NOTE: In all the image comparisons, the Columbia House VHS version is on the left and the DVD version is on the right. None of the images have been cropped and they are the best representation I can make of the quality of both versions of the episode.

On Monday, October 9th, 1978, an hour-long episode of M*A*S*H entitled “Our Finest Hour” was broadcast on CBS from 8:30PM to 9:30PM. A glorified clip show, “Our Finest Hour” saw the return of reporter Clete Roberts to the 4077th, interviewing the staff of the army hospital to see how they were coping with the war. It was a follow-up to the fourth season episode “The Interview,” which aired on February 24th, 1976. The interview segments of “Our Finest Hour” were in black and white and lacked the laugh track; the clips from earlier episodes, however, were in color and had the laugh track.

 

Comparison Between Columbia House Version (Left) and the DVD Version (Right)

Fast forward to December 7th, 2004 when 20th Century Fox released the seventh season of M*A*S*H on DVD. But there was a problem: the original elements had been damaged over time and in order to put the best quality footage on the DVD set, the syndicated version of “Our Finest Hour” was substituted. However, the hour-long episode was split into two half-hour episodes for syndication with all the usual syndication cuts. Furthermore, the quality of the syndicated print used for the DVD set was not in the best shape. In comparison to the remastered versions of all the other episodes on DVD, “Our Finest Hour” looks faded and dark.

The episode menu for “Our Finest Hour” includes a message explaining the substitution:

Viewers are then given the choice of watching the episode in two parts, each with opening and closing credits, or as one episode with a single set of opening and closing credits. But there is still more to the story. In the early 1990s, Columbia House began offering VHS tapes to the burgeoning home video market; each volume contained three episodes and cost $19.95 per tape (aside from the “introductory” tape that cost a mere $4.95). Plus, the episodes were uncut — no syndicated edits — and commercial free. And finally, the episodes were remastered.

Each of the Columbia House tapes were given a theme; “Our Finest Hour” was released alongside “Point of View” on the “A Different View” tape. More importantly, it was released uncut and in its original form, running 49:10 compared to 45:16 for the DVD version. That’s the bad news. The good news is that none of the black & white interview segments are missing, only scenes from the color episode clips.

What follows is a list of cut footage from the DVD version (time codes in relation to watching both parts of the episode together):

• At 00:10:00, an interview segment with B.J. is followed by a scene from “War of Nerves” in which Hawkeye tries to get B.J. to smell his food. On the DVD version, the very next scene is Hawkeye’s infamous “river of liver, ocean of fish” rant from “Adam’s Ribs.” However, in the Columbia House version, a scene from “Some 38th Parallels” is shown, in which Frank admonishes Radar for wasting food. That is followed by the scene from “Adam’s Ribs,” although an additional five seconds from the episode are shown at the start.

• At 00:12:37, an interview segment with Colonel Potter is followed on the DVD version by a scene from “Dear Mildred” where Radar gives Colonel Potter a horse for his anniversary. On the Columbia House version, the interview segment is followed by a scene from “Change of Command” in which Hawkeye, B.J. and Colonel Potter get drunk in the Swamp and sing “The Long, Long Trail.” The scene from “Dear Mildred” is then shown, with an additional five or six seconds at the start, including Radar’s line “Sir, I have a present for your anniversary.”

• Not a cut scene, but at 00:22:47, To Be Continued is seen on the screen in the DVD version. This is obviously not shown on the Columbia House version, which is not split into two parts.

 

Comparison Between Columbia House Version (Left) and the DVD Version (Right)

• At 00:23:48, following a scene in which Hawkeye asks a nurse to blow in his ear, the DVD version is followed by a scene with Igor and another soldier burning furniture to keep warm. On the Columbia House version, two scenes from “Crisis” are shown between these clips; the first sees Hawkeye and Trapper dealing with new sleeping arrangements and the second involves Frank’s footwarmers. The wood burning scene is followed on the DVD version with an interview segment with Hawkeye. However, on the Columbia House version, another scene from “Crisis” is shown, in which Henry discovers the legs to his desk have been cut off.

• At 00:25:45, following a scene from “M*A*S*H – The Pilot,” the DVD version moves to another interview segment with Hawkeye. The Columbia House shows a scene from “As You Were” with Hawkeye and Trapper dressed up as gorillas, then the interview segment with Hawkeye.

And that is it. Six cut scenes and two slightly shortened scenes, all from episode clips from earlier episodes, no new footage. Still, the real issue with the syndicated DVD version of “Our Finest Hour” is the poor quality of the transfer. My image captures from the Columbia House tape do not do the episode justice (and the brightness might be set just a shade too high on my video capture device); watching it on television is almost like watching any other episode on DVD. The colors are bright and the video is sharp. Overall, “Our Finest Hour” pales in comparison to the other episodes on DVD.

Take a look at the following image comparisons to see how faded the syndicated DVD version (left) is compared to the uncut Columbia House version (right):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

• Nichols, Peter M. “New Life for Animated Mouse.” Houston Chronicle 20 Mar. 1992: 3.

Last updated July 31st, 2007