M*A*S*H's "The Interview" Aired 35 Years Ago Today

On February 24, 1976, one of M*A*S*H's most well known episodes aired, "The Interview." In "The Interview," TV journalist Clete Roberts guest-starred as a newsman who visits the 4077 M*A*S*H unit where he conducts interviews with the "cast" about their wartime experiences.  This episode was presented in black-and-white to emphasize its documentary style; the use of black-and-white turned out to be apropos when it became an instant classic.  The inspiration for the show came from legendary broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow's famed visit to the real Korean front for the '50s documentary series See It Now. "The Interview" was series creator Larry Gelbart's last M*A*S*H episode.

TV Guide's Book of Lists ranked this episode as one of the 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time (at #80), one of just two M*A*S*H episodes listed (the other was "Abyssinia Henry" at #20).  Vince Waldron's Classic Sitcoms: A Celebration of the Best in Prime-Time Comedy called "The Interview," one of "the [series]'s most effective stylistic departures.  A passionate and often chilling look at war through the eyes of reasonable men and women who find themselves stuck in a most unreasonable situation."

Click here for a newly curated collection of Archive interviewees talking about the making of this classic episode.