A Conversation for Toledo, Ohio, USA

M*A*S*H

Post 1

cafram - in the states.

And wasn't it Klinger's hometown?

I'm right, aren't I?smiley - bigeyes


M*A*S*H

Post 2

Jimi X

You certainly are correct! He wore Mudhens paraphernalia and everything!
And the Jeep was the main form of transportation on the show!

Very odd , these Toledo connections....


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Post 3

bludragon, aka the Dragon Queen of Damogran

Maybe it was part of a Michigan plot to retake Toledo...


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Post 4

Deidzoeb

Jamie Farr was born there in real life, must have nagged the writers until they incorporated it into the show.


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Post 5

cafram - in the states.

Or he was hired _because_ of the fact that he was born in Toledo?!


Ok, possibly not...


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Post 6

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

He was most likely hired because he was well endowed with body hair which made him look rather odd in a dress.


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Post 7

cafram - in the states.

Or the whole big nose thing could have had something to do with it....


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Post 8

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

True, I think between his nose and his hair he made a perfect she.


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Post 9

cafram - in the states.

A he-she.

Or a she-he.


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Post 10

bludragon, aka the Dragon Queen of Damogran

Or just a good, solid Section 8, which is what s/he was hoping for...


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Post 11

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

The only problem being that he needs to plea insainity to get out of the army, and by wanting out of the army he proves that he's sane. Wait, that's Catch 22.


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Post 12

bludragon, aka the Dragon Queen of Damogran

same story: different war


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Post 13

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

except that Yossarian was just a tad crazier than Klinger. Not zanier or weirder, but more deeply "touched". Oh well, I've yet to actually finish that book.


yossarian

Post 14

bludragon, aka the Dragon Queen of Damogran

hmmmm...

or maybe SANER than all of us

But then, I read it a really long time ago


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Post 15

Mustapha

He could just as easily have been hired because he was the only cast member to actually serve in Korea. As for using his hometown in the show, MASH had a habit of doing this. Erin is/was the name of Mike Farrell's real life daughter, and they used her name for BJ's daughter on the show. Major Winchester loved classical music, David Ogden Stiers has since gone on to conduct various orchestras.

I guess it's easier for some actors to express passion and emotion about something they already know and love.

This is fine but it does remind me of a story I heard about Dustin Hoffman and Lawrence Olivier. They were working on the same movie and a particular scene required Hoffman to appear bedraggled and exhausted, so being the method actor he is, Hoffman goes off for a couple of laps around the block. Olivier must have seen all this running about, and enquired what was going on, so Hoffman told him. To which Olivier replied, "My dear boy, have you ever tried acting?"


M*A*S*H

Post 16

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

Anyone who insults Dustin Hoffman's acting should see Rainman. It always helps to get into the part any way you can (including running around the block) but it's not as if he could do anything nearly equivelant with mental retardation...

Anyway, onto Klinger, I'm sure it was very helpful that he'd actually been there, but in his first few episodes he's such a minor character, It's hard to imagine that he was originally hired for much more than character acting. He was a gag about a guy wearing a dress, and evolved into a character. His experience was probably just a big bonus.


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Post 17

Mustapha

Heaven forfend I should insult an actor of Hoffman's calibre or experience, it was merely an anecdote used to highlight differences in acting styles.

Back to Klinger, I can't remember everything about his first appearance, but I do remember that he wasn't hired to wear a dress. As the visiting Colonel/General said "My God, that man's naked!!!" And as for personal stuff, I can imagine that casting people look at everything an actor has to bring to the part, or bring to the show, because they would know that the roles could be developed later on, whether they be recurring roles or regular characters.


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Post 18

Irving Washington - Gone Writing

That episode was definately one of the first, if not the pilot. Alot of the episodes from the first season involve Hawkeye, Trapper (and, until they realized there were no black surgeons in the Korean war) Spearchucker getting into some sort of trouble, Hotlips and Frank calling a general, and then having to work it all out. I think we see Klinger in the operating room scene at the begining (I feel safe with saying there is one because so many start in the OR), but the General sees him first on gaurd duty, dressed as a WAC. The general actually knows Klinger from training, and knows his schtick, which is why Klinger has to go to the next level at the end of the episode ("My God, that man's naked!!!")


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Post 19

Mustapha

I think most episodes have one scene in the OR, or at least in Post-Op. Klinger's first ep was very early in Season 1, perhaps ep 3?


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Post 20

Mustapha

I think most episodes have one scene in the OR, or at least in Post-Op. Klinger's first ep was very early in Season 1, perhaps ep 3?

Wasn't Spearchucker the "Aussie" surgeon?


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