Posted on 03/03/2018 5:08:53 PM PST by lowbridge
If it’s Lee, Wayne, or Earl, serial killer. Otherwise, gay.
MASH was an effective instrument of the Left’s ongoing effort to deconstruct American culture. Virtually everything was mocked. Major Winchester was the foil against competence, propriety and tradition.
Typed the question into Google, here’s your answer:
He (Larry Linville) was offered a renewal for two more seasons when his contract expired, but he declined. After five seasons, Linville had grown tired of playing the character. Linville felt that he had taken the Frank Burns character as far as he could, and chose to leave the series to pursue other roles.
He only thing I ever liked him in was “The Paper Lion”!
The Frank Burns character didn’t develop very much. As the show evolved from its parody source, most of the characters developed some complexity, but Frank Burns did not. Perhaps the writers felt that changes in later seasons wouldn’t be believable, given what they’d staked out for the character in earlier episodes.
According to the M*A*S*H season 6, episode 1 “Fade In, Fade Out” IMDB page, “he felt that the character of Frank Burns was too one-dimensional, and that they’d done all they could with it”.
I believe Linville and Stevenson both left over money issues. Gary Burghoff (Radar) also left the show only to find out there wasn’t much demand for mean-spirited dwarfs.
Career-wise, it was a huge mistake. Other than for some guest appearances on many shows, neither Linville or Stevenson had as prominent a role as they did on M*A*S*H*. Most of the stuff that Stevenson did after was crap, way beneath the dignity of the actor (such as “Hello, Larry” and most notoriously, “Condo.” The latter I remember as a kid for having him play a vicious Archie Bunker type without any humanity or humor).
I don’t agree with his politics, but Alan Alda truly made the show. I don’t love Alan Alda, but I love Cap’t Benjamin Franklin Pierce.
So was Wayne Rogers - I thought he had the most talent on the cast.
RIP
“MASH was an effective instrument of the Left’s ongoing effort to deconstruct American culture. “
True.
Yeah Cogsworth. Loved that movie. Saw the play at the Kennedy Center with my little kid son. Really good.
My mom is still addicted to M*A*S*H.
I remember the last episode. I was in college, big party. About 50 kids crammed into a small apartment watching on a portable black and white TV. It was straight out the progressive play book but I enjoyed it.
It alarming to watch old shows (maybe 80’s on) and see the progressive influence. At the time I thought it was weird and wimpy.
I see it VERY different now. Star Treck after Kirk was God awful. There was an episode on Janeway’s Star Trek were old people should die cuz they were to expensive to take care of. The old guy the plot revolved around was David Ogeden Stier.
“he felt that the character of Frank Burns was too one-dimensional, and that they’d done all they could with it”.
Burns was the hypocrite Christian, racist, patriotic American.
How could they not keep him a caricature.
RIP DOS
I thought I was the only one who didn’t like MASH.
Haha, he did have quite the voice.
“mean-spirited dwarfs.”
Radar occasional stuck up for himself! Cut the little guy a break!
The Frank Burns character was growing stale even though Linville continued to play it well.
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