TV's M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book

by Ed Solomonson, Mark O'Neill, Larry Gelbart (Foreword)

Prepare yourselves, M*A*S*H fans, for the most comprehensive book on the show ever written. Written by fans and for fans, this book covers material never covered in previous books. Aside from an astounding amount of researched info for nearly every episode of the series, this book covers every aspect of the show from the opening theme to the production codes, including a season by season analysis. But even more importantly, there is fresh commentary from over 45 MASH alumni who were contacted just for this book with never-before published experiences and anecdotes. With a foreword and all new M*A*S*H dialogue by Larry Gelbart, a "History of MASH" with commentary by William Self and even more interviews and commentary from most major players, the original producers, writers, directors, guest stars, a technical adviser for William Christopher's character and even a stunt man, we think you'll find this to be "The B*E*S*T Book Anywhere"!!

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv

828 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 2009

Reviews

[Brian Eshleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whatever reading total God allows me to reach by His grace for 2020, I'm going to have to settle for an included qualifier. My kingdom for an editor for this book, at least one who shared some semblance of my priorities! I scanned parts of it.

This monster volume devoted repeated space to who was wearing the same bathrobe as whom, the changing view out of the commanding officer's window, and then to the retelling of the same anecdotes. Entire lists of actors who participated in each season, in my opinion, added bulk without much nutrition.

This should have been a five-star book, focusing mainly on the excellent commentary from the people who participated in its making. Lord knows it was a five-star show.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of M*A*S*H it is hands down my favourite T.V show (i am not a huge lover of T.V. but this show is the exception) and i have watched all 257 many,many times i grew up watching M*A*S*H with my Dad on weekends the only time we ever really spent together so M*A*S*H will always have a special place in my heart i never get tired of watching this wonderful show it really is timeless. What made me read this was on 1st January 2016 Wayne Rogers who played Trapper John died which made me quite sad so in memory of Trapper i watched some episodes from seasons 1-3 and looking on Amazon when this book popped up. It has a huge collection of information over 800 pages - interviews, how M*A*S*H come onto T.V and an entire episode guide with added comments from writers,producers and cast.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. Most of this book consists of an encyclopedic guide to every episode, in broadcast order, with each episode receiving about a page or so. Mostly, it just lists things like each episode’s director, writers, creative consultants, guest stars, etc, with a brief synopsis of each episode, a comment or two (such as “Alan Alda hated this episode,” with no further explanation), and finally a list of each episode’s mistakes/inconsistencies.

Apart from the episode guide, there are brief interviews with some of the stars and creators (but not Alan Alda), and with some very minor guest stars. Mostly they talk about how wonderful others on the show were, how much they loved being on the show, that sort of thing. A few other sections cover things like the show’s ratings each season, sequels, and other trivia.

I guess if you are into trivia, this book may be the book for you.

[Wesley Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

TV’s M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book 
Ed Solomonson & Mark O’Neill
Publisher ‏ : ‎ BearManor Media (November 5, 2009)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 828 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593935013
ISBN-13 ‏ :
https://www.amazon.com/TVs-Ultimate-G...


Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton

In one episode of the recent CNN series, “The History of the Sit-Com,” several commentators debated over what was the best sit-com of all time-either Seinfeld or Friends.
Oh good grief. Whatever merits those classic shows had, they didn’t come close to the ultimate sit-com of all-time- M*A*S*h. No other television program comes close to being seen by more people, year after year, to the present day. No other program evolved as much as M*A*S*h during its 11 year run of 256 epfisodes; no other program offered so much situational comedy/ medical drama laced with social commentary; no other program made as many cutting-edge creative choices over the years as M*A*S*h. In short, not many shows warrant an over 800 page analysis of their legacy like Ed Solomonson & Mark O’Neill did for M*A*S*h.
To be fair, it’s hard to believe anyone could ever supersede this deep-dive analysis into all things M*A*S*h. For one thing, the tome is chock-full of interviews with the creators and participants going behind-the-scenes of the show’s creation and production process. As the years go by, many of those participants have left us and this book documents many of their observations for perhaps the last time.
But not leaving any stone unturned is an often mixed blessing. How many viewers ever cared about registration numbers on the jeeps? Or how the colors of bathrobes weren’t always consistent? Or the origins of every scrap of music heard in the series, whether recordings or performers singing or parodying popular melodies? Or the professional histories of bit players who appeared in only one episode?
For my taste, I wasn’t impressed by the truncated episode summaries. Frequently, the plot of much of the episode was sketched out-to a point. Concluding scenes were most often skipped over completely. Important developments in character lives and relationships were skimmed over or not mentioned at all.
Still, uneven as the tome is, it’s indispensable for any M*A*S*h fan. The 800 plus pages more than carry their weight with information, insights, and memories to keep any M*A*S*h viewer turning the pages hunting out the nuggets we want, ignoring the dross we don’t. It’s not a cover-to-cover read but rather a reference book to digest in chunks and bites.


This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Fri. Sept 3, 2021:



https://waa.ai/qXBH

[Graceann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an astounding testament to the continuing influence of this seminal television program. Over more than 800 pages, Ed Solomonson and Mark O'Neill share secrets regarding how M*A*S*H got off the ground, and how the different characters grew over its eleven years. Not every detail is accurate (for instance, two possible explanations for Col. Potter saying "Courage, Camille" in an episode are offered, and neither are correct), but overall the attention to detail is amazing. This project clearly had the support of the late, great Larry Gelbart, and that shows to the benefit of the final product. Other people who were involved with the show in ways large and small are interviewed, and it's great fun to read the observations of actors like Jeff "Igor" Maxwell and Richard Lee "This is me!" Sung. This is obviously a warmly remembered time in their careers, and they are generous with their reminiscences.

When someone asked me how I was enjoying M*A*S*H: The Ultimate Guide Book, I said that I wasn't reading it, I was savoring it. Now that I've read through it completely, I'll keep it on my coffee table and refer to it when I'm watching my favorite television program of all time. This book will be a permanent part of my collection, and I'm thrilled that it's available.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 5 out of 5]

* * * * 1/2

Definitely a comprehensive volume! There may perhaps have been a bit too much content for the copyeditors to wade through, though; just enough spelling errors (and some of these rather obvious, such as "it's/its") to prove a distraction along the way. Still, this is a very good companion to the M*A*S*H series.

[Michael Birtchet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mainly for G*E*E*K*S

Very well researched with excellent interviews with surviving cast member, guest stars, Larry Gelbart, etc. But the author's notes tend to focus repetitively on what is seen out of the CO's office window, where and how many scrub sinks there are, etc.