M*A*S*H notable success selling the film and seasons of the TV series on DVD. Richard Hooker wrote "" (1968), based on his experiences as a surgeon at the 8055th MASH in South Korea. He published several other novels based on that group. A total of 15 M*A*S*H novels were published between 1968 and 1977, some co-authored by William E. Butterworth. "MASH" is a 1970 feature film adaptation of the original novel. The film was directed by Robert Altman and starred Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye Pierce and Elliott Gould as Trapper John McIntyre. Although the title had no punctuation onscreen, in and
M*A*S*H (TV series) created after an attempt to film the original book's sequel, "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine", failed. The television series is the best-known of the "M*A*S*H" works, and one of the highest-rated shows in US television history. "M*A*S*H" aired weekly on CBS, with most episodes being a half-hour (25 minutes) in length. The series is usually categorized as a situation comedy, though it has also been described as a "dark comedy" or a "dramedy" because of the often dramatic subject matter. The show is an ensemble piece revolving around key personnel in a United States Army "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" (MASH) in