External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" .
| "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" | |
|---|---|
| M*A*S*H episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 11 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Alan Alda |
| Written by | Alan Alda Burt Metcalfe John Rappaport Dan Wilcox Thad Mumford Elias Davis David Pollock Karen Hall |
| Production code | 9-B04 |
| Original air date | February 28, 1983 |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" is a television film that served as the series finale of the American television series M*A*S*H . The 2 1/2-hour episode first aired on CBS on February 28, 1983, ending the series' original run. The episode was written by eight collaborators, including series star Alan Alda, who also directed.
The episode's plot chronicles the final days of the Korean War at the 4077th MASH; it features several storylines intended to show the war's effects on the individual personnel of the unit and to bring closure to the series. After the ceasefire goes into effect, the members of the 4077th throw a party before taking down the camp for the last time. After tear-filled goodbyes, the main characters go their separate ways, leading to the final scene of the series.
The film begins with Hawkeye Pierce being treated at a psychiatric hospital by Sidney Freedman. It is revealed he suffered a nervous breakdown while working in the operating room. He tells Freedman about a recent beach outing by a busload of camp staff. They picked up some refugees and wounded soldiers on their return home. Forced to pull off the road to avoid an enemy patrol, Hawkeye remembers telling a refugee to keep her chicken quiet. However, as a result of his command, the chicken was smothered and died.
Conditions back at the 4077 are chaotic with the camp now home to large numbers of refugees and prisoners of war. A wounded tank driver demolishes the camp latrine and abandons the tank in the camp. Charles Winchester leaves camp to perform his ablutions and meets five Chinese soldiers on a motorcycle-sidecar combination eager to surrender. The men are revealed to be musicians and Winchester marches them to camp while they play Oh! Susanna. B.J. eagerly takes possession of the motorcycle while Winchester begins to teach the prisoners classical music. Despite a language barrier, the musicians recognize Mozart's name and learn to play Mozart's Clarinet Quintet. [1]
Margaret Houlihan and Winchester discuss their postwar careers. Houlihan is offered an Army administrative post while Winchester is disappointed to find his absence from Boston has left a less talented colleague as the front-runner for a coveted chief surgeon spot. Winchester eventually receives a letter confirming his appointment to the position, but becomes angry after learning from Klinger that Margaret had intervened in the selection process by having a relative pull strings.
Klinger falls in love with a refugee named Soon-Lee Han, who wants to return to the combat zone to find her missing parents. B.J. Hunnicutt receives repatriation orders and prepares to leave once Colonel Potter can get a replacement surgeon. The chaos in the camp is intensified by enemy mortar fire on the abandoned tank. Father Mulcahy loses his hearing while saving POWs under fire in their holding area. He swears B.J. to secrecy about the nature of his injury, afraid the Army will return him home, away from the local orphans he has tended throughout his time in Korea.
Hawkeye's treatment progresses, and he eventually realizes that the woman on the bus had actually smothered her baby to prevent being heard by the enemy patrol, not a chicken as Hawkeye had initially thought in a false memory. He breaks down at the realization and vents anger on Sidney for making him remember the true nature of the incident. Sidney explains it is necessary for his recovery and returns Hawkeye to duty. B.J. meanwhile is offered a chance to fly out in time for his daughter's birthday and leaves. Hawkeye returns to find B.J. left without a farewell, as Trapper John had earlier in the series. When the mortar fire intensifies, Hawkeye impulsively drives the tank into a garbage dump to draw fire away from the camp, raising renewed concerns about his mental health and prompting Sidney to return to check on him.
A nearby forest fire causes the camp to relocate. A helicopter bringing B.J.'s replacement arrives, and it is revealed to be Hunnicutt himself, who had made it to Guam before being sent back to Korea. He celebrates his daughter's birthday at a party for orphaned refugee children. Hawkeye is unable to watch the party due to his experiences, and discusses his postwar future with Sidney, fearing he can no longer be around children without being reminded of his recent trauma. When Hawkeye finds he can operate on an injured young girl, Sidney leaves the 4077th with Hawkeye's thanks.
Charles's musicians leave camp as part of a prisoner exchange, playing Mozart Clarinet as they depart. The ceasefire is announced ending hostilities in the war. The 4077 returns to its campsite with wounded soldiers continuing to arrive in the last hours of the war. Winchester is shocked to find the body of one of the musicians among the wounded - he had died en route to the camp, and the others had been killed outright. Dazed, Winchester returns to The Swamp and tries to listen to the Mozart piece he'd taught the musicians but soon smashes the record in anger. [1]
The camp personnel throw a final party and reveal their postwar plans. Klinger will marry Soon-Lee and ironically, given his attempts throughout the series to be sent home, remain in Korea to help her search for her missing parents. Mulcahy officiates at their wedding while the camp is dismantled. Camp staff say their goodbyes and leave in different ways. Winchester apologizes to Houlihan for his earlier poor treatment of her and gives her a signed book of her favorite poetry. Houlihan says goodbye to Potter and B.J. before Hawkeye steals a long kiss. Potter takes a final ride on Sophie, the horse that was gifted to him earlier in the series, before donating her to the orphanage. Hawkeye and B.J. give him a final parting gift, a heartfelt salute, which Potter tearfully returns.
In the final scene of the series, B.J. gives Hawkeye a ride to his chopper on the motorcycle. Just before the chopper takes off, B.J. shouts that he left a note this time and rides away on his bike. Hawkeye doesn't understand until the helicopter gains altitude and he sees the word GOODBYE spelled out with rocks on the ground below. He smiles as the chopper carries him away.
The script was written between April and September 16, 1982 with filming taking place in late September and early October. After a wildfire through Malibu Creek State Park on October 9 destroyed much of the set, [2] two additional scenes were written to incorporate a fire into the story. Morgan and Nakahara returned to the set on October 15 to film a short scene among the still smoldering ruins. [3]
The anticipation before the airing of "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" was unprecedented, especially for a regular television series (in contrast to awards shows, sporting events, or special events). Interest from advertisers prompted CBS, the network broadcasting M*A*S*H, to sell 30-second commercial blocks for $450,000 (equal to $1,380,000 today) each—costlier than even NBC's airing of the Super Bowl of that year. [4] [5]
On the night the episode aired, large areas of California (particularly the San Francisco Bay Area) suffered power outages due to unusually stormy winter weather, which prevented many viewers from watching the series finale. [6]
In the United States, the episode drew 105.97 million total viewers [7] and a total audience of 121.6 million, [8] more than both Super Bowl XVII and the Roots miniseries. The episode surpassed the single-episode ratings record that had been set by the Dallas episode that resolved the "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger. From 1983 until 2010, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" remained the most watched television broadcast in American history, [4] passed only in total viewership (but not in ratings or share) in February 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV. As of 2024, it still stands as the most-watched finale and single episode of any television series in U.S. history. [7] [9]
As M*A*S*H was one of the most successful shows in TV history, in order not to lose the franchise completely, CBS quickly created a new series, AfterMASH , that followed the postwar adventures of Colonel Potter, Max Klinger, and Father Mulcahy in a stateside veterans hospital. Despite wide popularity in its premiere episodes, script problems and constant character changes led to a sharp decline in viewers, and the show was canceled by CBS after only two seasons. Another would-be spin-off, W*A*L*T*E*R , was a pilot made in 1984 that was never picked up. It starred Gary Burghoff, who reprised his M*A*S*H character.
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" was not initially included in the syndication package for M*A*S*H's final season; however, in 1992, the episode made its syndication premiere in time for its 10th anniversary. Local stations aired it as a part of a Movie of the Week. [10]
M*A*S*H is an American war comedy drama television series that aired on CBS from September 17, 1972, to February 28, 1983. It was developed by Larry Gelbart as the first original spin-off series adapted from the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, which, in turn, was based on Richard Hooker's 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors. The series, which was produced with 20th Century Fox Television for CBS, follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War (1950–53).
AfterMASH is an American sitcom television series produced as the first spin-off and a continuation of M*A*S*H that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to May 31, 1985. It was developed as the sequel series as it takes place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicles the postwar adventures of three main characters from the original series: Colonel Sherman T. Potter, Sergeant Maxwell Klinger and Father John Mulcahy. M*A*S*H supporting cast-member Kellye Nakahara joined them, albeit off-camera, as the voice of the hospital's public address system. Rosalind Chao rounded out the starring cast as Soon-Lee Klinger, a Korean refugee whom Klinger met, fell in love with, and married in the M*A*S*H series finale "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen".
Tony Packo's Cafe is a restaurant that started in the Hungarian neighborhood of Birmingham, on the east side of Toledo, Ohio, at 1902 Front Street.
"Chief Surgeon Who?" is the fourth episode of the television series M*A*S*H.
"Last Laugh" is an episode from the TV series M*A*S*H. It was the fourth episode of the sixth season, originally airing October 4, 1977 and repeated March 6, 1978, and written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell and directed by Don Weis.
"War of Nerves" is an episode from the TV series M*A*S*H, the fourth episode of its sixth season. Originally airing on October 11, 1977, with a rebroadcast on June 5, 1978, it was written and directed by Alan Alda.
"The Winchester Tapes" is an episode from the TV series M*A*S*H. The sixth episode of the sixth season, it originally aired on CBS October 18, 1977, with a repeat on December 27, 1977, and was written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell and directed by Burt Metcalfe.
"Bug Out" is a special hour-long episode of M*A*S*H, and the premiere of the fifth season. It first aired on CBS on September 21, 1976.
"Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series and the final episode of the series' third season. It was written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, and it first aired on March 18, 1975. The episode is notable for its shocking ending, in which the unit's amiable commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake receives an honorable discharge and leaves for home but, in the final scene, is reported killed by enemy fire. This ending prompted more than 1,000 letters to series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from both CBS and 20th Century Fox.
"Deal Me Out" was the 37th episode of the M*A*S*H television series and the thirteenth of season two. The episode aired on December 8, 1973.
"As Time Goes By" is the 255th episode of M*A*S*H, as well as the last episode filmed. The episode aired on February 21, 1983 on CBS. As it was the final episode filmed they took a moment to pay tribute to the characters who had left the series before its conclusion. It also introduces the character of Soon-Lee, who would play a vital role in the series' final episode and the short-lived spin-off AfterMASH.
"The Novocaine Mutiny" is an episode from the TV series M*A*S*H, the twentieth episode of its fourth season. It was aired on January 27, 1976, was written by Burt Prelutsky and directed by Harry Morgan. As Prelutsky had written a number of episodes of Dragnet, of which Morgan had been a main cast member, the episode could be said to be a reunion, of sorts, between the two men.
"Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?" was the 81st episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the ninth of season four. The episode aired on November 7, 1975. "Quo Vadis" is Latin for "Where are you going?" and is a reference to a conversation recounted in the apocryphal Acts of Peter in which Peter, fleeing his ministry and the threat of crucifixion in Rome, meets Jesus on the road, who has risen. Peter asks Jesus "Quo Vadis?," to which Jesus responds that he is going to Rome to be crucified again. This gives Peter the courage to return to his ministry in Rome, where he ultimately ends up crucified upside down.
"The Kids" was the 81st episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the ninth of season four. The episode aired on October 31, 1975.
"The Moon Is Not Blue" was the 248th episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the eighth of season eleven. The episode aired on December 13, 1982 on CBS.
"Fallen Idol" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American situation comedy-series M*A*S*H and its 125th overall. The episode aired on CBS on September 27, 1977 and is the first episode where the character of Frank Burns does not play a part in.
"Dear Sigmund" is the 8th episode of the fifth season of the television series M*A*S*H. It first aired on CBS on September 18, 1976. The episode was conceived, written and directed by cast member Alan Alda, who played Hawkeye Pierce on the show.
"Dear Peggy" was the 82nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the tenth episode of season four. The episode aired on November 14, 1975.
