
Margaret: “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but Frank Burns is a lipless wonder.”

The following was originally posted on December 24th, 2010.

By my reckoning there were three true Christmas episodes of M*A*S*H: “Dear Dad” (01×12), “Dear Sis” (07×15) and “Death Takes A Holiday” (09×05). There was also a Boxing Day episode, “‘Twas the Day After Christmas” (10×10) and a New Year’s Eve episode, “A War For All Seasons” (09×06). Which is your favorite? And who made the best Santa Claus: Hawkeye, B.J. or Colonel Potter?

“Death Takes A Holiday” is one of my favorite episodes of M*A*S*H. The main storyline, which sees B.J., Hawkeye and Margaret working furiously to keep a mortally wounded soldier alive through Christmas, is intense but falls apart somewhat when looked at logically (would the soldier’s family really feel any better knowing he died five minutes after Christmas?) but it holds up well overall. What works best is the secondary storyline involving Charles and his family’s Christmas tradition. I’ve always found the line, “It is sadly inappropriate to give dessert to a child who has had no meal,” to be very profound and the scene in which Klinger brings Charles dinner and Charles calls him Max very touching.

Hawkeye as Santa Claus, from “Dear Dad”

B.J. as Santa Claus, from “Dear Sis”

Colonel Potter as Santa Claus, from “Death Takes a Holiday”

Situations in which Charles is depicted in a positive light are almost always excellent. So while “Dear Sis” is properly a Father Mulcahy episode, Charles’s reaction to receiving his toboggan cap is my favorite part of the episode, followed closely by the camp singing “Dona Nobis Pacem” and, of course, Father Mulcahy slugging a soldier. “Dear Dad” is easily the most amusing of the three episodes. For example, Colonel Blake’s disastrous attempt at giving the 4077th a lecture on sex and reproduction is hilarious, as the following exchange proves:

Colonel Blake: “The union of Figure A, man, and Figure B, woman, is the most sublime expression of romantic love. However, only in the institution of marriage is it recommended that this expression take place.”
Trapper: “Uh, sir.”
Colonel Blake: “Mm-hm.”
Trapper: “What happens in the event that Figure A is attracted to Figure B and wants to get married but Figure A is already married to, say, Figure C and Figure B is engaged to Figure D? But Figure A can’t keep his hands of Figure B because she’s got such a great figure.”
Colonel Blake: “Uh-huh. Well, according to the Army he’s got to forget her.”
Hawkeye: “That figures.”

I’m torn between Hawkeye and Colonel Potter as the best Santa. Hawkeye’s bushy eyebrows really stick out in my mind but Colonel Potter brings a certain amount of gravitas to the role.

Just out of curiosity, I’ve added a poll to the left sidebar asking how often people watch M*A*S*H. Personally, I very rarely watch M*A*S*H these days. I own the complete series on DVD so I can pop in a disc whenever I want but I just do not have the time. At one point I was trying to watch one or two episodes every Sunday but was only able to keep it up for a month or so. I would love to be able to start rewatching the series from the beginning but the idea is a bit overwhelming at the moment.

The poll only has four options, so pick the one that fits best.

I’m taking a break from M*A*S*H, Finest Kind for a while. I haven’t been able to devote any real time and energy to working on the site in months. I launched the site almost 12 years ago and have been working on it practically non-stop ever since, with a few breaks here and there. I haven’t watched an episode of M*A*S*H since August and for the year as a whole I’ve only watched eight episodes. Last year I watched just three. I don’t know when I’ll be back but I hope to reevaluate in February at the earliest. The site isn’t going anywhere. It will still be available.

I’ve set up an autoresponder to reply to any e-mails I receive. I won’t be checking or responding to e-mails. Akismet should hopefully catch most of the comment spam.

It was a slow year in the world of M*A*S*H. The series was dropped by Hallmark Channel in February, returned in May and then was pulled again in July and has not aired since. In September, the series was relegated to filler status on ION. In December, it began airing on the national ME-TV Network.

January 25th was the 40th anniversary of MASH having its world premiere in New York City. February 28th was the 27th anniversary of the series finale. And September 17th was the 38th anniversary of the series premiere. It’s hard to believe that 2012 will be the 40th anniversary of M*A*S*H premiering on CBS.

In July, M*A*S*H received the Heritage Award at the 26th Annual TCA Awards.

In September, it was revealed that Roy Goldman had passed away in September of 2009. Pernell Roberts, who starred in Trapper John, M.D., passed away in January. Other deaths this year included Patricia Stevens, who was credited in 13 episodes between 1974 and 1978, Corinne Camacho, who played Lieutenant Regina Hoffman in “L.I.P (Local Indigenous Personnel),” William Self, an executive at 20th Century-Fox Television who was instrumental in getting the pilot produced, and Leslie Nielsen, who played Colonel Buzz Brighton in “The Ringbanger.”

Here’s Colonel Potter’s eloquent quote about transitioning from one year to the next, from “A War For All Seasons:”

“Here’s to the new year. May she be a damn sight better than the old one, and may we may we all be home before she’s over.”

It’s not 100% applicable to those not currently in the midst of a war but it fits the New Years theme.