M*A*S*H: The Exclusive, Inside Story of TV's Most Popular Show

by david-reiss

Vintage book

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv, Reference

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[L8blmr]

This book was published in 1980 and I am pretty sure I bought it that year. I was still in mourning for the television show so I wanted a tangible reminder to peruse when I was really missing the unique characters and hilarity of one of the best series of all times. Today I decided to pass this book along to my son, who enjoyed M*A*S*H reruns so much that he bought the entire series on DVD. He and I compare notes often about what we think were the funniest moments.

[Benedict Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an artifact from a lost world. Not because it's about an old TV programme... but because this sort of book doesn't get published anymore. Instead almost all the information in this book is available online via IMDB and Wikipedia. And yet I quite enjoyed reading through it, especially as I've been watching my way through MASH on and off over the last year. It was interesting to see that by the 8th season (when this book was published)... the actors and producers were already concerned by the levels of alcoholism and sexism in the series. They were less concerned about the lack of non-white characters, although reading between the lines (and watching the first few episodes), it's clear that Larry Gelbart had tried to get some non-white core cast members but been blocked by the network. Meanwhile the later show-runner Burt Metcalfe seems to have had no interest in representation.

[Emily]

This book is the early-eighties version of DVD commentary, imdb listings, wikipedia episode lists, and official actor websites, cheaply bound for the mass market. Features formulaic "I love working with that guy!" tributes and flavorful on-set anecdotes. Copious black-and-white production stills and acting-credit walls-of-text fill out the pages of the product.

A dour feminist might even snark about the book being an exemplary real-world relic of the Smurfette principle. So let us forgo the dourness, put Loretta Swit on a pedestal for her excellence at existing in the group, cheer on the ratification of the ERA, and admire Alan Alda's egalitarian grin, shall we?

Gave me a fresh appreciation for the availability of tailored-to-your-tastes fandom material in internet spaces.

[Scott Butki · Rating 4 out of 5]

#15 - David S. Reiss, M*A*S*H: The Exclusive, Inside Story Of Tv's Most Popular Show. MASH is one of my favorite television shows of all time, and one of the most popular and influential of all time, and so I was thrilled at the chance to learn more about how it all came together, what the actors were really like, the stories of the scripts and the characters, etc.
The book provides all of that and more. My favorite part is a collection of long interviews with all of the major actors and producers. I give it an 8.

[Kris Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought I knew everything there was to know about this show. Watched all 11 seasons when it was new and in rerun today. Learned quite a few things!

[Russell Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and informative book. However, the episode guide is out of order.