Last month’s poll asked “Have you seen any episodes of AfterMASH?” and of the 175+ responses, 60% said yes and 40% said no. I suppose I should not be surprised that so many people visiting a website dedicated to M*A*S*H have seen at least one episode of the spin-off. But I really did not expect so many people to have seen AfterMASH. Personally, while I have copies of almost every episode, I have only seen a handful — enough to be familiar with the show so I could write an article about it. I just have no interest in watching it, to be honest.

So, for those who have seen episodes of AfterMASH, what are your thoughts? Were there any redeeming qualities or was it nothing but a poor continuation/imitation of M*A*S*H? For those who haven’t seen the show, do you want to?

After reporter Robert Pierpoint, whose voice was heard announcing the end of the Korean War in “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” passed away last year at the age of 86, I wondered whether the audio heard in the episode was Pierpoint’s original radio report or a recreation. Two people left comments stating they had heard or read that it was in fact a recreation. I was flipping through Suzy Kalter’s The Complete Book of M*A*S*H the other day and came across the following in Burt Metcalfe’s essay about Season Eleven:

The voice of Robert Pierpoint, which is broadcast over the PA system to give the steps toward the signing of the peace treaty, was real. We had thirty-year-old tapes, but the quality was so bad that Pierpoint agreed to rerecord. Static was later added to make it sound authentic. Pierpoint basically repeated his announcement of the end of the war as it was then.

So there you have it, straight from the executive producer.

Source:

Tuesday was the 29th anniversary of “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” airing on CBS (it was originally broadcast on Monday, February 28th, 1983). To commemorate the anniversary, here’s a segment from Entertainment Tonight about the end of M*A*S*H:

I’ve had this spotlight available as a feature for years but the above is a much higher quality version.

Not surprisingly, Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI broke the record made last year by Super Bowl XLV, drawing 111.3 viewers, marking the third consecutive year the Super Bowl has set a new record as the most-watched television program. Here’s the current top five, courtesy of the futon critic and an NBC press release:

MOST-WATCHED PROGRAMS IN U.S. TELEVISION HISTORY
1. 111.3 Million – Super Bowl XLVI, NBC
2. 111.0 Million – Super Bowl XLV, Fox
3. 106.5 Million – Super Bowl XLIV, CBS
4. 106.0 Million – M.A.S.H. Finale, CBS
5. 98.7 Million – Super Bowl XLIII, NBC

I’ve updated my Goodbye, Farewell and Amen Ratings Analysis. Note that while “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” is now the fourth most-watched program in U.S. television history it is still the highest rated single program.

When M*A*S*H came to an end after eleven seasons, Harry Morgan was one of three cast members to make the transition to AfterMASH (the others were William Christopher and Jamie Farr). The spin-off, which followed Potter, Mulcahy and Klinger as they returned to civilian life after the end of the Korean War, was cancelled less than halfway through its second season. The final episode (which was not a true series finale but simply the final episode produced) was never aired. The second-to-last episode was broadcast in May of 1984 after a five-month hiatus but unfortunately I do not have access to a copy. So, here is the final scene from the third-to-last episode of AfterMASH (“Ward is Hell,” originally aired December 4th, 1984):

I apologize for the poor quality. For the record, in the episode, Doctor Boyer (played by David Ackroyd) develops a staph infection in his leg and is admitted to the hospital. He winds up in his own ward, under the supervision of a young intern, Doctor Caldwell (played by Tom Isbell), who is overeager to say the least. In the final scene, Potter gives Doctor Caldwell the good news that Boyer’s infection has cleared up, only to discover that Boyer has disappeared. If you’re not familiar with AfterMASH, you can read all about it here.