2022 Year in Review

I’m almost two weeks late with my 20th annual Year in Review post. Last year was a big one for M*A*S*H. The series celebrated its milestone 50th anniversary in September. That same month, AfterMASH celebrated its 39th anniversary. And earlier in 2022, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” also celebrated its 39th anniversary.

Keep reading for a brief look back at the year 2022 in the world of M*A*S*H.

Rest in Peace: Burt Metcalfe, Jimmy Lydon, Others

Burt Metcalfe died in July at the age of 87. He was the last surviving executive producer of M*A*S*H, having served in that capacity starting with Season 8. Dwayne Hickman, who worked on both M*A*S*H and AfterMASH while an executive at CBS, died in January. Actor James “Jimmy” Lydon, who provided one of the uncredited PA announcers during the first two seasons of M*A*S*H, died in March. Actor Philip Baker Hall died in June. Actor Stuart Margolin died in December.

There were also two deaths I failed to report last year:

Director Gabrielle Beaumont died on October 8th, 2022. She directed one episode of M*A*S*H (“The Red/White Blues, Season 9) and one episode of AfterMASH (“By the Book,” Season 1). She was a groundbreaking female director and became the first woman to direct an episode of the Star Trek franchise when she directed a 1989 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Beaumont also directed episodes of shows like The Waltons, Knots Landing, Dynasty, Remington Steele, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, and Melrose Place. An obituary can be found at Deadline Hollywood. (Thanks to Dan and David.)

Scriptwriter Carl Kleinschmitt, who worked on shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Doris Day Show, My World and Welcome to It, and The Love Boat, died on December 8th, 2022. He also wrote two episodes of M*A*S*H. He earned a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for the Season 1 episode “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet” and later provided the story for and co-wrote the Season 2 episode “L.I.P. (Local Indigenous Personnel). An obituary can be found at The Hollywood Reporter. (Thanks to Dan.)

50th Anniversary of M*A*S*H

M*A*S*H celebrated its 50th anniversary on September 17th, 2022. To mark the occasion, cable channel Reelz aired a new television special on September 13th. Centennial Entertainment published a new magazine in August titled Hollywood Spotlight: The Ultimate Guide to M*A*S*H. Digital specialty network MeTV aired “The Best by Farr” from Monday, September 12th through Friday, September 16th, with two episodes each weeknight chosen and introduced by Jamie Farr. Actor Jeff Maxwell (Private Igor) and Ryan Patrick, hosts of the M*A*S*H Matters Podcast, hosted a special gathering at the outdoor M*A*S*H filming site in Malibu Creek State Park on September 17.

MASH4077TV.com

Just after the 50th anniversary in mid-September, I caught a cold or a virus followed by another and then another and another. Anyone with young kids knows how often they get sick and how easy it is for others in the family to get sick. I lost count but I’m pretty sure I was sick at least four or five times between September and December. It was never anything serious but it was enough to keep me away from the computer and made a mess of my plans for the website. Right before Christmas my entire family tested positive for COVID. Thankfully our symptoms were mild and everyone has recovered, aside from some lingering exhaustion.

I’m still catching up on e-mails and various 50th anniversary related projects so please bear with me as I slowly get back on schedule.

Happy New Year

The following quote from Season 9’s “A War For All Seasons” once again feels fitting given the continuing pandemic:

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

There was another mention of New Year’s Eve in “Hot Lips and Empty Arms” during Season 2, plus jokes about New Year’s Eve or Day in “Yankee Doodle Doctor” (Season 1), “The Army-Navy Game” (Season 1), “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” (Season 5), “Your Hit Parade” (Season 6), and “Communications Breakdown” (Season 10).

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Happy New Year, fellow M*A*S*H fans. Stay healthy, stay happy, and keep watching M*A*S*H in 2023!