Top Twelve Characters from MASH (part IV)

Here we are in the next part of the Top Twelve list, but before we get started, let me review the people from the earlier list.

Number 12-Dr. Sydney Freeman

Number 11- Maxwell Klinger

Number 10- Father Mulcahy

Number 9-Radar O'Reilly
Number 8-Frank Burns
Number 7- Colonel Potter
Number 6-Charles Emerson Winchester III
Number 5- 'Hot lips' Houlihan

If you want more details on the characters, look to these links:

http://lockheed40.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-twelve-characters-from-mash-part.html

http://lockheed40.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-twelve-characters-from-mash-part-ii.html

http://lockheed40.blogspot.com/2011/01/top-twelve-characters-from-mash-part-i.html

Well, there's no point in delaying it. Let's find out who the top four characters are.

Number 4

McLean Stevenson played Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake.

Henry Blake is not a man that was groomed for command. He was given the crash course and sent out to lead a MASH unit. It's not his fault he can't keep things under control at the 4077. He's definitely not ready for this responsibility, but he doesn't have a choice. It's the position he was given. Henry is a good surgeon and a good man. Henry may have his faults, but he tried his best.

I'll just go with one moment for Colonel Blake, and it's a big one. Henry gets his discharge and is finally heading for home. There are all sorts of significant moments in that episode as he says good bye to everyone. At the end of the episode Radar comes into the operating room with a terrible message. Henry Blake's helicopter was shot down and he didn't survive. This is one of the most significant moments on the show.

Number 3

Mike Farrell was the actor behind B. J. Hunnicutt

I spent a lot of time thinking about #2 and #3. I knew who was going to be the top choice early on, but which of the two best buddies comes out on top? Well, I picked B.J. for the number 3 spot. Both of these guys are great characters, and they add a lot to the show. B.J. comes in to replace Trapper and definitely has some big shoes to fill. (We'll talk more about that in a minute.) B.J. is definitely Hawkeye's best friend at the 4077, and the two of them have a lot of fun, but B.J. is a different man than Trapper John. B.J. is a married man whose whole life is focused on his wife and daughter.

So what about some moments for B.J. What about the episode where B.J. decides he's sick of being compared to Trapper? Yeah, everything that happens causes someone to mention that he's not as funny as Trapper, so B.J. decides to show just how good, or bad, he can be. B.J. manages to pull a prank on every person in the 4077, leaving Hawkeye for last just to let him get really paranoid. The other is another moment from the final episode of the show. B.J. refuses to say the words "good bye" because he is worried that either something bad will happen. He also doesn't want to admit that things are going to change. In the last moments of the show, Hawkeye and B.J. are standing by the helicopter that is set take Hawkeye away. B.J. is going to ride his motorcycle back. Hawkeye says good bye, but B.J. doesn't, but as the helicopter is flying away Hawkeye looks down and sees that B.J. has written "Good bye" with stones on the ground.

Number 2

Wayne Rogers played Captain John Francis Xavier "Trapper" McIntyre.

So where B.J. is the straight man to Hawkeye's crazy antics, Trapper is more like the comrade in the arms of comedy. I was rewatching the first season in an attempt to decide between the two and saw a scene that explains the relationship between the two men. Somebody decides that the 4077 is the perfect place to record a video showing how things are going in the war to help with the morale back home. The two decide that the original video is no good. They decide to make a better video to take it's place. In the video, the two of them go into the OR. As part of the gag, Hawkeye plays Groucho and Trapper plays Harpo. Trapper is just like Harpo in a lot of ways. He's looking for a good time, and likes to live in the moment, especially if that moment is going to get a laugh.

So what about some Trapper moments? Well, in the first season, Trapper agrees to fight in a boxing match against another MASH in order to keep an attractive nurse at the 4077. He ends up winning thanks to the judicious use of some ether on his glove. Probably the best-known moment is Trapper's departure from Korea. Wayne Rogers had decided to leave the role and rather than give him a send off, the writers sent him home off camera. Hawkeye missed the departure and only gets some words from Radar.

Number 1

Alan Alda played Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.

Sure there are lots of things going on around the 4077, but more than anyone else, this show is about Hawkeye. He's the top surgeon, and he gets the best lines, and has the most fun. While Hawkeye likes to have a drink, a laugh, and a good time with one of the nurses. He hates being a part of the war especially when his job is to put wounded soldiers back together enough to send them back where they got wounded in the first place. What gets him through most of the situations is his concern for individuals. He learns that a patient is actually a 15-year-old boy who used his brother's birth certificate to enlist and helps him understand he should go back home. In the pilot, Hawkeye and Trapper team up to get a young Korean enough money to go to America for medical school.

Hawkeye's character is basically filled with big moments. I've already gone over a lot of them with the other characters and in the last paragraph. I will mention one great moment from the first season. In order to help the local orphanage, Hawkeye creates a fake surgeon named Captain Tuttle. Somehow Hawkeye and Trapper manage to convince the camp that Captain Tuttle is real. All of his money is given to the orphanage which causes some trouble because the big brass outside of the 4077 decide to give him a medal. Hawkeye makes up a story that Tuttle died valiantly saving lives and has to give a eulogy for his imaginary friend. Of course his death benefits also go to the orphanage.

Well, that's the end of the list. I'm sure you have some thoughts on it, so feel free to leave them below.

Top Twelve Characters from MASH (part III)

Here we are in the next part of the Top Twelve list, but before we get started, let me review the people from the earlier list.

Number 12-Dr. Sydney Freeman

Number 11- Maxwell Klinger

Number 10- Father Mulcahy

Number 9-Radar O'Reilly

So now that we have that out of the way let's get on with the list.



 Number 8

Larry Linville played Major Frank Burns the perpetual target for Hawkeye, Trapper, and BJ.

 So, we start with Major Frank Burns. Poor Frank was a character that was designed to be hated. While he is a competent surgeon, he is not cut out for the pressure of a MASH unit. While he dreams of being a leader of men, he can't even get his bunk mates from pranking him every chance they get. Frank's main interest is trying to get people to do things his way, and "Hot Lips" Houlihan. Frank is married, but that doesn't stop him from making the most of any time the two can manage to eke out.

It's harder to come up with important moments for Mr. Burns. Because of what they were doing with the character, it's hard to come up with significant moments that don't involve him becoming an involuntary blood donor or having his latrine fall apart while he's using it. I do have a couple that will work pretty well. In the first season, Colonel Blake makes the decision to make Hawkeye the Chief Surgeon. Frank spends the whole episode throwing a fit, but at the end of the episode, Frank asks Hawkeye for help with a patient. It isn't much, but it shows he knows Hawkeye is a better doctor. The other moment comes when Frank learns about "Hot Lips" marriage while she was away on leave. He completely falls apart. It is a mixture of comedy and tragedy that really shows who his character is.

 Number 7

Veteran actor, Harry Morgan, played Colonel Sherman Potter, the commander of the 4077 after Lt Colonel Blake went home.

 How can you go wrong with a commanding officer like Colonel Potter? He has experience from WWII and unlike Henry Blake, Colonel Potter has experience running a MASH unit. Potter understands the people around him, and even though they won't jump to attention and salute like regular army, he knows that they all have the same concerns-saving lives and getting home safely. Colonel Potter is a painter and a Calvary man at heart and Radar even manages to find him a horse in the middle of the war. Also, in an unexpected move that works out very well for both of them, Colonel Potter puts Klinger in charge of the office after Radar goes home.

One great moment for Colonel Potter comes in an episode where he was shooting from the free throw line on the camp's make shift basketball court. Someone walked by and noticed he was doing pretty well, soon the whole camp was around the court waiting to see if he could break the camp's record for consecutive baskets. On the very last shot, Colonel Potter misses and the audience disperses. Potter picks up the ball and starts again.
The best moment is of course at the end of the show as everyone is leaving Korea. Colonel Potter is trying to figure out what to do with he faithful horse, Sophie. There's no way he can bring her back to America so the Colonel follows Father Mulcahy's advice and leaves her with the local orphanage to help them work the fields.

 Number 6

David Ogden Stiers played Major Charles Emerson Winchester III.

 Just when you think that all the rich and powerful families are keeping their sons and daughters out of the war, you get to meet Major Charles Emerson Winchester III. At first he's got a nice cushy position in Seoul, taking care of important military personnel. That is until he wins one to many games of cards. That's when he finds himself transferred to the 4077 and left there. Winchester isn't a terrible person. He's just used to a different way of life, and he has no means of adjusting to his new world. Winchester is also the replacement for Frank Burns and he is a far superior surgeon and has no qualms about telling the world that he's the best.

I think in this case, I'll stick with one moment from the end of the show. Near the end of the war, a group of prisoners is being held at the 4077. They are five Chinese musicians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Winchester decides to take this group and teach them to play a variation of Mozart's Quintet for Violins and Strings. He continues to help them improve their performance until they are transferred to another camp. They play the song for him as they are being driven away. A few hours later more patients arrive. Unfortunately one of the patients is one of the Chinese soldiers. They were all killed. Winchester tries to find solace in his record of the piece, but after a few measures, he takes the record and smashes it.

 Number 5

Loretta Swit played Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan.

The last character on this part of our list is Major Margaret "Hot Lips"Houilhan. At the beginning of the show, Hot Lips is mainly used for comic relief as she chances around with Frank. Later in the show, she grows as a character. Her failed marriage to Donald Penobscot helps her to grow out of her military rigidness, and become a better member of the 4077. Margaret's responsibility is to take care of the nurses under her command. This includes protecting them from the antics of the doctors as well.

It is hard to pick out a specific moment for Margaret because her best moments are really the small times that she shows her concern for the people she comes in contact with- her nurses, her patients and her friends. There is a great episode where Hawkeye and Houlihan are trapped in a building while they are on a trip. The two end up sleeping together to ignore the shells dropping around them. However, the most notable moment happened in the movie of MASH. I won't say more since if you haven't seen the movie, it will ruin the moment for you.

That's all there is for now. I'll have the last part with the final four characters soon. I'm sure you can figure out who the four are, but you'll still have to look to find out who gets top place. Leave any comments below.

Top Twelve Characters from MASH (part II)

So we are past the Honorable mentions and the set up so we can move on to the actual list. I'll be doing this list in groups of four rather than three like I did for the Doctor Who list. (I think that's part of the reason I like a top twelve list, there are so many ways to break it down.) Hopefully things will go better this time around. I'd almost finished this list with the exception of a minor editing problem with the final page and accidentally erased the whole post just a second before an auto save that wiped out everything. Anyway, here the first batch of 4077 personnel.

Number 12

Allan Arbus played Doctor Sidney Freeman, Major, a psychiatrist who appeared in 12 episodes.

In a setting like a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, (where did you think MASH came from?) there is bound to be some psychological issues. The doctors are under a lot of pressure to save as many lives as possible with limited supplies and under very dangerous conditions. There have to be occasions where patients and doctors just can't handle it any more. That's where Sidney comes in handy. He would be the guy to drop in and help with those problems from time to time. He would also stop by the swamp for a drink and a game of cards.

I'd also like to include each character's shining moment(s) on this list. For Sidney it comes at the end of the series. Hawkeye has had some seriously disturbing experience that has gotten him pulled from the 4077 and placed under Sidney's immediate care. I won't get into the details of what is wrong with Hawkeye. If you've already seen the final episode of the show, you know what happened. If you haven't, I don't want to ruin this moment for you.

Number 11

Maxwell Q. Klinger was played by Jamie Farr.

Let's say you're a young man during the Korean War. Let's also say that you have a pretty great life in Toledo, Ohio. You're married to a beautiful woman. Your family is all close at hand. You've got it all, until you get a letter from the draft board telling you that you've won an all expenses trip to the middle of the war. Everyone has a reason to hate being in Korea, but Klinger is the only one who is willing to do something about it. For most of the show you can find Klinger dressed in women's clothing and doing anything he can think of to get out of the Army. (This includes his attempt to eat a jeep.) When Radar leaves, Klinger takes over the job of meeting the needs of the camp and his perspective changes. He still hates the war, but he doesn't try too often to get out of it.

So do you want the defining moment for Klinger? Either way you're getting it now. In the final episode, the war is over and everyone is getting ready to go home. What about Klinger? He's getting married to a Korean woman he has met in the last season and staying in Korea until they can find her family. (PS Klinger's wife divorced him about the time that Radar left the show.)

Number 10

Walter Eugene "Radar" O'Reilly was brought to television and the movies by Gary Burghoff.

Radar gets his name from his uncanny ability to know what's coming. He often confounded his commanding officers by showing up just as they are about to shout his name or hand them just what they want before they can ask for it. He also knows when wounded are about to arrive at the camp. Even though he's always wanted to serve in the military, Radar is a farm boy at heart. He has his own mini farm at the camp and is the innocent character of the show. (Only grape nehis for this farm boy.) Radar even slept with a teddy bear. Radar was referred to as the glue that held the 4077 together on more than one occasion.

Radar's defining moment is when he left the show. I already mentioned his desire to be a soldier, but should add how happy he was to be a part of the 4077. In his final episode, he gets a message from home that his uncle, who has been helping his mother run the family farm, has passed away. Radar does the only thing he can, and leaves the army to help her out.

Number 9

Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy was played on television by William Christopher.

Father Mulcahy is the moral center of the 4077. Even though he has massive duties seeing after the spiritual needs of the doctors and nurses of the camp and every wounded soldier that passes through the OR. Father Mulcahy even serves last rites for every soldier that dies on the table or in transit. Father Mulcahy knows that he can't do much about the situation he is in, but he still works hard to make a difference. He helps provide food and other supplies to an orphanage near the camp. He even chooses to stay in Korea when the war is over because he does not feel he can leave those needy children behind.

Now that is a pretty big moment, but it's not my choice for top moment and not just because I don't want every character's top moment to be their last on the show. In one episode, the 4077 has a sports competition with another MASH unit. the whole thing comes down to a foot race between Father Mulcahy and another much better runner. Father Mulcahy manages to keep up with the other runner and the two men talk as they run. In the end Father Mulcahy wins. How did that happen? Well, the Father makes a point to talk about the needy orphans near the 4077 and how he is hoping to spend his winnings to help them. His pleas touch his opponent's heart and the other runner throws the race. Not satisfied with his own money, Father Mulcahy convinces the other members of the 4077 to donate their winnings as well.

That's the first part there are still 8 more characters to talk about. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Top Twelve Characters from MASH (part I)

While M.A.S.H. wasn't the top show for it's entire broadcast run, it had the distinction of having the most-watched episode on television with its series finale. It wasn't until the 2010 Superbowl that a show surpassed that record. It also has the distinction of being a very popular show in syndication almost 30 years after the final episode. (and more than just on TV land.)

What was it about this show that makes it so popular even today? It's the characters. The interaction of these doctors and nurses in the middle of a war zone still connect with viewers. The characters drove the stories and that's what people wanted to see. So let's look at the top twelve characters from M.A.S.H. We'll start with the honorable mentions.

Jeff Maxwell played Private Igor Straminsky in 66 of the 251 episodes. Igor was most often seen in the mess hall serving up the meals. No one had a kind word for this poor private who had the sad task of serving up meals that he didn't cook, and no one wanted to eat. Just about everyone had a complaint to make to the Private in charge of serving the meals, even Father Mulcahy.

We all know the type of character. The guy who's supposed to be doing a specific job but isn't above trying to get something out of it on the side. At the 4077, that man was Staff Sergeant Luther Rizzo. Sure he made sure a jeep was ready when it needed to be, but that didn't stop him from letting Klinger try to eat one when the price was right. I almost forgot to mention that Rizzo was played by  G. W. Bailey who you might recognize from the Police Academy movies.

Whenever Radar or Klinger needed to get something and get it fast their first call went out to Sparky. He was only seen in one episode, but he was definitely an important part of life at the 4077. He was played by Dennis Fimple.

If you don't recognize the name "Painless Pole" Waldowski or the face of John Schuck in the picture, it's probably because you haven't seen Alan Altman's film M.A.S.H. that led to the television show. (If this is the case, shame on you. Go watch it now. I'll wait for you.) Now that you're back you already know the part of the movie where Waldowski is having performing so he thinks he might be a latent homosexual. His best option is to commit suicide. The doctors hatch a plan that comes straight out of Romeo and Juliet (without the actual death) where they pretend to help him commit suicide. The real reason he gets the honorable mention is his funeral song is "Suicide is Painless," the theme song for the movie and television show.

There's the honorable mentions. Next time we'll look at the first group of the top twelve.  Feel free to leave a comment below.