Character Actors I Would Have Love to Have Seen on M*A*S*H
Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2019 3:32 pm
One of the things that sitcoms and other shows of the 50s and 60s were noted for was their use of familiar faces in guest appearances, recurring roles, and other incidental parts - you would see these character actors on various different shows all the time, but this didn't seem to necessarily be something that M*A*S*H indulged in as often. Sure, they occasional featured some of these familiar faces, such as Joseph Perry playing the cook in "The Long-John Flap," but there's a ton of familiar faces from the previous decades that I would have loved to have seen on M*A*S*H - and given the kinds of roles they tended to play, I have a pretty good idea what kind of characters I could see them playing:
Dick Wilson
He was perhaps best-known to TV audiences back in the day as Mr. Whipple in a string of commercials and adverts for Charmin toilet paper, in which he couldn't resist squeezing the packaging to feel how soft it was. He was featured quite frequently on BEWITCHED as various different drunks, some of whom would try to hit on Samantha. He also would appear occasionally on HOGAN'S HEROES, more often than not as an underground agent working with Hogan and his men.
On M*A*S*H, I think I could see him playing some kind of corpsman: maybe a medic, or a litter carrier . . . or, if keeping with tradition, maybe a bar tender in an Officer's Club somewhere (not necessarily the 4077th), or a black marketeer who dabbles in the illegal sale of alcohol - and can't resist taking a nip himself.
Hal Smith
Everybody knows Hal Smith as Mayberry's favorite town drunk Otis, and while that was perhaps his best-known role, he also would occasionally pop up in other parts on other TV shows like GREEN ACRES or THE ODD COUPLE, and he was also quite a prolific voice actor as well.
There's two kinds of roles I could possibly see him in on M*A*S*H: 1. Either continue to type-cast him and have him as a soldier who turns to the bottle to drown out the horrors of war he's seen too much of, or 2. I could see him as the kind of General that Margaret once described who plop their bot bellies over the table and spout "war is hell" over and over again.
Alice Ghostley and Mary Grace Canfield
I decided to list these two together, because they both seem kind of similar to me, in that they often seem to play homely and unappealing, yet sympathetic and unassuming kinds of characters.
And it's because of that, I could easily see either of them in the kind of role where they would be insecure, sensitive nurses who might cave under the pressure Margaret heaps upon them. Either that, or either one of them could have easily been Edwina.
Reta Shaw
Many of her TV credits include roles in which she plays gruff, tough, sharp-tongued, demanding old hags that could make even the manliest of men cower in fear, such as her memorable guest appearance on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW as prison escapee Big Maude Tyler.
Definitely could see her playing some kind of elderly female officer of higher rank who could easily strike fear even into the hearts of Frank and Henry . . . maybe Potter not so much, I don't think Potter could be pushed over by her so easily, and as such, they may end up developing a mutual respect for each other. I could even imagine Margaret being afraid of her.
Robert Strauss
This guy, despite his burly appearance, and deep, gravely voice, was quite a humorous and comedic actor, appearing on such shows as BEWITCHED and GREEN ACRES, and being part of the ensemble cast of the WW2 POW movie STALAG 17.
There's a ton of different kinds of roles I could see him pulling off on M*A*S*H, but mostly roles where he holds a questionable amount of authority, such as an M.P., a callous Colonel of a platoon, a misguided Intelligence officer (who could probably give Flagg a run for his money), or perhaps even the commanding officer of another MASH unit.
Paul Lynde
Okay . . . this one is definitely a stretch. Paul Lynde was all over the place in the 60s, from Uncle Arthur on BEWITCHED, to Dr. Dudley on THE MUNSTERS, and annual guest appearances on I DREAM OF JEANNIE. As boisterous, bombastic, off-beat, and flamboyant as Paul Lynde is, he may seem kind of out of place on a show like M*A*S*H . . . unless, he was cast in a role that utilized his unique comedic personality to its best potential. . . .
With that said, rather than seeing him in a role where he's a soldier of some sorts (not entirely off, since he's played such a role on I DREAM OF JEANNIE), I could instead see him as a visiting obnoxious U.S.O. entertainer.
And these are just some of the characters that come off the top of my head whom I would have liked to have seen on M*A*S*H.
Dick Wilson
He was perhaps best-known to TV audiences back in the day as Mr. Whipple in a string of commercials and adverts for Charmin toilet paper, in which he couldn't resist squeezing the packaging to feel how soft it was. He was featured quite frequently on BEWITCHED as various different drunks, some of whom would try to hit on Samantha. He also would appear occasionally on HOGAN'S HEROES, more often than not as an underground agent working with Hogan and his men.
On M*A*S*H, I think I could see him playing some kind of corpsman: maybe a medic, or a litter carrier . . . or, if keeping with tradition, maybe a bar tender in an Officer's Club somewhere (not necessarily the 4077th), or a black marketeer who dabbles in the illegal sale of alcohol - and can't resist taking a nip himself.
Hal Smith
Everybody knows Hal Smith as Mayberry's favorite town drunk Otis, and while that was perhaps his best-known role, he also would occasionally pop up in other parts on other TV shows like GREEN ACRES or THE ODD COUPLE, and he was also quite a prolific voice actor as well.
There's two kinds of roles I could possibly see him in on M*A*S*H: 1. Either continue to type-cast him and have him as a soldier who turns to the bottle to drown out the horrors of war he's seen too much of, or 2. I could see him as the kind of General that Margaret once described who plop their bot bellies over the table and spout "war is hell" over and over again.
Alice Ghostley and Mary Grace Canfield
I decided to list these two together, because they both seem kind of similar to me, in that they often seem to play homely and unappealing, yet sympathetic and unassuming kinds of characters.
And it's because of that, I could easily see either of them in the kind of role where they would be insecure, sensitive nurses who might cave under the pressure Margaret heaps upon them. Either that, or either one of them could have easily been Edwina.
Reta Shaw
Many of her TV credits include roles in which she plays gruff, tough, sharp-tongued, demanding old hags that could make even the manliest of men cower in fear, such as her memorable guest appearance on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW as prison escapee Big Maude Tyler.
Definitely could see her playing some kind of elderly female officer of higher rank who could easily strike fear even into the hearts of Frank and Henry . . . maybe Potter not so much, I don't think Potter could be pushed over by her so easily, and as such, they may end up developing a mutual respect for each other. I could even imagine Margaret being afraid of her.
Robert Strauss
This guy, despite his burly appearance, and deep, gravely voice, was quite a humorous and comedic actor, appearing on such shows as BEWITCHED and GREEN ACRES, and being part of the ensemble cast of the WW2 POW movie STALAG 17.
There's a ton of different kinds of roles I could see him pulling off on M*A*S*H, but mostly roles where he holds a questionable amount of authority, such as an M.P., a callous Colonel of a platoon, a misguided Intelligence officer (who could probably give Flagg a run for his money), or perhaps even the commanding officer of another MASH unit.
Paul Lynde
Okay . . . this one is definitely a stretch. Paul Lynde was all over the place in the 60s, from Uncle Arthur on BEWITCHED, to Dr. Dudley on THE MUNSTERS, and annual guest appearances on I DREAM OF JEANNIE. As boisterous, bombastic, off-beat, and flamboyant as Paul Lynde is, he may seem kind of out of place on a show like M*A*S*H . . . unless, he was cast in a role that utilized his unique comedic personality to its best potential. . . .
With that said, rather than seeing him in a role where he's a soldier of some sorts (not entirely off, since he's played such a role on I DREAM OF JEANNIE), I could instead see him as a visiting obnoxious U.S.O. entertainer.
And these are just some of the characters that come off the top of my head whom I would have liked to have seen on M*A*S*H.