…To Be Continued
The M*A*S*H series was arguably the best program in TV history. The decision to wrap it up was not easy, and the network tried to hold it off for as long as it could. When the time finally came for farewells, the public, along with the show’s cast and staff, was left with a sort of separation anxiety. They all knew there was still a demand for more, and started to pick up what they could out of shrapnel.
This resulted in three spin-offs: Trapper J, M.D. followed the life of the character after the military as Chief Surgeon at a hospital in San Francisco. There was a focus on Radar’s character in W*A*L*T*E*R, how his life had supposedly turned out in St. Louis. Lastly, AfterMASH, starring Harry Morgan, William Christopher, and Jamie Farr, ended up failing thanks to impossible competition from a newly released show you may have heard of: The A-Team.
McLean Stevenson's Grim Departure
While the writers of M*A*S*H were banging their heads to come up with a consistent creative stream, life up and got stranger than fiction. After McLean Stevenson grew tired of the political power-play between the writers and the cast, he decided to leave and try his luck elsewhere.
He wasn’t so fortunate after M*A*S*H though and eventually passed away in 1996 due to a heart attack. Meanwhile, Roger Bowen, who appeared in M*A*S*H back in 1970, also died that same year of the same ailment. In an extra eerie coincidence, they both died within a day of each other.
Happy Ending
With the TV series struggling badly after its first season, no-one would have thought it would reach as far as it did. Even Alan Alda hadn’t moved his family to Los Angeles, and for a valid reason. They were so close to being canceled by CBS that first year. Yet, during their final episode, which aired on February 28, 1983, they broke television records, reaching 106 million viewers. The previous record had been held by none other than the Super Bowl, showing just how absolutely incredible this feat truly was.
The finale was titled “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.” It ran for two and a half hours, making it the equivalent of five regular episodes, with Alan Alda multi-tasking from acting, directing, and steering its creative process.
Musician, Turned Actor, Turned Musician
Gary Burghoff, a true artist at heart, had expressed interests in music and the arts before taking up the role of Radar O’Reilly. Most of his interests took a sideline when the opportunity came for him to star in M*A*S*H and, unsurprisingly, after the show finally ended, Burghoff retraced the steps he made as a musician.
He joined forces with his long-time friend, Lynda Carter, whom he had shared the stage with, playing in a band called The Relatives. He guested on Carter’s shows and, now retired, has taken to painting wildlife full-time.
The Reappearing Dress
After surviving the initial phase of early discharge, Klinger’s character grew stronger than ever. Viewer’s loved him for his zany attitude and crazy schemes. He could always be relied on to break the monotony by coming up with outlandish ideas. The wedding dress was a product of Klinger’s popularity.
The dress ended up being used three times in the series, starting off with Klinger’s marriage to Laverne Esposito. Margaret Houlihan got a hand on it too when she married Lt. Col. Donald Penobscot. Lastly, Soon Lee got a chance to wear it when she married the delightfully infamous Klinger.