MAS*H
A classicMASHepisode chance a way to dribble the dreaded jape track by cleverly exploiting a internet loophole . MASHran for 11 seasons , and while it always carried an anti - war message , it evolved from a wacky situation comedy to a borderline drama during its run . Since it debut during the seventies , it was a break it also had to have a laugh track . This last against the wishing of the showrunners , who felt it was n’t in neat tasting to force transcribed laugh into a series about warfare and operating surgeon try out to deliver life .
They eventually reached an agreement with CBS that the operation sequence did n’t have to sum the track , but it had to be used elsewhere . MASHwould eventually drop the laugh track altogether , though it took many years - and its electrical switch into dramedy - before that happened . It was pioneer in this sense , and while canned laugh still populates some modern sitcoms , it ’s almost the exception now instead of the rule .
MASH Season 3’s “O.R.” Is The First Episode With No Laugh Track
This intense MASH episode saw the 4077th treating an endless supply of wounded
EveryMASHMovie & TV Series
Release Year
MASH(Movie )
1970
MASH(TV Series )
1972 - 1983
Trapper John , M.D.
1979 - 1986
AfterMASH
MASH is a drama-comedy series set during the Korean War, centering on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenges of wartime medical service with humor and resilience.*
1983 - 1985
WALTE*R(TV Pilot )
1984
The series became progressively experimental as the season went by , resulting inMASH’sreal - fourth dimension outing " Life Time"or its horror - tinged oblation " Dreams . " An early example of this willingness to act with the rules wasMASHseason 3 instalment " O.R. " , which takes place almost whole inside a blood - splash operating room . This ask the camp suffer to deal with a never - ending bank line of incoming wounded , and the excited cost it takes on the sawbones .
MASH’s"O.R. " also drop the canned jest caterpillar tread completely , a decision that contributes to its oppressive atmosphereand tone . Audiences are knock off right in the middle of the operating room and attestant setting like Hawkeye ( Alan Alda ) do a core massage in a desperate move to keep a patient alive - who subsequently dies irrespective . There are piffling human touch sensation spread throughout " O.R. " include a patient kissing Hawkeye ’s hand in thanks for his lifetime , or Henry ( McLean Stevenson ) declaring he wants to see out his metre in Korea since he can save more lives there than he ever could at house .
WhenMASHfirst air in the United Kingdom , the controversial laugh rails was overlook .
MASH’s Showrunners Used The Network’s Laugh Track Rule Against Them
“O.R.” wasn’t the last time MASH would ditch the laughter
If it had been up toMASH’sshowrunners , the laugh trail would have been drop correctly from the outset . Still , CBS stood by the agreement that it would n’t be used during any mental process successiveness , which is something that " O.R. " weaponizes . Since about 90 % of the episode takes home in the operating room , " O.R. " became the firstMASHepisode without any jest trackat all . A few sequences take placeoutsideof surgery , but it would have been even stranger to impart canned laugh to a smattering of scene when the relief of the sequence pass without it .
Even a clean injectant of a laugh data track would have totally undermined " O.R. ’s " intense shade .
Dropping the raceway is n’t a gimmick either , since it ’s one of the more intense picnic of the earlier seasonswithout it . There are still plenty of joke , but " O.R. ’s " tone is still deathly serious , and temper fray as more pressure level is piled on the surgeons . Henry is even force to refuse to function on a badly offend soldier since he does n’t believe the man will survive anyway , and others could be write in his place . Even a light injectant of a laugh track would have undermined " O.R. ’s " tone .
MASH’s “O.R.” Gave The Show’s Biggest Villain His Most Human Moment
“Ferret Face” is given some rare humanization on MASH’s “O.R.”
Hawkeye and Trapper ( Wayne Rogers ) regularly clash with ranking surgeon Frank Burns ( Larry Linville ) during the early season , who was essentially the show ’s human villain . MASHonly fully evolved when Frank left since he was such a cartoonishly unlikable figurethat he felt out of place with the show ’s move toward drama . Linville also decided to leave because he did n’t reckon Frank could be redeem . Still , MASH’s"O.R. " features an accidentally sensitive moment with Frank that bring out there is a human being in there somewhere .
MASH changed a lot during its first few seasons , but there was one major character who had to exit to complete its dramedy transformation .
After being so emphasize out during surgery he almost kills a patient role , Frank takes a break and end up talking with Trapper . Frank ask why nobody likes him , and while Trapper claims he doesn’tdislikehim , he finds the Major " joyless . “Frank then opens up about coming from a strict crime syndicate with an abusive father , and that inform the man he becamelater in life . He also makes a solemn plea to Trapper to be his friend and whole worn out surgeon agrees , he sign off with “ Now shut up , Frank , or I ’ll kill you . ”
It ’s one of the rarified minute Frank was allowed to be a person onMASH , and it ’s a shame subsequently seasons did n’t assay to elaborate on this . In time of year 5 , Frank is heartbroken when Margaret ( Loretta Swit ) ends their affair and the series again play around with letting " Ferret Face " act like more of a human being . This small " O.R. " moment proves there was elbow room to modernize Frank onMASH , but it appears even Linville did n’t think that was possible , and will at the of the 5th time of year .
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MAS*H is a drama - comedy serial set during the Korean War , focus on on the lives of the staff at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as they navigate the challenge of wartime aesculapian overhaul with humour and resiliency .
