Debunking another MASH rumor

One nice thing about having a blog is being able to set the record straight when there are articles about the shows and people I’ve worked with that are not accurate. 

There’s a rumor going around that there was some tension between Alan Alda and Mike Farrell on MASH.  A recent article suggests this.   I’m here to tell you it’s not true.

They point to a specific episode, “Preventative Medicine,” from one of our years (season 7).  I’ve written about this before — how I discovered they already had done that story in year three and how mortified I was.

A recent article uses the debate Alan and Mike had over the ethics of whether a doctor would remove a perfectly good appendix to keep a company commander off the front lines where he was notorious for volunteering for combat and putting his men needlessly in harm's way.  It was a story we got from research.

At the table reading Mike objected that his character wouldn’t do it.   In the piece they claim that this caused a real (but temporary) rift in Alan & Mike’s relationship. 

It made it seem like they were really fighting.

Here’s the true story from someone who was right in the middle of it:

Mike did bring up his objections at the table reading, and Alan did disagree.  They debated the issue for about a half hour.  And it was truly a debate.  No one raised their voice, no one said anything personal, and the argument stayed on point.  It didn’t drift into other grievances.  

At the end of the discussion it was agreed that some of this debate would be good for the episode.  So we went back to the office to write it.  We knew it would be a long night.

But here’s the thing:  Alan joined us for the rewrite.   He didn’t have to, especially since he disagreed with Mike’s reasoning.  But not only did he help rewrite it, he was super positive and excited about incorporating this new argument.  It gave the script a shot of adrenaline.  

And ultimately we were extremely happy with the final product. 

It seems like every couple of months I have to debunk an Alan Alda rumor, and in this case I can assure you there was no friction between he and Mike Farrell.  My writing partner, David Isaacs, and I have fought way more (and louder) than those two happy fellas. 

Don’t believe everything you read, except when you’re reading me.  


from By Ken Levine