Actor McLean Stevenson made very little adjustments when he took on the role of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake. He knew right away that it was going to be a breeze for him, being all too familiar with the character’s culture, behavior, and habits. How so?
When asked to comment about it, Stevenson said, “I played my dad. My father was a country doctor, and he was 80 years old when he passed away.” Lt. Col. Henry Blake and Stevenson both come from Bloomington, Illinois, and perhaps in his mind, he was told to literally just be himself when playing the role.
Not The Same Man Off-Air
Actor Harry Morgan, who played the role of Col. Sherman Potter, resurfaced years after the M*A*S*H TV program had been off air. Nobody really knew what he’s been up to in 1996, so him making the headlines out of nowhere raised eyebrows, as well as curiosity among the show’s long-time followers.
As it turned out, Morgan was arrested for beating up his seventy-year-old wife, Barbara, who was found battered in their home when the police got there. The actor was charged with misdemeanor spousal battery, and faced up to one year of jail time and/or a $6,000 fine.
Raising Awareness
William Christopher played the role of Father Mulcahy in the M*A*S*H series. The sweet Irish priest was the chaplain of the 4077th, but all the while he had looked forward to serving another cause when the TV program wrapped up.
Christopher and his wife were both very devoted to their adopted son, Ned’s condition. Ned was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Christopher committed himself to helping the National Autistic Society bring awareness to the public. The couple even published a book detailing their experiences raising an autistic child. Christopher died in 2016, but the developments he and his wife made regarding autism remain a real-life blessing.
Concerned Father
Klinger’s character was unpredictable, and that was an undeniable part of his charm. You just couldn’t be sure how crazy he was going to be in any given episode. His boisterous nature and shocking costumes made you wonder what on Earth could be next. For sure, the cross-dressing and scheming was fun while it lasted. But Jamie Farr knew he couldn’t play the role forever and was glad of the change when he shifted careers and became a company clerk.
What bothered Jamie Farr most about the role was how his children would take the combination of cross-dressing actor on-screen and dad in real life. He was afraid that they would be teased by their peers and felt that would be unfair for them.
Token Korean
As earlier mentioned, there always seemed to be a serious shortage of Korean actors, at least as far as the M*A*S*H casting was concerned. As consequence, they ended up having one real Korean actor play a variety of roles in many episodes.
This Korean actor, however, is a bundle of talent. Soon-Tek Oh, at one time, played five different roles in a single M*A*S*H episode in Season 4 titled “The Bus.” He also re-appeared in other occasions, again for different roles. He made another prominent appearance in the Season 8 episode titled “The Yalu Brick Road.”