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.
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.
Like Father Like Son
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.
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.”
Welcome To The Swamp
“The Swamp” doesn’t paint a very nice word-picture and doesn’t exactly sound like a place you’d want to spend a whole lot of time in. But this is what Trapper John and Hawkeye used to call their tent. Surprisingly, with them saying it, “The Swamp” doesn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. In fact, coming from the charismatic duo, it starts to sound kinda cool.
According to the author of MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, back in college, Hawkeye’s buddies used to refer to his dorm as “The Swamp,” and this stuck with him as he traveled abroad. There is an exact replica of it at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard and the Holley Museum of Military History in Topeka, Kansas.