My M*A*S*H Challenge, The Conclusion

Late last week, I achieved my goal of watching all 11 seasons and 251 episodes of M*A*S*H. I was able to do this in less than six months. The show that reminded us that war is hell, while making us laugh on occasion, has become one of my favourites.

Following from Part 2 of my blog series, here are my top episodes from the remaining six seasons:

Season 6: “Fade Out, Fade In” (1977)

The one-hour Season 6 opener introduces a new surgeon to the 4077, Maj. Charles E. Winchester III (David Ogden Stiers). The character was created for the series after Larry Linville, the actor who played Maj. Frank Burns, decided to leave following Season 5. It also signaled the series' transition from being a comedy-driven show to a serio-comical show, or dramedy.

Season 7: “Point of View” (1978)

One of the series’ most innovative episodes is seen from a wounded soldier’s point of view. What I also like about it is that it doesn’t contain an annoying laugh track!

Season 8: "Life Time" (1979)

Another innovate episode shows the surgical team frantically working to save the life of a severely injured soldier not far from the MASH unit. What makes this episode innovative is that most of the story is told in real time, with a clock ticking at the bottom right hand of the screen.

Season 9: "The Life You Save" (1981)

By Season 9, the series was starting to show its age. This season's finale is one of the stronger episodes from this late period. Winchester, who often appears self-centered and unapproachable, has a deep, spiritual experience when he is almost killed by a sniper. He then becomes obsessed with death, and starts talking to soldiers who have gone through near-death experiences.

Season 10: "Where There's a Will, There's a War" (1982)

Hawkeye (Alan Alda) is unable to leave an aid station due to heavy shelling. Fearing that he may not return alive, he starts making out his Last Will and Testament. Scenes with his co-workers and friends are shown as he makes his bequeaths.

Season 11: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" (1983)

The two-hour-plus series finale, directed and co-written by Alan Alda, is set in the final days of the Korean War. The main plot involves Hawkeye seeing psychiatrst Dr. Freedman (Allan Arbus) following a traumatic incident on a bus. Meanwhile, Klinger (Jamie Farr) helps a Korean woman look for her family, BJ (Mike Farrell) is discharged and an explosion gives Fr. Mulcahy (William Christopher) some hearing loss. There's also a story where Winchester teaches some North Korean musicians how to play classical music. The whole episode runs the gamut of emotions, and I'm satisfied with the series' conclusion. "Goodbye" still holds the record for being the most-watched TV show finale ever. (Coincidentally, the 30th anniversary of its initial broadcast is this Thursday, February 28.)

Honourable mentions include “The Merchant of Korea” (S6), “The Smell of Music” (S6), “The Party” (S7), “Rally 'Round the Flagg, Boys” (S7), "Inga" (S7), “Good-Bye Radar" (S8), "Dreams" (S8), "Blood Brothers" (S9), "Death Takes a Holiday" (S9), "Blood and Guts" (S10), "The Tooth Shall Set You Free" (S10) and "As Time Goes By" (S11).

My final M*A*S*H blog will focus on my thoughts on the series, along with the top 10 best episodes.

My M*A*S*H Challenge, Part II

Back in November, I wrote a blog on how I became a latecomer to the old TV series M*A*S*H. In September, I started watching it on a regular basis, beginning with the pilot episode. (I also watched the movie that led to the development of the TV series.) My goal was to see all 11 seasons of the series over a six-month period.

I’m happy to report that I am on track, save for a brief lag during the Christmas period. To date, I have seen 169 out of the 251 episodes in order of broadcast. That’s all of seasons one to seven. I even took in a handful of episodes outside of those seven seasons, including “Good-Bye Radar” (Season 8) and “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” (Season 11).

Here are my top episodes from the first five seasons:

Season 1: “Sometimes You Hear the Bullet” (1973)
One of the best episodes of the show’s early years is one of the first to strike a perfect balance between comedy and drama. Hawkeye (Alan Alda) meets up with a childhood friend who enlists in the army so he can write about his experiences in the Korean War. The main plot ends tragically when his friend dies on the operating table. This leads Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson) to console Hawkeye with one of M*A*S*H’s greatest lines of dialogue. Ron Howard makes a memorable cameo as an underage soldier.

Season 2: “Deal Me Out” (1973)
Most of the episode revolves around a poker game disguised as an officers’ conference. John Ritter guests as a fatigued officer who at one point threatens to kill Maj. Frank Burns (Larry Linville). The hospital’s psychiatrist Sidney Freedman (Allan Arbus) intervenes to help the irate officer. Pat Morita also guests as an officer. Edward Winter makes his series debut as Capt. Halloran. He would later return as the paranoid Col. Sam Flagg.

Season 3: “Abyssinia, Henry” (1975)
Blake is discharged and makes plans to return home. Hawkeye and Trapper John (Wayne Rogers) throw a drunken farewell party for him. There’s also a touching parting exchange between Blake and Radar (Gary Burghoff). Shortly after Blake leaves, his plane is shot down over the Sea of Japan, killing everyone on board. The decision to drop Blake came when McLean Stevenson decided to pursue other projects. This was also the last series appearance of Wayne Rogers and his Trapper John character.

Season 4: “The Interview” (1976)
Real-life news reporter Clete Roberts hosted one of the series’ most innovative episodes by ‘visiting’ the 4077 MASH unit. The entire episode is presented as a documentary, filmed in black and white. It has the hospital team discussing how the war has changed their lives. This was the last episode produced and written by the series’ creator, Larry Gelbart.

Season 5: “Dear Sigmund” (1976)
This episode centres on Dr. Freedman expressing his observations on life at the swamp in a letter addressed to his long-deceased idol, Sigmund Freud. He writes this letter as a means of recovering from a deep depression. It is during this process that he helps BJ Hunnicut (Mike Farrell) pull off a clever prank against Burns. Alan Alda wrote and directed this episode, and considers it one of his favourites. It’s one of mine, too.

Honourable mentions include “The Pilot” (S1), “Tuttle” (S1), “5 O’Clock Charlie” (S2), “Big Mac” (S3), “The General Flipped at Dawn” (S3), “The Novocaine Mutiny” (S4), “Welcome to Korea” (S4) and “Movie Tonight” (S5).

My next M*A*S*H blog will focus on the final seasons, and my impressions of the series as a whole. Time to “bug out” for now.

My M*A*S*H Challenge

Two months ago, at the beginning of September, the famous TV comedy-drama series M*A*S*H celebrated its 40th anniversary. It was also around this time that I started watching it regularly, right from the first episode. I'd known about M*A*S*H for a long time, and remember glancing at the reruns as a kid, including the epic finale. I even had some of the action figures and the jeep.

However I wasn't a fan, mainly because I couldn't understand its content or premise. Now, nearly 30 years after the last episode aired, I found myself hooked. It was worth the long wait.

M*A*S*H is a fictionalized version of the Korean War that lasted from 1950 to 1953, told from the point of view of medics at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. M*A*S*H started as a novel before Robert Altman turned it into a hugely-successful movie in 1970. The TV series, starring Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff and Jamie Farr, resulted from the movie's success. It was so popular that it lasted for 11 seasons, from 1972 to 1983 - nearly four times as long as the real Korean War!

The movie with Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman and Gary Burghoff shows the dark side of war in a satirical tone. So far I've seen almost four of the 11 seasons on History TV Canada. I've also watched some of the later episodes, including "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" in its entirety.

I enthusiastically took up the challenge of watching all 251 episodes of this classic TV show. It will likely take me until March 2013 to see it all.

There will be more M*A*S*H in my blog, but for now, as the Col. Henry Blake character would say, "abyssinia."

All in the Family: The Christmas and New Year's Episodes

Following up on my previous blogs about All in the Family, and in honour of its 40^th anniversary, here’s a review of the Christmas and New Year's episodes that were made, in order of broadcast. I also review the episodes made for Archie Bunker’s Place.

All in the Family:

1.      “Christmas Day with the Bunkers” (1971, Season 2)

The first Christmas episode has Archie (Carroll O’Connor) acting like the Grinch in front of everybody. He even buys a Christmas tree reminiscent of Charlie Brown. He later chastises his neighbour Henry Jefferson (Mel Stewart) for dressing up as Santa Claus. This leads to a silly debate on whether Santa is black or white. Archie’s wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) realizes that he forfeited his Christmas bonus by sending a shipment of trees to London, England instead of London, Ontario, Canada. This is a good episode.

2.      “Edith’s Christmas Story” (1973, Season 4)

Edith has a health scare when she discovers a lump in her breast. Daughter Gloria (Sally Struthers) encourages her to see a doctor, but Edith decides it would be best not to tell Archie about it. Gloria’s husband Mike Stivic (Rob Reiner) overhears the conversation, and panics. The secret comes out when their neighbour Irene (Betty Garrett) falsely assumes that Archie knew. Archie shows empathy and affection when he learns that Edith is going to be okay.

3.      “New Year’s Wedding” (1976, Season 6)

Gloria becomes upset with Mike when he gets into the habit of making big family decisions without consulting her. When they can’t get a babysitter for their son Joey, Mike decides to have their friends get married at their house before the New Year begins, without Gloria’s consent. 

Trivia: It was during the taping of this episode that Reiner met guest star Billy Crystal. They have remained close friends ever since.

4.      “The Draft Dodger” (1976, Season 7)

In what may be the series’ best Christmas episode, Mike’s high school friend David surprises him just as the family is about to have Christmas dinner. David is invited to stay, along with Archie’s friend Pinky. A heated conversation ensues between Archie and David, who, reluctantly, tells him he is a draft dodger living in Canada. Pinky convinces David to stay when he tells him that his son was killed in the Vietnam War, and that if he were alive he would want to sit down with him. It makes for a very powerful moment, emphasizing the message of peace at Christmas time.

5.      “Edith’s Crisis of Faith, Parts 1 & 2” (1977, Season 8)

Drag queen impersonator Beverly LaSalle visits Edith and invites her and Archie to his new burlesque show at Carnegie Hall. Archie, who gave Beverly mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in a Season 6 episode, doesn’t like the idea. However, things take a tragic turn when Beverly is clubbed to death by a gang of muggers. This causes Edith to question her faith in God. Her depression takes its toll on the family as Christmas approaches. Ironically, it is Mike the atheist who helps Edith restore her faith on Christmas Day.

6.      “Bogus Bills” (1978, Season 9)

Counterfeit money turns up at the cash register of Archie’s bar. Edith calls Archie from the police station to tell him she found some counterfeit cash in her purse. He later finds the culprit in the bar dressed as Santa Claus. Archie decides to let him off the hook, though he starts having regrets when he sees the shady customer drive off in a Cadillac.

7.      “The Bunkers Go West” (1978, Season 9)

Archie, Edith and their niece Stephanie Mills (Danielle Brisebois) prepare to celebrate Christmas with the Stivics. Plans change, however, when Gloria calls from California to say that Mike’s injured back will prevent them from traveling to New York. Edith immediately decides that they will visit them instead.

8.      “California, Here We Are, Parts 1 & 2” (1978, Season 9)

The Bunkers arrive in Santa Barbara to visit the Stivics at their new home. Mike fakes a back injury to hide the fact that he and Gloria have separated. They get into an argument, prompting Gloria to hit Mike. Gloria tells her mother that their marriage is failing, and that she’s been seeing another man. Before Archie hears the details, he assumes that Mike is to blame. The story ends happily when the Stivics decide to work things out. 

Trivia: This is the last Christmas-themed episode of All in the Family.

Archie Bunker’s Place:

9.     “The Incident” (1980, Season 2)

A recently-widowed Archie and his newly-hired housekeeper Ellen Canby (Barbara Meek) are at the supermarket when a man verbally harasses her for being a black woman. Archie, in a rare show of liberalism, punches the man, a lodge brother. Archie is then threatened with expulsion from the lodge. Archie demonstrates, through this incident, that he respects Ellen and the help she gives to him and Stephanie.

10  “Custody, Part 1” (1981, Season 2)

Archie, still adjusting to life without his beloved ‘dingbat,’ reluctantly allows Stephanie to spend time with her wealthy grandmother, Estelle Harris (Celeste Holm). When they return from shopping, she tells Archie she wants to become Stephanie’s legal guardian, despite having been absent for most of her life. Archie’s refusal leads to a custody battle.

11   “Custody, Part 2” (1981, Season 2)

During a break in the hearing, Stephanie tells the judge she would rather stay with Archie than go live with her grandmother. The judge decides that though Archie is an “ignorant labourer” with fewer financial resources, he is better suited to meeting Stephanie’s overall needs. The judge wishes everybody a Happy New Year as he leaves the courtroom.

12   “Father Christmas” (1982, Season 4)

Archie surprises his niece Billie Bunker (Denise Miller) by inviting her father Fred (Richard McKenzie) over for Christmas. Billie, who is estranged from her father, opts to go skiing with Archie’s Jewish lawyer Gary Rabinowitz (Barry Gordon). Things reach a breaking point when Fred tells Billie the reason why her mother walked out on them so many years ago. Billie and Fred make amends, and she decides to cancel the skiing trip. 

Trivia: This is the last Christmas-themed episode of Archie Bunker’s Place. CBS cancelled it at the end of the 1982-83 season.

My 10 favourite episodes of Archie Bunker's Place

Following up on my blog on All in the Family, I thought I would count down my 10 favourite episodes of Archie Bunker’s Place. This series continued the adventures of Archie Bunker, from 1979 until its cancellation in 1983. In this series, Archie and Edith raise their step-niece Stephanie Mills (Brisebois) after her father abandons her. Most of the action, however, revolves around Archie’s bar and grill, where he forms an unlikely partnership with Jewish liberal Murray Klein, played by Martin Balsam.

Carroll O’Connor and Danielle Brisebois were its two main stars, along with a rotating supporting cast that included Balsam, Anne Meara, Denise Miller and Barry Gordon. Jean Stapleton plays Edith Bunker during its first season before moving on to other TV and film projects.

Though Archie Bunker’s Place may not be as remembered as its predecessor, it is entertaining and has its own set of charms worth recommending. Reruns have been airing all year on DejaView in Canada.

Here are my top 10 favourite episodes:

10. "Three Women" (1983, Season 4)

Archie takes Stephanie to visit her grandmother (Celeste Holm) and her catty housekeeper (played wonderfully by Night Court’s Selma Diamond). However, Archie is forced to stay when his truck breaks down. The visit goes sour when Stephanie gets upset at her grandmother for refusing to talk about her late mother. I like this one because it ties up loose ends on Stephanie’s past.

9. "The Return of Sammy" (1980, Season 1)

A fun reunion occurs when Archie meets up with Sammy Davis Jr. again, this time at the restaurant owned by Archie and Murray. Sammy arrives upon learning that Archie is raising Stephanie, whose mother was Jewish. Archie saves Sammy’s life when he chokes on a plate of ribs at the restaurant. Much of the story has clever references to Sammy’s previous visit in the classic All in the Family episode, “Sammy’s Visit.”

8. "Tough Love" (1981, Season 2)

Veronica Rooney (Meara), Archie’s cook, hits rock bottom when her frequent drinking starts to take its toll. Archie and Murray advise her to get help, but her drinking habit gets in the way and she almost loses her job. Archie is the one to apply tough love on her, creating intensity near the end. Veronica’s drinking problem is implied in other episodes, but this is the first of two where her alcoholism is dealt with head-on.

7. "Death of a Lodger" (1982, Season 3)

Don Rickles guest stars as a boarder for Archie’s pal Barney (Allan Melvin) when he has trouble paying the bills. The arrangement doesn’t work out however, and before Barney can convince him to leave, he dies. Rickles basically plays his comedic alter ego by supplying his trademark comic insults and put-downs.

6. "The Incident" (1980, Season 2)

During Archie’s first Christmas without Edith, his newly-hired housekeeper Ellen Canby (Barbara Meek) is verbally harassed at the supermarket for being a black woman. Archie, in a rare show of liberalism, punches the man, a lodge brother. Archie is then threatened with expulsion from the lodge. Archie demonstrates, through this incident, that he respects Ellen and the help she gives to him and Stephanie.

5. "Reggie-3, Archie-0" (1982, Season 3)

Baseball star Reggie Jackson threatens to sue Archie when one of Archie’s staff accidentally damages his limo. Archie, who does not have insurance, spends much of the time trying to persuade Jackson to let him off easy. I sense that Reggie, like Sammy, was also a fan of All in the Family.

4 & 3. (tie) "Thanksgiving Reunion, Parts 1 & 2" (1979, Season 1)

Archie and Edith welcome their daughter Gloria, son-in-law Mike and grandson Joey back for a Thanksgiving reunion. Calamity ensues when Mike tells Archie that he was fired from his job in California for streaking in protest over the building of a nuclear power plant. This is the last time we see O’Connor and Stapleton act alongside their All in the Family co-stars Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers. It’s also the last time Reiner would play the Meathead.

2 & 1. (tie) "Archie Alone, Parts 1 & 2" (1980, Season 2)

This may be the most important episode of Archie Bunker’s Place, and also the saddest. The story begins a month after Edith dies of a stroke in her sleep. Archie’s decision to carry on living as though nothing happened hurts his relations with Stephanie, and with his colleagues at the bar. The most emotional moment is at the end, when Archie breaks down and admits he needs help adjusting to life without his beloved ‘dingbat.’ Edith was written out at the start of season two because Stapleton felt the character had reached its potential. Producer and show creator Norman Lear took the news hard. When Stapleton reminded him that Edith was a fictional character and not a real person, he said, “Not to me she isn’t.” O’Connor won Emmy and Peabody awards for this episode.

Celebrating 40 years of All in the Family

It was 40 years ago this past January that All in the Family, one of my favourite TV shows of all time, celebrated its 40^th anniversary. The iconic sitcom aired from 1971 to 1979, centering on a suburban New York family led by working class bigot Archie Bunker. The main stars of All in the Family were Carroll O’Connor, Jean Stapleton, Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers.

Developed by Norman Lear from the British series Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family was never afraid to take on the important political and social issues of the day, as expressed by Archie and his more liberal son-in-law Mike “Meathead” Stivic. They were presented through satire, by sending up societal prejudices, as well as life’s frailties and foibles. Archie’s wife Edith was the peacemaker of the family, and their daughter Gloria often found herself caught in the middle of the arguments between her father and husband.

I’ve spent much of this year re-watching every episode of All in the Family, and its continuation series, Archie Bunker’s Place (1979-1983). My admiration for All in the Family dates back 20 years, when reruns began airing on local TV. I was hooked by the richness of the characters and the subject matter exposed in many of the episodes.

Here’s my list of the 10 best episodes of All in the Family:

10 & 9. (tie) “Edith's 50th Birthday, Parts 1 & 2” (1977, Season 8)

This two-part episode may be one of the hardest to watch, yet its subject matter remains relevant and important. In Part 1, Edith prepares to celebrate her 50^th birthday when a man posing as a detective tries to rape her. In Part 2, Gloria employs tough love on her mother when she refuses to report the man who attacked her. The whole episode is treated as a cautionary tale to anyone who is left home alone.

8. “The Stivics Go West” (1978, Season 8)

Reiner and Struthers did not wish to continue playing their characters Mike and Gloria, so Lear and company devised a plot where they would move away. The story has Mike accepting a teaching post in California. Before they leave, he and Archie put aside their differences and give each other a heartfelt goodbye. Reiner and Struthers would make two more appearances together, but this was their last as series regulars.

7. “Lionel Moves Into the Neighborhood” (1971, Season 1)

One of Archie’s worst nightmares comes true when a black family moves into the neighbourhood. This family happens to be the Jeffersons, which includes Mike’s friend Lionel (Mike Evans). When Lionel tells Archie he is part of the family Archie is trying to stop from moving in, his reaction is priceless. This episode introduces Lionel’s mother, Louise (Isabel Sanford).

6. “Archie and the Editorial” (1972, Season 3)

The Season 3 opener has Archie delivering an argument in favour of “guns for everybody.” Archie cuts up a TV editorial supporting gun control, and Mike gets him to broadcast a rebuttal. The exchange between Archie and Mike on what makes a man a man is one of the best in the entire series. Archie’s rebuttal is even funnier. This episode deserves to be called a classic.

5. “Henry's Farewell” (1973, Season 4)

This is always a fun episode to watch. Lionel’s uncle Henry (Mel Stewart) decides to move upstate. However, his family’s party plans are threatened when older brother George declines to break bread with the Bunkers. Edith comes through when she decides to host the party at their house, which makes Archie fume. His attitude changes when he learns of George’s refusal to set foot in their house. Sherman Hemsley makes his debut as George in this episode.

4. “Archie is Branded” (1973, Season 3)

I consider this episode to be the most intense next to “Edith’s 50^th Birthday.” This is the one where Archie’s front door is branded with a swastika by an extremist group looking to attack a Jewish neighbour. A Jewish radical arrives and puts everyone in the house on edge, except Archie, who admires his vigilantism. This is the only episode that doesn’t end in applause due to the tragic outcome.

3. “The Bunkers and the Swingers” (1972, Season 3)

A lot of fans consider this the funniest episode of the series, and it certainly comes close. The story has naïve Edith answering an ad from a couple looking for 'friendship.' This leads to hysterical misunderstandings between the Bunkers and the swinging couple. Trivia: it’s this episode that led guest star Rue McClanahan to clinching the role of Vivian on the spinoff series Maude.

2. “Two's a Crowd” (1978, Season 8)

In one of the last great exchanges between Archie and Mike, the two men find themselves locked in the storeroom of Archie’s newly-purchased bar. They are the only two characters in this episode, and it is here that we learn the roots of Archie’s bigotry and melancholic nature. It also reveals how Mike’s experiences led to his contrasting view of life and society in general. Both O’Connor and Reiner give five-star performances in this episode.

1. “Sammy's Visit” (1972, Season 2)

One of All in the Family’s most popular episodes tops my list. Sammy Davis Jr. stops by the house to pick up a briefcase he left in Archie’s cab. The excitement his visit produces in the Bunker house leads Archie to drop one faux pas after another. Davis was a fan of the show, and it was his friend O’Connor who invited him to be in this episode. It was also O’Connor’s idea to have Davis initiate the big kiss at the end. Classic!