This intense MASH episode found an ingenious way to completely drop the laugh track

A classic MASH Episode found a way to drop the dreaded laugh track by cleverly exploiting a network loophole. MASH Ran for 11 seasons, and while it always carried an anti-war message, it evolved from a wacky sitcom to a borderline drama during its run. Since it debuted in the 1970s, it was a given it also had to have a laugh track. This was against the wishes of the showrunners, who felt that it was not in great taste to force laughter in a series about war and surgeons trying to save lives.

They eventually reached an agreement with CBS that the operation sequences did not have to add the track, but it had to be used elsewhere. MASH would eventually drop the laugh track altogetherAlthough it took many years – and his turn into dramedy – before that happened. It was pioneering in this sense, and although canned laughter still populates some modern sitcoms, it is almost the exception now instead of the rule.

MASH Season 3 “OR” is the first episode with no laugh track

This intense MASH episode saw the 4077th treating an endless supply of wounded

The series became increasingly experimental as the seasons went on, resulting in MASH’s Real-time outing “Life Time” or its horror-tinged offering “Dreams.” An early example of this willingness to play with the rules was MASH Season 3 episode “OR”, which takes place almost in a blood-splattered operating room. This involves the camp having to deal with a never-ending line of incoming wounded, and the emotional toll it takes on the surgeon.

MASH’s “OR” also dropped the canned laugh track entirely, a decision that contributes to its oppressive atmosphere. And do. Audiences are dropped right in the middle of the operating room and witness scenes as Hawkeye (Alan Alda) performs a heart massage in a desperate move to keep a patient alive – who later dies regardless. There are little human touches sprinkled throughout “OR” including a patient kissing Hawkeye’s hand in thanks for his life, or Henry (McLean Stevenson) declaring that he wants to see out his time in Korea since he can save more lives there than he ever has. Can. Home.

Mash’s showrunners used the network’s laugh track rule against them

“Or” wasn’t the last time Mash let out a laugh

If it was up to MASH’s Showrunners, the laugh track would have been dropping right from the start. Still, CBS stood by the agreement that it would not be used during any operation sequences, which is something that “OR” weapons. Since about 90% of the episode takes place in the operating room, “OR” became the first MASH Episode without any laugh track Generally. Several sequences take place Outside of surgery, but it would have been even weirder to add canned laughter to a handful of scenes when the rest of the episode goes without it.

Dropping the track isn’t a gimmick either, as it’s one of the more intense outings of the previous seasons. Without it. There are still plenty of gags, but “Orr’s” tone is still deadly serious, and tempers free as more pressure is piled on the surgeons. Henry is even forced to refuse to work on a seriously wounded soldier since he does not believe that the man will survive anyway, and others can be saved in his place. Even a light injection of a laugh track would have undermined “OR’s” tone.

MASH’s “OR” gave the show’s biggest villain his most human moment

“Ferret Face” is given some rare humanization on MASH’s “OR”

Hawkeye and Trapper (Wayne Rogers) regularly clashed with surgeon Frank Burns (Larry Linville) during the early seasons, who was basically the show’s human villain. MASH Only fully evolved when Frank left since he was such a cartoonishly unlikeable figure That he felt out of place with the show’s move to drama. Linville also decided to leave because he didn’t think Frank could be redeemed. yet, MASH’s “OR” features an unexpectedly tender moment with Frank that reveals there’s a man in there somewhere.

After being so stressed out during surgery he almost kills a patient, Frank takes a break and ends up talking to Trapper. Frank asks why no one likes him, while Trapper claims he doesn’t don’t like him, he finds the chief”cheerful.” Frank then opens up about coming from a strict family with an abusive father, and that informed the man he became. Later in life. He also makes a sincere plea to Trapper to be his friend and the rather exhausted surgeon agrees, signaling off with “Now shut up, Frank, or I’ll kill you.”

It’s one of the rare moments Frank was allowed to be a man MASHAnd it’s a shame later times didn’t try to expand on this. In season 5, Frank is heartbroken when Margaret (Loretta Sweet) ends their affair and the series again doubles down by letting “Ferret Face” act as more of a person. This little “OR” moment proves there was room to develop Frank on MASHBut it seems even Linville did not believe that this was possible, and left in the fifth season.