RIP Sherman T. Potter

**Soldiermedic** · Posted On: 12/08/2011 9:35am

He was 96, and seemed to have a pretty fulfilling life.. I do not think that M*A*S*H would have reached the height that it did without him replacing Mclean Stevenson.

**Eddie Hardon** · Posted On: 12/08/2011 4:58pm

Not to forget his role in "Support your local Gunfighter" or was it "Support your local Sheriff"? Both great films and very funny.

Well, I think so....

**syberia** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 9:38am

I just rewatched MASH. Love that show, even this long after it was made. He was a fantastic actor, created a brilliant character. Glad to know he loved a full, long life.

Rest in peace.

**Soldiermedic** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 10:37am

In the US the finale "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen" is still(reportedly) the most watched television event ever in terms of percentage of households, share of overall viewers, and in actual number of viewers watching. Considering the finale was in 1983, its a very surprising statistic.

**syberia** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 11:24am

Also surprising is how well it stands up in modern day television. Ignoring the fact a lot of TV is crap now, but the show still holds such a power in the way the writing dealt with the seriousness of war, but somehow never managed to take itself too seriously.

**Res Judicata** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 11:51am

Originally Posted by syberia

Also surprising is how well it stands up in modern day television. Ignoring the fact a lot of TV is crap now, but the show still holds such a power in the way the writing dealt with the seriousness of war, but somehow never managed to take itself too seriously.

At the end it did. The show became a bit too political, earnest and serious in its later years.

**Soldiermedic** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 12:37pm

Originally Posted by Res Judicata

At the end it did. The show became a bit too political, earnest and serious in its later years.

I think that the shift in tone from the show is what allowed it to be so successful and create such lasting memories. Otherwise it'd just be another "F-Troop" and no one would give a ****.

The one thorn in my side is the laugh track, which I think was omitted for the markets overseas.

**Robstafarian** · Posted On: 12/09/2011 2:27pm

The laugh track is the one thing that mars the show in retrospective viewing, I find, and it's also true of Night Court. I tend to excuse the serious shift toward the end of the series because, well, I think the character of Hawkeye Pierce from the original film might've become as serious when faced with neoconservatism.

Left wing as I am, some of the “left” politics of the TV Hawkeye rub me the wrong way...notably wasting ammunition in protest when faced with a violent attack. Then again, I actually paid for my M1911A1 (clone).