The teen boy who co-wrote the M*A*S*H theme song once got a response to his message in a bottle

What's more priceless, penning the lyrics to an iconic theme song or sending a message in a Seven-Up bottle that actually garners a response?

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If you listen carefully, you can hear Winchester playing the M*A*S*H theme song, although quite poorly!
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The first time we see Charles Winchester III in the M*A*S*H episode "The Smell of Music," he is playing a French horn poorly.

Careful and forgiving ears would recognize that the tune he’s playing is the M*A*S*H theme song "Suicide Is Painless," which audiences, of course, had just reheard when the episode started.

We’ve told you before that this iconic theme music has a sweet father-son backstory. But we’ll recap here just to get you up to speed.

When M*A*S*H movie director Robert Altman was working on the movie theme with composer Johnny Mandel, he had the song title already, and all he needed were "really stupid" lyrics.

Unable to write the lyrics as stupidly as he wanted them to be, Altman turned to his teenage son Mike, who quickly filled in lyrics that pleased his dear old dad.

Altman was so pleased, in fact, that when his movie was nominated for a bunch of Oscars, he was disappointed that the theme song didn’t also get a nom.

He couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like to share that award-winning experience with his son. Surely, priceless.

"It would have been great to be nominated the same year, together," Robert told The Vancouver Sun in 1971.

For Mike, there was, perhaps, a greater reward from his songwriting than a trophy. Cash money.

He actually earned a cool million off the song, which was many times more than the $70,000 his dad earned for directing the M*A*S*H movie.

We know that Michael Altman knew cash made for a great reward, because years prior to co-writing the M*A*S*H theme song, the boy sent out a message in a bottle with his Cub Scout troop in 1964.

Not convinced the message itself would elicit a response, to entice the finder, the young boy included a cash reward — a shiny quarter.

Remarkably, his ploy worked. Fifteen months after he dropped his Seven-Up bottle in the Willamette River in upstate New York, he received a letter in the mail from another kid across the country.

According to The Albany Democrat-Herald in 1966, his bottle was found in Vancouver, Washington, nearly 3,000 miles away!

"Last Saturday I went shooting along the Columbia River," the response to Mike’s message in a bottle read. "I was walking down the bank and saw a Seven-Up bottle and picked it up so I could shoot it. When I saw the note, I took it out and read it. I was very surprised. I sat down when I got home and wrote to you. By the way, I’m 14 years old, and I’m giving you my picture."

You’ll notice his new pen pal didn’t mention the reward, but we hope Mike promptly sent the quarter to the other boy.

Did you ever send a message in a bottle?

Or perhaps better question: Did anyone ever respond to your message in a bottle?

We imagine the experience of getting the response was as priceless for Mike Altman as the experience of being nominated for an Oscar the same year as his dad would’ve been for Robert Altman.

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32 Comments

CouchPotato19 37 months ago
Nope. Never sent out or received a message in a bottle..........but I'll send an S.O.S to the world.
LoveMETV22 37 months ago
Another Interesting message in a bottle story:

https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2016-02-24/this-message-in-a-bottle-made-it-from-new-york-to-france
F5Twitster 37 months ago
"Remarkably, his ploy worked. Fifteen months after he dropped his Seven-Up bottle in the Willamette River in upstate New York, he received a letter in the mail from another kid across the country.

"According to The Albany Democrat-Herald in 1966, his bottle was found in Vancouver, Washington, nearly 3,000 miles away!"

There's a very good reason the bottle was found in Vancouver Washington: there is NO Willamette River in New York State. It's in OREGON and is a tributary of the Columbiam, which straddles the line between the two states.

WHY do I keep wasting my time reading this rubbish written by people who haven't the vaguest idea of what they're talking about?
Michael F5Twitster 37 months ago
I only glanced at the article. So I saw "Wilamette" and "Seattle" and it made sense to me.

I didn't notice the mistake that it had been dropped in New York.
Moody F5Twitster 37 months ago
I agree with you. My guess is that they saw the newspaper Albany Democrat-Herald & assumed it was New York not Oregon. You would think that common sense would tell them that a bottle couldn't travel by water from NY to Oregon. A simple internet search would clear up any confusion. But I guess that would require effort on their part. smh
bnichols23 F5Twitster 37 months ago
"in OREGON and is a tributary of the Columbiam," -- "It's Columbia." -grin-
Steve126 37 months ago
Unfortunate title for the song. Suicide is definitely NOT painless for those left behind to mourn. No need to glorify this song MeTV.
Steve126 37 months ago
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Steve126 37 months ago
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stephaniestavr5 37 months ago
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harlow1313 37 months ago
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harlow1313 37 months ago
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That will be my situation if my husband passes before I do. I live in terror. Thank you for your compassion. God bless. ✌️🙏
Runeshaper 37 months ago
I don't recall if I've ever sent a message in a bottle, but it must be fun enough to wonder if it will ever be found and even more exciting for someone to write you back! (-:
Pacificsun 37 months ago
I realize the story is more about the message in the bottle. I get it. And the accidental genius of a teenaged son. But as an additional comment, I'm not so sure Altman's approach to a recurring opening theme song was that productive if he was "looking for something stupid." It's a pretty serious subject. And beyond that, isn't something to be romanticized or even fanticized with the help of some "catchy" (or at least memorable) song.

My hunch is that it wasn't nominated as a song at all because of the subject matter. Perhaps the Industry not wanting to give it much play. Causing people to seek out the song and by default the lyrics, adding it to their state of melancholy mind.

By the way the melody is beautiful because of the cord changes. It really didn't need any lyrics at all. Some songs carry their point through emotion, alone.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCK1J10MH7k&ab_channel=%F0%9D%94%87%F0%9D%94%A2%F0%9D%94%AB%F0%9D%94%A6%F0%9D%94%B0%F0%9D%94%A2
Larry Pacificsun 37 months ago
I adore M.A.S.H. because of not only the writing was superb, but the actors who created & played them each brought heart, love & truth to each one. God Bless them all and some, R.I.P. "Goodbye, Farewell, Amen"!
Andybandit 37 months ago
A teen boy co-wrote the Mash theme. That is cool.
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JimmyD 37 months ago
According to Wikipedia there was no actual "message in a bottle" that inspired the song. Sting wrote it as a story about a castaway looking for love and and finally getting a response of "a hundred billion bottles" in reply.
RobertM 37 months ago
Someone made a geographical error--the Willamette River is in Oregon.
Moody RobertM 37 months ago
Correct! There is no Willamette River in New York & even if there was how would it get to the other side of the country in just 15 months?
Westernchick Moody 37 months ago
So much for it traveling 3000 miles! LOL
WordsmithWorks 37 months ago
I read somewhere that the theme was instrumental because the lyrics were too much of a downer.
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WordsmithWorks daDoctah 37 months ago
Of course, who could forget the lyrics to "I Love Lucy" as sung by Ricky Ricardo himself?
Pacificsun daDoctah 37 months ago
Just asking, how about Perry Mason. Am curious!
Pacificsun Westernchick 37 months ago
Oh the Odd Couple is great. Listen to this one!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqKCx4OAPCs&ab_channel=milesanddizzy
VanessaTara daDoctah 37 months ago
star trek, original series had lyrics
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MrsPhilHarris 37 months ago
😂 What great story! Did you ever admit it was you?
37 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris 37 months ago
🤣Poor Donnie. Probably still reeling from the whole nasty affair.
37 months ago
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MrsPhilHarris 37 months ago
Maybe he is a flat- earther.
MaureenNJNYC 36 months ago
🤣🤣 You're too funny!
LoveMETV22 37 months ago
Good Episode. Love the title. Was the episode when BJ and Hawkeye go on a bathing strike in hopes of getting Charles to stop playing his French Horn.
LoveMETV22 37 months ago
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LoveMETV22 stephaniestavr5 37 months ago
Yes, the public bath and horn flattening were "The Smell of Music". The bonfire episode was
"The War of Nerves" The 4077th has a bonfire originally to burn some contaminated clothing, the camp adds other items. Col Potter disagrees but Sidney Freedman convinces him to allow them as a way to relieve stress. (Good episode).
cperrynaples 37 months ago
The only guy I knew who sent a message in a bottle was Sting...LOL!
LoveMETV22 cperrynaples 37 months ago
It was a good movie too. "Message in a Bottle" (1999) with Kevin Costner, Robin Wright and
Paul Newman and others.
cperrynaples 37 months ago
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stephaniestavr5 37 months ago
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