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
“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
Although Dr. Sidney Freedman appeared on only 15 episodes of MASH, he is one of the most well-regarded and popular characters on the show. The appeal of the character, played by Alan Arbus, wasn’t lost on the showrunners. They wanted to have him become a regular part of the cast! He was able to provide … Read more
You’ve seen them hundreds of times—a group of nurses running to the helicopter pad during the opening credits of MASH. One of the most popular questions about MASH is who these running women are in this iconic shot. With the revolving door nature of the nurse characters on MASH, it was not always clear who … Read more
In the third season of MASH, there was a singing, guitar-playing doctor who sang his own original folksy songs like “North Korean Blues” and “Unrequited to the Nth Degree.” His name was Captain Calvin Spaulding. He appeared in three episodes from Season 3 and then was gone. What happened to the singing surgeon? Why was … Read more
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 … 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