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PBRstreetgang21
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Orlando, FL--- serving as man's paean to medocrity since 1971!
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 Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:46 am Post subject: Suicide is Painless |
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Watching re-runs of MASH on TV land last night while I await my visa to be processed I couldnt help but wonder-- do many Koreans know about MASH? What do they think about it? In all my time there I never thought to ask.
I find it somewhat curious that the most popular sitcom in American history took place in Korea. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:16 pm Post subject: |
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The most popular?
Gotta go with "Friends" though "Mash" was a good ol program |
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semi-fly
Joined: 07 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: Suicide is Painless |
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| PBRstreetgang21 wrote: |
Watching re-runs of MASH on TV land last night while I await my visa to be processed I couldnt help but wonder-- do many Koreans know about MASH? What do they think about it? In all my time there I never thought to ask.
I find it somewhat curious that the most popular sitcom in American history took place in Korea. |
Actually it took place in California. The writer and producer went to Korea prior to the production of the first episode. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Though few have seen MASH, they don't like it. Someone told someone years ago that MASH didn't show Korea in a good light, so... This was true in 1994 and hasn't changed. |
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drunkenfud
Joined: 08 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I thought about bringing this up, but then thought about the wording... "Do you know that Americans have used one of the most traumatic events in your country's history as the basis for a popular sitcom?"... Maybe they wouldn't find this idea too amusing! |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Don't know about koreans in Korea. But most Koreans in the US (that know about the show) just hate it. Although, I knew one Korean family that loved the show. |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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Honestly, who cares what Koreans think about MASH? It was a great show that was well-written and acted, and the characters evolved in a mature and realistic way. The show seldom showed Korea or Koreans in a negative light and if it skewered anything it was the US Army.
If Koreans don't like it, then TOUGH.  |
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wylies99
Joined: 13 May 2006
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| drunkenfud wrote: |
| I thought about bringing this up, but then thought about the wording... "Do you know that Americans have used one of the most traumatic events in your country's history as the basis for a popular sitcom?"... Maybe they wouldn't find this idea too amusing! |
Well, Americans sacrificed, too, and we didn't have to help them. The show was about Americans who sacrificed years of their lives and often their LIVES to keep South Korea free. If Koreans take that as an insult, well then TOUGH.
Maybe Koreans hate the show because it reminds them of how much they actually owe the USA.
Last edited by wylies99 on Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Pooty
Joined: 15 Jun 2008
Location: Ela stin agalia mou
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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Gotta agree with Wylees 100%.
I brought it up once 12 years ago, the room went silent - but they acknowledged that they knew the show. Don't remember exactly what the story was about AFKN being asked not to air the show back in the 80's.
But yeah, anything that portrays Korea in anything remotely related to a negative light (poor and hungry) is frowned upon by Koreans...it's that complex monkey they've been carrying around for a long time rearing it's ugly head again.  |
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EzeWong
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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Originally MASH was suppossed to be based on the Vietnam war, but then they decided that because Vietnam happened too recently they used the Korean war instead,
Just an interesting factoid.... |
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Ruraljuror
Joined: 08 Dec 2007
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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Originally MASH was suppossed to be based on the Vietnam war, but then they decided that because Vietnam happened too recently they used the Korean war instead,
Just an interesting factoid... |
Here's another interesting factoid: You're wrong.
MASH the series was based on MASH the Robert Altman movie which was based on MASH the novel which was written by Richard Hornberger who was a field surgeon in the KOREAN WAR and used that as background for his book.
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H. Richard Hornberger (February 1, 1924 � November 4, 1997) was an American writer and surgeon, born in Trenton, New Jersey, who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. His most famous work was MASH (1968), written in collaboration with W.C. Heinz, and which became the basis for a successful movie and television series. He attended the Peddie School, graduated from Bowdoin College and trained at Cornell Medical School before becoming a physician for the United States Army during the Korean War, and used his experience at the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital as background for his work. Hornberger based the character of Hawkeye Pierce on himself, although reportedly he did not like Alan Alda's portrayal in the TV series, while he viewed the original Robert Altman movie many times.
Hornberger wrote several sequels, among them M*A*S*H Goes to Maine (1972) and M*A*S*H Mania (1977), neither of which enjoyed the commercial success of the original. Both books' portrayals of the characters were entirely independent of the movie and TV characterizations, as they were based upon Hornberger's own experiences after the Korean War, which included a stint working for the Veterans Administration, qualifying for his surgical boards and then setting himself up in private practice.
While MASH was a fairly faithful reflection of Hornberger's service in Korea, the sequels M*A*S*H Goes to Maine and M*A*S*H Mania were diverse representations of the "Swamp Gang's" post-Korea activities in the fictional town of Spruce Harbour, Maine, from 1953 to the 1970s. These activities mirrored Hornberger's settling in the area surrounding Waterville, Maine, up to the publication of M*A*S*H Mania in 1977. The latter two novels are characterised by gentle humour, stereotypical local characters and a nostalgic look at Maine and its people through Hornberger's eyes. Throughout, the "Swamp Gang" prospers, gets its own way most of the time and generally become more conservative as the years pass, playing golf and being a thorn in the side of "summer complaints" and the local hierarchy.
In addition, there was an extensive series of books (bearing Hooker's name but ghostwritten by William E. Butterworth) in which the characters travel to Moscow, New Orleans, San Francisco, Paris, etc. These were hastily written to capitalize on the TV show's popularity and were of dubious literary merit. The action was transposed to the 1970s so that people such as Henry Kissinger could be lampooned, but this would have made some of the characters quite old, if the descriptions in the first book were to be believed. For instance, Hot Lips would have been into her 60s, having been described as "fortyish" in the first novel.
Even after the success of his book and its screen adaptations, Hornberger remained a surgeon in Waterville, Maine, until his retirement in 1988. He died at the age of 73 on 4 November 1997 of leukemia.
Persondata
NAME Hornberger, H. Richard Hornberger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hooker, Richard
SHORT DESCRIPTION Writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1924-02-01
PLACE OF BIRTH Trenton, New Jersey, Unites States
DATE OF DEATH 1997-11-04
PLACE OF DEATH Waterville, Maine
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Richard_Hornberger"
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Richard_Hornberger |
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EzeWong
Joined: 26 Mar 2008
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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lol whoa there solider,
Didn't mean to offend you.
You're right though . I saw a special making of and I must have heard it wrong.
After research, what I must of heard instead was that it was politically motivated by the Vietnam war, not based on it.
Well according to this website:
"Though the series was set in Korea, M*A*S*H, both the movie and the series, was initially developed as a critique of the Vietnam War. As that war dragged toward conclusion, however, the series focused more on characters than situations--a major development for situation comedy."
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/mash/mash.htm
My apologies, I misheard, |
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orosee
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Location: Hannam-dong, Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: |
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I wouldn't expect MASH to be popular in Korea for a few simple reasons. It wasn't shot in Korea, doesn't contain interesting footage from the actual time of the event, doesn't have any (significant) roles for Koreans, doesn't have any famous Korean actors, contains humour best suited to a Western / US audience and in general could be set in any location at any time. MASH would work perfectly if the story took place at an undisclosed location at an unknown time. I really enjoy watching it and I was born some 10 years after the event.
"Hogan's Heroes" never became a popular show in Germany if it was even shown there on TV at all. Same reasons I guess, plus a few more.
It would have been great if there's been stock footage of the actual war, 1950's Seoul etc., but on the other hand most of the time you see the same valley, river, helipad and camp, and whenever they go to Japan it's interior shots only.
As for Koreans being ungrateful because they don't enjoy MASH as much as we do, just look what happened to the French reputation in the US after 9-11. Freedom Fries! After all they did for the colonies during the war of independence.  |
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PBRstreetgang21
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Location: Orlando, FL--- serving as man's paean to medocrity since 1971!
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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Not to pick nits BUT:
the last episode of MASH was the most watched television program in US history EVER. Still to this day. So maybe not the WHOLE series was THE most popluar but I think that fact certainly makes it one of the top shows ever.
Interesting fact: NYC reported one of its single largest water usages in its history after the show because of all the people that where holding their water who subsequently went to the bathroom when it was finished.
Thank you wikipedia |
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billybrobby
Joined: 09 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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| orosee wrote: |
I wouldn't expect MASH to be popular in Korea for a few simple reasons. It wasn't shot in Korea, doesn't contain interesting footage from the actual time of the event, doesn't have any (significant) roles for Koreans, doesn't have any famous Korean actors, contains humour best suited to a Western / US audience and in general could be set in any location at any time. MASH would work perfectly if the story took place at an undisclosed location at an unknown time. I really enjoy watching it and I was born some 10 years after the event.
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This is right. It's set in Korea but it's not really about Korea, it's about Vietnam, and more than anything, it's about America. There's really nothing of interest for Koreans. Oh but, no, that couldn't be it. It must be Korean insecurity about being portrayed poorly, because I can't possibly imagine Koreans having a motive for anything that isn't based on insecurity or some other sinister thing. |
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