M*A*S*H

‘M*A*S*H’ Star Alan Alda Wishes Costar Jamie Farr Happy Birthday with Hilarious Throwback Photo

It’s never a bad day to see two classic TV stars together and one, Alan Alda, wishes this MAS*H costar Happy Birthday. As you can see below, Alda shared a classic throwback photo of him with Jamie Farr, who turned 88 on Friday. Do we need to tell you who Alda and Farr are playing? OK.

Since there might be some young fans out there, Alda played “Hawkeye” Pierce on the CBS show while Farr was Max Klinger. Yep, Klinger’s deal was to wear a dress and hope for a Section 8 to get out of the Korean War. You might remember that Klinger actually never left.

In fact, he took over the clerk’s role when “Radar” O’Reilly, played by Gary Burghoff, went back home on MAS*H. Burghoff left the popular show and they needed someone to work alongside Colonel Sherman Potter, played by Harry Morgan. In steps Klinger and the character remained quite funny yet also showed more depth over time, too. On this Friday, July 1, though, it’s all about wishing Farr a very Happy Birthday. Alda does so himself in this post on Twitter.

Fans Gather Together, Send ‘M*A*S*H’ Star Jamie Farr Their Well Wishes

Many fans followed up Alda’s post with comments sending Farr their best wishes. A notable one was Maureen McCormick of The Brady Bunch, who sent along a couple of heart emojis herself. Another fan writes, “I loved Klinger. A great character with great depth and pathos.” We tend to agree about the pathos part.

Klinger would definitely do his job well as a clerk but always express his love for going home to Toledo. This one says, “Best wishes! You both brought me [a] lot of smiles and laughs and also a lot to think”. Heck, even Farr one time called his fellow stars the “perfect dream cast.” In an interview with Closer, he also adds, “No matter what, he [Klinger] was always a good soldier. He would never jeopardize his comrades.”

If you know a little about the history of MAS*H, then you know that Alda also played an important role behind the scenes. He was definitely involved with the show’s scripts. And he would even direct a number of the famed show’s episodes. Early on, the show did have a laugh track which was used to highlight its comedy. As the show would go on into later seasons, it would shift its focus to serious matters. Larry Gelbart and Gene Reynolds were on board at its inception before leaving. Their background in TV comedy was definitely something to help carry it through those early seasons. Alda loved being a part of them but found himself more involved later on.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button