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8 things you might not know about the M*A*S*H finale
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" set ratings records and affected New York City plumbing. Did you know it was not the last 'M*A*S*H' made?
B.J. spelling out "GOODBYE" in stones. It gets us every time.
That makes it the most viewed television finale of all time — only Cheers and The Fugitive come close — and one of the most viewed television broadcasts in American history. Only Super Bowls can top the M*A*S*H numbers, and that is likely to remain the case forever.
1. Alan Alda and Loretta Swit are the only actors in both the first and final episode
It's hard to believe considering the sprawling cast. Alda is the only actor to appear in every single M*A*S*H. Alda also directed the finale, one of 31 episodes he helmed. His first time behind the camera for M*A*S*H was "Mail Call" in season two. George Morgan, not William Christopher, played Father Mulcahy in the first episode.
2. It was the only episode to feature an on-screen title
As with B.J.'s message written in rocks, the show was bidding adieu and thank you to its audience with this title screen. It's a shame they didn't show the title more often, as they were frequently poetic and clever. "Abyssinia, Henry" is great of course. We are suckers for puns like "The Novocaine Mutiny" and "Gorilla My Dreams," too.
3. A real fire at the Fox Ranch was worked into the script
The finale was originally slated to run 90 minutes. An unfortunate brush fire broke out at the Fox Ranch set in Malibu Creek State Park. The blaze was filmed and worked into the script, padding out the show with an extra 30 minutes. Considering 30-second commercial blocks for the February 28 airing were selling for $450,000, the network likely had no complaints.
4. It featured the most writers of any episode
What is it they say about too many cooks? Fortunately, this broth was far from spoiled. According to writer David Pollock in the book TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book, the writing duties were chunked out: "[Elias Davis & I], with Alan, wrote the first half-hour of 'Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.'"
5. It was filmed early in that season's production schedule
In case you need more evidence of how great this cast was, look at the emotion on their faces as they say goodbye. It feels as if you are watching the last minutes the actors are spending together. That was not the case. "Goodbye" was shot early in the season. They had to wear and wipe those emotions, and then carry on to craft a handful of other episodes.
6. "As Time Goes By" was the last episode filmed
So, you are wondering, what was the finale episode to be filmed? That would be the penultimate entry, "As Time Goes By." The final scene shot was the time capsule bit. As Arlene Alda explains in the photo book The Last Days of M*A*S*H: Photographs and Notes, the cast actually buried a time capsule to commemorate the end of production. Can someone go dig that up?
7. The finale affected the plumbing in New York City
Sometimes urban legends are true. So many people rushed to the restroom after the ending, the subsequent pressure drop from flushing toilets caused a surge in the tunnels that bring water from the Catskills to New York. So, if this happens again, remember your local utilities and pause the show early and often on your television to give the plumbing a break.
8. A M*A*S*H Smithsonian exhibit opened five months after the finale
This is to underline the cultural impact of the show. The Smithsonian opened the "M*A*S*H: Binding Up the Wounds" exhibit in the summer of 1983, and it ran for a year and a half. Bert Allen, the set decorator from the series, went to D.C. to set up replicas of the O.R. and the Swamp. Allen kept the signpost from the set for years. It sold at auction in 2005 for $25,000.
28 Comments
They never say where (that I can recall) they got the costumes from but they got them basically because they were bored as there was a lull in war.
Frank needed surgery for his hernia that’s what they were agreeing they’d do. However, the fighting started again and they had to focus on the wounded until Frank’s hernia became too much for him so they end up doing surgery on Frank after all. Hawkeye announced to a very out of it Frank that he and Hot Lips were parents to a healthy hernia.
One of my favorite episodes for the earlier seasons. That and 5 o’clock Charlie.
Yeah, that must have been hard to have filmed the final episode and then have to go on and not let that knowledge get to you filming other episodes.
The first VCR I saw when a friend bought one in Nov 1980. Big and expensive. Sure, by 1983 more people had them, but still not every household.
So people had to watch the finale live, and wait for commercials or tye end to do other things.
The signpost donated to the Smithsonian after production ended was not one actually used for filming.
One burned in the Ranch Location Set fire, and the other was taken home by set decorator Bert Allen. The Museum was delivered a "hastily" put together, somewhat inaccurate signpost for the M*A*S*H exhibit. This version seems to be the one replicated the most due to it's being the most photographed. The original signpost used for production (from the estate of Bert Allen) came up for bid in a Hollywood Auction in 2005, and despite it rather worn condition, fetched $25,000.
