MASH (Season 8) DVD Review

Based on a Richard Hooker novel of the same name, MASH was released in 1970 as a full-length feature film by 20th Century Fox before experiencing widespread success as a groundbreaking television sitcom in the Fall of 1972. The show's brilliant integration of drama and comedy made it one of the most celebrated shows in TV history, culminating in an eleven year prime time series stint. The 1983 series finale of MASH made history as the program with the single largest audience in television history, beating out several SuperBowls and the fabled Who Shot J.R. episode of Dallas. With the proliferation of new television mediums, it's a record likely to never be broken

The sitcom is set in South Korea during American involvement in the Korea War (with M*A*S*H standing for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital). Buffered from the front lines by a mountain range and a minefield, the men and women of MASH were tasked with patching up wounded American soldiers. Unique to its genre, th e cast of MASH was unusually large. Surgeons Dr. Benjamin Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) play the roles of excellent doctors who enjoy women and booze, while Dr. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Nurse Practitioner Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan (Loretta Swit) play foil to the two men's shenanigans (due to a contract dispute, Rogers' character was later replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt - played by Mike Farrell). The character of Frank Burns was also later replaced by Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)

Corporal Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) provides comic relief with his early attempts to procure a discharge by dressing in women's clothing, and Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) adds flavor to a diverse cast of characters. Also rounding out the cast are Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Walter Radar O'Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)

The MASH (Season 8) DVD features a num ber of hilarious episodes including the season premiere Too Many Cooks in which Private Paul Conway boosts the morale of the MASH unit by whipping up gourmet meals in the mess hall. Only Colonel Potter, beset by his own personal problems, fails to enjoy the new atmosphere Other notable episodes from Season 8 include Private Finance in which a South Korean mother misinterprets Klinger's true intentions toward her daughter when he offers her financial aid, and Stars and Stripes in which conflict comes between B.J. and Charles when they're tasked with writing an article on patient they recently saved

Below is a list of episodes included on the MASH (Season 8) DVD:

Episode 170 (Too Many Cooks) Air Date: 09-17-1979
Episode 171 (Are You Now, Margaret?) Air Date: 09-24-1979
Episode 172 (Guerilla My Dreams) Air Date: 10-01-1979
Episode 173 (Good-Bye Radar: Part 1) Air Date: 10-08-1979
Episode 174 (Good-Bye Radar: Part 2) Air Date: 10-15-1979
Episode 1 75 (Period of Adjustment) Air Date: 10-22-1979
Episode 176 (Nurse Doctor) Air Date: 10-29-1979
Episode 177 (Private Finance) Air Date: 11-05-1979
Episode 178 (Mr. and Mrs. Who?) Air Date: 11-12-1979
Episode 179 (The Yalu Brick Road) Air Date: 11-19-1979
Episode 180 (Life Time) Air Date: 11-26-1979
Episode 181 (Dear Uncle Abdul) Air Date: 12-03-1979
Episode 182 (Captain's Outrageous) Air Date: 12-10-1979
Episode 183 (Stars and Stripes) Air Date: 12-17-1979
Episode 184 (Yessir, That's Our Baby) Air Date: 12-31-1979
Episode 185 (Bottle Fatigue) Air Date: 01-07-1980
Episode 186 (Heal Thyself) Air Date: 01-14-1980
Episode 187 (Old Soldiers) Air Date: 01-21-1980
Episode 188 (Morale Victory) Air Date: 01-28-1980
Episode 189 (Lend a Hand) Air Date: 02-04-1980
Episode 190 (Goodbye, Cruel World) Air Date: 02-11-1980
Episode 191 (Dreams) Air Date: 02-18-1980
Episode 192 (War Co-Respondent) Air Date: 03-03-1980
Epis ode 193 (Back Pay) Air Date: 03-10-1980
Episode 194 (April Fools) Air Date: 03-24-1980

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the MASH (Season 8) DVD.

Author:: Britt Gillette
Keywords:: mash season 8 dvd review
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