Just watching a repeat on Hallmark of this excellent and unusual episode of "M*A*S*H" in which a reporter interviews the people of the 4077th for a documentary. Oddly, as many times as I have seen it, something just struck me -- the apparent absence of Loretta Swit (Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan) from the personnel who are interviewed. Why? It was the final episode of the season, so perhaps Ms. Swit had a commitment to some film or something and was not available? Or were there scenes with Margaret that were cut for time in syndication? Anyone have any info on this?
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M*A*S*H Season 4 Episode "The Interview"
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
No, sorry - I don't remember, but it's fairly typical for regular cast members to be excluded from an episode here and there - either for some real-life reason (they're sick) or because their presence isn't needed for the episode being shot. I checked the on-line episode guide, and it does not list which regular players appeared in that episode.
The "reporter" was a great guy - veteran Los Angeles reporter and anchorman Clete Roberts who was semi-retired at that time, but was a fixture on early Los Angeles television, including KTLA and KNXT (now KCBS-TV).
The "reporter" was a great guy - veteran Los Angeles reporter and anchorman Clete Roberts who was semi-retired at that time, but was a fixture on early Los Angeles television, including KTLA and KNXT (now KCBS-TV).
Lkeller said:
...in HELTER SKELTER (the TV-movie, never read Bugliosi's book), Clete Roberts was cited as the guy who was called with some information that eventually led to Charles Manson and company's arrest. Don't know if he was actually involved, or that was merely CBS' way of tying itself in to the story. Roberts was also the newscaster in TESTAMENT who breaks into a broadcast of "Sesame Street" with news of a nuclear attack on the East Coast; did Roberts move to PBS and/or the Bay Area by the early '80s?...
...another Los Angeles news anchor who dabbled in movies and TV drama was Alex Dreier of KTTV. He's the TV newscaster Henry Fonda has an on-the-air conversation with in THE BOSTON STRANGLER...
Ultimajock said:
Thanks, Ultimajock - I had never heard Clete Roberts connection to the Manson story. Very interesting. It's was typical in those days for anchorpeople to play themselves (or just generic anchors) in movies and TV - more so for LA anchors because they were in Hollywood, after all. The weirdest one was seeing George Putnam appear briefly as a news reporter in the alien invasion film Independence Day (1996)- he had not anchored in at least 20 years, and was well into his 80s at the time.
Alex Dreier was a little different, because he became a regular actor after he left KTTV in the late 60s (where he tried and failed to compete with Putnam on KTLA). You'd frequently see him on TV dramas playing villains and heavies (no pun intended), like Mafia bosses - often smoking a huge cigar. He held onto his ABC radio commentary show during this period.
I've lived in the Bay Area since the mid 70s, but don't remember Clete Roberts here...I've always associated him with my younger years in LA...but perhaps I've just forgotten. He passed away in 84
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0730950/
Lkeller said:
I realize that -- it just seems odd that one of the main characters was missing from such an unusual episode (and the season finale) while lesser lights such as Klinger and Father Mulcahy were among those interviewed.
One thought -- given the comparatively chauvinistic attitudes towards women in 1950's society, perhaps it was realistic that a typical reporter of the era would not even think to interview a woman (a "mere nurse") in a documentary on a military unit, even though Margaret was a rather high-ranking officer.
That episode rings true because, as I understand it, some of the responses given by the actors were semi-improvised -- they were given a general idea of the questions to be asked, and sort of formulated what they felt their characters might say.
There was a later "interview" show as well that was an hour long and included clips from different episodes, and Margaret was in it. I think I remember seeing somewhere that the actors adlibbed their answers to the questions to fit their characters.
anotherguy said:
Yeah, that second one was an extremely pale imitation of the first -- it was basically just a late-season excuse to do a clip show. (And with very poor quality clips, I might add -- they cared so little about the episode that they couldn't even go back to the original source material -- the clips look like a few generations removed). You can almost hear the wheels spinning: "We're running out of ideas and low on budget, what shall we do -- I know, let's blatantly repeat a previous episode's concept and use a bunch of old footage!" I consider that second interview show one of the low points of the series.
The reason that Loretta Swit missed the first episode with Clete Roberts was because she was doing a play on Broadway at the time it was filmed. She had been given an approved leave by the MASH producers. For this same reason, she missed a few other episodes, or had her character "phone in" her part, which were filmed before she took her leave.
D
Don62
Guest
No, though I liked the show, it never focused on historical or period accuracy.
Exhibit A: Houlihan's hair. It metamorphized into 80s style. Her whole character changed into a 1970s-80s woman, not one you would have seen much during Korea.
Radar and Hot Lips - and even Frank in some eps. - were missing from a good many eps., especially Radar, whose Gary Burghoff was getting tired of acting and wanted out of the show.
Remember the C*A*V*E ep.? Radar wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Don62 said:
I believe it was the last season (7th?) before Radar's departure that Burghoff negotiated to appear in only half the episodes. In a few, they mentioned Radar as being on R&R -- in others, he is just not there and Klinger is handling his duties without comment. He wanted out at the end of that season, but they eventually cajoled him into doing the 2-part "Goodbye, Radar" early the next season (and also at the same time filming a few inserts to be shoehorned into the first few eps of that season before the 2-parter). He even got a unique "Special Guest Star" billing, at least on the original broadcasts (don't know if the same credits are used in syndication).
At least all of that made it more plausible in the context of the show for Klinger to take over as company clerk, since he had already "pinch-hit" for Radar quite a bit. What didn't make sense was the story line over the first half of that season of Klinger being at first utterly inept at the job. You would think, as many times as he had subbed for Radar in the past, that he would have been at least reasonably competent by then. :
As time went on in the post-Radar era of MASH (or after the show had jumped the shark), I finally came to realize something that I previously couldn't quite figure out:
The "alliance" between Klinger and Major Winchester was reminiscent of the similar one between Will Robinson and Dr. Smith on Lost in Space.
I'm also still wondering: Was AfterMASH supposed to be a comedy? ???
The "alliance" between Klinger and Major Winchester was reminiscent of the similar one between Will Robinson and Dr. Smith on Lost in Space.
I'm also still wondering: Was AfterMASH supposed to be a comedy? ???
RicoGregg said:
I believe that AfterMASH could be considered more a comedy-drama like MASH was than a straight forward comedy. I have seen a few episodes of AfterMASH which looked like everybody was in 1983 America not mid-1950's America.
Getting back to MASH, when Mike Farrell started to wear a mustache in around 1978 or so is when everybody started to look like present day with the sideburns, long hair on BJ, Hot Lips' long hair, and modern day clothing instead of 1950's Korea. Same thing happened with Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley when everyone started to look like 1978 America instead of early 1960's America.
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Don62
Guest
Yeah, that's when it really started going downhill with weak scripts and predictable scenes, etc.Braves2005 said:
The "Snap Judgment" and "That's Showbiz" eps. were mediocre.
I think the best years of Mash were the years that Frank Burns was in the show. That way, it encompasses BJ as well as the better early years' staff.
Kind of like Law & Order, which really suffered in the writing department after the 8th year or so.
"I think the best years of Mash were the years that Frank Burns was in the show. That way, it encompasses BJ as well as the better early years' staff."
In terms of the writing, I won't argue with your point. But, IMHO, the Burns character was very discordant with the rest of the show. You had a very intelligent comedy/drama with an over-the-top charicature of a whining, sniveling wimp. It was too one-dimensional. No fault of Larry Linville; he was a capable actor, but the character was ill-advised. As I remember, Houlihan started out as a charicature too, but they gave her more human dimensions as time went on.
Compared to Burns, Major Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) was a much better character...a pompous-a** perhaps, but a kind of person we've all met and have had to deal with in real life. He also had some redeeming qualities, while Burns had none. Charles was a better foil for Hawkeye and BJ - because he was believable.
Along the same lines, I also think Col Potter was a better character than Col Blake.
In terms of the writing, I won't argue with your point. But, IMHO, the Burns character was very discordant with the rest of the show. You had a very intelligent comedy/drama with an over-the-top charicature of a whining, sniveling wimp. It was too one-dimensional. No fault of Larry Linville; he was a capable actor, but the character was ill-advised. As I remember, Houlihan started out as a charicature too, but they gave her more human dimensions as time went on.
Compared to Burns, Major Winchester (David Ogden Stiers) was a much better character...a pompous-a** perhaps, but a kind of person we've all met and have had to deal with in real life. He also had some redeeming qualities, while Burns had none. Charles was a better foil for Hawkeye and BJ - because he was believable.
Along the same lines, I also think Col Potter was a better character than Col Blake.
D
Don62
Guest
Lkeller said:
Though I like Chas. Emerson Winchester, and think DOS was a fine actor, I think the actor's range in that role was fairly limited and much more of a standard acting job.
Linville, however, brought a lot more to his role of Frank. You could tell. The expressions on his face, the way he reacted to Hawkeye, etc. Linville brought a lot more physical comedy to the position.
Kind of like McLean Stevenson.
Look at the way McLean brought a lot of physical comedy to his role.
Remember the time he collapsed into his chair when he claimed he wasn't ill (as was the rest of the camp except for Hawkeye)? McLean fell into his chair with the darndest expression. He could also act very seriously, as noted in several eps.
Blake's role wasn't as one-dimensional as many note. I think it would have lasted longer, much like Trapper's, had the writers given each of those characters more attention.
That lack of attention, and more focus given to a particular character, I have read, is why Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson both left Mash.
Don62 said:
I love the ep where a bomb goes off near him, dazing him, while he's on the phone. The way he keeps vacantly saying "Helllooo??" into the severed handset as other subsequent action unfolds around him never fails to crack me up. ;D
Interesting points, there....you had two actors (Stevenson and Linville) who were very physical -- not just out and out slapstick, but expressions and the way they would carry themselves physically. They were replaced by two more character-type actors (Morgan and Ogden-Stiers) who were far less apt to do physical schtick -- the former because of the age of the character, the latter because of his dignity and bearing. (Although Morgan could do a good physical bit now and then -- that one where he returns with Hawkeye and both are drunk he does a marvelous pratfall....."Did I fall down?" "No." "I didn't think so...")
Is it possible that these changes had as much to do with the change in tone as the series progressed as the usual suspect; i.e., Alda's growing control over scripts and direction? If Stevenson and Linville had not left the show, is it possible that more of the anarchistic, gonzo spirit of the first few seasons might have survived?
(This is quickly becoming a general M*A*S*H thread rather than about just one specific episode...)
Stanislav said:(This is quickly becoming a general M*A*S*H thread rather than about just one specific episode...)
That's ok, Stanislav. MASH always seems to get 'em talking.
A few quick points if I may....
After the demises of "Hello Larry" and "The MacLean Stevenson Show", Stevenson said on several occasions that he would have gone back to MASH in a minute. Which is....
Precisely the reason they killed off his character after season 3. It was actually a last-minute decision made by the producers and Alan Alda to film the scene where Radar gives everyone the bad news in the O.R. The actors were not told what Radar was going to say beforehand, just to facially react to whatever he said.
Like virtually any other workplace, there were behind-the scenes politics on the MASH set, and some of the well-placed were not afraid to throw their weight around.
Larry Linville was a friend of a friend of mine. I never got to actually meet Mr. Linville. My friend said that he was a very nice guy. Thus, my information is at best second hand.
A few more tidbits:
On killing off Col. Blake, there had been some head-butting between Stevenson and Alda. Stevenson had originally been tested for the Hawkeye role, and wanted it badly. He was openly resentful of not having top billing on the show. The producers and Alda were apprehensive when Stevenson left the show, that he would want back in if his post-MASH career didn't pan out. So down went Col. Blake.
Wayne Rogers left the show because according to Rogers, he and Alda were supposed to be equals in both billing and camera time. It didn't quite work out that way. Supposedly, they had the idea to have both Trapper John and Col. Blake in the same plane, but decided to find another way to write Trapper out. They decided one death was bad enough. Mike Farrell was subsequently hired with the very clear understanding that he was to be a second banana to Alda.
As for Larry Linville, he told my friend that he was actually pushed out gently, as he and Alda never did get along. Every other character was given at least one episode where they had a "shining moment". Never Frank Burns. Apparently, someone with a lot of weight on the set saw to that.
As part of the confidentiality agreement they arranged when he left, Linville was "requested" to never divulge that he was fired, and to speak well of MASH in future interviews, and they would speak well of him.
FYI: Linville was originally tested for the part of Col. Blake.
FYI: MASH was headed for cancellation after Season 2. CBS wound up changing it's mind. Linville told my friend that the producers were telling everyone back then to expect the worst.
My own little take: Mike Farrell looked absolutely ridiculous with that moustache. Notice on his two later shows, that he didn't have it? What was he thinking? That it made him look more romantic or something?
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