Week of June 4: Finale Of the Best Show Anywhere

By Sylvia Gurinsky

With all of the recent television finales, it seemed a good opportunity to see again the most-watched finale of all time: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen," the last episode of "M*A*S*H."

In fact, it was the most-watched television program of all time until the Super Bowl passed it earlier this year. But "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" wasn't the typical series ender. For one thing, it was broadcast not in May, but on Feb. 28, 1983. It ended "M*A*S*H's" 11th season; before that season, the cast had voted, 4 to 3, to take the show off the air.

(Those voting for were Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce; Mike Farrell, who played BJ Hunnicut; Loretta Swit, who played Margaret Houlihan and David Ogden Stiers, who played Charles Emerson Winchester. Those voting against - Harry Morgan, who played Colonel Sherman Potter; Jamie Farr, who played Max Klinger and William Christopher, who played Father Mulcahy - went on to star in "AfterM*A*S*H," generally regarded as one of the worst shows of all time.)

There are several subplots in "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" including BJ's almost-trip home before the war officially ended, Father Mulcahy losing his hearing after an explosion and Hawkeye's nervous breakdown. The best and most emotional one is Winchester's attempt to train five Chinese musicians who are prisoners of war to play Mozart's Clarinet quintet, and the heartbreaking end to that saga.

Some real-life adventure was involved in the filming of the program: A brush fire destroyed much of the 20th Century Fox ranch set where "M*A*S*H" was filmed. It was written into the plot as North Korean incendiary bombs starting a fire.

The show was wrapped up with a moving final scene between best friends Hawkeye and BJ saying goodbye. Hawkeye lifted off in a chopper to show that BJ had spelled, in rocks, the word "Goodbye" - a salute not just to his buddy, but to the show's countless fans.

It hasn't been goodbye, though. "M*A*S*H," which started in syndication while it was still running on CBS, has been shown somewhere, in some form, ever since; it is likely second only to "I Love Lucy" in its success. Most of its 251 episodes, aired from 1972-83, still resonate in the mind and heart.

The best way to view it is with "The Martinis & Medicine Collection," the excellent box set that includes the entire series, virtually all post-series tributes and the 1970 film.

Abyssinia!

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Sadly, there is another death to report: Rue McClanahan, who played Vivian on CBS' "Maude" and really struck gold - Emmy and otherwise - as Blanche Devereaux on NBC's "The Golden Girls."

Here she is, with everyone on that show, including guest stars Herb Edelman and McLean Stevenson (who played Col. Henry Blake on "M*A*S*H"), in yet another funny scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu5Axewy-Sg

What a treasure.

See you next week. Until then, Happy Viewing!