Knots Landing
MASH Guest Stars
September 21, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
The list of guest stars on M*A*S*H is an entertainment hall of fame list.
From 1972 to 1983, this powerhouse show on CBS boasted actors and actresses who later became fixtures on America’s favorite television shows on the Eye Network.
Joan Van Ark and Knots Landing.
Gregory Harrison and Trapper John, M.D.
Vic Tayback and Alice.
Sorrell Booke and The Dukes of Hazzard.
Linda Kelsey and Lou Grant.
Susan Saint James and Kate and Allie.
Some actors and actresses became fixtures on America’s favorite television shows on other networks.
Ed Flanders and St. Elsewhere.
Ed Begley, Jr. and St. Elsewhere.
Shelley Long and Cheers.
George Wendt and Cheers.
John Ritter and Three’s Company.
Robert Ito and Quincy.
Jack Soo and Barney Miller.
Larry Wilcox and CHiPs.
And some actors and actresses became movie stars.
Laurence Fishburne.
Patrick Swayze.
Teri Garr.
Some guest stars on M*A*S*H played roles that helped peel back the layers of the regular staff of the 4077th.
In the episode The More I See You, Blythe Danner plays Carlye, a nurse and long-lost flame of Hawkeye.
We learned that Hawkeye and Carlye actually lived together.
But timing is everything.
The relationship couldn’t go further because Hawkeye was in residency and work was his priority.
Now assigned to the 4077th, Carlye is married. Hawkeye tries to reignite the flame.
And he succeeds.
Until he gives a rambling monologue about commitment while walking around his tent, a.k.a. the Swamp. Carlye shows him that he cannot have a relationship because he’s literally talked himself into a corner while talking about long-term commitment.
Dennis Dugan appears in two M*A*S*H episodes -- Love and Marriage and Strange Bedfellows.
In Strange Bedfellows, he plays Potter’s son-in-law.
And Potter learns about the son-in-law’s betrayal to his wife, Potter’s daughter. Though angry, Potter reveals that he himself got a little friendlier than he should have with a nurse early in his career.
Ron Howard guest stars in the first episode that showed M*A*S*H could go beyond the antics of draftee doctors to places of deep emotion, pathos, and sobriety.
In the landmark episode Sometimes You Hear the Bullet, Hawkeye’s friend, Tommy Gillis, is researching a book about war.
James Callahan plays Gillis.
He theorizes that a soldier never hears the bullet that kills him. Gillis’ theory directly contrasts the depiction of combat in the movies. He wants to call his book You Never Hear the Bullet.
During his research on the front lines, Gillis gets shot and winds up on Hawkeye’s operating table. Gillis tells Hawkeye that he heard the bullet and dies before Hawkeye can operate.
Meanwhile, an underage soldier named Wendell Peterson is in post-op.
Played by Howard, the 15-year-old Wendell stole his brother Walter’s identity to become a soldier only to impress a girl.
Hawkeye initially tells him that the secret will not be revealed.
But after seeing his friend die, Hawkeye gets a speech from Colonel Henry Blake.
There are certain rules about a war. Rule Number One is ‘Young men die.’ Rule number two is ‘Doctors can’t change Rule Number One.’
Hawkeye’s response is to keep one young man from dying in one war.
He reports Peterson to Major Houlihan, thus saving Peterson from future harm, at least on the battle field.
david@davidkrell.com
The list of guest stars on M*A*S*H is an entertainment hall of fame list.
From 1972 to 1983, this powerhouse show on CBS boasted actors and actresses who later became fixtures on America’s favorite television shows on the Eye Network.
Joan Van Ark and Knots Landing.
Gregory Harrison and Trapper John, M.D.
Vic Tayback and Alice.
Sorrell Booke and The Dukes of Hazzard.
Linda Kelsey and Lou Grant.
Susan Saint James and Kate and Allie.
Some actors and actresses became fixtures on America’s favorite television shows on other networks.
Ed Flanders and St. Elsewhere.
Ed Begley, Jr. and St. Elsewhere.
Shelley Long and Cheers.
George Wendt and Cheers.
John Ritter and Three’s Company.
Robert Ito and Quincy.
Jack Soo and Barney Miller.
Larry Wilcox and CHiPs.
And some actors and actresses became movie stars.
Laurence Fishburne.
Patrick Swayze.
Teri Garr.
Some guest stars on M*A*S*H played roles that helped peel back the layers of the regular staff of the 4077th.
In the episode The More I See You, Blythe Danner plays Carlye, a nurse and long-lost flame of Hawkeye.
We learned that Hawkeye and Carlye actually lived together.
But timing is everything.
The relationship couldn’t go further because Hawkeye was in residency and work was his priority.
Now assigned to the 4077th, Carlye is married. Hawkeye tries to reignite the flame.
And he succeeds.
Until he gives a rambling monologue about commitment while walking around his tent, a.k.a. the Swamp. Carlye shows him that he cannot have a relationship because he’s literally talked himself into a corner while talking about long-term commitment.
Dennis Dugan appears in two M*A*S*H episodes -- Love and Marriage and Strange Bedfellows.
In Strange Bedfellows, he plays Potter’s son-in-law.
And Potter learns about the son-in-law’s betrayal to his wife, Potter’s daughter. Though angry, Potter reveals that he himself got a little friendlier than he should have with a nurse early in his career.
Ron Howard guest stars in the first episode that showed M*A*S*H could go beyond the antics of draftee doctors to places of deep emotion, pathos, and sobriety.
In the landmark episode Sometimes You Hear the Bullet, Hawkeye’s friend, Tommy Gillis, is researching a book about war.
James Callahan plays Gillis.
He theorizes that a soldier never hears the bullet that kills him. Gillis’ theory directly contrasts the depiction of combat in the movies. He wants to call his book You Never Hear the Bullet.
During his research on the front lines, Gillis gets shot and winds up on Hawkeye’s operating table. Gillis tells Hawkeye that he heard the bullet and dies before Hawkeye can operate.
Meanwhile, an underage soldier named Wendell Peterson is in post-op.
Played by Howard, the 15-year-old Wendell stole his brother Walter’s identity to become a soldier only to impress a girl.
Hawkeye initially tells him that the secret will not be revealed.
But after seeing his friend die, Hawkeye gets a speech from Colonel Henry Blake.
There are certain rules about a war. Rule Number One is ‘Young men die.’ Rule number two is ‘Doctors can’t change Rule Number One.’
Hawkeye’s response is to keep one young man from dying in one war.
He reports Peterson to Major Houlihan, thus saving Peterson from future harm, at least on the battle field.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
June 16, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Summer means baseball.
It also means rainouts for baseball games.
When a rainout occurs, you can get your baseball fix with a baseball movie. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's, one movie in particular has just the right amount of fantasy, emotional depth, and baseball.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
Gentler than its predecessor (The Bad News Bears) and more compelling than its successor (The Bad News Bears Go To Japan), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training gives the underdogs from the North Valley League in southern California a shot at the Houston Toros. The Toros players are bigger, stronger, and faster.
Where else could the climactic game take place but the Houston Astrodome, the post-modern Eighth Wonder of the World and a popular cultural touchstone?
With Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau absent as star pitcher Amanda and Coach Morris Buttermaker respectively, the Bears need a pitcher, a coach, and a way to get to Houston.
Except for Timmy Lupus. The Bears' worst player can't travel with the team because of health reasons -- he broke a leg while skateboarding.
Jimmy Baio plays Carmen Ronzonni, the replacement pitcher.
The Bears employ an almost mute maintenance worker to play the part of the coach. Bears star Kelly Leak teaches him to say some scripted bland sentences because he wants to convince the players' families that a coach will be chaperoning them. They gather at one of the players' homes for the sendoff.
As soon as the families leave, the Bears take a van to Houston with Kelly at the wheel. Jackie Earle Haley plays Kelly.
Along the way, they almost pick up a gorgeous hitchhiker, evade cops on the highway, and motor to a catchy 1970's song called Looking Good, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, music by Craig Safan, sung by James Rolleston.
A subplot reveals itself when Kelly confronts his long-absent father, factory worker Michael Leak. William Devane plays Michael Leak.
Tanner Boyle, the Bears' loudmouth shortstop, writes to Lupus a.k.a. Looper that nobody knew Kelly had a father.
However, earlier in the movie, we learn that Carmen may have prior knowledge of Kelly's secret. The Bears know that Kelly knows a guy in Houston. After one of them inquires further, Carmen says that it's just some guy that Kelly knows. One can infer that Carmen's vagueness is merely a cover for Kelly.
Initially, for appearances sake, Michael agrees to be a figurehead coach. His status soon changes because the Bears realize he can actually help them in their game against the Toros.
The already strained relationship between Kelly and Michael continues to fracture during a tense moment in a practice where father eclipses son as the team leader.
Right before the game at the Astrodome, Tanner gives a locker room speech mirroring the climactic Win One For the Gipper speech in Knute Rockne, All-American. Tanner saw the movie on late night television while the rest of the team slept, except for Kelly who watched the scene quietly in the background.
Tanner's Win One for the Looper speech motivates the Bears.
The four-inning game between the Toros and Bears takes place between the games of a doubleheader at the Astrodome.
Only one problem. The powers that be call the game on account of time.
Real-life Houston Astros Bob Watson and Cesar Cedeno appear in the Bears' dugout and Watson says, Come on, let the kids play!
Inspired, Michael Leak takes the field and shouts, Let them play! Let them play! Soon, Kelly, the rest of the Bears, and the entire Astrodome join the chant. Meanwhile, Tanner refuses to leave the field and continues to evade the two suited gentleman trying to capture him.
Caving into massive crowd pressure, the powers that be resume the game.
Carmen Ronzonni hits an inside the park grand slam to win the game.
Michael and Kelly repair their relationship after the game.
And the Bears have Japan in their sights for their last adventure in the little league trilogy.
The television connections are highly significant in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
William Devane played Greg Sumner for several seasons of the CBS nighttime soap opera Knots Landing.
Pat Corley plays the coach of the Houston Toros. He also played Phil, the favorite bar owner and bartender for the gang from the fictional television news program FYI on Murphy Brown.
Lane Smith plays a sheriff in Breaking Training. He also played The Daily Planet editor Perry White in the 1990's yuppie version of Superman -- Lois and Clark starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
CBS aired a short-lived comedy based on the movies. The Bad News Bears starred Jack Warden as Coach Buttermaker.
david@davidkrell.com
Summer means baseball.
It also means rainouts for baseball games.
When a rainout occurs, you can get your baseball fix with a baseball movie. For those of us who grew up in the 1970's, one movie in particular has just the right amount of fantasy, emotional depth, and baseball.
The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
Gentler than its predecessor (The Bad News Bears) and more compelling than its successor (The Bad News Bears Go To Japan), The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training gives the underdogs from the North Valley League in southern California a shot at the Houston Toros. The Toros players are bigger, stronger, and faster.
Where else could the climactic game take place but the Houston Astrodome, the post-modern Eighth Wonder of the World and a popular cultural touchstone?
With Tatum O'Neal and Walter Matthau absent as star pitcher Amanda and Coach Morris Buttermaker respectively, the Bears need a pitcher, a coach, and a way to get to Houston.
Except for Timmy Lupus. The Bears' worst player can't travel with the team because of health reasons -- he broke a leg while skateboarding.
Jimmy Baio plays Carmen Ronzonni, the replacement pitcher.
The Bears employ an almost mute maintenance worker to play the part of the coach. Bears star Kelly Leak teaches him to say some scripted bland sentences because he wants to convince the players' families that a coach will be chaperoning them. They gather at one of the players' homes for the sendoff.
As soon as the families leave, the Bears take a van to Houston with Kelly at the wheel. Jackie Earle Haley plays Kelly.
Along the way, they almost pick up a gorgeous hitchhiker, evade cops on the highway, and motor to a catchy 1970's song called Looking Good, lyrics by Norman Gimbel, music by Craig Safan, sung by James Rolleston.
A subplot reveals itself when Kelly confronts his long-absent father, factory worker Michael Leak. William Devane plays Michael Leak.
Tanner Boyle, the Bears' loudmouth shortstop, writes to Lupus a.k.a. Looper that nobody knew Kelly had a father.
However, earlier in the movie, we learn that Carmen may have prior knowledge of Kelly's secret. The Bears know that Kelly knows a guy in Houston. After one of them inquires further, Carmen says that it's just some guy that Kelly knows. One can infer that Carmen's vagueness is merely a cover for Kelly.
Initially, for appearances sake, Michael agrees to be a figurehead coach. His status soon changes because the Bears realize he can actually help them in their game against the Toros.
The already strained relationship between Kelly and Michael continues to fracture during a tense moment in a practice where father eclipses son as the team leader.
Right before the game at the Astrodome, Tanner gives a locker room speech mirroring the climactic Win One For the Gipper speech in Knute Rockne, All-American. Tanner saw the movie on late night television while the rest of the team slept, except for Kelly who watched the scene quietly in the background.
Tanner's Win One for the Looper speech motivates the Bears.
The four-inning game between the Toros and Bears takes place between the games of a doubleheader at the Astrodome.
Only one problem. The powers that be call the game on account of time.
Real-life Houston Astros Bob Watson and Cesar Cedeno appear in the Bears' dugout and Watson says, Come on, let the kids play!
Inspired, Michael Leak takes the field and shouts, Let them play! Let them play! Soon, Kelly, the rest of the Bears, and the entire Astrodome join the chant. Meanwhile, Tanner refuses to leave the field and continues to evade the two suited gentleman trying to capture him.
Caving into massive crowd pressure, the powers that be resume the game.
Carmen Ronzonni hits an inside the park grand slam to win the game.
Michael and Kelly repair their relationship after the game.
And the Bears have Japan in their sights for their last adventure in the little league trilogy.
The television connections are highly significant in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
William Devane played Greg Sumner for several seasons of the CBS nighttime soap opera Knots Landing.
Pat Corley plays the coach of the Houston Toros. He also played Phil, the favorite bar owner and bartender for the gang from the fictional television news program FYI on Murphy Brown.
Lane Smith plays a sheriff in Breaking Training. He also played The Daily Planet editor Perry White in the 1990's yuppie version of Superman -- Lois and Clark starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher.
CBS aired a short-lived comedy based on the movies. The Bad News Bears starred Jack Warden as Coach Buttermaker.