Product Details

• Directors: Gene Reynolds, Larry Gelbart, Alan Alda, William Jurgensen, Burt Metcalfe
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0), French (Dolby Digital 1.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Fox Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 15, 2003
• Run Time: 632 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008WJE5
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,011 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "M*A*S*H - Season Four (Collector's Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

As the fourth season opens, Hawkeye returns from a 3-day R&R pass in Tokyo to find Trapper has been sent Stateside. Hawkeye races to the airport but arrives just as TrapperÂ's plane takes off. Too late to tell his friend good-bye, he in nevertheless just in time to welcome TrapperÂ's replacement, Captain B.J. Hunnicutt. Once Hawkeye gets over his anger and disappointment, he realizes B.J. is a worthy ally and takes the newcomer under his wing. Â"The first thing you learn here, B.J., is that insanity is no worse than the common cold. YouÂ've heard of a military post? Ours is a compost. Only the wounded are new. The tedium is relieved only by the boredom. So pitch in, muddle through, pip-pip. Never mind the reason why, ours is but to do and not let Â'em die.Â"

Then Colonel Sherman T. Potter arrives to take over command of the 4077. Not only are Frank and Hot Lips outraged that Frank has lost his command so quickly, but Hawkeye and B.J. know that a Â"liferÂ" Army commander could spell big trouble for them. But then a single reminiscence from Potter puts the docs at ease: Â"Had a still on Guam in World War II. One night it blew up. ThatÂ's how I got my Purple Heart.Â"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

137 of 158 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a new beginning?, May 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: M*A*S*H - Season Four (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Season four of MASH had it rough. Two of its major actors left the series after season three.
Wayne Rodgers (who played Trapper John), was tired of Alan Alda's Hawkeye character getting all the spotlight. I read that Wayne made a deal with the creators of the show, during the first season, that this wouldn't happen, but it did.
McLean Stevenson (who played Col. Blake), wanted to quit the show for various rumored reasons. After his character got his discharge in the final episode of season three, his character was killed off, on his way home, over the Sea of Japan.

In this box set, season four, we are introduced to two new characters, who stayed with the show until the end. First, there's Trapper's replacement: BJ Hunnicut. A married man, who stays true to his wife, back home. That was heavily emphasized, different than Trapper. BJ sure had some corny humor.
Then there's Col. Blake's replacement: Col. Sherman Potter (played by Harry Morgan). Harry Morgan appeared in a season three episode, as a different charactor. That of a crazy general...it's been said that because of that role, he was asked to play Col. Potter.

Due to some trouble back home, Gary Burghoff who plays Radar, wasn't in as many episodes than before. This family problem continued, until finally, he quit the show at the beginning of season eight.

There are some great episodes in this box set. "The Late Captain Pierce", where Hawkeye's dad is notified that he's dead, when he hasn't. "The Bus", where the characters are on a bus ride, and get lost, and the bus stalls. "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler", where a wounded man claims that he's Jesus Christ. "The Interview", where a TV reporter interviews the characters at the MASH 4077th. This episode is fimed in black and white.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Season Box Set From Fox, July 16, 2003

By 

Rob Keil (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: M*A*S*H - Season Four (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

I'm so glad that Fox has been good enough to release this great series on DVD, and that they have done such an excellent job. The picture quality on these DVDs far outshines the syndicated reruns on TV, and the full 25-minute-plus cuts of the shows haven't been seen in ages. As with the other box sets, the menus and functionality of the disc are very nice. I would however like to see a "play all" button so you don't have to click through as many menus to see all the shows.

As far as the actual content of the shows goes, I enjoy this period in the series more than the earlier seasons. Contrary to what some other fans think, the addition of Mike Farrell and Harry Morgan improved the show and made it a little more real and less lighthearted. Eventually these new characters really grow on you and become like old friends. The cast changes definitely move the show in a more comedy-drama direction, which I feel is part of what made this show so great, and so different from other sitcoms. A couple of great unconventional episodes are included in this season set, including "Hawkeye" which is essentially a 25-minute monologue by Alan Alda, and "The Interview" which is an all black-and-white documentary-style episode that again breaks the rules of what a sitcom is "supposed" to be like. Great writing, strong characters, top-notch acting talent. What more could we ask of this show?

I can't wait to buy season 5 in December. Now I hope Fox will lavish this same high-quality treatment on more great classic sitcoms like "The Bob Newhart Show" and "The Odd Couple", the rights to which I believe they also own.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KUDOS to no laugh track!!, August 5, 2003

By 

Andrew Woodward (Salem, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: M*A*S*H - Season Four (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

I have been a frequent buyer of MASH on DVD. Especially since there is the option of watching the episodes without that hideous canned laugh track. Season four was a turning point, yes, but I was suprised that no reviewer on Amazon mentioned that you can still view the episodes without the laugh track. I'm sure that Fox will continue to release the seasons on DVD that way. For the record, it's irrelevant to buy these on video because there is no sans-laugh track option so why bother putting them out on tape. NO ONE will buy them on tape.