You’d be forgiven for never noticing this change in the opening credits of MASH. For the first 8 seasons of the show, the first shot in the opening credits is the back of Radar’s head as he looks up at the arriving helicopters. But after Gary Burghoff left the show for personal reasons, this opening shot was removed from the credits. Many fans felt that this was done to retaliate against him or out of bitterness over the actor’s departure. Why did they remove this beloved character from the opening credits? Was it because the MASH showrunners were angry that Burghoff left?
It makes sense that the opening credits of MASH would start with Radar. We see him, with his back turned to the camera, looking up at the helicopters framed against the rugged mountains (actually the Goat Buttes surrounding the Fox Ranch). Radar O’Reilly was the first to “hear” the helicopters, and having him be the first image is a reference to this ability, and to the pilot episode, where the first significant scene we see is of Radar hearing choppers coming.
You need only pay close attention to the final episodes of Radar to understand that anger and pettiness were the last things the show’s producers were feeling. They dedicated a full two episodes to Gary Burghoff’s departure, and the second part marked several changes in the show’s direction. For example, as I pointed out here, Radar was the last person to say Hot Lips in regard to Margaret. Having him be the last person to say that before leaving the nickname behind for good is certainly not something a petty writer would do. It’s something you’d do if you wanted to mark the moment as a significant turning point.
When Burghoff left, significant changes were certainly underway. A beloved character was leaving, but the show was still growing and evolving. Radar being the last person to say hot lips was a reference to those changes, both bittersweet and appreciative of what had already been accomplished.
Why Remove Radar from the MASH Opening Credits?
While it may seem like not seeing Radar at the beginning of the opening credits is a petty move, what would it be like if you continued to see him after Burghoff had left? If that happened, it would be as if the show were not acknowledging his absence, like they couldn’t even be bothered to change the opening sequence. Indeed, I suspect these are exactly the thoughts that were going through the minds of the producers. The audience should be reminded of the absence of this beloved and iconic character. Even at that time, there were few television characters as iconic as Radar O’Reilly of MASH. His absence was a hole, even with the great Jamie Farr as Klinger filling in as company clerk. That hole; that vacuum, had to be acknowledged, not ignored.
Mixed Emotions About Gary Burghoff’s Departure
I am not suggesting that everything about Gary Burghoff’s departure from MASH was sunshine and rainbows. Nothing of the sort. He had long had tension with the other cast members, some of it quite volatile. He was tired of the long hours, emotional toll, and the maintenance of this naive and innocent character when he himself was so much different. While there were no contractual disputes, there was no doubt some bad blood all around. But I do not think that this caused the removal of Radar from the opening credits.
Darned If You Do, Darned If You Don’t
Instead, I think that taking Radar out of the credits (sometimes just showing his shoulder), was meant to mark the fact that he was missing. Keeping him in the opening credits, even though this was so iconic, might be paramount to pretending that his departure did not matter. There may have been no right way to handle this, and I suspect that fans would be upset either way. If they had left Radar in, I suspect that many fans would have said, “What, are they pretending he never even left? Like it doesn’t matter?” It did matter. It mattered a great deal to the fans and the show. After all, his character was never replaced.
The Irreplaceable Radar
When Gary Burghoff left, it had been established that when a principal character left the show, a replacement actor would be brought in to play a character to fill that spot. When Wayne Rogers left, Mike Farrell was brought in to play B.J. Hunnicutt, Hawkeye’s new companion. When McLean Stevenson left, Harry Morgan was brought in to play Colonel Sherman Potter, the new commanding officer. And when Larry Linville left, David Ogden Stiers was brought in to play Charles Emerson Winchester III.
When Gary Burghoff left, the producers knew that they could not replace him. He was considered irreplaceable. Nobody could fill Radar’s shoes. The character was too special; too iconic; too beloved. And, Burghoff himself had crafted and created this persona for his character, who had been much different in the film and early episodes.
So, instead of bringing in a new character, they had Klinger transition to becoming the company clerk. While not everyone loved Gary Burghoff, the actor, they certainly all loved Radar, and they had nothing but respect for the acting he had done and the character he had inhabited. The idea that they would remove him from the opening credits out of anger or resentment just doesn’t make sense.
“Also Starring Gary Burghoff As Radar”
Just as they were miffed about Radar’s removal from the opening credits, some fans were upset about Gary Burghoff’s credit being changed to “Also Starring Gary Burghoff as Radar.” What they missed was that Burghoff received this credit not only in his two farewell episodes, but in 12 episodes of Season 8, many of which he didn’t even appear in!
It’s difficult to say why this occurred. It may have been a mistake. MASH 4077TV.com has an interesting article about it, along with some informative comments if you like to get into the nuts and bolts of production. Goodbye Radar (I & II) was originally meant to air at the end of Season 7, but the producers pushed to Season 8 and wanted Burghoff to appear in a few episodes beforehand. His finale episodes ended up being the 4th and 5th ones. This is why we saw Radar briefly while he was “on leave” during those first few episodes in which he appeared (Ep 1, Too Many Cooks; Ep. 3 Guerrilla My Dreams).
