M*A*S*H – What Even Die Hard Fans Don’t Know!

A Military History

M*A*S*H was Alan Alda’s largest role, with him playing Captain Hawkeye Pierce. Alda was perfect for the role, as he served in the Army Reserve in the Korean War. He had enlisted after graduating from Fordham University, similar to a lot of other men in that time.

Alda was a gunnery officer. Jamie Farr, or Corporal Klinger, also had previous military experience serving in the Korean War. Farr even had experience acting in Army training films. The background helped both men get into the mindsets of their characters, enabling them to feel the frustrations of a life abroad in war.

Low Ratings

While M*A*S*H eventually became a huge hit, it wasn’t always successful. In the first season, ratings tanked. Viewers didn’t seem to click with the show, causing the network to doubt their decision to keep it on. Before deciding to cancel the series because of the low viewership, the network revived it by moving it to a different time slot.

When M*A*S*H moved to Saturday nights from its old time, after popular show All In The Family and before The Mary Taylor Moore Show. It immediately boosted the ratings of the show, resulting in it keeping its place as one of America’s favorite television programs.