The 7th Annual TV Land Awards, set to air Monday, April 26th, 2009, will be honoring M*A*S*H with the Impact Award, “given to a show that offered both entertainment and enlightenment, always striving for both humor and humanity, with comedy that reflected reality.” A press release for the awards can be found at the futon critic.

On the first disc of bonus features included in the Martinis & Medicine Complete Collection — and later released alongside “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen” — are close to ten minutes of something called “My Favorite M*A*S*H.” It features members of the cast, including Alan Alda, Loretta Swit and Jamie Farr, introducing their favorite episodes of the series.

Alan Alda Introducing “In Love and War”

Both Alan Alda and Loretta Swit are on the M*A*S*H set, wearing their uniforms, which suggests their footage was filmed while the series was still in production. Jamie Farr, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan and William Christopher, however, are out of uniform in civilian clothes, indicating either their footage were filmed after the series wrapped or simply away from the set.

William Christopher Introducing “Dear Sis”

Here is a list of the episodes discussed by each actor:

Alan Alda – “Dear Sigmund,” “In Love and War“
Mike Farrell – “Welcome To Korea,” “Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?“
Loretta Swit – “Hot Lips and Empty Arms,” Margaret’s Engagement“
William Christopher – “Dear Sis,” “Mulcahy’s War“
Harry Morgan – “The U.N., the Night, and the Music,” “The General Flipped at Dawn“
Jamie Farr – “Officer of the Day,” “Big Mac“

I believe this footage was used in promotional spots for the series. The following spot, from September of 1987, is advertising “The Stars Favorite Episodes” week and includes a few snippets of Jamie Farr discussing “The Trial of Henry Blake.” It isn’t one of the episodes included on the bonus disc but he is wearing the same outfit.

I wonder how many other episodes each of the actors introduced.

Although repackaged DVD season sets began appearing in stores back in August of 2008, I’ve never seen them this cheap before. You can buy any individual season for just $15.49 — except for Season One which is currently listed at $15.99 — at Amazon.com. Of course, if you want the entire series along with the bonus discs, the better deal is the Martinis and Medicine Complete Collection, which Amazon has for $168.99 (compared to $170.89 for all eleven seasons individually).

The original season sets, which are bulkier than the repackaged versions but otherwise identical, appear to be mostly sold out. Amazon.com only has Season Four available at $34.99, more than double the price for the repackaged version. If you are in the market for just one or two seasons, or want to buy the first season for a family member or friend, at less than $16 a pop before shipping, now is a perfect time. You can also get the series finale and the bonus discs alone for $21.99.

Monday, March 23rd Edit: It appears all eleven seasons of M*A*S*H at less than $16 are part of Amazon’s “Save on Classic TV” sale that ends April 16th.

During the opening scene on last night’s episode of 30 Rock the following exchange took place:

Tracy: “Hey Ken, you know what I have a craving for?”
Kenneth: “Jerked chicken from that place in Mill Basin?”
Tracy: “And some?”
Kenneth: “Catalog photos of expectant mothers in their swimming suits?”
Tracy Jordan: “You’re my Radar O’Reilly, Ken. Now get in here and rub my feet ’til you hear a chopper coming.”

I’ve added it to the M*A*S*H References on Television page.

If you take a look at the sidebar on the left you might notice a few changes. I’ve moved the small banner ad for Amazon.com closer to the top of the sidebar. That’s prime real estate. I’ve also done away with the Other M*A*S*H Resources page and added a list of links to the sidebar. I didn’t include sites that haven’t updated in the past year and I’ve added two new ones.

By Ken Levine is the personal blog of scriptwriter Ken Levine. Along with his writing partner David Isaacs and others, he wrote seventeen episodes of M*A*S*H, including “Out of Sight, Out of Mind,” “Peace On Us,” “Point of View,” “Good-Bye Radar, Part I” and “Good-Bye Radar, Part II.” He’s also written quite a few episodes of AfterMASH as well as Cheers, Frasier and Becker. He often talks about his experiences writing for M*A*S*H and other shows.

Rob Kelly Review’s M*A*S*H is basically a version of my ill-fated “episode guide project.” Rob started reviewing episodes of M*A*S*H on March 1st and as of today is eighteen episodes into the first season. For each episode he includes a summary, his own analysis and comments, and a favorite line. It’s somewhat awe-inspiring and I wish him all the best. Be sure to read his introductory post in which he talks about his life-long love affair with the series.

I’ve added an eleventh page of your memorable moments. Included are scenes from “Hawkeye Get Your Gun,” “Picture This,” “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” and more.