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Post by topbilled on Jun 14, 2023 16:49:52 GMT
One thing this thread has accomplished was to get into watching the M*A*S*H reruns weekday mornings on TV Land. Was avoiding hem for some reason. But now watching them I've noticed many episodes were directed by JACKIE COOPER. Never knew that at the time they originally ran as that was at a time I didn't bother noticing that kind of thing. And now, all these years later and looking at these episodes with a more critical eye, I seem to appreciate them more than when I first watched them over 40 years ago and even then liking them immensely. I will again thank TOPBILLED for bringing this treasured classic back to our attention. Sepiatone Glad you are enjoying those old episodes. I think Cooper left early in the show's run. He was pals with Gene Reynolds, as they were child actors in the early 40s at MGM. But Cooper did not get along with Alda, who gained increased power behind the scenes. Cooper wrote disparagingly about Alda in his autobiography.
Cooper would direct many other series in the 70s and 80s...he found a niche directing crime dramas like Quincy, Magnum P.I., Jake and the Fatman, Cagney & Lacey and Simon & Simon.
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Post by nipkowdisc on Jul 17, 2023 2:56:47 GMT
Loretta Swit and alan alda ruined mash. first only McLean "Goodbye Larry" Stevenson was supposed to quit but by that fall wayne rogers had had enough. Loretta Swit is given enough leeway to morph her character into one of the most obnoxious feminist beotches in TV history and despite all the accolades liberals praise the show with the way Hot Lips turns on Frank is always going to leave a bad taste with viewers sensibilities.
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Post by sepiatone on Jul 17, 2023 15:45:06 GMT
Didn't bother me a bit Nip. I rather enjoyed how when Larry Linville left the show, Switt's character became less self righteous and more human. And as I said elsewhere around here, I much preferred Mike Farrell's B. J. Hunnicutt to Wayne Rogers' Trapper. Wayne left the show primarily because he was increasingly given less to do in each episode besides turning and handing Hawkeye a drink now and then.
Sepiatone
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Post by sepiatone on Jul 18, 2023 14:57:12 GMT
This morning (7/18/23) TVLand started showing M*A*S*H episodes from the beginning. Maybe for the second or third time since they started showing M*A*S*H reruns.
Sepiatone
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Post by nipkowdisc on Jul 19, 2023 1:19:38 GMT
everyone knew in the Frank/Hot Lips relationship that margaret was the adult and Frank was an immature big baby. it was somewhat heartwarming when frank would fall back on an almost maternal relationship they had with each other. obviously margaret was hurt by frank's chronic refusal to commit to her because of his wife and this eventually became an affront to her...but generally viewers do not like women turning on their men no matter how childish and imperfect the man is. larry linville said he left mash because he felt he had done everything he could with his character but I doan know. I think he was just too much of a professional and a gentlemen to lower the boom on loretta swit.
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Post by sepiatone on Jul 19, 2023 15:16:59 GMT
If they ever wrote of Frank "lowering the boom" on Hotlips in a script, then the "professional" Larry would have no choice but to do so. Regardless of HOW much of a "gentleman" you presume he is.
Sepiatone
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Post by nipkowdisc on Jul 28, 2023 14:11:42 GMT
I'm saying the writers had already established a firm almost maternal relationship between frank and hot lips and when they let swit take her character too far there was some acknowledgement of this. one ep has her saying that "donald penobscott is no frank burns" which signifies some regret of her treatment of frank. so the writers threw a crumb to the audience, they had frank attack a blonde in a shop in tokyo which results in a mental exam and he gets shipped back stateside with a promotion to lt. colonel.
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Post by intrepid37 on Aug 5, 2023 14:06:59 GMT
Linville was probably getting pretty bored with playing that part. Surely he had amassed a considerable bank balance from so many years of reasonably lucrative earnings. And the grind of working dawn till dusk many days for a weekly series eventually will provoke some desire to stop.
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Post by intrepid37 on Aug 5, 2023 14:12:22 GMT
Wayne left the show primarily because he was increasingly given less to do in each episode besides turning and handing Hawkeye a drink now and then. Good example of bone-headed career decisioning. He should have rode that gravy train for a lot longer than that.
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Post by sepiatone on Aug 5, 2023 15:18:24 GMT
He did OK. He had a good head for finance and cleaned up with various investments.
Sepiatone
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