I hadn't heard that, but I bet he would have been good in the part. I sure liked him in the first "Smokey & the Bandit" role.
And for that matter. M*A*S*H sure went downhill after Wayne Rogers left.
It sure did. I went from being a fun comedy to a full-of-crap socially-conscious sermon on pacifism every week.
The funny thing about M*A*S*H is how the leading actors inserted their egos into the show. When Alan Alda was the big dog, it was always about him being super-doctor, the guy who gets more women than Errol Flynn, and drinking everybody under the table. When Mike Farrel took control, it became a boatload of liberal anti-war tripe. The last 4 seasons were unwatchable. Liberals think they’re so hip and interesting. The last 4 seasons of M*A*S*H sure shows what a buzzkill they are.