Wonkette Movie Matinee: M*A*S*H

'Attention, all base members must report for a drug test for marij- marijua-... disregard last transmission.'

M*A*S*H is a dark comedy telling the stories of the service members who cared for the injured during the Korean War. The acronym in the title standing for Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It showed the realities of war with graphic scenes of doctors operating on those injured in combat, often blunted with a large dose of gallows humor.

Many of us became aware of this film after watching the hugely popular TV series that ran from 1972-1983. Both the film and the series had the same memorable characters like Hawkeye, Trapper John, Hot Lips, Radar, and Major Frank Burns.

The story was based on the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors (Wonkette commission link) by Richard Hooker (pen name of H. Richard Hornberger Jr.) in 1968. Drafted into the Korean War after medical school, Hornberger was stationed with the 8055 M*A*S*H unit. These units were just behind the front lines, operating on patients that were on stretchers atop sawhorses. They could treat "as many as 1,000 casualties a day" or have nothing to do for a week or more between military pushes.

The film premiered in March 1970 and was a box office smash, becoming the third highest grossing film that year. It was well-received by critics and won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

The movie has some crass misogyny mostly directed at the character Margaret Houlihan, portrayed by Sally Kellerman. This is a part of the movie that does not hold up well over time, in particular the shower scene. But it may be closer to what real life was like for the women who put their lives on the line to help care for those wounded in combat.

The film tells the story of those who lived through the harrowing time of war using silliness, dark humor and irreverence.

Starring Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Gary Burghoff and Jo Ann Pflug. Directed by Robert Altman.

The theme song, “Suicide Is Painless” by Johnny Mandel, is as much a character of the movie as those who acted in it. The lyrics were penned by Robert Altman’s 14-year-old son, Mike Altman. Robert was paid $75,000 to direct M*A*S*H; his son earned $2 million in song royalties that continue to accrue to this day.

Available for $3.99 in the usual places. Free on the Internet Archive.

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Our cartoon is The Impatient Patient starring Daffy Duck from 1942.