CBS may have requested changes to some MASH storylines, but there was one script that they flat-out rejected. MASH came on the heels of Robert Altman's successful dark comedy of the same name, which followed a medical unit during the Korean War. Given the explicit language, violence, and mature themes of the original 1970 movie, the TV adaptation had to significantly tone down its content. However, MASH still pushed boundaries when it came to television storytelling. The death of Henry Blake was a shocking moment, as TV shows rarely, if ever, killed off such important supporting characters at the time. MASH abandoned the traditional sitcom laugh track during surgery scenes, and eventually throughout the show, tackling topics like PTSD and trauma when no other show was doing so. Despite clashes between MASH's showrunners and CBS regarding the show's tone and subject matter, it was only the script named "Hawkeye on the Double" that the network refused to approve.
CBS Rejected A MASH Story Involving Hawkeye Seeing Two Nurses
"Hawkeye on the Double" was initially planned for production during the first season of MASH. The storyline revolved around Alan Alda's character, "Hawkeye" Pierce, being romantically involved with two nurses simultaneously. However, when the nurses discover he is using them, they decide to teach him a lesson by falsely claiming he has impregnated them both. While the script was never aired, it was eventually included as a bonus feature in the MASH: Martinis and Medicine Collection DVD boxset.
According to MASH co-creator Larry Gelbart in an interview with the Archive of American Television, "Hawkeye on the Double" was the only script that CBS rejected without any possibility of being approved. CBS deemed the idea of Hawkeye dating two women simultaneously too scandalous for television in the early 1970s. Executive producer Gene Reynolds also mentioned in The Complete Book of MASH that CBS refused the script due to its implications of infidelity, which went against the network's guidelines.
CBS Had Other Issues With MASH
In the book "Watching MASH, Watching America," Gelbart explores his intentions with the show and its portrayal of war as completely futile. While he acknowledges that the network never questioned the anti-war message, they had concerns about its departure from the typical sitcom format. The book also reveals a storyline that was ultimately dropped, where the members of the MASH unit hope to fall sick enough to be sent home while enduring the cold outdoors. Despite this being a reality, CBS insisted on removing the plot from one script due to its perceived lack of patriotism.
CBS frequently faced challenges with the serious tone of certain MASH episodes, including objections to the use of specific words. The content had to remain suitable for family audiences, resulting in the removal of a line where a frightened soldier referred to himself as a "virgin" in terms of his experience in war. The network believed it implied something else. Gelbart even tested CBS's Program Practices by having another character mention being from the Virgin Islands in a later episode, but the network did not pick up on it. Gelbart describes these disagreements with CBS as "gameplaying," noting that the network generally allowed them to produce the show they desired.
Source: Archive of American Television, MASH4077th, Watching MASH, Watching America
