Steal My Deal

Science fiction and fantasy trace their roots back several thousand years to the Epic of Gilgamesh, but most modern scholars will tell you that what we now think of as science fiction and fantasy really began to take shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the most prolific and influential writers in the genre was Edgar Rice Burroughs, who penned dozens of novels that wove fantastic stories in imaginary landscapes with pseudo-scientific babble.

Burroughs’ writing style appealed to the male imagination, especially the young male imagination, but his heroes were cavalier, manly men who only believed in doing what was right and supporting the cause of Good against all evils. Some of ERB’s characters developed complex personalities and storylines, like Tarzan and the Outlaw of Torn. But some of his heroes, like John Carter, were just good, old-fashioned sword-swinging swashbucklers who led their merry readerships through animated landscapes and a milieu of ever-changing adventures.

Tarzan has been immortalized in film and television but John Carter has never quite made the transition. Not until this year, that is. Although you can certainly buy John Carter of Mars books to find out what all the fuss is about, you don’t have long to wait. The first film adaptation of John Carter — by The Asylum — will hit the Direct-to-DvD market in December 2009. But the movie that fans are really excited about is the 2012 Disney/Pixar collaboration starring Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins as John Carter and his beloved Dejah Thoris.

Information about the Disney John Carter of Mars movie has been slow to come out. We now know who the main cast members are (Willem Dafoe plays Carter’s giant, four-armed green friend Tars Tarkas) and where the movies will be shot (Utah). Yes: Movies. Disney and Pixar are apparently gearing up for a trilogy of John Carter movies.

Fan sites devote to John Carter of Mars are starting to appear on the Web. By 2012 there will probably be hundreds, perhaps thousands of such sites.

Based on a Richard Hooker novel of the same name, MASH was released in 1970 as a full-length feature film by 20th Century Fox before experiencing widespread success as a groundbreaking television sitcom in the Fall of 1972. The show’s brilliant integration of drama and comedy made it one of the most celebrated shows in TV history, culminating in an eleven year prime time series stint. The 1983 series finale of MASH made history as the program with the single largest audience in television history, beating out several SuperBowls and the fabled “Who Shot J.R.” episode of Dallas. With the proliferation of new television mediums, it’s a record likely to never be broken…

The sitcom is set in South Korea during American involvement in the Korea War (with M*A*S*H standing for “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital”). Buffered from the front lines by a mountain range and a minefield, the men and women of MASH were tasked with patching up wounded American soldiers. Unique to its genre, the cast of MASH was unusually large. Surgeons Dr. Benjamin Pierce (Alan Alda) and Dr. “Trapper” John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) play the roles of excellent doctors who enjoy women and booze, while Dr. Frank Burns (Larry Linville) and Nurse Practitioner Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit) play foil to the two men’s shenanigans (due to a contract dispute, Rogers’ character was later replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt - played by Mike Farrell). The character of Frank Burns was also later replaced by Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester (David Ogden Stiers)…

Corporal Max Klinger (Jamie Farr) provides comic relief with his early attempts to procure a discharge by dressing in women’s clothing, and Father Francis Mulcahy (William Christopher) adds flavor to a diverse cast of characters. Also rounding out the cast are Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff), and Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan)…

The MASH (Season 4) DVD offers a number of hilarious episodes including the series premiere “Welcome to Korea” in which Trapper John McIntyre receives orders to ship home and is replaced by Dr. B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell). Meanwhile, Pierce butts heads with temporary commanding officer Frank Burns as he attempts to say goodbye to Trapper John before he leaves (Pierce was on leave when the orders came in)… Other notable episodes from Season 4 include “The Late Captain Pierce” in which Pierce’s father is mistakenly notified of his son’s death, and “The Gun” in which a wounded colonel’s collectable gun turns up missing (prompting Pierce and B.J. to hunt down the culprit)…

Below is a list of episodes included on the MASH (Season 4) DVD:

Episode 73 (Welcome to Korea) Air Date: 09-12-1975
Episode 74 (Change of Command) Air Date: 09-19-1975
Episode 75 (It Happened One Night) Air Date: 09-26-1975
Episode 76 (The Late Captain Pierce) Air Date: 10-03-1975
Episode 77 (Hey, Doc) Air Date: 10-10-1975
Episode 78 (The Bus) Air Date: 10-17-1975
Episode 79 (Dear Mildred) Air Date: 10-24-1975
Episode 80 (The Kids) Air Date: 10-31-1975
Episode 81 (Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler) Air Date: 11-07-1975
Episode 82 (Dear Peggy) Air Date: 11-11-1975
Episode 83 (Of Moose and Men) Air Date: 11-21-1975
Episode 84 (Soldier of the Month) Air Date: 11-28-1975
Episode 85 (The Gun) Air Date: 12-02-1975
Episode 86 (Mail Call, Again) Air Date: 12-09-1975
Episode 87 (The Price of Tomato Juice) Air Date: 12-16-1975
Episode 88 (Dear Ma) Air Date: 12-23-1975
Episode 89 (Der Tag) Air Date: 01-06-1976
Episode 90 (Hawkeye) Air Date: 01-13-1976
Episode 91 (Some 38th Parallels) Air Date: 01-20-1976
Episode 92 (The Novocaine Mutiny) Air Date: 01-27-1976
Episode 93 (Smilin’ Jack) Air Date: 02-03-1976
Episode 94 (The More I See You) Air Date: 02-10-1976
Episode 95 (Deluge) Air Date: 02-17-1976
Episode 96 (The Interview) Air Date: 02-24-1976

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a blog where you can find more reviews like this one of the MASH (Season 4) DVD.