Just about every time Radar got on the phone, the first person he spoke to was Sparky. Sparky then connected him to wherever or whomever he wanted to be connected to. Radar and Sparky were pals and often did some horse trading for different luxuries or supplies. Did they ever meet on the show? Do we ever see Radar’s friend Sparky on MASH?
Who Was Sparky?
Sparky was the clerk and communications sergeant at I-Corps Headquarters. His position in a command post made him a useful ally who was able to help with all sorts of problems. We do not know Sparky’s true first name, but his last name was Pryor.
The majority of the time, when Radar speaks to Sparky, we never hear the other’s voice. In other words, when Radar was “talking to Sparky,” Gary Burghoff, the actor, was almost certainly pretending to have a conversation. It is possible, however, that there were, at times, someone speaking to him through an actual phone connection to help facilitate his timing and reactions. Regardless, there was no need for an actor to play Sparky the majority of the time. Radar, and later Klinger, called Sparky not only for telephone switching, but for favors, trading, and his help in various schemes.
The Only On-Screen Appearance of Sparky – Season 1, Episode 15: Tuttle
We know little about Sparky. And, while he is mentioned many times and his help is enlisted often, the only time we see him is in Season One, Episode 15, entitled Tuttle. In this episode, Hawkeye and Trapper invent a fictional officer named Tuttle. This all begins when Hawkeye and Trapper are giving supplies to Sister Theresa, who runs the local orphanage. When Sister Theresa thanks the officers for their help, Hawkeye tells her they are just following the orders of Captain Tuttle.
Tuttle, it turns out, was Hawkeye’s imaginary childhood friend. Whenever something bad happened, Hawkeye blamed Tuttle. Before long, everyone believes Tuttle is a real officer and is working at the 4077th. Hawkeye and Trapper go so far as to create fake records for him. Frank and Margaret compete in regards to who knows Tuttle best, even though neither of them has ever seen him.
Radar, who naturally is aware that Tuttle isn’t real, has Henry co-sign supplementary supply forms that, according to Radar, were already Ok’d by Captain Tuttle and so only need a countersignature. When Col. Blake asks, “Captain Tuttle? Which one’s Captain Tuttle?” He wonders if he met him yesterday at breakfast and Radar confirms that he dd, to which Henry replies, “Wait a minute, I didn’t have breakfast yesterday.” Rader says, “Then you must have met him somewhere else, sir,” and tells Henry he had appointed Tuttle to be in charge of supplemental supplies.
Afterwards, when Henry brings up the O.D (Officer of the Day) roster with Radar, he realizes that Tuttle has never pulled O.D. duty and so appoints him as Officer of the Day instead of Frank, who had volunteered again.
When Frank finds out that he has been replaced at O.D., he becomes upset that Tuttle has not presented himself, as Frank is, after all, second in command. He then becomes convinced that Captain Tuttle is going to replace him, not only as O.D. but as second in command. So, at Margaret’s suggestion, he goes to look at Tuttle’s file. Radar stalls Frank and Margaret by telling them they need authorization from Col Blake, who is “doing some very important sleeping for the Army.” This diverts the pair long enough for Hawkeye and Trapper to create a fictional file on Captain Tuttle.
Frank and Margaret read the file and are impressed with Captain Tuttle’s background. Margaret, for her part, is impressed with Tuttle’s auburn hair and hazel eyes (and no doubt his 6’4″, 195lbs frame). Margaret is still suspicious, however, and wants to confirm his existence and so she decides to contact General Clayton.
Radar had been listening through the wall with a stethoscope and was aware of Margaret’s intentions. When Margaret orders Radar, over the phone, to get her General Clayton in Seoul, he sends for Captain Pierce and then contacts Sparky. This is the first and only time we see and hear Sparky, played by Dennis Fimple.
Sparky answers the phone, on camera, identifying himself as Sergeant Pryor, with a Southern accent. Giving Radar a friendly greeting, he thanks him for the Captain Marvel comic, which he is holding in his hand. Sparky is chewing on some food, perhaps an oatmeal cookie, while drinking milk. Radar tells Sparky that he is going to be making a call on this line and that Sparky should patch the call back to Radar. Sparky replies, “Shazam!” with a smile.
This allows Hawkeye to pose as General Clayton over the phone, saying, “Margaret, I do hope this is going to be an obscene phone call.” Before Margaret can ask, Pierce asks her, “Say, what do you think of that new man I sent down there, uh, Tuttle?” Hawkeye claims that Tuttle is going to marry his (General Clayton’s) niece. He tells Margaret, jokingly, to try to keep Tuttle pure, “if you can keep your hot little hands off him.”
Did Radar Ever Meet Sparky in Person?
This episode is illustrative of Sparky’s willingness to help in various schemes, although it is usually in return for something else, such as a choice movie or a certain food. It is not clear that Radar and Sparky ever met in person, although it would have been possible since Radar had to travel for various tasks. It may have been even more possible for Klinger to have met Sparky, as Klinger was on the move even more than Radar, once he became the company clerk.
Sparky’s rank insignia consisted of three chevrons and one arc, which, from 1948 to 1956, would indicate Sergeant, 3rd Grade.
