M*A*S*H 1970 Film Poster Distributed by 20th Century Fox. Source: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A while back, a friend asked to borrow our copy of the movie M*A*S*H. He was so excited. He watched the TV series diligently and remains a fan of it to this day. He was so excited to see the movie.
Now, normally I don’t lend things from my library. I’ve learned that’s the quickest way to create a permanent hole in my shelf. But I trusted this guy, so I lent him the movie.
He returned the movie with no expression on his face. I asked him what he thought. He answered, “It was… different.”
Yes. Yes, it was.
The movie M*A*S*H feels more like Animal House. The TV series “M*A*S*H” may have started out like the movie, but it ended with a sense of “Little House On The Prairie.” Between the two, we saw our culture shift.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
We’ll start with the TV series. The television viewing world buzzed with anticipation when Continue Reading “Film Vs. TV: A M*A*S*H Revelation”
A Pugilist’s Elegy – In Memory of Mr. Polito
Photo by vierdrie on Freeimages.com
It seemed like fate, but it was duty.
My first question was, “Why didn’t you fail me?”
His first question was, “Would you like some iced tea?”
I had been at war with the English Department since 8th grade. I don’t remember why. I think my 8th grade English teacher, Mrs. Coffey, enjoyed sparring with me, and I returned the compliment with zeal. It was always cordial. Being a science guy, I consistently argued against the humanities. Only once did I naively step over the line. The teacher wisely told me that there were such things as lines. I demurred and vowed never again to go over that unseen demarcation.
But that didn’t mean I stopped pushing the envelope.
In 10th grade I took a stand against Continue Reading “A Pugilist’s Elegy – In Memory of Mr. Polito”