Introduction
Memories of M*A*S*H included brand-new interviews with the cast as well as producers, creators and guest-stars.
The 90-minute retrospective aired on 25 November 1991 on CBS as part of its “Classic Weekend II”.
Outline
Dozens of clips from over over sixty different episodes were shown. It was the brain-child of Michael Hirsch, who directed the special, and who was also responsible for “Making MASH” in 1981. The show coincided with the 20th anniversary of MASH. The broadcast ranked fourth for the week and helped CBS win the Thanksgiving “sweeps” week. A rebroadcast in August 1992 tied for 38th.
This first M*A*S*H “reunion” show special dedicated to the long running series was hosted by Cheers TV series star Shelley Long, (who appeared as a nurse in the Season 8 episode, “Bottle Fatigue” (S08E16) as Nurse Mendenhall).
The programme consists of old clips from the show (of course), as well as all-new interviews from the entire cast and some of the producers, which included the show’s creators, Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart (who were co-executive producers of the special with Hirsh), writers, such as Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, who co-wrote three episodes with Mary Kay Place and two on her own, and Dr. Walter Dishell, M.D., who served as a medical advisor to the series, as well as for Trapper John, M.D.. Some crew members are also interviewed about their memories of their involvement with the Emmy Award-winning series.
Each cast member was interviewed individually, which did not actually make it a “reunion” exactly. It was more of a “documentary”, but viewers got to see all of the regular cast members, including McLean Stevenson (who died in 1996) and Larry Linville (who died in 2000) talking about the show, all still alive, for one last time.
Production & Filming Details
- Presenter(s): Shelley Long.
- Director(s): Michael Hirsh.
- Producer(s): Michael Hirsh, Burt Metcalfe, Gene Reynolds, Darci Fletchall, Joel Lipman, and Donna K. Rutley.
- Music: Tom Borton and Scott Reynolds.
- Cinematography: Andrew Sobkovich.
- Editor(s): Scott Reynolds.
- Distributor(s): CBS.
- Release Date: 25 November 1991.
- Running time: 66 minutes.
- Country: US.
- Language: English.
YouTube Link
Military Gogglebox 
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