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8 years ago
Klinger was only supposed to appear once. However, he was so popular with viewers that he soon became a regular character.
Actor Mike Farrell had his character’s daughter’s name changed to Erin as a tribute to his real-life daughter of the same name.
The photo of Potter’s wife Mildred seen on his desk through the series is a picture of Potter actor Harry Morgan’s real wife.
The legendary final episode was not the last installment to be filmed. The proceeding episode, “As Time Goes By” was actually filmed last.
Loretta Swit maintained a close relationship with many of her cast mates after the show ended, especially Harry Morgan (Col. Sherman T. Potter). The two reportedly became neighbors after the series ended until Morgan’s death in 2011. Swit is still close to Alan Alda and his family.
In the series’ opening credits, Alan Alda wears the style of hat that Donald Sutherland sported in the movie version. The hat never appeared in any other capacity on the show.
Klinger’s wedding dress was worn three times: By Klinger when he married Laverne Esposito, by Margret Houlihan, when she married Lt. Col. Donald Penobscott, and by Soon Lee, when she married Klinger.
The cast held a vote to decide if the series should end. When a majority voted yes, the show ended. Those who voted to continue starred in the spinoff AfterMASH.
Hawkeye never carried a gun on the show, and the one time he was forced to use one, he simply fired it into the air.
In the closing credits of the episode “Tuttle,” Captain Tuttle is credited as having been played by “himself.” This is a nod to the fact that within the episode there is no Captain Tuttle, and the character is just a figment of Hawkeye’s imagination.
A few exterior shots have visible powerlines in the background. Producers were aware they were there but didn’t have the money to reshoot the scenes.
Several characters in the series received multiple purple hearts. This is an error, as the military only gives purple hearts for a soldier’s first injury in battle. Any subsequent injuries lead to oak leaf clusters.
Over the course of the series, there were numerous background nurses portrayed by a variety of actresses. However, each and every one was referred to as Nurse “Baker.”
A 1978 episode featured a group of patients who were named after the 1978 National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
Since the talent pool of Korean actors in Hollywood was relatively small while the series was in production, producers would often cast performers of other Asian ethnicities in Korean roles.
There was one real Korean performer on the series, Soon Tek Oh, who played a variety of roles over the show’s run.
AfterMASH starred Col. Potter, Father Mulcahy, and Klinger working at a Veterans’ Hospital after the war. The spin-off lasted two seasons.
Credits: definition.org