Discussing February’s Poll

9 Comments

Exactly 108 people voted in February’s poll, which asked “Have you seen the movie MASH?” This time, the results were incredibly lopsided. The vast majority of poll takers, 89% of them, said yes while only 11% said no. Written by Ring Lardner, Jr. and directed by Robert Altman, MASH (released in January of 1970) was a huge hit for 20th Century Fox. Much like the novel on which it was based, MASH bears very little resemblance to the television series we all know and love. I watched the first 20-25 minutes years ago when the movie was being shown on AMC and have owned a copy since 2006 but only because it was included in the Martinis and Medicine Collection. But I have no interest in watching it.

For the 89% of poll takers who have seen MASH, did you watch it before or after you started watching the television series? How many people saw it in theaters back in 1970?

9 Replies to “Discussing February’s Poll”

  1. I knew about the movie only after I started to watch the series. I saw a few ads that advertised the airing of the movie and stayed up late to watch it. I LOVED it!! I thought it was very innovative and gritty….a kind of movie I had never seen before. Plus, the theme song at the beginning was just perfection. Great movie and I watch it whenever I feel like it.

    I love Donald Sutherland and I thought he was a great Hawkeye. Its one of my favorite movies and I think it kicks a**

  2. I only watched if after receiving it in my box set. I have viewed it several times. It has a totally different feel to it over the series.

  3. I was aware that the series was based on a movie based on a novel (lot of basing, lol), but I hadn’t seen the movie until years after I started watching the series, and even then, I didn’t get to watch the movie in its entirety, just in bits and pieces, so I honestly cannot give a constructive, objective opinion on the movie in comparison to its series proper.

    From what I have seen, I can say that comparing the movie is like comparing Potter to Henry, and how Potter handled that, “When I came along, people weren’t jumping for joy over me. I was no Henry Blake, didn’t try to be, that didn’t mean I was better or worse. Just different.” That’s what I can say based on what I have seen of the movie in comparison to the series, it’s neither better or worse, just different.

    It’s interesting to note that Robert Altman felt that TV Hawkeye was too conservative a character, yet Alan Alda felt the Hawkeye of the movie was too conservative… I don’t believe Altman cared much for the series, I know that Richard Hooker didn’t (again, that’s my conspiracy theory of why he released all of those odd sequel novels, in attempts to kill the franchise).

  4. I watched the movie the found out there was a series used to watcb it ot when i was a kid its a very good movie you need to watch it if u havent seen it

  5. I watched a movie first time on TV around 1985 (and several times more since then), in my country TV series first aired in 1996, two half-hour episodes day after day from first to last episode (and then on popular demand one more showing). The movie has a lot of similarities with first five or six TV series episodes (minus a couple of characters and a completely different Trapper) and then take its own direction (like it should be).

  6. I first watched the film when I was 16, long after I’d started watching the series. I remember it well as my mum recorded it from the televison because she knew how much I loved the series and she hated recording things so it was a real treat. I have to say that I really didn’t like the film on first viewing, there was no real plot and the characters were’t as likeable as their TV counterparts. However, the more I see the film , the more I’ve come to really like it. I still prefer the TV show though.

  7. The movie was my first experience of M*A*S*H, then I read the book, it’s one of the best books I have ever read. I am even collecting all 15 M*A*S*H novels!

  8. I saw the show first and then the movie when CBS showed it on TV for the first time a few months after the show debuted.

  9. I just watched the movie for the first time only about 5 years ago..Admittedly it took a little getting used to seeing different actors playing the familiar roles..but once I did..I really enjoyed it..now I own the DVD and watch it often..Plus IMO Sally Kellerman was the better Houlihan..

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