Caller of the Night: NZ's very own M.A.S.H

Did you know NZ had it's very own M.A.S.H? Neither did Roman!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks ed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Turning back to the Clark with Roman Travers call eighty
It's in My Day on News Talks ed B.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Hi Graham.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
There were several shows of MASH produced in New Zealand.
Did you know that?

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Stop it? No.

Speaker 3 (00:39):
They were produced under the auspices of the Army Wow.
And they were shown in tech Apok camp in the
middle of the South Island. And they were done under
the guise of the or the officers and senior n

(01:00):
CEOs of a unit originally called three Field Ambulance and
later on it was changed to three Meta Battalion, And
they did all sorts of things. There was the baby
is born behind there's a silhouette they have where they

(01:20):
have back right, yes, yeah, and compete with you know,
very true noises. I mean there was nurses and doctors
and medex of all description taking part in these things.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
So hang on, Grame, maybe I've missed something here, but
I thought you said they had they filmed some of
the episodes of MASH in New Zealand. Is that right?

Speaker 3 (01:42):
No, they didn't film well, they certainly didn't film them,
but they certainly had you know, relatively high ranging guests
at the productions. Okay, the the commander of the task
force was there and he invited some of his friends
and you know, the high rank has got I'm sorry,

(02:06):
they got dressed up for the Knight and the Goodyear
and very much like they do when they go to
the box and they've got ressed up in their messkit.
But no, there was Yeah, there was one nursing sister
who who gave birth to me on an operating table,

(02:26):
and there was another level underneath where I could come
out and you know, as I say, complete with complete
with true noises. Well, some of the others who got
invited with the local landowners around the Teapo area. Right,
So it's it has been. I suppose mimics would be

(02:48):
a better word rather than copied. Yeah, I mean we
had our we had our own versions.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
Of them, I see. So it wasn't like Allen Elder
and Loretta Sweat came out and helped out. It was
just you guys doing your own version of mash. Is
that right?

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Oh yeah, yeah, very much.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Sorry, that's there. That's that makes it better because Loretta
Sweat came out for some street parade and do you
remember that.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
Yeah, I believe she even came out one year for
a telethon Good Lord. If I remember correctly, I think
she might have even been the Need. She appeared appeared
on the stage at the town Hall, And yes, I
do remember that, and I didn't actually not that they

(03:30):
were real. I mean I didn't actually get to any
meet any of the mass characters, but I was in uniform,
right so, but no, we we did have our own
production here in New Zealand, and fortunate enough to be
in the right place at the right time, you would
have been there to enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Yes, so there was Mash the movie in nineteen seventy.
Then the TV series followed for a good chunk of time.
Was there ever Mash the Musical? Like, you know, was
it ever a Broadway thing or anything like that the
West End of London?

Speaker 3 (04:02):
I don't know. I don't think so. I don't remember
a musical for London or anything like that.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
But no, because it's weird, isn't it. Because normally when
something's a real success, there's always a spin off. There's
the t shirts, the caps, the toys, the whatever, and
there's a musical, and I often think when there's a
musical version of something, I think that might work, and
then it does mash the musical good on your gram,

(04:31):
Sat on the roof, kicked up the mass well of
you other versa as well.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
They've gotten me quite crash, but the sun's been quite.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
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