The series, which was inspired by the 1970 film adaptation of Richard Hooker’s book – MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors – followed the exploits of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea, during the Korean War of 1950 – 1953.
A comedy-drama series with moments of hilarity, courtesy of its prank-prone doctors, the series also never shied away from the brutality of war and aired 11 seasons from 1972 until 1983.
Posting a photo on social media on Saturday night, the anniversary of the airing of M*A*S*H’s first episode on September 17, 1972, Alda wrote in the caption: ‘Mike Farrell and I today toasting the 50th anniversary of the show that changed our lives – and our brilliant pals who made it what it was.’
The 86-year-old Oscar nominee, who revealed his Paksinson’s disease diagnosis in 2018, added: ‘MASH was a great gift to us.’
Alda and Farrell were wearing blue patterned shirts in the picture and holding matching glasses of red wine as they smiled for the camera, with 83-year-old Farrell placing his arm around Alda.
A mainstay of the show, who later wrote and directed episodes, Alda appeared as surgeon Benjamin ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce in every episode of M*A*S*H, for which he was nominated for a whopping 25 Emmy Awards – winning five.
Farrell joined the show for its fourth season in 1975 as BJ Hunnicutt, replacing Wayne Rogers’ ‘Trapper’ John McIntyre as Hawkeye’s fellow surgeon and best friend, and also dipping his toe in writing and directing on the show.
Its final episode, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen, which aired on February 28, 1983, was the most watched TV broadcast in American history until 2010, when Super Bowl XLIV surpassed it.
However, it remains the most watched finale of any TV series and the most watched episode of a scripted series.
Other stars of M*A*S*H include McLean Stevenson (Lt. Col. Henry Blake), Larry Linville (Major Frank Burns), Gary Burghoff (as Cpl. Walter ‘Radar’ O’Reilly) and Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter), while Loretta Swit (as nurse Major Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan) stayed with the show throughout its entirety.
Jamie Farr and William Christopher recurred as Cpl. Klinger and Father Mulcahy respectively over the years, while David Ogden Stiers came onboard as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in season five.
Swit, Burghoff and Farr are among the other surviving stars.
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