I don't know if that sounds like a weird question and it has been a while since I've seen the fifth season properly but
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Larry Linville
fletchy_boy_2004 — 19 years ago(March 31, 2007 03:07 PM)
I don't know if that sounds like a weird question and it has been a while since I've seen the fifth season properly but I remember thinking while watching that there's something different about Frank. After Margaret left him, it seemed like he had no-one to talk to, everyone else seemed to hate him16d0.
I also want to say that I love what Larry Linville did with the character. It's not an easy or particularly good thing, I would imagine, to play that character cos he is so easy to hate. But the way there are some scenes that Linville did that made me love the character and feel sorry for him sometimes cos although this was never said in the series, I always felt that he was bullied as a child and didn't have any friends and that, of course, is bound to drive you nuts.
I know this has been said by other fans so I'll probably sound annoying but I gotta say this cos Larry Linville was such a wonderful actor. That scene in "Margaret's Engagement" where he's talking to his mum and he says "She only pretended to like me, you know, like Dad did". I probably quoted the line a little wrong but it has been a while. It's such a great moment though.
Also, the scene in "Margaret's Marriage" when he's left alone and looking up at Margeret flying away. The look on his face kills me and it's so sad when he says "Goodbye, Margaret". -
fletchy_boy_2004 — 18 years ago(April 11, 2007 09:24 AM)
Oh, I remember reading that months ago, I completely forgot about it. Thank you for posting it
I think maybe that does show in the fifth season, I guess it's a matter of opinion but it was sometimes tough to see Frank alone and being the butt of the jokes without Margaret to back him up. -
indy_go_blue44 — 18 years ago(July 19, 2007 07:38 PM)
I agree with you DC; Frank was basically painted into a corner and when Loretta wanted to do more with Margaret's character, it did leave Frank all alone. I think in several episodes Larry didn't know what to do with Frank and honestly the lack of a "good side" made it almost impossible to do anything with him.
When I rewatch season five episodes I almost cringe at how hateful Frank becomes. I loved the character and admired Larry, but I'm glad he left when he did. -
TorontoJediMaster — 17 years ago(March 20, 2009 09:05 PM)
I agree. That's one of the reasons Larry Linville cited for leaving the show. Without Margaret as an ally, Frank really became more pathetic than anything else. I think Linville said something like he couldn't really laugh with the part anymore.
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srnumber9 — 16 years ago(March 18, 2010 12:03 PM)
I've heard that the other actors started to have trouble remembering that Larry Linville wasn't really Frank Burns and every so often they'd say or do something nasty to him, only to regret ib68t later.
It's kind of a shame that Frank as he was wasn't really a character worthy of MAS*H. All of the others had a lot more depth to them so they could be both good and bad: in other words "Human".
Frank was more of a cartoon character: Weak, cowardly, stupid, corrupt (etc, etc. etc.) without any redeeming qualities.
-In a way no more a real human being than if they made him perfect.
I think this really showed when they bought Charles aboard: a real jackass, but a great doctor, a little greedy, yet capable of moral standards, a target for Hawkeye, yet capable of hitting him back. -
DarthBill — 15 years ago(July 11, 2010 07:56 PM)
Some of it was no doubt performance since Frank no longer had Hot Lips on his side. Some of it may have been real since by then Larry Linville had grown t2000ired of the part. The joke had been stretched pretty thin by then, and Larry knew it, rest his soul.
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stneish — 15 years ago(July 17, 2010 10:50 PM)
Actually, I agree completely, I really felt for Frank at the end of his run. In fact, I was always a little disappointed he left, it was an opportunity to take the character in a new direction, where he grew into a human being. IT might have been interesting to see.
Certainly, Larry was an outstanding actor, and could have made it great.
He's missed. -
RobBase086-1 — 15 years ago(December 10, 2010 09:40 PM)
They should have created some new nurse that stepped in that would have backed him up and kept Larry Linville on the show until it went off the air. Yes it did seem as if he was lonely. I mean do not get me wrong I did love the pranks and all that were done to Frank Burns but it was sort of a love hate thing through out the show. What I am trying to say is that to a certain degree you hate his character and enjoy watching him get teased and made fun of but then in other ways you love his character though because he sort of makes the show worth watching.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans!
www.usaupallnight.webs.com/ -
RobBase086-1 — 14 years ago(October 31, 2011 08:05 PM)
Yes, but after Col. Henry Blake left and Honeycut they stated for the remainder of the show the cast would be and they listed all of the names. They never stated that Major Frank Burns and Corporal Radar O'Reily would be leaving the show at all. I still enjoyed how they picked on and tormented Frank because it was so hilarious to watch. After he left the show was still funny, but it just was not the same though.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans!
http://usaupallnight.webs.com -
indy_go_blue44 — 13 years ago(July 01, 2012 07:07 PM)
Yes, but after Col. Henry Blake left and Honeycut they stated for the remainder of the show the cast would be and they listed all of the names. They never stated that Major Frank Burns and Corporal Radar O'Reily would be leaving the show at all.
I think you're assuming an omniscience that just wasn't there at the beginning of S-4. In the pilot they introduced cast members as permanently assigned to the 4077; included were Spearchucker, Ugly John, Nurse Dish, Ho-jon, and Gen. Wood(?) Except for a couple of appearances, all of them would be gone by December '72.
Having just lost two of the stars, how could TPTB know that MASH fans would accept Col. Potter and BJ? (Harry Morgan was already a well known, popular actor but Mike Ferrell was a relative unknown.) So they announced the present cast and introduced Col. Potter, who would appear in the next episode. Early ratings for S-4 weren't spectacular, though they improved as lukewarm fans stopped checking out new fall programming and returned to the tried and true, and Potter and BJ fell into place.
Larry didn't make the decision to leave until later in S-5 when he felt he'd done all he could with Frank Burns. Gary made his decision 2 years later, citing burnout and the desire to spend more time with his family (per The Complete Book of MASH interview.)
They just didn't have a crystal ball to tell them these things were going to happen. -
RobBase086-1 — 13 years ago(July 02, 2012 01:28 PM)
It would have been nice to see Larry Linville some how remain as his character Frank Burns even if they created some other female character who he could fool around with.
I still watch the show even though Winchester was ok, but it was not the same without Major Burns though. It happens on getting burned out of doing a character from the main movie and then going onto the TV show. It is still a great show to watch and I will watch it every time it is on TV. It does not matter how many times I have seen the episode I still bust up laughing though with it.
Dedicated to USA UP ALL NIGHT and the fans!
http://usaupallnight.webs.com -
robertpatasnik — 12 years ago(July 02, 2013 05:02 PM)
Hardly it seem Hawkeye and BJ hang out more with Frank, probably felt sorry for him, but still hated him. Sometimes even Margaret didn't hate him that much excepially when a North Koreon solider seem to be a nice guy.
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gc18 — 11 years ago(December 01, 2014 05:03 PM)
It would've been more interesting to see the Burns character develop into more than a joke. Hawkeye and Houlihan all changed and the relationship with each other changed.
Trapper and Blake were never as developed as Potter and BJ were, but were opposites of the characters they re1c84placed.
I think Winchester worked because it created conflict with Hawkeye, as he was better than Hawkeye and wasn't afraid to say it.
Potter wasn't the pushover Blake was and would put Hawkeye in his place.
BJ being different than Hawkeye brought about conflict between the two keeping the series interesting.
It would've been interesting story to see the Burns and Houlihan relationship with her being married. Then having her marriage fall apart. How would Burns react? Would he be a friend or throw it in her face?
A story line revealing how lonely he really is without Houlihan could've taken the character in a different direction
Some of the more story was how antagonistic Burns became to Houlihan even making subtle insults.
A funny one was Houlihan commenting that a nurse he was talking looked too young for him. Frank replied it'll be nice for some one young for a change