In my opinion, the 1970 movie "MASH" (no asterisks were in the main title) was in a lot of ways better than the show. It was funnier, the humor was darker, and the blood flowed more freely (it was originally rated R, cut down to a PG in 1974.) The movie's Henry was even more clueless than the series' one, and the pranks were cruder (just remember Hot Lips in the shower, and especially her reaction to Henry afterward.) The movie also was the first film for Trek actors John Schuck and Rene Auberjoinois.
I haven't seen the movie, but as I understand it the character of Trapper was a lot more prominent in the film - the 'chest-cutter' etc.
Which in turn led to Wayne Rogers' leaving the series, when he realized the small-screen McIntyre was taking a backseat to Hawkeye.
(It's interesting how that all worked out. Just a matter of Alda's being more popular? Or a conscious decision on the creators' part?)
I don't know, kerriem. I do realize, just from watching the episodes, that the first three seasons (with Messrs. Rogers and Stevenson) were more comic in tone. When they left, Alda apparently took more control, making the content more dramatic and occasionally preachy. I saw the movie in its original release. It is on video and turns up on cable TV occasionally. It is highly recommended. Definitely comic and anti-establishment in tone. One of the few films from director Robert Altman that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
In the movie, Trapper was Cheif Surgeon.
My biggest complaint about the movie is that is often seems a bit disjointed. Very non-linear, no central plot. It's episodic with no real character developments.
Only the other hand, the series often suffered from "the cutes" and could, particularly in the later seasons, take itself too seriously.
The History Channel had a series, "History Vs. Hollywood". On one episode, they looked at the movie "MASH". One key thing, the movie gets half right, the series almost not at all, is that South Koreans were employed at M*A*S*H units quite a bit. In addition, to doing laundry and acting as houseboys (Ho-Jon), natives were utilized as cooks, corpsmen and other such menial work.
I think I caught a bit of that last night while channel surfing. One of the points made was that discipline was a lot looser in a MASH unit. The doctors knew they were a necessity; consequently, they could get away with a lot more.