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Originally, Klinger was only meant to appear in one episode of ''M*A*S*H''
At first, Klinger was able to get out of the war much faster than anyone expected.
In case you were wondering just how good of an actor Jamie Farr really is, here's a little reminder. According to an article with The Chicago Daily News, upon the character's inception, Maxwell Klinger was only supposed to appear in a single episode of M*A*S*H. If you recall, Klinger's character was recurring on the hit series for the first three seasons, before progressing into the main cast by season four until the show's ending.
Of his evolution from guest to main character, Farr explained, "I had a couple of lines. The producers liked it, asked me back, and I was in six or seven shows. The next year about 12. Third season they put me under contract. It has done marvelous things for me."
The fame from the role was new for Farr, who had struggled as an actor before he started on M*A*S*H. The actor said, "You know I've been practically out of work for 20 years. Just hanging in there, getting guest shots from time to time. Now everybody wants me." Before M*A*S*H, Farr was primarily known for guest appearances on shows with people like Red Skelton and Dick Van Dyke. M*A*S*H was one of his first opportunities to play a character that would last, even if Farr wasn't aware of it the first time he played Klinger.
It was a shift that even affected his future career endeavors, opening him up to new opportunities. He said, "I'm doing something very daring, for me. I'm putting together a nightclub act...I've never done stand-up before. It's hard work. But it's exciting. Imagine somebody would pay to see me, a kid from the north end of Toledo."
Farr seemed proud of the character, and not a bit worried about whether Klinger's offbeat nature might hurt his chances at future roles. Farr said, "This part is so wild that it hasn't hurt me at all."
18 Comments
what a soft landing for him:)
Klinger - "far away too"
in the words of BARN " blooey"
