Anyway, reader Bruce asked a Friday Question that is more timely this Monday.
What were your thoughts on the Hollywood Reporter oral history of MASH that came out on Thursday?
I thought Marc did an excellent job. The big challenge he faced was condensing all of the interviews into one coherent article that fit within the parameters of the space allotted. It's the same issue we TV writers always face. We only have so much time to tell our stories and that time is not negotiable. Same with a word count.
Marc interviewed me for about an hour. Assuming he did that with everybody I imagine he has enough material for three books.
I was impressed that he was able to track down so many people. Especially happy that he interviewed Gene Reynolds and Burt Metcalfe. Gene, God bless him, is well into his 90's and still sharp as a tack. And Burt Metcalfe was there from the first day to the last and guided the series for over half of its storied run.
My big regret is that Larry Gelbart is no longer with us. Along with Gene Reynolds, Larry was the creative voice of MASH. He was also a great interview.
What comes through in the article is the affection everyone truly felt for one another. Actors, writers, crew -- we all took enormous pride in the show and recognized at the time that we were all a part of something special. And the article accurately portrayed Alan Alda as the positive force that we all fed off of. Alan's too modest to admit that but it's true, and that was expressed time and again from person after person.
So I was very pleased with the article.
Oh, and one final note -- I'm glad I made the cut.
from By Ken Levine
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