Stars: Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Wayne Rogers, Gary Burghoff, Jamie Farr, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville

Summary: A first for television in many ways, M.A.S.H. helped invent the dramedy format, seasoning its comedy with character development and serious issues of war, peace, and human relationships. Based on Robert Altman's 1970 movie of the same name, the show featured an ensemble cast set in a remote mobile Army surgical hospital near Seoul, during the Korean War.

A first for television in many ways, M.A.S.H. helped invent the dramedy format, seasoning its comedy with character development and serious issues of war, peace, and human relationships. Based on Robert Altman's 1970 movie of the same name, the show featured an ensemble cast set in a remote mobile Army surgical hospital near Seoul, during the Korean War. The cast was led by Dr. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. 'Trapper' John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers), free-spirited doctors whose humour and pranks helped them face the horrors of war, but also got them into trouble with their more military-minded superiors. Funny, touching, and honest, the series ran from 1972-1983, during which time it became one of the most popular shows in television history. Contains all the episodes from the first series to the eleventh series.

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This M*A*S*H-tastic 36-disc collection is one for the television time capsule. It contains all 11 seasons of this multi-Emmy Award-winning series.

Adapted for television by legendary comedy writer Larry Gelbart, the series has long since supplanted Robert Altman's film in the public's consciousness. Life and death at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War doesn't seem like ripe fodder for a comedy series, but M*A*S*H masterfully balanced laughter and tears (less so in its later, more preachy seasons). It often does play better without a laugh track (a viewing option for all episodes). During its run, M*A*S*H survived several delicate operations, including the departure of Gelbart after season 4 and the loss of core ensemble members McLean Stevenson as Col. Henry Blake and Wayne Rogers as Trapper John (after season 3), Larry Linville as Frank Burns (after season 5) and Gary Burghoff (a veteran of the original film) as Radar (after season 8). The show thrived with the introduction of some new blood, Henry Morgan as "regular Army" Col. Potter and Mike Farrell as compassionate BJ (season 4) and David Ogden Stiers as elitist Charles Emerson Winchester III (season 6).

M*A*S*H was honored with the prestigious Peabody Award "for the depth of its humour and the manner in which comedy is used to lift the spirit and, as well, to offer a profound statement on the nature of war." This was a sitcom that did not always leave you laughing, as witness the classic season 3 episode "Abyssinia, Henry." And throughout its run, M*A*S*H broke the sitcom mould with several episodes, including "The Interview" (season 4), in which Clete Roberts interviews the staff of the 4077th, "Point of View" (season 7), subjectively seen through the eyes of a wounded soldier and "Life Time" (season 8), which unfolds in real time. M*A*S*H boasted one of television's greatest ensembles, fully embodied characters who each became icons, most notably Alan Alda, who served with distinction as Hawkeye, the series' soul and conscience. But a special salute to Loretta Switt, whose Margaret Houlihan went from "Hot Lips" to nobody's pushover. From the "Pilot" to the feature-length finale, "Goodbye, Farewell & Amen," still the most-watched episode in history, this essential (but not so much if you bought the individual season sets) collection honours one of television's greatest half-hours. --Donald Liebenson

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	30th anniversary reunion , Memories of M*A*S*H , My Favourite M*A*S*H , Bloopers , M*A*S*H Game , Script from a never made episode , Cast interviews
Release Date:	October 30, 2006
Runtime:	6383 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	3261501000
Keywords:	Mash, Comedy, Box, General, Series, Set, Complete, M*a*s*h*, M.a.s.h.
Genre:	Comedy