Customer Reviews

M.A.S.H.: Season 1

5 star:		(132)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"M*A*S*H" is definitely one of the greatest shows to ever grace the small screen-I recently purchased the first season episodes on home video-These episodes introduced us to a memorable cast of characters:Captain Benjamin Franklin Pierce aka "Hawkeye",Captain John Mc Intyre aka "Trapper",clueless Colonel Henry Blake,pompous Major Frank Burns,no nonsense head nurse Margaret Houlihan,alias "Hot Lips",myopic company clerk Cpl Walter "Radar" O'Reilly,& the cross dressing Cpl Max Klinger-Ironically,"M*A*S*H" didn't become a top 10 Neilsen favorite until the following season-I didn't realize that the reruns seen in syndication had been trimmed to allow for the airing of more commercials-That was clearly evident when I watched the first batch of episodes-Someone asked if the show was still on somewhere-It's presently seen on cable's Hallmark Channel-Unfortunately,I don't happen to receive that particular station-Thank God I can watch these classic episodes in this format.

The first series is my favourite, so I'm delighted to have it on DVD at last. It contains my two favourite episodes. 'To Market, To Market' is the one where Hawkeye and Trapper steal Henry's new oak desk to swop for medical supplies with a Korean black marketeer ("You know how it is, Colonel, we all look alike"). Even better, my all-time favourite episode " Tuttle" where Hawkeye and Trapper convince everyone that the imaginary Captain Tuttle is a real person. Every episode has a cracking script, and the cast are all wonderful, especially Alan Alda as Hawkeye and gorgeous Wayne Rogers as Trapper (how I adored him, it broke my heart when he left the series). And Maclean Stevenson is wonderful as daffy Colonel Blake, and Loretta Swit is brilliant as belligerent Margaret Houlihan, before they made the terrible mistake of softening her character and turning her into a nice, cuddly person (yuk). I've lost track of how many times I've watched this wonderful series over the years, and now I have it on DVD I can watch it even more.

What can be said about M.A.S.H. that hasn't been said already? Among the longest running and best sitcoms ever made, it stands the test of time despite its very specific setting. The gags still work, the characters are still wonderful, and the show still enjoyable.

The first season is less serious than later seasons, which were not shy about dropping the gags in order to throw serious topics into the mix. The actors, too, were still finding their tone and pacing during this first season. But still, few shows can match these "baby steps." Hilarious from start to finish.

This DVD set is bare bones, though not poorly produced. We get the episodes spread out over three discs (all in a sturdy triple-case) and a small booklet with info on each episode. And that's it. No extras, no commentaries. Just the episodes.

Which is just fine, because the episodes are great. Good, crisp picture far better than reruns, and good sound.

And the bare bones format pays off. With TV-on-DVD sets routinely breaking the $50 to $70 range, $35 sounds pretty darn good. A no-brainer buy for M.A.S.H. fans.

I've always wanted to see this show and finally the opportunity has come thanks to these wonderful DVDs. I have recently retired and am spending much of my time catching up on recent pop culture and I'm thrilled to come across this gem. The writing, acting, photography are all top-notch. One minute, you're laughing, the next you're reminded that these people are in the midst of a horrible situation. My favorite episode of this set is when they steal the commanding officer's desk (don't think that would go over well in the Army!).

Kudos to all involved. I just wish the opportunity to see this great show wasn't limited to people with DVD players or those with the inclination to purchase these DVDs. Can't some brave network (broadcast or cable) realize what a find this show is and air it?

This show is the greatest show of all time even thought it is
Anti War happy days is #2 and Seinfeld,and others are in top 10
Trapper is the best here but also is Henry and Frank.Why did
they not have any Spearchucker after season 1 this was the craziest year where it was joint pure fun on every episode
Here is my review of each of the episodes.
1.The Pilot-The Auction episode is a classic 10/10
2.To market To market-a classic in its own right they have
to get some penicilin and Henry has a desk so they give away
Henrys brand new desk for some medicine this is classic 10/10
3.Requiem for a Lightweight-Trapper has to box and he draws some
massive 275 pounder and he has to get in training this also includes the line"I thought you were Franks bag" 10/10
4.Chief Surgeon-big competition between Hawk and Frank 8/10
5.The Moose-some young girl named Yung Hi 10/10
6.Yankee Doodle Doctor-The classic video of them 10/10
7.Bananas Crackers & Nuts-Hawkeye goes nuts 10/10

8.Cowboy-This one is a classic episode I would say Top 5
if not the best he tries to kill Henry 10/10
9.Henry please come home-Henry gets transferred out 10/10
10.I hate a mystery-Ho Jon is a thief 8/10
11.Germ Warfare-They take Franks blood classic 10/10
12.Dear Dad-just lets you know wvery one 6/10
13.Edwina-Hawk with the vergin Edwina 7/10
14.Love Story-Radar is in love with a girl 10/10
15.Tuttle-no one knows Tuttle but they all know him 10/10
16.The Ringbanger-with Leslie Nielson enough said 10/10
17.Sometimes you here the bullet has Ronnie Howard 5/10
18.Dear Dad Again-to let you know other charectors 5/10
19.The Longjohn Flap-talks about Hawkeyes Long Johns 10/10
20.The Army-Navy game-there is a bombing in it 9/10
21.Sticky Wicket-Great dramatic episode 9/10
22.Major Fred.c.Dobbs-Frank ask for a transfer 10/10
23.Cease Fire-they all believe theres a cease fire 9/10
24.Showtime-This has some USO entertainment 9/10
This was a great season for MASH just get it

The VHS tapes I received were recorded in the lowest quality extended play (EP) mode. I advise buying the DVD version if possible.

This 3 DVD set of MASH's first season is top notch!!! all 24 season one episodes on 3 little DVD's!!!The choice of soundtracks(with or without the laugh tracks)is totally cool!!! Great for MASH fans!!! A+!!!

I think that Season One is great. The only thing is, if you have watched some of the ones when B.J. & Charles come into play, and have watched some where the charecters are more united, you think that Season One (at least the 1st couple episodes on the tape) is...kind of silly, compared to, oh, Season Four or Five.
But some episodes on the tape are really meaningful, like "Sometimes You Hear The Bullet" and "Dear Dad". They show how war can turn anything into something awful. And some--they're just hilarious, like when Trapper and Hawkeye pull something on Frank.

If you pinned me down and forced me to name the greatest show in the history of television, my answer would have to be M*A*S*H. No show comes close in terms of comedy, yet at the same time few shows can rival the emotional depth, complexity, and power this show evoked over the course of its historic run. This first season of the show relied principally on comedy for its sustenance, but the roots of this most humanistic and profound of shows are clearly laid in some critical episodes of winter 1973. I was not quite two years old when M*A*S*H premiered on September 17, 1972, and while I have seen many of the early episodes in syndication, I was basically watching these first twenty-four episodes for the first time. As a youngster, I didn't like Frank Burns at all, and that kept me from truly enjoying episodes such as these, but now I see that Frank was a very important character who helped make this show such a success. Colonel Henry Blake is another great character I am now learning to appreciate anew, and Trapper John - well, what can you say? Trapper was the best, and the timing and rapport between Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers rivals that of Harvey Korman and Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show. The show was never as funny as it was in its early years, and the ability to have these shows in their uncut, original glory is enough to make me thank the gods of entertainment for the invention of the DVD.

One can't possibly speak to every episode's individual quality in the context of a review, but there are many classic, unforgettable moments contained in these first season episodes. The show really hit the ground running, in a way that let you come to know the main characters by the end of the pilot episode. There are a few issues and growing pains experienced, but not many. The character of Spearchucker Jones, the African-American doctor who shared the Swamp early on, was a mystery to me, but I have come to learn that his character (the equivalent of Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days) is a carry-over from the original M*A*S*H motion picture. Father Mulcahy was played by George Morgan in the pilot, with William Christopher taking over the role immediately thereafter. Corporal Klinger's initial episodes are quite noteworthy; in episode 4, he briefly appears as a guard dressed in women's garb, but his next appearance in episode 12 finds him getting into a fight with Major Burns and having to be talked out of murdering him. Even Radar is not the innocent young man he would come to be in later seasons, as he quite often serves as a willing partner in crime to Hawkeye and Trapper.

As for the best episodes, I have to start with episode 8, I Hate a Mystery. Not only does it introduce us to Radar's teddy bear, it provides some of the longest laugh tracks in television history. Episode 12, Dear Dad, features the first episode built around Hawkeye's letters home to his father and ends with Santa Claus shimmying down from a helicopter to render aid to a wounded man pinned down in a bunker. Episode 17, Sometimes You Hear the Bullet, is clearly the best episode of the season; not only that, it serves as a powerful preview to the sense of humanity that would characterize the show over the course of its eleven-year run. Hawkeye cries for the first time since coming to Korea when an old friend of his dies on the operating table. Colonel Blake speaks to two of the first things he learned in command school - rule number one is that in a war, some men die, and rule number two is that doctors can't change rule number one. This episode is also memorable for Ron Howard's appearance as an underage enlistee and for Frank's application for a Purple Heart after he throws his back out dancing with Hot Lips. Episode 18, Dear Dad ... Again is another terrific episode. Not only does Frank get drunk and loud, Hawkeye bets that no one will even notice if he were to walk into the mess tent naked.

There are just too many great memories for me to mention here. Suffice it to say that this is a must-have for M*A*S*H fans and affords us a terrific means for making the show and its timeless themes a mainstay in the formative years of current and future generations. I would have loved to see any kinds of special features included, but the episodes of M*A*S*H speak for themselves. This is entertainment at its very best.

MASH is definitely one of the best shows ever produced. After channel-surfing through the wasteland of formula trash and reality shows that makes up TV these days, I'm sure most people will agree with me. Not content to pigeonhole itself into any one genre, MASH works because it feels real. The humour (and delivery of it) feels spontaneous, witty, and irreverent. The drama is believable, and sometimes even tear-jerking without being sappy (at least in the early seasons). And the show takes risks with the topics it covers - I'm sure a series like MASH would be censored to death today by the suits. It's these elements that got me hooked on the show, and that make me continue to watch it over today's television.

While MASH was still finding its groove in season 1, there is still a consistently high level of comedy here. It may be a little wackier and out there compared to the later seasons, but in that sense it's actually more in spirit with the original books and movie (note the blurred, hazy look in some of the episodes - just like the movie). Season 1 also offers a different perspective on the characters, too. Besides Radar being more street-smart, Frank Burns doesn't whine and cry as much, and Henry Blake seems a bit more attentive to things. Hawkeye, of course, is at his womanizing best (the nurses in these episodes were hotter, too - check out Karen Phillip in the pilot).

At first I was hesitant about buying these sets, simply because they're pretty bare bones and I wasn't sure of Fox's release schedule. But after buying them to bring my friend up to speed with the network airings, I'm really satisfied. Audio and video are decent, and its great to turn that laugh track off. While extras would've been nice, it would've meant a 4th disc, and more $$ for each set (most sets put 6 episodes per disc - MASH packs 8). As it is, each set is affordable, the episodes stand on their own without extras, and the episodes are uncut - the extended opening to the pilot is a definite treat for fans.

Season 5 will be released in December, a testament to Fox's commitment in releasing this series. If you haven't picked up these sets yet, there's no better time to start.