This Day in World History
February 28, 1983
Final Episode of TV Series M*A*S*H Airs
On February 28, 1983, at the end of its eleventh season, M*A*S*H said goodbye to television. More than 105 million Americans in about 51 million homes watched the series finale, a two-and-a-half-hour-long movie directed by star Alan Alda, that featured the show’s characteristic blend of comedy and drama.
M*A*S*H debuted in 1972, two years after the release of the Robert Altman movie of the same name and four years after the publication of the Richard Hooker novel that was the original for both. Set in a mobile army surgical hospital during the Korean War, the show featured an ensemble cast that included three regulars — Alda as doctor “Hawkeye” Pierce, Loretta Swit as chief nurse Major Margaret Houlihan, and William Christopher as chaplain Father Mulcahy — who appeared in all eleven seasons.
In its first few seasons, the show’s Korean War setting made it a commentary of sorts on the Vietnam War. Even after Vietnam ended, the series examined the tragic personal cost of war and the extent to which people will go to try to maintain sanity in war. The last episode, set around the close of the Korean War, included storylines reinforcing those themes.
The show made several innovations, including use of multiple storylines in an episode, the mixture of comedy and drama, the way the camera was used to shoot scenes, and the fact that the characters developed over time.
M*A*S*H remains one of the most highly regarded of all television series. Though the records the final episode once held for number of households tuning in and total number of viewers have been surpassed by Super Bowl broadcasts, that last show remains the single most watched episode of a television series in US history. Its Neilsen rating of 60.2, which means that more than three-quarters of all televisions were tuned to it, makes it the highest-rated television show of any kind.
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The Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-loved Book has been awarded for 2011 to Tangaroa’s Gift/Te Koha a Tangaroa, a bilingual picture book written and illustrated by Mere Whaanga and first published by Ashton Scholastic in 1990.
The Gaelyn Gordon Award is given annually for a children’s or young adult book which did not win a New Zealand award at the time of publication but has been in print for more than five years and has proved itself a favourite with New Zealand children.
“At first publication, Tangaroa’s Gift: Te Koha a Tangaroa was a finalist for the AIM Children’s Book Awards, the Esther Glen Award for writing and, unusually, also for the Russell Clark Award for illustration,” says Storylines Trust chair Dr Libby Limbrick. “It is wonderful that this fine and enduring book by an accomplished writer and illustrator… should now be honoured with this award.”
Of Ngati Rongomaiwahine and Ngati Kahungunu descent, Mere Whaanga is a writer, illustrator, historian and an academic. Raised on an isolated sheep station on the East Coast of New Zealand, she was inspired by her father’s respect for the land and his love of Mâori history and mythology. She completed her M Phil Maori Studies at Massey University in 2000 and says of her writing “I write from a Maori perspective, always with the intention that the work has integrity while being accessible to those who may know little about our culture and people.”
On April 2nd, Storylines will celebrate Mere Whaanga and all the 2011 Storylines Award Winners with its annual Storylines Margaret Mahy Day. The event will take place from 9am – 1pm at King’s School (258 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland). All are invited to attend the celebrations which will include this year’s Margaret Mahy Medal Award winner, Kate De Goldi delivering her lecture. To register, click here.
I read one of my favorite writer blogs this morning. Kristen Lamb talked about a writer’s dreams and how they might/might not differ from the other people’s. Now, this is a subject that I’ve had on my mind a time or two but from an entirely different angle.
Kristen talked about the types of dreams that she’d been having and the interpretation she placed upon them. I have no argument with anything she had to say. Far from it. There are nights I’d like to know why something so mundane from my early childhood had been dredged up and force fed to me with enough twists and terror to drop an elephant.
I used to have a recurring dream from my elementary years about a spiral staircase and a door at the top. For some reason, just reaching for that doorknob sent terror racing through my body and screams through my mind. I always woke up sweating, reaching for something invisible, heart pounding and skipping. I hated that dream because I had it several times a week for years.
When I was in my thirties I was talking to a friend of mine who was a shrink and we got on the subject of dreams. I told him about this one and how it had morphed into an even worse version when I hit about 25. He looked at me and said, “Would you really like to be rid of it?”
Color me excited. Of course, I wanted to be rid of it. He and I went to an unused room in the building and he had me re-enter the dream while I was awake. After walking through it, answering his question as I recited my journey inside the dream, he asked me who it was who kept me from leaving this building filled with stone staircases with only picture windows for a view of the world.
Only one face came to mind and I told him who held the key to this fortress which entrapped me. That’s when he gave me my own key, which I used to escape that prison of a dream.
It was a simple thing really. Nothing complicated, but I’ve never had either the original nor morphed dream since. I have to hand that friend kudos for showing me how to set myself free. Another great thing… it hadn’t cost me a dime.
As a result, I see my dreams differently now. They are stories I can use for my writing. I can fly, explore, discover, go on quests, and much more when in dreamland. I no longer need permission to write them down and make something of them. They are there for my use since they are of my mind’s invention.
I’ve always dreamed in Technicolor — HD, 3D — and surround sound. I’ve had one dream in black and white in my life and it scared me witless. I didn’t find out until much later in life that the studies show that a majority of people dream in black and white.
So for those vivid dreamers out there, these nightly excursions into wild adventures have more purpose than keeping your eyes moving while you sleep. They do solve problems, bring catharsis, help us handle problems, and give writers great storylines for that next book or short story.
I have to applaud Kristen on her choice of topic for her Free-For-All Friday blog posting. It allowed me to dissect last night’s episode and use a glaring spotlight on something that had been a subconscious stewing pot for several weeks now.
If you’ve got the time pop on over to Kristen’s blog and take a gander. Maybe she’ll spark something for you, too. Her link is: www.warriorwriters.wordpress.com/
Sleep well tonight. A bientot,
Claudsy
2 Comments on Dreaming of a Plot, last added: 10/18/2010
Fascinating post, Clauds. Like you, I used to have recurring dreams. They began in my childhood, and ended immediately following my divorce. I don’t know why they began, nor why they ended when they did.
I’m one who sometimes dreams in color, and sometimes B/W. The thing that is truly perplexing to me is that, when I dream of people/pets who have passed on from this life, the dreams are accompanied by vivid color, texture, and scent.
Intriguing topic.
Glad you liked it, Marie. Sometimes I wonder why writers bother to think up stories while they’re awake. So many good ones come without effort during sleep, after all.
Later, girl.
Claudsy