What The Author Of The Book That Inspired M*A*S*H Really Thought About The Classic Sitcom

It's not a stretch to call "M*A*S*H" one of the best sitcoms of all time. Not only was it wildly popular during its 11-season run, but it's held up over the years as well. The show masterfully combined humor and drama to show what war was really about, using the Korean War to highlight what many in America felt about the Vietnam War. But not everyone who watched the show was a fan. In fact, one of the biggest critics of "M*A*S*H" was the man who created the idea in the first place.

Richard Hornberger was a doctor who was drafted into the Korean War in 1951. He spent 18 months working at a MASH unit (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) along the 38th parallel where he and the other doctors found rather unusual ways to handle the stress of the situation. When he returned to his home in Maine, he wrote the novel "MASH," basing the character of Hawkeye Pierce on himself.

Not long after the book was released, it became a successful movie, and two years after that the TV series was born. But it's safe to say Hornberger, who published under the pseudonym Richard Hooker, wasn't pleased with the fact that both versions came across as anti-war. "I intended no messages in the book," Hornberger told the Peddie News. "I am a conservative Republican. I don't hold with this anti-war nonsense."

While Richard Hornberger thought "M*A*S*H" did a decent job showing what life was like at an actual MASH unit, it was clear he didn't like the tone of the show and grew to dislike the character he based himself on: Hawkeye Pierce, played by Alan Alda. While at least one "M*A*S*H" star thought the TV series was faithful to the book, the author vehemently disagreed. In an interview with UPI, Hornberger didn't pull any punches. "No one in their right mind would be pro-war, but I operated on a thousand or so wounded kids," he said. "[A]nd I know more about war than a bunch of undereducated actors who go around blithering those sanctimonious, self-righteous noises."

Hornberger's son, William Hornberger, backed up that sentiment in an interview with the New York Times, saying that his father "did not like the liberal tendencies that Alan Alda portrayed Hawkeye Pierce as having." But even if you don't like how your story gets told, there's usually at least a pile of money to ease your feelings. For Hornberger, however, that was not the case.

Despite the show's massive success, Hornberger's deal only paid him $500 per episode. He later said the decision ended up costing him millions because of how popular the show became, making it one of the best TV shows based on a movie. He would later sell the rights to the "MASH" franchise, but for far less than it was likely worth.