One-Season Wonders
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:17 pm
You guys know about "One-Hit Wonders", right? Where a band or musical group only records one song, that becomes very popular? Or when an obscure band only has one song from their roster than stands out among the rest of their relatively unknown work (like Baha Men with "Who Let the Dogs Out")?
Well, one thing I've recently took notice of is that M*A*S*H was actually known for One-Season Wonders, as far as characters go; and I don't mean just the number of recurring characters that got the ax after Season One like Spearchucker, Ho-Jon, Ugly John, Kaplan, Cutler, Generals Hammond and Barker, etc.
Take Season Three for example, we were given Captain Spaulding, the camp minstrel. We knew the character was experimental, according to Larry Gelbart, but he obviously didn't test very well with audiences, because he disappeared afterwards.
Then of course, there's Soon-Lee from Season Eleven, who in the end, became the new Mrs. Max Klinger.
Well, one thing I've recently took notice of is that M*A*S*H was actually known for One-Season Wonders, as far as characters go; and I don't mean just the number of recurring characters that got the ax after Season One like Spearchucker, Ho-Jon, Ugly John, Kaplan, Cutler, Generals Hammond and Barker, etc.
Take Season Three for example, we were given Captain Spaulding, the camp minstrel. We knew the character was experimental, according to Larry Gelbart, but he obviously didn't test very well with audiences, because he disappeared afterwards.
Then of course, there's Soon-Lee from Season Eleven, who in the end, became the new Mrs. Max Klinger.