M*A*S*H A Parody of a Parody

 

I was astounded when I went searching for an image to use with this blog entry on the series conclusion of M*A*S*H. I figured to be relatively easy to find the scene that was wrong. I had to spend up to 5 to 10 minutes searching on YouTube but you know what? Maybe that was my mistake I should just searched the regular Internet so that part was wrong. The point I guess I want to make is that as I searched through page after page of scenes from the television series I found it difficult to find anything from the movie M*A*S*H. The whole reason I got on this jag of finding the scene was I got trapped in one of those never ending loops when you first go on line after you boot up with an image of the scene above the message “How many of you know what this scene is from?” And of course is from the television series M*A*S*H. Now the real question is how many people know that there was a real movie from which the television series was derived?

I can't say I hated the television series M*A*S*H that is too strong a term but I sure didn't like the way that the media watered-down The movie of the same title. In fact maybe that's why the series took over a decade to complete and what the movie was able to accomplish in two hours. I don't know if that came out right what I mean to say is that the television series took the title of the movie and made a lightweight version of what the movie was. I thought the movie was gritty and cutting-edge and a fit documentation of the war. In fact I think it took me years to realize that the movie M*A*S*H was not about Vietnam. And indeed the TV series was also about Korea which I figured out finally. But still the bottom line was the great movie just didn't come across in the small box. Now I'm totally out to lunch, I know that, because the television show had incredible numbers and and incredible following. I remember my friend Greg Naccarato worship that show, Greg thought it was the best thing you've ever seen. I don't know of he ever saw the movie are a few be able to relate to the movie if he did see it. I suppose M*A*S*H the television series was the Campbell's “chicken soup” comfort food of that later generation. I'm sure in their watered-down standards of direct action, parody, satire and pacifism the television series was remarkable. But really the series was kind of a joke In my estimation becoming a totally different version of the 1970s movie of the same name I really recommend anyone who's ever wondered where the series came from consult the Internet and find a file of the film (the really all over the Internet is not free snippets the whole film can be streamed from many sources I'm sure free for those that are creative enough and willing to sift through the many options). Certainly think it's worth the effort and time justifying the historic roots of a television series thinks it's great… M*A*S*H