Charles S. Dubin, whose prolific career as a television director spanned forty years, passed away on Monday (September 5th) at the age of 92. Dubin directed 44 episodes of M*A*S*H — more than any other person — as well as two episodes of AfterMASH and an episode of Trapper John, M.D.. According to his Internet Movie Database entry, Dubin’s first directing credits came in 1951. Over the next four decades he directed dozens upon dozens of episodes of now classic television programs like The Virginian, Medical Center, Ironside, Kojak, Hawaii Five-O, Lou Grant and Matlock. (He also directed episodes of lesser known shows, like The New People and Sons and Daughters.)

Charles S. Dubin (left) from the 30th Anniversary Reunion Special”

Dubin’s first M*A*S*H episode was director was “Smilin’ Jack” during Season Four; his last was “Give and Take” during Season Eleven. He directed “Point of View,” “Hot Lips Is Back In Town,” “Good-Bye Radar, Part I” (and Part II) and “Old Soldiers,” among many others. His 44 episodes equal roughly 17.5% of all 251 episodes of M*A*S*H.

In 2003, Dubin sat down for a lengthy interview with the Archive of American Television. Here’s a portion from that interview in which he discusses his work on M*A*S*H:

Writer Ken Levine, who worked alongside Dubin for many years, has posted a tribute at his blog. Obituaries can be found at Variety.com and The Los Angeles Times.

(Thanks to Eric.)

Recently, TV Land returned M*A*S*H to its Monday-Friday prime time schedule, airing the series from 8-9PM. I’m not sure if this is a permanent change or not but it looks like M*A*S*H will be seen from 8-9PM at least through September. I don’t get TV Land on my cable system and find its website infuriating (can you look at the schedule here).

I’ve brought back the M*A*S*H on Television page, now updated to include ION Life, for anyone interested in knowing when and where to watch M*A*S*H on TV. Yes, the episodes are likely cut for time (I don’t actually know for sure that ION, ION Life and the Me-TV Network show edited episodes) but not everyone has the complete series on DVD. And sometimes, you just want to turn on the television and have it on in the background.

You won’t find any information on where M*A*S*H is seen on television internationally or on local stations in the United States. All of the information I had was woefully out of date, so I removed it.

Hallmark Channel is having a two-day M*A*S*H marathon this weekend, which according to posts at the official Hallmark Channel community forums was promoted as early as last Saturday. The first portion of the marathon began this morning at 10AM with “M*A*S*H – The Pilot” and ended at 5PM following “Love Story.” It starts again tomorrow at 10AM with “Tuttle” and runs through 8PM with “The Sniper.” In all, the marathon includes the first 34 episodes of the series.

This appears to be a one-off marathon; Hallmark Channel’s listings through August 20th do not include additional episodes of M*A*S*H. As far as I know, this is the first time M*A*S*H has been seen on Hallmark Channel since July of 2010.

(Thanks to TWoods)

Thanks to Dan for passing along this news.

Scriptwriter Burt Styler, who wrote two early first season episodes of M*A*S*H, passed away earlier this month at the age of 86. Styler wrote “To Market, To Market” and “Bananas, Crackers, and Nuts.” Although “To Market, To Market” was the second episode aired it was actually the third episode produced; nevertheless, Styler was in on the ground floor in terms of fleshing out characters and setting the tone for the series. He was one of only five writers to work on the first 13 episodes of the series.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Styler’s first writing credit was for a 1951 movie called Call Me Mister, which starred Betty Grable. By the late 1950s, he was working regularly on television, primarily on sitcoms like Margie, My Favorite Martian, Family Affair, The Brady Bunch and All in the Family. He won an Emmy in 1972 for an episode of All in the Family; interestingly, one of the other nominated episodes that year was another episode of All in the Family penned by Style, meaning he was competing against himself.

Styler was later nominated in 1977 and 1978 as part of the ensemble writing team for The Carol Burnett Show. He often worked with his late wife Adele. Again according to the Internet Movie Database, Styler’s last writing credit was for a 1989 episode of The Munsters Today. An obituary can be found at Variety.com.

Thanks to Dan for passing along this news.

Tony Packo’s, the famous Toledo, Ohio restaurant beloved by Corporal Klinger and and in real life by actor Jamie Farr, is in severe financial trouble stemming from a long-standing feud between family members. According to the Associated Press, the son and grandson of Tony Packo are battling in court for ownership of the restaurant, a bank has foreclosed on millions of dollars worth of loans, and a court-appointed third party is currently in charge.

The menu for the restaurant claims it was mentioned in seven episodes (the AP article says six). How many can we come up with if we put our head together? I’ll get the ball rolling with “The Interview” and “Dreams.” Also, has anyone reading this ever been to Tony Packo’s? I’ve read that there are pictures and signed hot dog buns from the M*A*S*H cast on display, and perhaps even a few props.