Though M*A*S*H became a major success, no one working on the series, both cast and crew, could have foreseen just how powerful the comedy would eventually become.

Because of this, joining the cast of a television series in the 1970s still involved a level of risk. Television was often considered the lesser medium, too finite to tell the sort of artistically important stories that film managed to.

In the early days of production, Larry Linville was more than a bit apprehensive about joining the cast of M*A*S*H as Frank Burns. The role had originally been played by Robert Duvall in the 1970 film iteration, upon which the series was based.

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“I did have some [reluctance],” Linville admitted during an interview with the Independent. “Gene Reynolds had me see the movie M*A*S*H, and I thought the part played by Bobby Duvall was too humorless. But Gene convinced me that ‘We’re going to have fun with this part.’”

Linville admitted that he himself was among those who disliked Frank Burns. “I can’t stand him,” said Linville of Burns. “He’s the ultimate hypocrite.”

Despite his distaste for the character, Linville admired the work ethic of those who worked on the series. “Nobody connected with the show ever gives just 80 per cent effort,” said Linville. “Everyone from producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart on down gives 140 percent. I consider each episode a little motion picture. The quality of the scripts is exceptionally high. As literature, they beat a lot of things you see on stage. I equate Gelbart as a writer with Doc (Neil) Simon.”