indy_go_blue44 — 9 years ago(January 15, 2017 09:23 AM)

Loretta Swit: 'M.A.S.H' character 'Hot Lips' Houlihan was 'a raging feminist' and an 'inspiration'
Says Loretta "Big Lips" Swit. She spoke to FOX411 about her activism and of course her role in M.A.S.H. as Hot Lips Houlihan.
FOX411: Did you realize that "M.A.S.H" would become a classic?
Loretta Swit: I don't think you ever realize that, but I will say that while we were shooting, even from the very beginning, we were aware of how very special it was. The symbiosis, the the camaraderie, the love and respect we had for each other. And the material, to be blessed with those gifted writers starting of course with Larry Gelbart. So you had to know that this was going to be an incredible experience. That it turned into a phenomenon - no. There's no way we could have predicted that.
FOX411: Major Houlihan was an amazing role model for girls.
Swit: Was she ever, was she ever!
FOX411: Are you proud of that?
Swit: Of course! I had everything to do with making her that. We worked hand in hand with those writers. I was doing a play on Broadway during hiatus and we had a conference call with the producers and the writers and we talked about her future and they asked me, 'What do you see happening to her now? Where do you see her character going?' And I told them, I thought the relationship with Frank Burns had reached a point of no return and that they were writing her brighter. He was not a good doctor and she was in awe of the expertise of the other doctors and she was such a good nurse. He was married. It was a flawed relationship which demeaned her and it could not continue.
I had the idea that she would go on R&R to Tokyo and she would meet someone who had a higher rank than Frank who was single and available and she would fall in love and get engaged and married. My producer said, 'And then what?' So I said, 'Then she finds out he was cheating on her and they get divorced.' And she gets back into town single and liberated knowing that her work was very fulfilling and she didn't necessarily need a partner in life to fulfill herself. She was doing a good job and it filled her with self-respect and honor and she became a bigger person on her own rather than either in a demeaning relationship or one that was disloyal. For Margaret it was a tremendous growing process. We watched her evolve and that was a joy. She was a tremendous role model. I still get letters from people saying they became nurses because of what they saw her do. She was an inspiration to young women. She was a raging feminist working in a man's world and being her own person. Being strong and having integrity.
FOX411: The show was on right at the end of the Vietnam War.
Swit: We would be mistaken very often for which war it was and our reply was always the same: "It doesn't matter. War is wrong. It's hell. It's ugly. Let's stop doing it." So it didn't matter.
FOX411: It's still on constantly.
Swit: It never has been off the air. "M.A.S.H" went into syndication in year three and it's never been off the air. From year one to year eleven. So from year three to the present day it's been in syndication globally. It's a lot of coverage and I have a lot of friends out there who consider me family. They feel that I'm family.
FOX411: Are you still in touch with your costars?
Swit: They're my family. It's like saying, 'Do you stay in touch with your family?'
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/01/11/loretta-swit-m-s-h-character-hot-lips-houlihan-was-raging-feminist-and-inspiration.html