Details

Release year: 1970

Storyline

The staff of a Korean War field hospital uses humor and hijinks to keep their sanity in the face of the horror of war.

Top credits

Directors

Robert Altman

Writers

Cast

Donald Sutherland — Hawkeye Pierce
Elliott Gould — Trapper John McIntyre
Tom Skerritt — Duke Forrest
Sally Kellerman — Maj. Margaret 'Hot Lips' O'Houlihan

See all 126 credits →

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations

See all awards →

Did you know

• The fourteen-year-old son of director Robert Altman, Mike Altman, wrote the lyrics to the theme song "Suicide is Painless." Because of its inclusion in the subsequent television series, he continued to get residuals throughout its run and syndication. His father was paid $75,000 for directing, but his son eventually made about $2 million in song royalties, with payments continuing, from first syndication through the present day, as M*A*S*H (1972) continues in syndication around the world.

• Tom Skerritt recalled that the dialogue was about 80% improvised. In order to create a different kind of atmosphere, Robert Altman cast some of the parts from improvisational clubs who had no previous movie or TV experience.

• The first take of the shot where Hot Lips is revealed in the shower didn't work because Sally Kellerman anticipated the reveal, and was already lying on the floor when the tent flap went up. To distract her, Robert Altman and Gary Burghoff entered the shower tent and dropped their trousers while the shot was rolling outside. While Kellerman was staring at them, the tent flap was raised, resulting in her genuine surprise and shock when she realized what had happened. In the Special Edition double disc DVD, they say that Radar (portrayed by Gary Burghoff) had been standing naked beside the camera, and that's the reason why Sally Kellerman looks so surprised when the flap was raised.