Beyond the scrubs, the actors of M*A*S*H brought a unique blend of comedic timing and dramatic depth to the screen. This category highlights the professional journeys of the series’ stars and the guest performers who shaped the show’s 11-season run. From the ‘original’ pilot cast to the legendary guest stars who left a lasting mark on the 4077th, we explore the casting stories and career milestones of the people who made the show possible.
During its eleven-year run, MASH employed many different writers, some of them part of a core team and others freelancers. Larry Gelbart, Gene Reynolds, Lawrence Marks, Ken Levine, and David Isaacs are among the core team of writers. Some of the funniest and oft-quoted MASH episodes were written by the dynamic duo, Jim Fritzell and … Read more
According to MASH producer Larry Gelbart, when he came up with the idea of a cross-dressing soldier bucking for a Section 8, Gene Reynolds knew that the only one who could play him was Jamie Farr. So, I was surprised when a MASH guest star revealed that Jamie Farr, who played the iconic cross-dressing Maxwell … Read more
The familiar MASH PA announcements were often used to fill time during the post-editing process. However, they served a much more important purpose than just adding another 10 seconds to an episode. The announcements helped to deliver the show’s blend of comedy and drama, often offering cynical or absurd social commentary on the war and … Read more
“Attention, all personnel!” The sardonic PA announcer of the MASH 4077 was as much a character as anyone else, even though we never see his face. It was a confusing creative choice to have a separate PA announcer instead of having Radar, the company clerk, make the announcements. But these announcements, in some ways, seem … Read more
It was quite common for one actor to play multiple roles on MASH. This happened most often with various Asian-American actors, like Richard Lee-Sung and Mako. Actor Stuart Margolin appeared twice, once as a visiting psychiatrist who examined Hawkeye, and again as a plastic surgeon who was a friend of Hawkeye and Trapper. Most famously, … Read more
Say what you want about the accuracy of MASH’s portrayal of the military and the Korean War, but several principal actors had real military experience, including in Korea. One of them actually wore his true U.S. Army dog tags in the show. Which MASH actors were really in the military? Alan Alda, Jamie Farr, Wayne … Read more
There were many Asian actors who appeared on MASH as Koreans or “indigenous personnel.” However, during the 1970s and 80s, unfortunately, there were few actual Korean actors working in television or film. Almost all of the Korean people on MASH were played by Japanese or Chinese actors. Jack Soo, Pat Morita, Mako, Sab Shimoto, Keye … Read more
Laurence Fishburne is famous for so many roles it seems disrespectful to only mention Morpheus in The Matrix series, or the John Wick Films. How about Apocalypse Now, Boyz in the Hood, or his role as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It? You know who I’m talking about. He was also … Read more
Alan Alda, who played Captain Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce on MASH, started writing episodes for the show early on in season one. The first episode penned by Alda was Season 1, Episode 19, The Longjohn Flap, a title Alda hated. It aired on February 18, 1973. Season 1, Episode 19: The Longjohn Flap In The … Read more
No other character shows the writing prowess of the MASH writers better than Klinger. As Jamie Farr said, how many times are you going to laugh at a guy wearing a dress. If you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it. Klinger had so much dimension and there was always something new to laugh about or … Read more