It’s “friend of a friend in the business” info, but yes, that is what I have heard as well.
I recall hearing that the actor who played Colonel Blake in the movie was offered the part in the TV series and turned it down. Years later, he was asked if he had any regrets. He responded along the lines of “Well, I sometimes feel bad about missing out on all that money, but then I just remember that I was spared all those years working with Gary Burghoff.”
I recall an interview with Mike Farrell where he damned him with faint praise, essentially saying that it had to have been difficult and intimidating for a dear simple soul like Burghoff to be surrounded by greater intellects and his acting out was an understandable response.
That actor was Roger Bowen and he didn’t take the MASH job and instead got a part in a different CBS sitcom called “Arnie” which starred Herschel Bernardi as a guy from the line in a factory who got promoted to management. It didn’t last long.
Bowen died one day after Stevenson in 1996.
I’m sorry about the hijack,but I loved the movie and the first few seasons of MASH…but the show and main characters became so leftwing (I won’t say liberal) I couldn’t take the preaching.The movie made a point about war,but it wasn’t anti-war.I guess the show was more of hollywood reaction to the Vietnam war,but it could have used a little more balance than to make Burns a complete buffoon.I’ve always felt Alda was the Shatner of Korea
Anonymity??? Why, he went on to become That B.P. Guy!
Sigh… Kim Richards Hmmmm…
And I’m sorry for continuing your hijack! 
The cast and producers have said that the show was anti-war in general, not specifically about the Vietnam. By the time the show had reached it’s more politiczed, ‘preachy’ seasons, the Vietnam war was over (and was over for most of the show’s run). I get the impression from the re-runs I’ve seen (I became addicted this summer, heh) that it really is anti-war in general. Yeah, it can be preachy, but it’s a message that Hollywood is generally averse to putting out. While most entertainers do appear to liberal and against the Iraq war, there is little doubt that Hollywood is fascinated with the military and war in general, and most portrayals thereof are not negative. For me,having grown up mostly in the 90’s, it’s nice to see this portrayal of the war and military in the light of “everything about this outfit sucks.” These days, it seems that someone won’t hesitate to decry the Iraq war, but then spend two months filming the latest action-drama. Consistency is nice. I can feel your pain about Frank Burns, who was a bit two-dimensional, but the creators have no artistic obligation or even compelling reason to give the show more political balance.
And my cousin. No foolin’. My maternal grandmother is a Stevenson.
I caught some kind of reunion show with the cast a few years back, and they pretty much openly said that Radar was a prick. IIRC, he was the only one in the cast who wasn’t shot with the others.
And Wayne Rogers was a stock broker, who must have been pulling down some serious bank in the markets if his salary from MASH was smaller.
Oh, yeah. Wayne Rogers made his money the old fashioned way. He wasn’t hurting when he left.
I’ve read several nasty stories about him and even have my own. I saw him with his wife at Mardi Gras in New Orleans a few years back and a tipsy tourist (wasn’t me) said “Hey, aren’t you Radar from MASH!” He responded “Yes I am. I’m here on vacation, leave me the hell alone!” I have no doubts that fame can be annoying at such moments but thought it was rude as hell. So did others, one of whom called him several names until he walked off in a huff. A friend who met him at an autograph show (those things are… sad) talked about how rude he was to people paying for his autograph.
Rogers realized early that he was far more talented at making money than he was at acting. He did MASH and House Calls and his other work mostly to raise money to invest. He’s one of the richest men in Hollywood (I’ve read estimates in the nine figures) and manages the money of lots of other actors and entertainment big shots. He writes columns and appears on CNN and other stations as a financial expert and continues to act occasionally strictly as a hobby. He’s generous- he’s donated millions to the Univ. of Alabama at B’ham (UAB- stinking rich school) and other schools and charities.
Just a nitpik, but a pretty big one. The backdrop of the show was the Korean war; not the Vietnam war.
Factually, yes. But the show was well known to be about the Vietnam war, except that it was set in Korea during the Korean war. It got a bit heavy-handed with the allegory at times.
Here’s an interview with Rogers that lays out how his acting and investment careers got started.
I realize I’m a minority in today’s Celebrity Socity, but I disagree. You don’t just walk up to a total stranger and expect something out of them, especially if that stranger is a well-known celebrity. I’m sure if total strangers were constantly accosting you, trying to make like they’re your best buddy, you’d get tired of it too. IMHO, he wasn’t particularly rude.
OTOH, if I had had your experience, I’d be telling everyone “Hey I met Radar and he told me off! Isn’t that cool??”, so I can’t say I’m totally virtuous here.
You’re right about the autograph show, though. If you’ve agreed to show up for an event, that’s a totally different bowl of fish from being accosted by random strangers on the street.