Following the filming of the final episode of M*A*S*H, 20th Century-Fox donated two of the sets used in the production of the series to the Smithsonian Institution. The O.R. and the Swamp were taken down and packed up at the studio’s Stage 9 sound stage in Hollywood, California and moved to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. where they were incorporated into a new exhibition called “Binding Up the Wounds” at the National Museum of American History. The exhibition opened to the public on July 30th, 1983 and was originally scheduled to close on September 30th, 1984 but due to overwhelming public interest was extended until January 2nd, 1985.
I’m currently researching the M*A*S*H exhibition for an article. I’d like to include comments from people who actually had the chance to visit the National Museum of American History and see the M*A*S*H exhibition. If you were one of the hundreds of thousands of people who walked through the Swamp and O.R. sets and want to send me your thoughts and recollections, please leave a comment here or e-mail me. I’ll only include first names and, if possible, when you visited.
I was born in 1987, so never got to go to the Smithsonian display, but I do know that they sold pieces of the set as souvenirs. Today, they are very hard to come by, I have one in my collection and today they tend to sell for about $40-$50 for the piece. The one I bought was still in the packaging and is for Rosie’s Bar and originally cost…ready…$0.49!!!! Mine still has the pricing label on the back!
I wish I could remember the year, but the M*A*S*H set came to Tallahassee, Florida. I was able to tour the swamp. I don’t think we got the O.R. – I belive it was just the swamp.
The first thing I remember was how small and cramped it all was. I don’t know if this is because they had to be that small to fit on camera, or if they were made to fit into the spot that they had been allotted for display, and had actually taken up more room.
The second is that it all had a “Disneyesque” feel – kind of like going into the Robinson Crusoe tree house at Disney – you get the total feel of what they are trying to convey, but it doesn’t really feel like it could have ever been “real” (except as a set).
There were the cots, the still, and the SWAMP signage – with the robes (probably replicas) hanging from the cots.
I can’t even remember where it was displayed, except that it was in Tallahassee. I believe it was the Museum of Florida History, in the Gray Building – But it may have been in the Old State Capital and Museum, located in the historic capital building – that is no longer used as the Capital.
Maybe you can find out during your research the times and the location that it was on display there. I do remember being very excited to actually see this M*A*S*H set memorabilia in person!
where can i buy this cool stuff?thanks.bubba
PinkPagoda, what little I know about the tour indicates that it had nothing to do with the Smithsonian. Rather, it was something 20th Century-Fox cooked up on its own. I haven’t found a list of places it visited but I’ll keep looking.
Some friends of mine recently (August, 2011) went to Washington D.C. and said the M*A*S*H Signpost is no longer on display. Of course, it wasn’t the screen-used signpost anyway, just a replica that CBS and Fox donated in 1983. M*A*S*H set decorater Bert Allen was in possesion of the original remaining M*A*S*H Signpost and had it for sale in the Profile’s In History Auction in the summer of 2005. It sold for approx. $25,000.