MAS*His an American TV show about a group of medical workers deployed in the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, or MASH, in Korea during the time of the Korean War. It was based on the 1970 movie of the same title and the bookMASH: A Novel about Three Army Doctorswritten by Richard Hooker. From 1972 until 1983, it ran on CBS for eleven seasons and was a phenomenal success.It is one of the best TV medical drama series.
MASH merges the horrors of war and humor. In an effort to help save the injured soldiers, a team of US military surgeons, nurses, and paramedics chronicled their ordeal in a TV show. Additionally, it showed how people fought to deal with the atrocities and truths of war. The humor of the show came from these coping mechanisms, the joking around in the operating room; the humorous tricks they pulled on each other, and their outlandish, utterly non-military activities. Let us take a look at the major characters of the series and rank them.
8Maj. Frank Burns
Burns is the second-in-command of the camp and an absolute control freak. He often annoys others with his juvenile, high-pitched chuckle. Burns is by far the weakest doctor in the group, presumably due to his refusal to accept responsibility for his actions, propensity to become extremely frazzled under pressure, and lack of relevant experience. In essence, he despises kids and frequently complains about them. His obsession with organization and discipline, which at times makes him seem overwhelming, is among his distinguishing characteristics.
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7Cpl. Max Klinger
Klinger is a corpsman who is always attempting to leave the unit on a mental health discharge, particularly by cross-dressing in female clothing. He is unable to answer any of the exam’s questions; yet he is street-savvy, sufficient to survive in any other situation. He’s a terrific scrounger since he understands how to approach and persuade the appropriate individuals to secure the 4077’s requirements. When Radar leaves for home, Klinger fills in Radar’s position as the company clerk and faces difficulty initially. Klinger subsequently advances to the rank of sergeant and transforms into a clerk on the level with Radar.
6Lt. Col. Henry Blake
For the initial threeseasons of the series, the officer in charge of the 4077 did his utmost to maintain the camp’s operations. He has an extremely dry sense of humor that borders on sarcasm. When the guys in the unit are experiencing emotional upheaval, he acts as a paternal figure to them. He’s a great doctor, but he could likely fit everything he understands about working as a commanding officer in the back of his palm. Overall, he comes across as a respectable officer who defers to the campers' decisions rather than exercising extreme authoritarianism. The character died at the end of the third season andMcLean Stevenson also didn’t know that his character, Henry Blake, would be killed off.
5Maj. Margaret Houlihan
The senior nurse of the unit is a strict, going-by-the-book official. In private, Margaret is a very passionate woman despite her formal, professional demeanor in public. She is clearly fair and compassionate to the patients, even during her most obnoxious phase toward colleagues in her formative years. She was acting bad at first, or at least she was completely immersed in the war. In the end, she’s still such a Republican but behaves better. Throughout the series, she changes from being a tough woman to becoming a lot softer and more humane person, and finallySally Kellerman died at 84.
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4Capt. “Trapper John” McIntyre
He is the initial of Hawkeye’s companions and another medic in the unit. He’s a sarcastic, good-looking Lech most of the time, but when one of his patients is struggling or has been exposed, it’s all he worries about. When residents, particularly kids, need assistance, they go to Trapper. In season three, he devotes a great deal of time masking his own suffering and convincing others around him that everything would be well. He tries to hide his true emotions but occasionally breaks down when one of his patients performs poorly. He has a generally sensitive personality when it comes to his patients.
3Capt. “Hawkeye” Pierce
He was the 4077th MASH’s chief surgeon and was among the few personnel assigned to the group for the duration of the series. He resided in the Bachelor Officer Quarters, which was its official name. He is widely regarded as the finest surgeon in the series. Pierce despises all forms of violence, including the use of firearms. In the climax, he decides to put together his suffering and love to become the local physician who can relate to his patients because he has experienced so much suffering.
2Cpl. “Radar” O’Reilly
The perfect example of a hyper-competent sidekick is the business clerk. He establishes himself early on as being rather astute, well-traveled, and sometimes even a little amount of cunning. He is a huge animal lover and will not put up with anyone abusing them. He has been the only one in the camp who has never expressed dissatisfaction with the meals. He does paperwork fairly well, contributing to his efficiency as a clerk. He is a good show figure overall, despite some of his eccentricities.
1Father Mulcahy
Mulcahy, a Catholic priest, is the 4077’s peaceful, pious unit preacher and among the few roles to succeed in getting promoted while the show was airing. Although he is among the show’s friendliest characters, he becomes a formidable opponent when he gets upset. Largely ignored to maintain his integrity as a man and pastor, but he does occasionally make gentle conversion attempts. Due to his position as a priest, he made an effort to remain the most compassionate and ethical of allduring the Korean War.
