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The hotshot helicopter pilot on M*A*S*H was the namesake for another classic TV show
He was suggested for the lead too, but he didn't have enough "star power".
In the season four episode "Smilin' Jack," we meet a helicopter pilot who seems to have everything going for him. He charms Hawkeye and Col. Potter alike, he asks out a pretty nurse, and he's even up for the Pilot of the Year Award. He's three people away from bringing in the most wounded and setting the record, currently held by a pilot known as "Dangerous Dan."
Of course, everything is going a little too well for Smilin' Jack. It's revealed that he's been hiding his diabetes diagnosis, because he wouldn't be allowed to fly with it. He's insistent on breaking the record and no amount of pulling rank or stern talk can dissuade him.
The man behind Smilin' Jack, Robert Hogan, was already a familiar face to audiences in 1976. While he never landed a main cast role for a critically acclaimed series, he made guest appearances in more than 90 shows over five decades. He also played recurring characters on beloved shows like Alice, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Murder, She Wrote and many, many more.
He was also well-loved behind the camera. Bernard Fine, the writer-creator of Hogan's Heroes named the lead character after Robert Hogan. Now that's a friend! Fine pushed for Hogan to take the main role as well, but the network wasn't sold. They wanted a bigger name with more star power behind it for the lead, and at the time, Hogan had some solid soap opera experience and guest spots on shows like The Twilight Zone and The Donna Reed Show, but it wasn't enough.
Obviously Bob Crane got the lead role instead. However, the show would forever carry Hogan's name in Fine's tribute to his friend. Robert Hogan must not have been too upset, because he would go on to guest star twice on the show ("Reservations are Required" and "Crittendon's Commandos").
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this before. By the way, writers are known for slipping in the names of people they know/knew
into scripts. Wouldn't you do the same? On 1950's Westerns especially, they would put the names
of people they knew on wanted posters.
For instance the writers from competing shows on other networks. LA Dodger players faces would
be on wanted posters. Some of the players would show up, unbilled, on The Rifleman, as third
banana bad guys.
There were many other examples but it's been so many years since I read about this I can't
recall the details. Anyway, check out the wanted posters for in jokes.
I liked that episode of MASH that he was in. He was in an episode of Newhart that I like as well, playing a Senator whose wife runs off to the Stratford Inn because she doesn't feel needed. It's a funny ep!
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0389611/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
