# The bullying of Frank Burns in M\*A\*S\*H
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Tags:** tv-shows-scripted
**Created:** [October 6, 2020, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329 "2020-10-06T10:53:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 11
### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/201 "2020-10-18T20:02:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> That would mean all of the events of the show’s final three seasons - after Radar left - occurred in the six weeks between June 13 and war’s end on July 27.
Wasn’t Hawkeye in the hospital for like a month in the finale episode, dealing with his personal trauma?
Not to mention there was an episode that took place over an entire year, with no cast changes.
The Simpsons has better continuity!
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/202 "2020-10-18T20:06:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> “Welcome to Korea” - Season 4 - A PA Announcement says it’s September 12, 1952 (this is when BJ arrives). Another announcement at the end of the episode says it’s September 19, 1952 (this is when Potter arrives).
The PA announcer: “Our new CO is Colonel Sherman Potter, regular Army. God help us all.”
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/203 "2020-10-18T20:06:38Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> The Simpsons has better continuity!
At least we know where Korea is!
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/204 "2020-10-18T20:20:43Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#):
>
> The PA announcer
Speaking of…who exactly WAS announcing on the PA? You’d think it would be Radar or someone in the office. But we never saw who did the announcing. Not only was he there for every season, he was there after everyone had left. And he never interacted with any characters.
Maybe he wasn’t really there!
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/205 "2020-10-18T20:24:52Z")
Yeah. Sometimes Radar or Klinger or Potter made announcements, but other times, this mysterious, never-seen fellow did it. Tuttle?
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/206 "2020-10-18T21:31:53Z")
IIRC, the Unknown Announcer mainly handled non-medical announcements. Most of the time there was an “All Hands On Deck” call it was Radar.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2020, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/207 "2020-10-18T22:13:21Z")
Usually Todd Susman or Sal Viscuto. Whenever you see a patient extra that you could swear had made previous visits to the 4077, that’s Viscuto. He also played the priest on _Soap_.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/208 "2020-10-19T01:40:16Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> But we never saw who did the announcing.
Sometimes the announcing would happen while we were in Radar’s office, where the PA system is.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/209 "2020-10-19T01:46:35Z")
The announcer was from the other side of camp, where the rest of the doctors and nurses and patients were. You know, the side behind the camera.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/210 "2020-10-19T03:58:47Z")
Guys and gals, if you can give me her character’s name or describe a single b-plot this character was in (no Googleing, honor system), you win this thread:
[ ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/V3GJ3uiLXyrVBtmw6)
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### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/211 "2020-10-19T04:26:12Z")
Honor system: I had to look it up. But I love that episode this still is from.
She’s probably the only one of the people of her kind (not THAT kind) that has a real name, not a phoenitic alphabet name like all the rest of the nurses.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/212 "2020-10-19T06:13:39Z")
The nurses were often treated as interchangeable. Eight different actresses played Nurse Able and nine different actresses played Nurse Baker during the series. Lesley Evans played Nurse Bryan, Nurse Mason and Nurse Mitchell in different episodes. Kellye Nakahara (who died earlier this year) started out as both a Nurse Able and a Nurse Baker but eventually became Nurse Kellye Yamato in later seasons.
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/213 "2020-10-19T11:25:27Z")
I don’t remember the name, but she dealt sharply with a blood transfusion purist.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/214 "2020-10-19T11:56:02Z")
Correct, but as JAQ mentioned, this was the only nurse (other than Houlihan) in the early years to have her own title card. Kelly _may_ have… I guess I’ll find out as it appears I’m rewatching the show now, lol.
And, yes, she was involved in the blood transfusion episode (and, to be fair, I’m pretty sure that was the A-plot to that story line).
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/215 "2020-10-19T12:56:52Z")
… dammit, forgot to add: Her name is Ginger Bayliss.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2020, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/216 "2020-10-19T16:07:41Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#):
>
> she dealt sharply with a blood transfusion purist.
Played by Mills Watson, better known as Sheriff Lobo’s #1 deputy.
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### Author:  [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/217 "2020-10-20T12:00:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> The nurses were often treated as interchangeable. Eight different actresses played Nurse Able and nine different actresses played Nurse Baker during the series. Lesley Evans played Nurse Bryan, Nurse Mason and Nurse Mitchell in different episodes. Kellye Nakahara (who died earlier this year) started out as both a Nurse Able and a Nurse Baker but eventually became Nurse Kellye Yamato in later seasons.
IRL the tenures of the nurses were shorter. About 4 months. The surgeons would be there for a year or so, no more.
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### Author:  [@zamboniracer2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer2)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/218 "2020-10-20T15:58:50Z")
I think the previously anonymous P.A. announcer must have been Major Tuttle. 😉
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### Author:  [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/219 "2020-10-20T15:59:46Z")
> [@The bullying of Frank Burns in M\*A\*S\*H](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/205):
>
> Yeah. Sometimes Radar or Klinger or Potter made announcements, but other times, this mysterious, never-seen fellow did it. Tuttle?
---
### Author:  [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)
#### Post date: [October 20, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bullying-of-frank-burns-in-m-a-s-h/922329/220 "2020-10-20T17:50:50Z")
> [@The bullying of Frank Burns in M\*A\*S\*H](#):
>
> Tuttle?
Buttle, Tuttle, whatever. Better call Information Retreival.
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