I thought that it would be cool to have a place to discuss the M*A*S*H books ("MASH Goes To..." and the episode guides) and fan fiction.
I'd like to start this section off by saying that "The Complete Book of M*A*S*H" is pretty bad. I can't find the information I want half of the time!
And, to kick off the fan fiction part of this, what do you think the best (and/or worst) M*A*S*H fanfic plot is?
You're right that "The Complete Book of M*A*S*H isn't very complete at all. The pictures are good, but that's about it. The only book I've found complete plot summaries in (subplots too) is "Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America." It's a fascinating book, if a little expensive.
Thanks for the tip, Khaja! I had to use "The Complete Book of M*A*S*H" for the summaries of the final three seasons, and they weren't very informative. I found at least one out and out error in the episode where Hawkeye went on the wagon for a week. The summary implied that after the crisis in OR, Hawkeye went and had a drink. It never mentioned that after recieving it, he refused to drink it. The interviews were nice, however.
You're welcome. I can imagine having difficulties trying to summarize the episodes from "The Complete Book of M*A*S*H"! Very often it doesn't even get the main plot quite right -- for "Bulletin Board" all it has is Trapper's letter to his daughter, which has virtually nothing to do with the plot. The other book I mentioned doesn't have perfect summaries, but it does include subplots, and it's better than anything else I've found for that. The actual text is interesting too.
Has anybody read all the "M*A*SH Goes to..." books? I've only read the original, which was fun in that I got to see where everything started, but I didn't think it was particularly great. There's something about Hornberger's writing style that drove me nuts. It's a little hard to believe either the movie or the series (both of which I love, though the series a lot more) came from it.
With fanfic, my favorite to write is Hawkeye/Margaret. (I'm sure you're shocked, SaRa!) It's probably the most common plot out there, but still fun to do. I like exploring other facets of the characters too, especially after the war and their return home. BJ's relationship with Erin after having missed the first two years of her life is one that intrigues me -- I'm working on a story now that deals with that. To read, I'll take pretty much anything, preferably at least somewhat coherent and in-character.
I didn't know where to put this, but it's from a book (not one about M*A*S*H, though) so I'm going to post it here...
I'm a fan of The Baby-Sitter's Club books and I'm reading one...the one girl (Mallory) is sick in it and she has to get her sisters to do something..she starts listing famous nurses...It says "(The only other nurse I could think of was from the old TV series M*A*S*H. I told you I was watching too much TV.) '. . . Hot Lips Houlihan'"
Thought y'all maight like to hear about this!
Khaja, back in the late '70's/early '80's I read most of the "Goes to..." books. "...Maine" was about the best of the lot. They are/were for the most part forgettable.
I know what you mean about Richard Hooker's writing style. I've read the original novel 6 or 7 times by now, and it seems his writing gets more grating each time. Of course, these days I'll read works by John Steinbeck, Anne Rice, William Faulkner, Mark Twain, etc. It's hard for a doctor cum amateur author to compete with such writers.
In the "Goes to..." series, Hooker, incidentally employs a co-author, William Butterworth. Didn't help much. The language was still overly stylized and stilted.
The original novel was the source for a number of things in the series' early years. Ho-Jon being sent to college (the series' pilot), for one. In the series, it was mentioned that Frank Burns (a Captain in the novel) had a 35 thousand dollar house and two autmobiles. This is taken from the novel (p. 41). The basic plot for the episode "The Sticky Wicket" is in the book (pgs. 97-98). Trapper's talk to the hysterical paralysis patient about Ted Williams is adapted from dialogue from page 99. Hawkeye's comments about the surgeons playing "par surgery" appears on page 160. In "Chief Surgeon Who?" Hawkeye plays poker while waiting for a patient to stabilize. A general (can't remember his name, but he was played by Sorrell Brooke, "The Dukes of Hazzard"'s Boss Hogg), jumps all over him about it, later joins Pierce at 3 in the morning to assist in the surgery and is duly impressed by Hawkeye's skills. This was adapted from pages 110-112 of the book. (Though in the novel, it's a Colonel DeLong that spars with Pierce.)
Recently I had read a collection of Damon Runyon short stories. As I read it, it occurred to me that Hooker may have been influenced by Runyon's writing style. So I wound up re-reading the novel. I'm not as certain that Runyon did influence Richard Hooker, but I noticed what may be a nit.
In the novel (as in the movie), Ho-Jon got drafted by the South Korean army. He gets wounded and is treated at the 4077th by Hawkeye and Trapper. After they operate on him, the doctors begin to scheme to send him stateside to Androscoggin College to study at Hawkeye's alma mater. Now I have no idea why I've never thought of this before, but... as nice a gesture as this is on the parts of Pierce's, McIntyre's and Forrest's, I don't think the South Korean army would be too enthused about the plan. As a matter of fact, unless Ho-Jon was discharged, and Hooker just failed to tell us, the Swampmen would be aiding and abetting their houseboy in deserting the army. (If this is the case, how'd they get him stateside? Wouldn't the fact that Ho-Jon's a Korean soldier show up in any background check?)
In the novel, M*A*S*H Goes to New Orleans, Frank Burns is said to be a Major at the 4077th. However, in the original novel, M*A*S*H, Burns was only a Captain. (Yes, he was a Major in the series and the movie, but the novels exist in their own universe.)
Father (now Archbishop) Mulcahy describes his arrival at the 4077th. He was sent to replace the previous Chaplain, Shaking Sammy, whom Hawkeye and Trapper John attempted to burn on a cross. The only problem is that in the original novel, Mulcahy was at the 4077th when that happened. He served at the MASH unit with Shaking Sammy, and did not replace him.
I've been reading M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas. A couple of things: Russian opera singer, Boris Korsky-Rimsakov served in the Korean War as "Bob Alexander". Does this mean that Korsky-Rimsakov was a naturalized American citizen? If so, why is it that in the books he never seems to spend much time living in the States? He seems to be living in Paris for the most part. At any rate, Boris seems to have been enlisted in the U.S. Army. That seems a bit dubious to me. (The alias was adopted to keep his opera fans from knowing who he was, btw.)
On page 98, Hawkeye is said to have been the chief of surgery at the 4077th. Actually, according to the first book in this series, Trapper was the chief surgeon.
Finest kind.
M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas also states that Frank Burns was a Major during the Korean War. This is true in the movie and TV series, but not the original novel. In it, Burns was a Captain.
Finest kind.
On the back cover of M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas, Father (now Archbishop) Mulcahy's full name is given as "John Joseph Mulcahy". However, in the book, it's "John Patrick Mulcahy".
In Chapter Twelve, Mulcahy is having an informal chat with the Pope. The Pope asks the Padre to call him, "Father", rather than "Your Holiness". The second time Mulcahy slips and starts to call the Pope "Your Holiness", His Eminence chides Mulcahy by saying, "Now, I've told you about that twice." Um, no. Once. This is the second slip up. If he had said something to the effect that this is the second time I'm having to tell you...That'd be another matter.
Did the Pope of 1975 (approximately when this book takes place) speak English fluently? If not, then we have to assume that Archbishop Mulcahy, an Irishman, speaks fluent Italian (or in whatever was the Pope's native language). There is no indication that their conversation is being translated, or that one or the other man is having to speak something other than his native tongue.
Finest kind.
Paul VI was pope in 1975 (He was pope 1963 to 1978.) I believe he was Italian. That's all this Southern Baptist knows about that. I have to get the cotton out of my ears. Vontz!
Thanks Charles. So I guess Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Mulcahy were speaking Italian. Although, while drinking beer, the Pope says, "I believe the proper American expression is 'Mud in Your Ear'?" It could still have been mangled in Italian, though.
Does this sentence make any sense? "At the moment Matthew spotted Hawkeye and Trapper John, Trapper John spotted Matthew and jabbed Trapper John with his elbow in the ribs." Trapper jabbed himself in the ribs? I think it was meant to say, "...Trapper John spotted Matthew and jabbed Hawkeye with his elbow..." (This is on page 155, paragraph 3.)
Finest kind.
On page 165, Trapper's real name is given as "Dr. James Francis Xavier McIntyre". So why isn't he called "Trapper James"? (The answer? Because his name is supposed to be "Dr. John Francis Xavier McIntyre".)
Finest kind.
At the end of M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas, not only is Radar getting married, but two other sets of characters as well. As a matter of fact, on page 237, it says, "There were now three couples to be joined in holy wedlock, rather than just one..." However, on the very next page, the first paragraph states, "Both brides..." Um, I thought the couples to be wed were Radar and Kristina Korsky-Rimsakov, Fritz Fenstermacher (a beer magnate) to his secretary and Fenstermacher's daughter to Matthew Q. Framingham. Apparently the three couples to be married are not these three. Dare I ask what the composition of the third set of bethrothed is?
Finest kind.
I just recently got and read a Scholastic Book called All About M*A*S*H by Peggy Herz. Many of you my age might remember that back in the '70s, Herz wrote a lot of celebrity bios and books of interviews with TV stars. I have one of the latter books that has an interview with Gary Burghoff among others. (Herz mistakenly refers to Gary's character as "Radar Riley. Uh, Peggy, it's O'Riley.)
Anyway, All About M*A*S*H is a somewhat interesting book, even if its geared to a younger reading audience. The book interviews most of the primary cast members, gives a short history of the series. The interviews favor Alan Alda (no surprise there), Gary (reusing quite a bit of the interview in Herz's TV Close-Ups), McLean Stevenson and Loretta Swit. Larry Linville and Wayne Rogers are given only four to seven pages each.
There's even a section that's supposedly devoted to Richard Hooker, the real Hawkeye and the author of the novel that started it all. But strangely, that chapter, "The Real Hawkeye: A Surgeon from Maine", only devotes 2 and one-third of its five pages to Hooker. The rest of the chapter is devoted to Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds. Intriguingly, a hint as to where Crabapple Cove is given in this chapter. On page 85, we're told, "Hornberger himself lives with his wife and five children on an isolated cove 100 miles from Waterville (Maine)." While the cove is not identified by name, one suspects this is the inspiration (at least) for Crabapple Cove, Maine.
It should be noted that the book has a 1975 copyrighte and is written after the show's third season. What makes this interesting is that mention is made of Henry's last episode of M*A*S*H. However, there is no indication that Wayne Rogers was about to leave the show, too. This makes his interview interesting because there is no hint of Wayne's disatisfaction with the role of Trapper. It makes Rogers' decision to leave the show all the more sudden and shocking.
All in all, while this isn't a great book, it does give readers some nice bits of info about the show and gives some insight into the actors who played these roles. Worth getting if you can find it.
Finest kind.
Been re-reading the original MASH novel by Richard Hooker (for about the 7th or tenth time. Something like that.) and noticed a couple of things. The copy I'm reading is something like the 28th printing of the book. On the cover is this blurb: "The hilarious novel, based on the Oscar winning movie that became the best TV-comedy series in history". "...(B)ased on the...movie"?! Uh, sorry. It's the other way around.
On page 128, paragraph 18 (most of the paragraphs are one sentence in length on this page), is this sentence: "Wouldn't you like the 4007th to be the football champions of Korea?" "4007th"? The Army had a MASH unit for James Bond, did they?
On their way home, Captains Pierce and Forrest, to get out of short-arm inspection, ditch their medical insignias and wear crosses representing the Chaplain Corps. The book, however, does not say where Hawkeye and Duke got the insignias.
Finest kind.
i like this fanfiction - http://members.iglou.com/scarfman/changes.htm
Which Dr. Who villain could Hawkeye defeat if they invaded the camp?
Hawkeye could barely outsmart Col. Flagg. I doubt he could outsmart and Dr. Who vilian.
(Perhaps that should read "Hawkeye could barely out DUMB Col. Flagg.)
Casual viewers of "M*A*S*H" may not be familiar with Col. Flagg, but die-hard fans of the 4077th know him as one of the more popular recurring characters in the series. He was portrayed by Edward Winter and averaged one episode per season; Flagg was a CIA agent who stopped by the camp occasionally to cause trouble and act like an arrogant blowhard. He was also convinced that Hawkeye was a Communist sympathizer and therefore was always trying to blow his "cover." Flagg liked to wear disguises (which everyone usually saw through) and insisted that nobody see him leave a room (at times he would shut off a light and jump out a window). The episodes featuring Colonel Flagg made for some of the funniest of the series and can be seen in reruns: some stations will host a "Colonel Flagg" week featuring five or six shows.