MASH, Original Production Used Clapperboard

original film-crew items

Clapperboard is made of wood covered with blackboard material and aged off-white tape.  It is approximately 10 inches wide and 7.5 inces high. Top bar of clapperboard is missing.  Bottom bar is well-worn, suggesting frequent use during production.  Writing is in hand, black marker on the tape.  Remnants of chalk writing appear under SCENE and TAKE.

B CAM is usually used for off-angle coverage and pickup shots.  B. Surgensen is noted as the Cameraman on this scene/episode. He was a cinematographer and director, known for M*A*S*H (1972), Flying High (1978) and Karen (1975). He died on 30 January 2006 in Rancho Mirage, California.

Production code G-520 refers to the 91st episode called HAWKEYE in the 4th Season.  This episode first aired on January 13, 1976.  However, that episode was directed by Larry Gelbart, not Bruce Metcalfe who was listed as associate producer / executive producer / producer (251 episodes, 1972-1983).  It is likely that Metcalfes name remained on the clapperboard as the long-term director. The date 11-21-75 suggests that this scene/episode was directed less than 2 months before the airdate.  The scene was DAY/EXT, or Day/Exterior.

Filming took place on two separate sets.  An outdoor set in the mountains near Malibu (Calabasas, Los Angeles County, California) was used for most exterior and tent scenes for every season. The indoor set, on Stage 09 at Fox Studios in Century City, California was used for the indoor scenes for the run of the series. 

Later, after the indoor set was renovated to permit many of the outdoor scenes to be filmed there, both sets were used for exterior shooting as script requirements dictated (e.g., night scenes were far easier to film on the sound stage, but scenes at the helicopter pad required using the ranch).