The original book,
M*A*S*H, was written in 1970 by Richard
Hooker and based on his own experiences as a doctor in the
Korean War. Although he had difficulty finding a
publisher for that book, its success enabled him to follow it up with 1973's
M*A*S*H Goes To Maine, and in 1975 wrote books that took the characters to
London,
New Orleans, and
Paris. 1976 saw the publishing of five more books, including
M*A*S*H Goes To Vienna, to
Miami, to
Morocco, to
Hollywood and to
Las Vegas. In 1977 Hooker wrote
M*A*S*H Goes To San Francisco, and at some point during the
1970s also wrote adventures for the group in
Texas and
Montreal. He finished the set with
M*A*S*H Mania in 1979.
Several other books have been written about M*A*S*H, including Watching M*A*S*H, Watching America by James Wittebols, 1997's Secrets of the M*A*S*H Mess by Jeff Maxwell, The Complete Book of M*A*S*H by Suzy Kalter. Actors and producers have also written books about their involvement in the series, including Larry Gelbart's Laughing Matters: M*A*S*H and Other Notes, William Christopher's Mixed Blessings, and Jamie Farr's Just Farr Fun. Three or four trivia quiz books have also been published, as have other books about and guides to the series.
The 1970 movie, MASH, starred Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, and Tom Skerritt. It was nominated for several Academy Awards, but won only for Best Screenplay. The movie also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy, and the Golden Palm Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
The movie's theme song, "Suicide is Painless," was reused for the 1972 M*A*S*H TV series (as was actor Gary Burghoff). Starring Alan Alda, Harry Morgan, and at least a dozen others, the show ran until 1983 - a longer run than the Korean War itself - and had an extremely large following. Disguised as a sitcom, the show delivered commentary on the Vietnam War and the ambivalence of most Americans toward that conflict. The last episode, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" drew record numbers of viewers. The series won a number of Emmy and Golden Globe awards and was followed by the 1983 show AfterM*A*S*H.
A M*A*S*H video game for the Atari 2600 was also produced.