Burt Metcalfe helped MASH* make room for the sadness of war without giving up its comedy. We value his casting and collaborative approach, even when the programme’s earnestness tips into a lecture.
Fi1m perspective
In The Interview (1976), MASH* adopts a black-and-white documentary style and lets its characters reflect at length on war. We were moved by those sustained reflections; the documentary style gives the words more weight. Metcalfe contributed as producer and writer, an important distinction when discussing a director so involved in other parts of the programme. His priorities are clear enough: the comedy should have time for the suffering too.
He joined MASH* (1972–1983) as associate producer at Gene Reynolds’s request, becoming executive producer in 1977. He stayed for all eleven seasons, the only producer to do so, and directed 31 episodes as well as writing several. Working alongside Larry Gelbart and Alan Alda, he favoured a supportive set over one governed by shouting. We would be wary of treating this ensemble programme as one director’s personal achievement. Metcalfe’s long involvement matters because it gave the series continuity while its characters and tone changed.
Casting David Ogden Stiers as Charles Winchester was one of his important decisions. Metcalfe had seen him in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a reminder that finding the right actor can involve paying attention to somebody else’s programme. The later seasons asked the actors to carry more openly emotional material, and Metcalfe’s attention to casting helped that change. That could have made the comedy dutiful; the warmth and humour of the ensemble, led by Alda, are why we still recommend it.
The reservations matter too: MASH* has dated jokes and occasionally delivers a lecture when a shorter exchange would do. Metcalfe drew on Korean War veterans’ experiences in seeking a more sensitive treatment of war, but good reasons for a speech do not necessarily make it good television. The ensemble gives us plenty of reason to forgive those lapses, though we would not ask anyone to overlook them. Give its actors time to become familiar company, and keep a small reserve of patience for the speeches.
Biography
Burt Metcalfe was a Canadian-American producer, director, screenwriter and actor. Born Burton Denis Metcalfe on 19 March 1935 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he grew up in Montreal and later Los Angeles, where he earned a theatre degree from UCLA. He began his career as an actor, appearing in films and series including Gidget (1959), The Twilight Zone and the sitcom Father of the Bride (1961–62).
Metcalfe joined the production of the CBS series MASH (1972–83) as associate producer in its first season. He remained the only producer on the show throughout its entire run, advancing to line producer and then executive producer and showrunner for its final six seasons. He directed 31 episodes and wrote several, receiving 13 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on the series. He later served as executive producer on the sequel series AfterMASH (1983–85) and the MASH 30th Anniversary Reunion Special (2002).
Metcalfe was married to actress Jan Jorden, who had a recurring role on MASH*. He died on 27 July 2022 in Los Angeles, aged 87.
