New Military Series: MASH meets Little House on the Prairie

Operation Home Base: A Combination MASH and Little House on the Prairie

Several people have commented that they simple can’t envision how two shows as vastly diverse as MASH and Little House on the Prairie could be combined into one show. My answer--it was very simple. I just had to think outside the box and look at the core of both shows. MASH dealt with the emotional and physical issues arising from war. Little House was about family and community. Operation Home base combines the two premises by exploring the emotional, psychological and physical effects of war with the conflicts and misunderstandings that are frequently connected to the civilian world.

Premiering on September 17, 1972 and ending on February 28, 1983, MASH spanned 251 episodes. Until recently the final show held the title of the most watch episode of all time. Unique for its time, MASH was a front runner in TV programming. Considered a medical drama and a black comedy, the producers and writers chose to do the research and bring a realism into the show that had never been tried in a fictional venue. They had the courage to tell the truth about war and show how it affected those who serve. The simple fact is that war changes not only the landscape of a country, but the very soul of everyone that it touches.

The alcohol, the dark humor, and practical jokes were the most obvious of the coping mechanism the characters used to emotionally and psychologically survive. Radar had his teddy bear. Klinger dressed up like a woman. Hawkeye and Trapper John chased women, played practical jokes, and played golf. BJ and Sherman Potter focused on family. By seeking comfort from men, who weren’t always available, Margaret both sought and hid from love. Charles found refuge in music. They did what was necessary to cope with the death and destruction that surrounded them daily.

As in real life, sometimes it worked--sometimes it didn’t. Margaret getting married to someone else, caused Frank to have a breakdown. He was sent home. Hawkeye lost control after a mother smothered her crying child to keep the enemy from discovering them; instead of being sent home, he was hospitalized, treated and returned to the 4077. Throughout the run of the show, other characters became mentally unstable, but in each instance the topic was treated realistically and with great sensitivity.. From self inflicted wounds to shell shocked, the incoming wounded, special guests to the 4077 and the regulars revealed how the trauma of war has unexpected consequences.

MASH brought home the simple fact that sometimes good people don’t go home and even when they do, they are never the same. When Henry Blake died, it wasn’t just the characters who mourned his loss. The viewers also lost a beloved family member. Henry’s death cascade off the screen into the homes of the viewers. It reflected something Henry shared with Hawkeye--There are two rules. good men die in war.
and doctors can’t change rule number one. Although, other characters died, Henry’s death had more impact. Like in real life, it was totally unexpected.

Operation Home Base picks up where MASH left off. The characters of MASH became a family because of their shared experience and their desire to help. This is the foundation that OHB is built on. It shows how war permanently changes both those who serve and those who love them. Even though, military personnel changed location, it doesn’t necessarily mean they come home or that they have a home to come back to.
Not only do military personnel change, but so do their family members. OHB deals with the loneliness and fear of those who are left behind. When a family member is deployed, the others have to fill in that void. Not only are there practical issues like home repair, child care and financial concerns, but the emotional impact can be even more challenging on relationships. Spouse become lonely. Children grow up and away; sometimes, they resent the absent parent. Everyone involved changes and adapts to the new circumstances. When the family member returns, the challenge is to blend the old with the new.

It is What it is--A Vietnam nurse buried the trauma of her last days in country. When her grandson is killed in the sandbox, the old memories resurface and she is forced to remember what happened when she was evacuated.

Little Johnny Isn’t Little Johnny any More--Deek sees a friend from Nam that he thought was long dead. It forces him to not only deal with his own survivor’s guilt, but also with what he had to do to survive.

Right to Believe--New to the base, Sergeant Major Horse finds discrepancies in the billing of a food supplier. However, Horse is killed before he can investigate further. His tribal Elders and his family contact Stella when the base commander attempts to cover up the murder. Religious bigotry complicates the investigation when the base Chaplin steals the body in order to circumvent Horse’s religious practice.

Homeland--Airman First Class Steve O’Connell is deployed. Before he leaves, he arranges for the mortgage to automatically be paid electronically. The bank claims the deposits were never made and forecloses. The bank president disregards the Soldiers and Sailors Act, which legally protects those who have been deployed. Sheriff ignores proof of fraud by the bank and attempts to force the family to leave. The O’Connells with help of friends defend their home.

Dunk Tank--The killing of a Marine’s therapy dog sparks a fundraising campaign, which rapidly becomes a wild and crazy a free for all. While Special Agent Simon Behan investigates the death of the dog, the OHB team competes against military personnel and other civilians for cheesy prizes as way to raise money to help homeless dogs become helpmate for veterans dealing with PTSD. This storyline could easily be carried back over into real life

Listed as a western, Little House on the Prairie was more about family and community than a shoot’um up. Airing from September 11, 1974, to May 10, 1982., Little House primarily focused on the financial, medical and social issues, which challenged Ingalls family.

As much as the Ingalls’ home was filled with love, so was their life is filled with challenges. Several time Charles was forced to leave the family in order to find work during financially challenging times. When Mary become blind, she and her family had to cope with the physical aspects of her disability along with the emotional and psychological changes that came with it. When her baby brother died, Laura felt responsible. She went looking for God so she exchange places in heaven with him. The deaths, births, adoption and marriages changed the family dynamic as well as each individual member. How they coped revealed who they were.

Although the show was family oriented, it did reveal how bigotry and ignorance can be found in the least likely places. By dealing openly and honestly, with the topics of death, disability, bigotry and loss, Little House proved that a family and community is only as strong as its weakest member. In doing so, it mirrored real life back to the viewers.

Not only within the storylines, but within the characters themselves, OHB will be dealing with the same kind of family hardships and community challenges. It will address the emotional, physical, financial as well as many more of the life tests that those in and out of the military face every day. From the loneliness of missing a loved one to dealing with their return, military families live with uncertainty and the potential loss every day.

Half Potawatomi half Mexican, Master Sergeant Stella Garcia is woman in her late 30’s who planned to be a career soldier. However, the IED, which took her left leg, ended her active field duty. The sole survivor of the three vehicle convoy, she suffered from PTSD and depression. Emotionally, she couldn’t find the reason for her surviving when rest of her buddies were killed. Using alcohol and sex to numb the pain, she walked through life unable to feel anything. She settled into her new desk job, yet her dreams were haunted by the ghosts of her unit and the others. They asked her why she ran away from her duty--why she allowed their deaths to be in vain. Instead of seeking aid, she hides deeper within the bottle. It was only after her Tribal Elders helped heal her in ceremony that she was able to find a new purpose in life.

In her early twenties, Debra Ann Lee is a southern bell who grew up with seven older brothers most of whom join the military. A martial arts expert in her own right, she is proud of her family heritage that can be traced back to the civil war. Her mother used to say that Debra Anne walked where fools and angels fear to tread and was kicked out for being a smart ass. Having more moxie and intelligence than common sense, she is willing to take on situations and people that most people run away from. Using the immortality of youth as a shield as well as her passion and natural curiosity, she cons, charms, or connives her way to achieving her goals. Debra has only one fear--losing her husband. Newlywed at the time he was deployed overseas, Debra must cope with the fear and loneliness of the uncertainty of her soul mate being in the military.

OHB combines the issues of war with the challenges of family and community as it shows the good, bad and the ugly of military life. It will address the misunderstandings and the bigotries that arise between civilians and the military. But more importantly it will tells the stories of those who serve in a way that will not only entertain, but create a bridge of understanding and compassion.


http://www.theresachaze.com/Operation_Home_Base.html

Operation Home Base: Bringing Back Age Diversity to Television

Recently it was pointed out to me that I have been focusing on the older characters of Operation Home Base to the exclusion of the rest of the characters as a way of promoting the show to investors and sponsor. Instead of furthering my cause, it has diminished my chances of finding support in the entertainment industry.

Investors, sponsors, and networks’ consider those between 18-35 to be the prime demographic age group. They believe that in order to have hit show, whether it be television or film, this demographic needs to be courted by featuring characters from this age bracket. I, on the other hand, believe there is intelligent life out there, who will be attracted not by the age of the characters, but by the depth of the personality of the characters, complexity of the storylines and the quality of the production.

Although the older characters are very important to the show, they are only the support pillars for the storylines. OHB has always been based on diversity of age, gender and culture. The characters ages range from 7 to 70. Being the youngest in the regular cast, Tessa and Izzy are children, who are connected to the military families. Still children, they have learned how to live and function in the world of adults. Together, they learn how to be children. Walter Hummel is the oldest of the regular cast. At 71 years, he has survived his own military career and has retired into civilian life. His experiences go back to the Korean War as well as many of the subsequent conflicts. These are the bookends; most of the remaining characters’ ages fall between them.

The older characters are important simply because they are the pillars of the show. In order to fully understand how deeply the emotional traumas cut into a person’s soul, you have to have lived and survived it.. It is through them at that younger staff members will learn how to help others. It is this reason I focused on introducing them first. Without Walter, Deek, Martin, Elaine, Lorelei, and Michael, the OHB would have no credibility. In addition, there will be semi-regulars and guest stars, who are also of an age; they will reflect real life and keep the show honest. It is their experience, wisdom and personal challenges that create the healing atmosphere that the rest will build from.

The 18-35 age group will be well represent as regular cast, semi-regulars and guests. However, these characters will not just be chip beef--chippies in bikinis and beef cake. Each will have depth and character, which make them individuals with personal challenges, desires, and faults. No one will be perfect. No one will be completely evil. What they will be are real people that viewers of all ages will be able to identify with as family members, friends, and the person they see in the mirror.

Master Sergeant Stella Garcia is OHB’s Casualty/mortuary officer. Half Potawatomi half Mexican, Stella Garcia is woman in her late 30’s who planned to be a career soldier; however, the IED, which took her left leg, ended her active field duty. She is the only active duty member of the OHB staff. Emotionally and physically injured, Stella finds her way back to life and love. She learns how to find happiness in spite of her disability.

Being the youngest member of the OHB staff, Debra Anne Lee is more than capable of holding her own not only with the rest of the staff, but also military personnel from the lowest to the highest ranked. As the Red Cross Liaison, Debra Anne would be assisting family members in communicating with military personnel through official channels. In her mid to late 20’s, she is a newly wed, whose husband was deployed shortly after their wedding. She will show how military families survive the separation both as a professional and a wife, who never knows when or if her soul mate will be coming home.

Randi Cullen is the thirty-something legal advocate. She grew up as Marine brat until her mother divorced her father early in her childhood. Eventually her mother remarried and moved across country, taking Randi and her brothers away from the military way of life Although both of her older brothers enlisted right out of high school, Cullen both loved and hated the military. She loved the discipline and the service, yet she blamed it for the loss of her father. Unlike her brothers, she followed her step-father’s example by becoming a top litigator before she reached her 30th birthday. However, she never forgot her birth father. She met Deek while searching for him. They became close friends, who tried to take the relationship to the next level.

In her early 20’s, Denise O’Dell is a third year law student, who started as a volunteer with OHB as a receptionist/gopher. As a regular member of the cast, she will help Randi deal with legal issues and help keep the office organized. A bright, intelligent, and ambitious woman of African-American decent, she works hard to make a difference. Although she doesn’t have any direct connection to the military, she has chosen to step up to help simply because she cares and she sees the need.

Special Agent Simon Behan is also African-American. He will be a reoccurring character.. In his early 30’s, he has a proud family man. Coming from a law enforcement heritage, Behan was recruited by NCIS after he help clear a Marine of murder charges. By speaking the truth, he broke the Blue code and put himself at risk. His choice not only put him at odds with his co-workers, but with his own family.

In his mid twenties, Shawn Michael Knox is Deek’s hand picked assistant, who frequently disappears without explanation. Self assured, Knox diffuses personal questions with humor. A combination of computer geek and profiler, his charming personality and sex appeal gets him where he needs to be and what he needs to have. Although he is sexually desirable, he appeal comes from his good heart, quick wit, and the courage, which comes from his soul. His secrets and his inability to give a straight answer about his past will keep him a mystery to both the other characters and the viewer for the first two seasons.

Family members and people who come to OHB for help will also fall into the younger age group. Stella and Debra Anne both have siblings who will visit on occasion. Lorelei’s children are in their twenties and early thirties. Elaine’s daughter, Amanda will be a very important reoccurring character. In her late twenties, she is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. As a character, she plays an important role in understanding not only women who serve, but she will show how military personnel find the balance between duty and caring for their children. Most military personnel and their families that will need OHB’s help will be in their late teens and twenties. Although most will appear as guest stars on the show, they will add age and ethic diversity.

Operation Home Base is far from being an old folks show. In reality, it will actually portray the diversity and challenges of life, becoming the first true family of man drama since MASH.


To read the full proposal go to www.theresachaze.com