folkies and MASH

Subject: RE: folkies and MASH
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 15 Feb 17 - 04:30 PM

Loudan Wainright iii wrote, composed and performed in a 1974 episode of M.A.S.H. titled "Rainbow Bridge," but had nothing to do with Suicide is Painless. The song he performed was titled "Oh Tokyo" as Hawkeye and Trapper John head off to Tokyo to regain some sanity after difficult times. I have found Oh Tokyo on YouTube, but no means of downloading it. It might not be a complete song. Either way, it's vintage Wainright.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,RM
Date: 10 Sep 11 - 04:03 PM

In the movie, Suicide is Painless was sung by Ken Prymus.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Dave MacKenzie
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 06:12 AM

Suicide was the instrumental theme for the TV shows. I'm pretty sure it aws only sung in the film.

Louden Wainwright III played Capt Calvin Spalding in three episodes, and IMDb lists him as composer/performer (uncredited) for "If There's An Afterlife" and "I Wonder If They Miss Us", and composer/performer for "North Korean Blues".

Subject: RE: MASH
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 03:47 AM

I don't recall the song (suicide) being sung on the TV shows, but it was played instrumentally as a theme for them, wasn't it?

John

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,dan
Date: 12 Jan 11 - 09:40 PM

He was in season 3e and maybe season two. The nth degree song is at the beginning and the end of a season 3 episode called "there is nothing like a nurse" where all the nurses bug out and the docs stay behind. Thereks another of his songs in that episode.
"And I wonder if they miss us Now wouldn't that be funny? We can hardly stand ourselves. Well it's funny when they're here How we take for granted The way they taste, the way they feel, Their sight, their smell, their sound And it's funny when they're gone And how life can be so empty When they're not around."

And a song called north korean blues I think from rainbow bridge like jeri said. Someone mentioned it earlier.
"Oh Tokyo, They got some saki, and sashimi, and some clean sheets, Oh, kimono, oh, kimono, Tokyo's the town that I love the best, East may be East, and West may be West, Forget about between, it'll drive you insane, And teach you things you never knew before"

He was in one more episode called big mac with 2 more songs.
Five gold stars
"Well it's not Corrigidor, you know it's only Korea, It's a lousy little war, but we'd still love to see ya, And I'm sure we can scrounge up a beach And you can splash in and give us a speech, With your corncob pipe and your five gold stars."
And big mac is coming
"Big Mac is coming, he'll put an end to this war, Oh the U.N. decided it was time for Mac to take it an encore, Oh how I yearn to hear Mac say "I shall return" once more"

Subject: RE: MASH
From: skipy
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:58 PM

Some potatoes work better than others, we all have our own recipes, milk, butter, cream, pepper etc.
Try mashing brocolli in with them for kids who won't eat it as a florret, I have done this & they left the whole meal!
Skipy

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:55 PM

...but you've got one of 'em.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:53 PM

It shouldn't be so hard to find! (But it is.) I found information on one episode, 'Rainbow Bridge' in which he sings 'Oh Tokyo'. (Note added at TV.com. I can't find anyhing on the other 2 episodes he was in.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:40 PM

Jeri You're right, but I can't remember what it was caled.

Subject: Lyr Add: UNREQUITED TO THE Nth DEGREE (Wainwright)
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:21 PM

UNREQUITED TO THE Nth DEGREE - Loudon Wainwright III


Oh when I die & it won't be long
Oh you're gonna be sorry that you treated me wrong
You're gonna be sorry that you treated me bad
And if there's an after life I'll gloat & I'll be glad

Might be a plane crash, or some sort of OD
Might be a photograph in my obituary
You might see it & you'll cry a lot
Might want to wear black
Oh, I'd be dead but you can bet your life, I'm gonna get you back

I'm tired of being stuck up on your shelf
Might not wait around, Might kill myself
Not only would you miss me, you'd feel guilty too
Oh I'd be dead but it'd be too late the joke would be on you.

Ha ha ha ha
Ho ho ho ho
Chuckle chuckle chuckle chuckle
Snigger snigger snigger snigger
Guffaw Guffaw Guffaw Guffaw
Yuk yuk yuk yuk
Tee hee hee hee

So you better take a warning & start treating me good
Start doing the things that I think you should
You better not pout & you better not cry
The grim reaper is coming to town & I just might die

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Jeri
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:21 PM

Would have been a little odd singing about Hanoi, wouldn't it? I can't remember any of the songs so you could be right, but 'Hanoi' would just be weird.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 05:17 PM

Cluin's quote is from Loudon's song Unrequited To The Nth Degree. He sings this with Hawkeye and Trapper echoing each line in a call and response manner.
The song Loudon sang sitting on the hill was one made up specially for the show caled Hanoi Blues. (I think)
I think Loudon was only in about 4 MASH shows.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: fiddler
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 03:51 AM

What a wonderful defining statement; -

'but now for every thing that comes in -- something goes out'

I used to remember everything noqw I have to write lots down.

Arrrgghhhh - where did I put that sheet of paper!

Off topic but never mind.

Painless bless him.............
I bet he died every day after that................
A grand film......................

Andy

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Bruce59
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 05:32 PM

Thanks to all you trivia buffs who responded. Used to be I could carry all this info around, but now for every thing that comes in -- something goes out :).
Bruce

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,Bruce59
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 05:26 PM

Thanks to all who replied!! In the words of the immortal Spock "Live Long and Prosper"

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Cluin
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 04:06 PM

Oh when I die, and it won't be long
Then you're gonna be sorry that you treated me wrong
Yeah, you're gonna be sorry that you treated me bad
And if there's an afterlife, I'll gloat and I'll be glad

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Brakn
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 03:13 PM

Corey Fischer?

Subject: RE: MASH
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 01:13 PM

Who was the guitarist in the movie version? Young Mandel himself?

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 10:04 PM

Sorry, Ron. I meant to say that the song "Suicide Is Painless" wasn't sung in the TV series.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 09:56 PM

Suicide is Painless was the themesong for the TV show and the movie. The lyrics were sung in the film by Johnny Mandell. In the film, the song was son during the Painless Pole's "last supper".

Loudon Wainwright played Captain Spaulding (now where did he get that name from?? Say the secret word....)and he did sing a few songs, but not Suicide is Painless. One of those songs may have been sung on a hill, but I don't recall.

Incidently, Mike Altman was Robert Altman's son and he was 14 when he wrote the lyrics.   His father joked that he only earned $70,000 for directing the film but his son made $1,000,000 off the song rights!

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 07:52 PM

The song "Suicide Is Painless" didn't appear on the TV show, only in the movie. Lyrics by Mike Altman, music by Johnny Mandel.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: katlaughing
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 07:24 PM

Wish I'd known who in the heck he was when all of those were first out! Anyway, did find a great video of his Swimming Song although it's just him in the background. Spaw, I think you'd really love the video, though. The folks who used his singing did a great job of syncing things up with it.**bg**

Subject: RE: MASH
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:42 PM

Hamilton Camp's MASH episodes were both cute and he's done lots of Voice Acting for a long time but the funniest thing I ever saw him in were the WKRP episodes he did, especially the one as Del Murdoch, a fast-talking stereo store owner who gets held up during a live KRP remote. I saw that episode a few months back just by accident and it is still funny.

Spaw

Subject: RE: MASH
From: bobad
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:35 PM

Hamilton Camp appeared in two episodes:

144. Major Topper (Y-123)
    March 27, 1978
    Written by Allyn Freeman
    Directed by Charles S. Dubin
    Guest Stars: Hamilton Camp, Andrew Bloch, Donald Blackwell, Peter Zapp,
                   Paul Linke, John Kirby, Michael Mann, Kellye Nakahara

    With the possibility of contaminated morphine, the doctors at the
4077th administer placebos to the patients which seem to work. Meanwhile,
a new soldier (Hamilton Camp) is released on a Section Eight.

243. The Moon is Not Blue (1-G20)
    December 13, 1982
    Written by Larry Balmagia
    Directed by Charles S. Dubin
    Guest Stars: Hamilton Camp, Sandy Helberg, Jan Jorden

    With the camp facing prohibition and a severe medical-supply shortage
during another heat wave, Hawkeye resolves to lift morale by importing a
racy new movie.

Subject: RE: MASH
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:32 PM

Yeah.....He and Rufus are both in "The Aviator" where they each played 20's night club singers. I had to watch the damn thing a couple of times to believe it was LWIII. We all age ya' know?

Not a bad flick IMNSHO about Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I hated him in the Titanic POS but this one kinda' changed my mind a bit.   Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn was damn fine, very believable. A Decent script and Scorcese directing made for a fine production. As far as accuracy goes, who knows but it was entertaining (as Hughes often was). You can't learn history from the movies but I can be entertained!

Spaw

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Jeri
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:19 PM

It was Loudon Wainwright III. (His filmography here.)

Subject: RE: MASH
From: Bill D
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:19 PM

It seems Loudon Wainwright III ("Dead Skunk") had a part for awhile (the 'Singing Soldier')....not sure which episode he might have done the theme.

Subject: MASH
From: Bruce59
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:02 PM

My memory is failing -- it seems that a folk[?] artist made a brief appearance on an episode of MASH and performed the theme "Suicide is Painless" instrumental and/or vocal. It seems that he was sitting on the hill adjacent to the camp. Can anyone assist with this??
Thanks a lot,
Bruce