It used to be, people would find out my last name was Linville, ask me if I was related to Larry, and when I'd say he's my uncle, they'd freak out. Now a days, people generally don't know who Larry was. Otherwise, growing up, my friends wouldn't know he was my uncle unless they came over while he was visiting. He'd drive up from LA to visit us in Sacramento about once a year. I used to laugh when my friends would be, "OMG, why is the guy from MASH in your living room?" and I'd remind them we have the same last name, and they still wouldn't piece it together. Anyways, to add a story most people don't know: Larry and Deborah (his fifth and final wife who held Larry's hand as he passed), wrote a play together called Seeds. My cousin Lance Linville, who lived in Winters (which is a rural town near Sacramento), took it to his local theater. My aunt Deborah flew from New York to see it performed at the Winters Theater, and my cousin Lance drove Gary Burghoff all the way from his home in Orville, CA to Winters to see it. That's about a 3 hour car trip.
I was in the Korean Surgeon episode, playing a North Korean infiltrator who kidnaps Frank Burns to take up north where they desperately needed surgeons (along with Bob Ito.) Not only was Larry Linville a really nice guy, but he was a completely generous actor, who was really concerned about the whole of the scene and not only his part.
Larry, thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my video about Larry Linville! I love that episode you mentioned, where you and Bob Ito kidnap Frank Burns, only to realize his kind of a pain in the butt and you guys just want to get rid of him. Sooo funny! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!
I remember seeing the episode with Mr. Hamma back in the late eighties. I saw his name in the ending credits and wondered if he was the same as the guy writing the only comic I ever read.
I do believe that the Larry Hama that appeared in MASH is the same Larry Hama that was a writer and editor for Marvel comics. I think he may have worked on some Wolverine stories, as well as G.I. Joe and others.
Mr Hama - Although it has been probably at least 2 decades since i last saw that episode, man i love it. I appreciate your acting, and i love that you took the time to write here. - i so rarely get to share my appreciation with someone who has entertained me via their acting. Hope all is well with you.
My great uncle was actually a very kind hearted man. I'm sure we all have been sometimes jerks in our life times because we are just human. -Pierce Linville.
Larry Linville by all accounts, was a great guy. He was the one who suggested the name "ferret face", because he had been called that in school. What a guy.
I remember him from a college tour around 1988. I remember him as engaging, down to earth too. The night I saw him he got pretty sloshed. I got a strong sense that he wished his life had turned out differently, that he didn’t get the respect he deserved and that he could have used his sharp mind in another career.
Yeah, I met him in the late 1980's at a similar event, college speaking tour in my hometown. He was down to earth, quite amicable and willing to sign autographs, answer questions, etc from those who attended. He could not have been nicer. May he RIP.
Actually Larry Linville was a very kind and generous actor and entertainer. When I was stationed over in South Korea, during the mid to late 1980's, Mr. Linville, along with other M*A*S*H & After-M*A*S*H actors and actresses, such as Wayne Rogers, Jamie Farr, David Ogden Stiers, William Christopher, Loretta Swit, and M*A*S*H producer, Larry Gelbert, all were part of a U.S.O. (United Service Organization) group, that toured all the U.S. military bases, and did book and autograph signings, and even did many Q&A interviews with the troops, and visiting a few of the orphanages, as well. He was a great entertainer and a compassionate human being. Rest in peace, Mr. Linville.
I got to see him at Camp Humphreys where the 4077th MASH/24th MASH was located in 96 while I was stationed there. They still had the 4077th MASH Best Care Anywhere doormats in the entryways at the time.
The one thing about his character that really disappointed me was that he was never allowed to humanize. One of the great aspects of David Odgen Stiers' Charles Winchester was his humanity, something Linville was almost never allowed by the writers to explore.
I have heard that was part of Larry Linville leaving the show. He was unhappy that the character was not growing and felt that there wasn't anything further he could bring to the show as a result.
@@tomshea8382 In a way, though, it was a logical if negative development. Once Col. Potter arrived and all possibility of command had been forever shut off to him, Frank began to deteriorate emotionally. That he couldn't intimidate Potter the way he and Margaret used to with Henry, and indeed was intimidated by his new C.O. made things worse, especially because Frank is a coward. That Potter was a likeable commander and a clear leader who the rest of the staff warm up to is another irritant to Frank since he cannot sow dissention against him with any of the officers, not even Margaret who steadily comes to regard Potter as a surrogate father figure. He grows increasingly paranoid and racist, sloppier as a doctor and more selfish and childish. All Frank's worst traits come out and this is what steadily disenchants Margaret with him (especially after he stole another officer's antique gun and let Radar take the blame for the theft), and when she gets engaged to Donald Penobscot and ends her affair with Frank he really starts falling apart. All the pillars of security and comfort holding up his personality had been demolished. Frank's total crack-up was a mere question of time at that point. At least it happened in Tokyo and not in the O.R.
@@LordZontar While all that is true, that was pretty much the end of the character arc. At no time was the Burns character allowed to develop and it must have got boring for Linville.
Larry does not get enough credit for playing Burns. To play such a childish incompetent bumbleling bafoon so consistently is a talent. And he made M.A.S.H. fun to watch.
And his "Frank Burns" was infinitely more likeable than Robert Duval's. Linville was sometimes funny and once in a great while made a valid political point. Duval's was a humorless douche bag.
The way Linville used his body, especially his facial muscles, are a wonder to watch. He had such amazing comedic timing and control of his limbs that he could steal any scene that he was in.
@@stephensundstrom6379 just rewatch the scene where he falls into the foxhole filled with water by BJ. Linville collapses like a marionette whose strings have been cut. A great physical comedian.
I remember watching the Mash reunion. The thing I remember the most about it was how Gary Burgoff talked about Larry Linville. He said Larry was a very kind man who it was obvious the whole cast loved him I do believe it was after Larry's passing. RIP Larry and all of the other great actors who passed from the show. Mash is one of my all time favorite shows.
I remember seeing that as well. If my memory is correct, Loretta Swit cried a bit when talking about Larry's passing. I think they all mentioned how much they loved working with him, and what a nice person he was.
At the 25th anniversary special, I believe Larry Linville said that if you ever meet someone like Frank Burns, get as far away from him as you possibly can!
I’ve said this before, the departure of Larry Linville caused the biggest change in the show of all the cast changes. While I enjoyed Major Winchester, the loss of Frank Burns alter the tone and direction of the show.
Very true. When Winchester came onto the show MASH become a bloviating political mess of a show. It completely jumped the shark and lost the original premise of the show.
I met Larry in 1978. I ran an avionics shop at Santa Monica airport. The hangar I was in was just across from Larry’s hangar where he was building his flying wing sailplane. Often during my lunch break I would walk across the ramp and Larry and I would talk airplanes. He was a total aviation geek just like me. He was totally not like any of the characters he portrayed, a genuine really nice guy.
The funny thing about Major Burns was he could at times be someone you'd feel sorry for despite his harsh nature towards everyone. It was clear he was insecure and childish. There was one time he tried to prove himself after Margret dumped him, Radar got his mom on the phone, and listening to him you could feel sorry for him. I think for a lot of people they might not like his character and he might deserve what he got sometime, but I also think we're afraid of this is the sort of person we might be if we're put in a situation that really is well over our heads. Larry Linville did a great job.
That cast was lucky to have had such good writing to work from but the mark of a great actor is when they are able to bring us deep into a character’s psyche.
Larry was truly a tremendous part of the success of MASH and why even to this day we still love to watch it in reruns. We might have sometimes hated Frank Burns but we sure loved watching Larry play him.
Linville was in the original Night Stalker movie as a medical examiner. He also appeared in an episode of the series. Linville had a great acting range. So sad he passed so young.
I remember seeing him as a genie (and a sympathetic one against type) in a Fantasy Island episode. Last thing I remember seeing him in was a small role in a sweet independent movie called A Million to Juan that was a modernized retelling of a Mark Twain story.
I saw Larry in the Night Stalker and Mannix and he showed how good he was as an actor-he later said he left Mash because he felt he had taken the character Frank Burns as far as he could and to continue would be repeating old material- his departure was quite amicable and not one of the cast had anything bad to say about Larry
The role I remember Linville in was a guest star appearance in the show "Supertrain". It was a 70's anthology show, trying to be a lot like "Love Boat", but it didn't last. Anyway, The story goes that a man finds Linville's character on the ground, suffering from a fall. The man helps Linville, (I remember Linville's line "All these people and no one cared to help me. Except for you" was creepy.) The two go for a drink and they talk. It turns out that the man who helped Linville was no longer in love with his wife and is trying to find a way to divorce her without losing everything. Linville says "You helped me, let me help you. I'll kill her for you." The man is horrified and tells him to stay away from him and his wife. But that doesn't happen. The rest of the episode was Linville ends up getting close to the man's wife. When the man warns her to stay away, she brushes him off. She knows he wants a divorce and says things like "Why do you care? You don't love me anymore." When the man goes to the authorities, they can't do anything. Linville's character has done nothing wrong. When they ask Linville if he threaten to kill the wife, he plays innocent. All Linville does is nice things for both of them. Linville doesn't even make a pass at the wife. He keeps it plutonic. Then Linville tells the man it will happen tonight. The man panics, not knowing how Linville is going to kill the wife. We see a scene where Linville brings a drink to the wife, the implication is that it was poisoned. The man finds out somehow (don't remember) and rushes to stop Linville. He's too late. He finds his wife out cold in the bed, the glass empty. The man screams and tries to wake up his wife. And she does. She's fine. Linville steps out of the shadows and tells them she was no danger. He wasn't going to kill her. But he wanted to let you know how much you value a person once they're gone. Perhaps he should rethink why he wants a divorce and leaves. The next scene is another man helping Linville get up from a fall. Once again, Linville delivers the line "All these people and no one cared to help me. Except for you". It was an amazing episode. You were creeped out and on the edge of your seat for the entire thing, thanks to Linville. I would say that performance was his best ever. At the reveal, you can tell that Linville's character is heavily suffering the loss of someone even though it's mentioned in passing. Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to share.
I had the pleasure of meeting Larry in the late 1980's when he appeared as a guest celebrity at a MASH themed event at a community college where I worked. Larry was the hit of the event, the students loved talking to him about the show and their favorite episodes. He probably got a cramp in his hand from all of the autographs he signed that night. I had time to talk to him after the event, and he was was a very friendly, regular guy that loved to talk about the show.
Larry's portrayal of Frank Burns was nothing short of brilliant. My favourite Frank Burns moment was the episode where he's finally had enough of Hawkeye's antics and plays a series of practical jokes on him. The final scene where Hawkeye collapses the walls of the latrine while Frank is inside is hysterical. The look on Frank's face when he realizes what has happened, is priceless. R.I.P. Mr Linville!
Loving Larry Linville - He made us really loathe his Major Franklin Burns. Sometimes showed humanity with few happy returns. - Don’t you love his base depiction and his pettifogging ways. Even as a ferret face he had his better days. - Hidden from his other roles that are almost never seen. Buried in a typecast portrayed on the small screen. - No matter what we think of the character he played. He really acted it so well. He really knew his trade. - So I’m loving Larry Linville as an actor of the art. His merit rediscovered for his talent and his heart.
Larry’s best moment and best lines were his very last on the show. As Margaret’s chopper takes off after her wedding, Frank is alone on the helipad and softly says, "goodbye Margaret.” Heartbreaking stuff, and one of my all time favorite moments in the entire series
My favourite was when hawkeye wanted to give him a physical and he flung himself backwards on the bed in hypochondria. Then laughed because it tickled. OR when the mash had to relocate and they came across a brothel and tried to tell Frank what it was subtly. "Tarts? Strawberry?"
I met and worked with Larry in the 90s.He was a wonderful guy, warm and cheerful to all, His M*A*S*H* stories were hilarious and I could talk for hours with the man. Miss ya Larry.
Larry portrayed Frank amazingly. It takes god-tier talent to act like the polar opposite of your morals and behaviors. He's been on record saying it was incredibly difficult to say most of his lines when frank was supposed to be trying to be romantic with hotlips because he kept laughing midway through at how stupid they sounded. imo after he 'lost' Margret his character fell apart and he just kinda existed for awhile. What little screen time he had was a rehash joke every time, i think if he kept that up for even 1 more season it would have tainted the character even further and possibly him.
I'm so glad that you did this video on Larry. I only watched the 2 early seasons with McLean Stevenson Wayne Rogers and Larry Lynnville as they made the show FUNNY! As a kid I could not stand his character... as an adult I can't get enough of it at times! ❤️🔥
Frank Burns eats worms! So many sayings came from that TV show. Who can forget "Ferret face!" I think a lot of us who were young at that time felt the same way as kids and then the opposite as adults. It's a classic TV show that you can watch multiple times.
@@Jonathan.D I love it when Burns knocks on Margaret's door; she asks who it is, and he says, "It's your boo-boo-ba-dooper!" Burns also believes "in the sanctity of marriage, no matter how ugly or disgusting it gets!"
I remember an interview that Alan Alda gave when he was being asked about "Mash". He was being praised for acting abilities in "Mash" and Alan thanked the interviewer, but he said that Larry Linville was truly the great actor. Alan said that no one else could have played Frank Burns the way that Larry did. He said that it was magnificent. I use to dislike the character Frank Burns and too often associated my views of Larry based on how he portrayed Frank. Alan Alda opened my eyes as to how a truly great actor that Larry was in his portrayal of Frank. I gained a lot more respect for Frank, and the actor that played the role so perfectly. A job very well done, Larry!
I met Larry Linville when I attended college back in 1986. He came to our campus to give a speech. Although I only talked to him briefly, I can attest, he seemed quite nice and friendly.
It’s hard to believe watching him play Frank Burns that in real life he was an aeronautical engineer. I cannot recall one cast member saying anything bad about him. The accounts say that he was a kind and caring person.
Growing up in a Korean household, it was almost mandatory that I watch M.A.S.H. with my parents when I was a kid. I loved the show, but it broke my heart years later when I learned how much hate mail Mr. Linville received. To be fair, I also found the character of Frank Burns to be very unlike-able, but to conflate the character with the man playing the part, I just couldn't believe people could be so cruel. I'm glad I stumbled across this video on UA-cam. Thank you for letting me know about Mr. Linville, may he rest in peace.
There are so many great Frank Burns episodes. One of my favorites was when Hawkeye and Trapper thought Frank had hepatitis. They had to keep him away from hot lips and out of the officer's latrines. He made the show great. I wonder how brilliant it would have been if Colonel Blake, Frank, and Trapper would have stayed a while longer.
@@gregwatson8219 Wouldn't have been canceled... The tone of the show would have changed in the darker even with Henry and Trapper. The character of Hawkeye changed drastically in sixth season he was not the same like in series 1 - 5
Back in the late 1970s or early '80s, I was an assistant curator of aviation at the National Air and Space Museum / Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I gave Larry a full behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum's aircraft storage and restoration facility in Maryland. We spent hours together as I took him through one aircraft storage building after another to show him rare and historic civil and military airplanes not on display to the public. Larry enjoyed meeting the talented aircraft restorers (his kindred spirits) in our restoration shop, where there was much laughter and mutual admiration (shop talk). The whole time, I found him to be kind, wonderful, funny, genuine, modest, and supremely intelligent. He charmed us all and was truly a "great guy." Thank you for showing this to be the case.
Jay...that is such a cool story. What an opportunity to be able to spend some one on one time giving Larry "Frank Burns" Linville a tour of that particular Museum!
As a TVNews Videographer,I shot an interview with him in the mid 80’s. I was pleasantly surprised to find him to be a very fine articulate, well educated fine polite gentleman. The kind of man you would want to be around.
Larry was such a nice man and friend to me. I was a cocktail waitress at Union Plaza when he starred in a play there in the mid '80's. I have many pictures of him hanging out with us in the lounge and he bought me the nicest gift on my birthday that I still have. We had some really great times!
I got to see him speak in 1988 or 1989. "Frank Burns Returns to Fort Wayne!" hosted by IUPUFW. 1. That staccato, high-pitched laugh was real. We got to hear it several times that night. 2. He said he wanted to be an Air Force pilot, but was color-blind. 3. He said he kept telling the executives of M*A*S*H that he wasn't going to come back for another season. Then, they were surprised when he didn't show up for work, had to scramble to write him out of the show, and needed time to find a replacement. 4. He started out the evening with something like, 'I'm an actor - a professional liar. I lie for a living. It's up to you to figure out if I'm telling the truth.' Then that laugh. At the end of the evening, as he was signing autographs, he was genuinely jovial and engaging with the college students who hosted the event.
It saddened me when I had originally hear of Larry Linville's passing. I remember watching MASH growing up and always got a good laugh out of Frank's plans going awry. At the same time I always admired the man behind the character because, even at the age of 12, I could tell that Frank Burns was a unique individual solely within his own right and, in my opinion, only Larry could have brought him to life with as much love as he obviously did.
LL, in my opinion is the most underrated Actor of that era. He portrayed his part brilliantly, and helped make the show the Iconic show that it is. A great Actor part of a terrific ensemble cast.
In the '80s I was at San Diego State University, and I Larry Linville came to our campus to give a talk. I was a big MASH fan, and wouldn't have missed it. He was great, and the one anecdote I remember him talking about was being the youngest person in the US to get a glider pilot's license!
Without a doubt, Larry Linville was the best actor on MASH. A consistent, hilarious, sharp actor. The fact you have to say he was a nice guy, proves how good he was.
Larry Linville was a sweetheart as a human being. We always confuse their roles with their real life. Good people can play bad guys and bad people can play goods guys
I loved Frank Burns! All of those actors were spot on and believable. I didn't care for the later episodes. I really enjoyed the early days of MASH and that raw and feeling portrayal that those actors gave. Bravo!!
I also met Mr Linville on a college speaking tour, checking out schools for his daughter. A kind, open, and engaging man who mingled with the students. Sadly, he seemed a pretty heavy smoker. Cigarettes are killers.
Growing up, MASH was my favourite TV show but without Larry Linville for the others to play off of, the show was not as good. He was a fantastic actor to act that despicable. RIP
Linville spoke about what Frank Burns was supposed to be. It was a war comedy and Linville said that you could play that character one of two ways - either as the bully or the fool, and the bully was not what a comedy needed. As the show went on in years, Loretta Swit's Maj Houlihan actually evolved, while the writers kept Burns as the fool. Linville balked at this, seeing his roll as being more of the same each week while everyone else's characters had evolved. So he moved on. Both Burghoff and Jamie Farr have stated that Linville was fun to work with and very kind. Now, the counter to this is that Linville was married 4 times and had a drinking problem, so he may have had some other problems, but on the set as Frank Burns he was generally well liked.
@@stephensundstrom6379 The best comment I heard made about Burns by Linville was when he was asked 'Why didn't the role progress? Why didn't he become more understanding, more humane, more compassionate, more sensitive?' Linville supposedly replied 'What did you want him to be, Alan Alda?'
Every time Frank Burns came on the screen it was like somebody slowly running their fingernails down a chalkboard. It took a great actor to be able to pull that role off perfectly every episode, even ones where he did not make an appearance. Larry Linville showed the world that he was the perfect person to fill that role as an actor, not as a reflection of his true personality. There was a lot of talent involved in the production of MASH, but I have to admit that Larry's acting fulfilled his character the best.
One of my favorite lines on MASH was between Frank and Radar. Frank: The men really hate me don't they, come on you can tell me. Radar: Just your guts sir.
One of my favorite Frank moments is when he's sleeping and Hawkeye yells in his ear " GOOD NIGHT FRANK!" and Frank woke with a startle and a look of shock on his face.
I saw Larry in New York in about 1995 acting in Travels with my Aunt in Greenwich Village; I can't recall the theater. He was fabulous. Wonderful stage presence and 'ownership' of the role. It was a real treat to see him in a different role.
My dad served in the Korean war as an ambulance driver. HE made me and my siblings watch the TV series M*A*S*H. While myself serving in the U.S. Army, I served in KOREA and was able to visit the original 4077 MASH unit. Yes, it looked closely to the MASH TV series. Rosie's Bar really existed and was across the street from the MASH unit. I found Larry is from my home STATE OREGON. I love it. So sorry to hear of his passing.
When McClane Stevenson left Mash, the TV guide interview was about how his character would be missed. When Larry Left the article was filled with his costars saying how sad they were to see him go. He is nothing like his character, He is one of the funniest men they knew. Stuff like that. As a kid I knew that meant he was not at all like his character. He was well liked. As an adult, I love rewatching his scenes cause you can see in the other actors eyes he was doing something different. Even when it looked like they were fighting it never made it to their eyes. It kind of looked like they had been laughing just a few moments before.
I'm wondering if there must be some sort of unwritten rule in comedy, i.e. you have to be likable to play a rotten character effectively. Sort of like how you need to be kind of smart to play the dumb guy or gal. I wonder if the comedy works if the other actors genuinely despise the one playing the heel. Sometimes you learn later on that actors who play friends or romantic partners don't like each other in real life (too many examples to mention), but ones who play adversaries actually get along off camera.
Hi Stephen. Thanks for your look into Mr Linville, his foil to be played off by the other characters was without peer. They say never meet your heroes, but I would have loved to shake his hand and thank him for a well-done job. Have a good one looking forward to the next.
I met Linville at the Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ. It was one of his last roles. He was outside the theatre during intermission. He was so nice talking about Mash. I can say I shook the hand of Maj. Frank Burns.
Nothing at all like his character. I and my mother were lucky enough to meet Mr. Linville when he was doing a dinner theatre engagement of the stage play A Thousand Clowns in New Orleans back in the 1970s and he was a very warm and funny man. It was a privilege to watch him on the stage in that production.
Frank Burns is one of my all time favorite characters.............Larry visited the school of a friend when my friend was a little kid, I guess Larry was super nice and stayed most of the day having a great time with all the kids.
I met him at the "Farewell to the 4077 MASH" party in Columbus, Ohio in 1982. Really a Top Shelf kinda guy...it we an honor to met him...easy to laugh, very friendly and easy to like... great actor
Back in the late ‘80s a friend of mine was at a BBQ. The host had met Mr. Linville a few days earlier when he was playing a dinner theatre in Mississauga. The host invited him & his wife to the barbecue the following Sunday but didn’t expect him to show, figuring he was just being nice to a fan. Linville & his wife showed up and were utterly charming; apparently they both had a great sense of humour and were very gracious. My friend was impressed by what a great guy he was and said he realized that Linville was an excellent actor who played the role of Frank Burns with total commitment. A true professional. I have read that he left the show because he tired of playing the buffoon and not getting to humanize the role of Burns. It saddens me to think he may not have enjoyed playing his creation. N.B. - When I was a teenager it was possible, in my area, to watch M*A*S*H reruns 4x/day. I watched them all. Interestingly, a few years ago I watched a few episodes and it dawned on me that loveable Hawkeye was, in fact, a sociopathic bully with an anti-authority complex who made life hell for anyone with whom he disagreed.
I met Larry Linville in 1988 when he came to speak at my college. I was on the committee that booked speakers, and they asked me to be "security" for his green room, which basically meant making sure that no random bozo walked in. I wound up just chatting with him for almost an hour about life and everything. He talked about his days on his latest movie set, and I talked about my college experience. He was very easy-going and relatable. When it was time for him to go onstage, we shook hands and I said, "It's been a pleasure." He said, "It was for me, too."
He was one of my all time favorite characters on M*A*S*H And must say, Maj. Winchester did a fantastic job filling the void after Mr. Linville left the series.
I'm a young Millennial and I grew up with the MASH dvd box set! I adored it all and it really helped me during the constant toxicity and bullying of the 90s. Frank Burns was a delightful character and I am forever grateful for Larry's portrayal!
I worked at Stage West in Regina, Saskatchewan.(1991)Larry stayed at the hotel for 4 months. he drank like a fish, and chain smoked all day long.He was terrific and so easy going. One thing he was clear about was his absolute distaste for Alan Alda. He hated him.
Alan Alda detested those folks who served in the u.s. military during the Vietnam war and refused to participate in videos sending greetings and wishing the troops well during the holiday season like Christmas, Thanksgiving. He blamed them for prolonging the Vietnam war--he reasoned that if everyone refused to serve in the u.s. military, then there wouldn't be a Vietnam war to begin with. Alda had allies who shared this viewpoint like Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff. They were like Jane Fonda. Jackie Cooper (a child actor from The Lil' Rascals/ Our Gang single reel movies of the '20s and '30s, a WW2 veteran who produced the early MASH episodes) wrote about this in his autobiography. According to Cooper, Alan Alda was hostile towards him. Gary Burghoff, OTOH,would lecture Jackie Cooper about acting (Cooper didn't go to acting school and learned on the job). Apparently, Burghoff was snobbish and only respected those actors and actresses who had formal education, training in acting.
I met him years ago, he came and gave a talk at UCF back in 1988/1989. He was fantastically witty and very outgoing. A great experience getting to meet him - big surprise to all present was that he originally read for the part of Radar, he told us when he didn't get it he said something sarcastically under his breath...and landed the role of Frank..
I have never seen anyone who worked with Larry say anything but that he was an amazingly kind soul In fact because of the Frank Burns image, it seems like his fellow cast members go out of their way to emphasize what a wonderful human being he was
To be honest, I think there is a pattern of actors who play “bad guys” being among the nicest people in Hollywood. People tend to forget the beloved Gavin McLeod, before being Murrray Slaughter or Captain Stubing, played “Chicken,” the most coldly and frighteningly evil villains on “Hawaii Five-O.” Another example is Mako, who played World War II era Japanese military figures to perfection while being a kind and friendly guy in real life. Even Tom Felton, the despicable Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, was the most popular person in that cast, a genuinely sweet guy. This is great tribute to their acting ability.
William Zabka aka Johnny Lawrence Marshall Teague Jimmy in Raodhouse William Smith Falconetti from Rich Man Poor Man among his many roles all come to mind. I hear they are some of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
I have heard somewhere else on UA-cam that in the episode about the "attacks" of the bumbling pilot Five O'Clock Charlie, it was Linville that came up with the joke of having Hawkeye and Trapper constantly replacing his sidearm with other items (plunger, stapler, squirt gun...) If true, that would be totally awesome, and demonstrate one hell of a sense of humor.
I remember him not only for "Mash", but an episode of "Bonanza". where he played the same sleazy character. I finally realized that it takes a really good actor to play that part so convincingly for so long.
He was also in a Twilight zone episode...the one about the martian that crash landed in a snowy wooded area and wandered into a diner where it hid amongst the occupants. Larry played one of the two police officers who follow the tracks in the snow that lead to the diner.
I have always said Larry Linville had the hardest job on MASH. Even his replacement David Ogden Stiers as Charles Winchester became likable in the later episodes on the show. I read in an interview, that Mr. Linville wanted to play Frank Burns in such a slimy way, because he wanted the audience to recognize "Slimeballs" when they encounter them-and to avoid them in life. Linville also stated that he absolutely detested Burns in everyway-it's funny because he played the part to PERFECTION. It's a shame he was never nominated at all for his work on MASH.
I was only 12 when MASH TV series started. I fell in love with it at the first episode, and still to this day. It is THE best show ever to hit TV. But I grew up hating Burns! Only when I got older did I realize what a great actor he was. ❤
I had the pleasure to meet Larry a few years after he left MASH. Because Frank was so despicable I really didn't want to like Larry - but he was so warm, charming and genuinely funny (ad libbing). I realized then how good of an actor he was. I encountered him a few other times and it was always a treat. When he passed I was saddened that so many people knew him mostly for being Frank and never got to know Larry. He's one of my favorite actors, and definitely favorite of the show (though I still dislike Frank).
Hey, you're Dave's brother! Great video, loved Larry Linville. Great actor & even greater person! Got to meet him years ago, at a convention. He signed autographs, shook hands(with everybody). Seemed to be a really nice person. Very intelligent about aviation & science. Pretty well rounded guy... Loved M*A*S*H best with him. New subscriber!!!!
Yes...Dave is my brother! He got me started up on UA-cam. Thanks for the subscription and for sharing your experience of meeting Mr. Linville at a convention. I would have loved ot have that experience!
An actor friend of mine worked with Jamie Farr at a dinner theater. She said he was the meanest and most denigrating person she had the displeasure to work with.
My mom met him. She said he was a very nice person. She worked at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno Ca. He came by to visit one day and said hi to everyone. Very nice talked to everyone. Went to rooms and talked to the kids. Stayed the whole day. I say this with love, Frank Burns eats worms. We miss you Larry!!
MASH was a better show when Frank Burns was the camp foil. I liked the episode where Hot Lips walks in the tent and asks: "Isn't that Frank's bag?" Trapper's come back was great: "I thought you were Franks bag." There is one scene where you see the human side of Frank, the scene where Radar gets Frank's mom on the phone to cheer him up. For a brief moment you see Frank's vulnerability and feel for him. People who sent in hate mail were jerks. Frank was a big part of the success of that show. RIP Larry, you done good.
I used to think how you could tell if a MASH rerun was worth watching was to check whether or not Mike Farrell's B.J. had a mustache (the show got more forced in its writing and acting after he grew it), but I've come to believe that two big departures from the show really hurt it, both named Larry: Larry Linville and series creator Larry Gelbart. No disrespect to David Ogden Stiers, who was a fine actor, but the show just wasn't the same after Larry Linville. Still, watch out for B. J.'s mustache. :-)
He was the best actor in the show , brilliant timing and great stories . When he left there was a big hole . Alan Alda took it over and tried to turn it into his show. Larry was great and mash was never the same 👍
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Linville at my college back in the 80s. He was such a genuine person and down to earth human being. I was very sad when he passed.
I met Larry Linville and he is the complete opposite of Frank Burns. He talked about how he got into acting, brought a MASH episode(Margaret’s Engagement) and meet greet and autographs.
Larry had roles in two Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The first was as a coroner and was a very component doctor opposite of the MASH role. He in a later episode was a detective and also seemed very component. I already knew of his true persona and loved him as an actor and a person.
It's so nice of you to give such good actors and people their proper tribute. Some of the best people played the hardest characters and no one realizes what amazing people they really were ...especially like Larry Lin...
I met him at a speaking engagement back in the late 80’s. One of the most genuinely nicest guys I’ve ever met. When he spoke to you, he let you know he was truly interested in what you were saying. Funny stories too!
It used to be, people would find out my last name was Linville, ask me if I was related to Larry, and when I'd say he's my uncle, they'd freak out. Now a days, people generally don't know who Larry was. Otherwise, growing up, my friends wouldn't know he was my uncle unless they came over while he was visiting. He'd drive up from LA to visit us in Sacramento about once a year. I used to laugh when my friends would be, "OMG, why is the guy from MASH in your living room?" and I'd remind them we have the same last name, and they still wouldn't piece it together. Anyways, to add a story most people don't know:
Larry and Deborah (his fifth and final wife who held Larry's hand as he passed), wrote a play together called Seeds. My cousin Lance Linville, who lived in Winters (which is a rural town near Sacramento), took it to his local theater. My aunt Deborah flew from New York to see it performed at the Winters Theater, and my cousin Lance drove Gary Burghoff all the way from his home in Orville, CA to Winters to see it. That's about a 3 hour car trip.
Very cool story! Thanks for sharing these personal details!
He wasn't just the guy from Mash he was on love boat and he was the principal in Rock 'n Roll HighSchool Forever
@@TheKnightstryke Larry was in a lot of things. He used to joke that, "This movie is so bad, I'm probably in it."
@@Lokana Rock n roll high-school Forever is a cult classic like the Original
These are good stories. The "M*A*S*H Matters" podcast would probably love hearing from you
I was in the Korean Surgeon episode, playing a North Korean infiltrator who kidnaps Frank Burns to take up north where they desperately needed surgeons (along with Bob Ito.) Not only was Larry Linville a really nice guy, but he was a completely generous actor, who was really concerned about the whole of the scene and not only his part.
Larry, thanks so much for taking the time to comment on my video about Larry Linville! I love that episode you mentioned, where you and Bob Ito kidnap Frank Burns, only to realize his kind of a pain in the butt and you guys just want to get rid of him. Sooo funny! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!
I remember seeing the episode with Mr. Hamma back in the late eighties. I saw his name in the ending credits and wondered if he was the same as the guy writing the only comic I ever read.
I do believe that the Larry Hama that appeared in MASH is the same Larry Hama that was a writer and editor for Marvel comics. I think he may have worked on some Wolverine stories, as well as G.I. Joe and others.
"You simpleton - we are North Koreans!" 😆
Mr Hama - Although it has been probably at least 2 decades since i last saw that episode, man i love it. I appreciate your acting, and i love that you took the time to write here. - i so rarely get to share my appreciation with someone who has entertained me via their acting. Hope all is well with you.
My great uncle was actually a very kind hearted man. I'm sure we all have been sometimes jerks in our life times because we are just human.
-Pierce Linville.
I knew that, which is why I made this video….to make sure people understood that. He was THE BEST at playing Frank Burns!
Loved his acting! I still watch MASH.
Your Great Uncle was great Frank Burns was my favorite character
Your great uncle had to be one heck of an actor to pull off the Burns character the way he did!
I have read that he was will liked by the cast
Larry Linville by all accounts, was a great guy. He was the one who suggested the name "ferret face", because he had been called that in school. What a guy.
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Wow! I totally forgot that nickname 😂. I recalled Hot Lips calling him a "lipless wonder" though. Now, I wonder if he also suggested that one.
Oh yeah because no one ever used that name before. FFS
I briefly met Larry at an after event reception when he was on a college speaking tour. He was one of the most down to earth and engaging people.
I’ve had a few other people tell me the exact same thing. Thanks for sharing your comments as well!
I remember him from a college tour around 1988. I remember him as engaging, down to earth too. The night I saw him he got pretty sloshed. I got a strong sense that he wished his life had turned out differently, that he didn’t get the respect he deserved and that he could have used his sharp mind in another career.
I attended one of his talks at a college campus (can't remember what year). Seemed quite normal...
I also met Larry Linville at an event. Same experience. Down to earth, friendly, interesting. Good guy.
Yeah, I met him in the late 1980's at a similar event, college speaking tour in my hometown. He was down to earth, quite amicable and willing to sign autographs, answer questions, etc from those who attended. He could not have been nicer. May he RIP.
Actually Larry Linville was a very kind and generous actor and entertainer. When I was stationed over in South Korea, during the mid to late 1980's, Mr. Linville, along with other M*A*S*H & After-M*A*S*H actors and actresses, such as Wayne Rogers, Jamie Farr, David Ogden Stiers, William Christopher, Loretta Swit, and M*A*S*H producer, Larry Gelbert, all were part of a U.S.O. (United Service Organization) group, that toured all the U.S. military bases, and did book and autograph signings, and even did many Q&A interviews with the troops, and visiting a few of the orphanages, as well. He was a great entertainer and a compassionate human being. Rest in peace, Mr. Linville.
Thanks for sharing all of those details John. Totally reinforces everything I’ve read!
You should check him on a 1992 episode of the Howard Stern show, when it ran on wwor-tv Secaucus NJ.
43rd MASH on Camp Humphreys used to have a signed poster of the entire M*A*S*H* crew, hanging in the entryway, from that USO tour.
Musta been surreal seeing "Ferret-Face" and "Maj. Winchester" at the same time! (They never appeared in a M*A*S*H episode together...)
I got to see him at Camp Humphreys where the 4077th MASH/24th MASH was located in 96 while I was stationed there. They still had the 4077th MASH Best Care Anywhere doormats in the entryways at the time.
The one thing about his character that really disappointed me was that he was never allowed to humanize. One of the great aspects of David Odgen Stiers' Charles Winchester was his humanity, something Linville was almost never allowed by the writers to explore.
Agreed!
I have heard that was part of Larry Linville leaving the show. He was unhappy that the character was not growing and felt that there wasn't anything further he could bring to the show as a result.
True. And by the time he left, Burns had been turned into an almost total clown.
@@tomshea8382 In a way, though, it was a logical if negative development. Once Col. Potter arrived and all possibility of command had been forever shut off to him, Frank began to deteriorate emotionally. That he couldn't intimidate Potter the way he and Margaret used to with Henry, and indeed was intimidated by his new C.O. made things worse, especially because Frank is a coward. That Potter was a likeable commander and a clear leader who the rest of the staff warm up to is another irritant to Frank since he cannot sow dissention against him with any of the officers, not even Margaret who steadily comes to regard Potter as a surrogate father figure. He grows increasingly paranoid and racist, sloppier as a doctor and more selfish and childish. All Frank's worst traits come out and this is what steadily disenchants Margaret with him (especially after he stole another officer's antique gun and let Radar take the blame for the theft), and when she gets engaged to Donald Penobscot and ends her affair with Frank he really starts falling apart. All the pillars of security and comfort holding up his personality had been demolished. Frank's total crack-up was a mere question of time at that point. At least it happened in Tokyo and not in the O.R.
@@LordZontar While all that is true, that was pretty much the end of the character arc. At no time was the Burns character allowed to develop and it must have got boring for Linville.
Larry does not get enough credit for playing Burns. To play such a childish incompetent bumbleling bafoon so consistently is a talent. And he made M.A.S.H. fun to watch.
Exactly!
His best one liner was; " punch him in the throat! punch him in the throat!"
And his "Frank Burns" was infinitely more likeable than Robert Duval's. Linville was sometimes funny and once in a great while made a valid political point. Duval's was a humorless douche bag.
@@stephensundstrom6379 He also was on Fantasy Island
The man did not deserve the idiotic scrips written for him.
The way Linville used his body, especially his facial muscles, are a wonder to watch. He had such amazing comedic timing and control of his limbs that he could steal any scene that he was in.
That is so true!
@@stephensundstrom6379 just rewatch the scene where he falls into the foxhole filled with water by BJ. Linville collapses like a marionette whose strings have been cut. A great physical comedian.
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He would angrily stomp away with his hands in his pockets and make those exaggerated facial expressions.
Absolutely, Linville was a master of the close up face of frustration, cowardice, and resignation that once again he had made a fool of himself,.
I remember watching the Mash reunion.
The thing I remember the most about it was how Gary Burgoff talked about Larry Linville.
He said Larry was a very kind man who it was obvious the whole cast loved him
I do believe it was after Larry's passing.
RIP Larry and all of the other great actors who passed from the show.
Mash is one of my all time favorite shows.
Mark, thanks for your comments. MASH is one of my all time favorites as well!
If it was the MASH 30th anniversary reunion,yes that was in 2002. Linville passed away 2 years before that.
I remember seeing that as well. If my memory is correct, Loretta Swit cried a bit when talking about Larry's passing. I think they all mentioned how much they loved working with him, and what a nice person he was.
At the 25th anniversary special, I believe Larry Linville said that if you ever meet someone like Frank Burns, get as far away from him as you possibly can!
Larry and the actor that played Col. Potter and Lt. Col. Henry Blake were 2 of my faves...along with the ever beloved Gary Burgof and Klinger.
I’ve said this before, the departure of Larry Linville caused the biggest change in the show of all the cast changes. While I enjoyed Major Winchester, the loss of Frank Burns alter the tone and direction of the show.
100% agree
Of course
Very true. When Winchester came onto the show MASH become a bloviating political mess of a show. It completely jumped the shark and lost the original premise of the show.
@@ficklefingeroffate Didnot ju. p the shark Mash showed war is Hell
Characters Trapper Henry. Frank had to go
I met Larry in 1978. I ran an avionics shop at Santa Monica airport. The hangar I was in was just across from Larry’s hangar where he was building his flying wing sailplane. Often during my lunch break I would walk across the ramp and Larry and I would talk airplanes. He was a total aviation geek just like me. He was totally not like any of the characters he portrayed, a genuine really nice guy.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that story!
It wasn't Pioneer Aviation, was it? 😂
But seriously, that is a wonderful memory to have!
@@theghoulyard It was California Aviation at that time. Formerly Duke Aviation.
@@theghoulyard LOL LOL HAHAHA. Made my day!
The funny thing about Major Burns was he could at times be someone you'd feel sorry for despite his harsh nature towards everyone. It was clear he was insecure and childish. There was one time he tried to prove himself after Margret dumped him, Radar got his mom on the phone, and listening to him you could feel sorry for him. I think for a lot of people they might not like his character and he might deserve what he got sometime, but I also think we're afraid of this is the sort of person we might be if we're put in a situation that really is well over our heads. Larry Linville did a great job.
So true and I remember the exact scene you are referencing, and Linville was SOOOO good in that scene. Thanks for sharing your comments!
That cast was lucky to have had such good writing to work from but the mark of a great actor is when they are able to bring us deep into a character’s psyche.
Great episode and great scene
Larry was truly a tremendous part of the success of MASH and why even to this day we still love to watch it in reruns. We might have sometimes hated Frank Burns but we sure loved watching Larry play him.
So true!
Linville was in the original Night Stalker movie as a medical examiner. He also appeared in an episode of the series. Linville had a great acting range. So sad he passed so young.
I totally agree! 60 years young is way to soon!
I remember seeing him as a genie (and a sympathetic one against type) in a Fantasy Island episode. Last thing I remember seeing him in was a small role in a sweet independent movie called A Million to Juan that was a modernized retelling of a Mark Twain story.
I think he also did Bonanza
I saw Larry in the Night Stalker and Mannix and he showed how good he was as an actor-he later said he left Mash because he felt he had taken the character Frank Burns as far as he could and to continue would be repeating old material- his departure was quite amicable and not one of the cast had anything bad to say about Larry
The role I remember Linville in was a guest star appearance in the show "Supertrain". It was a 70's anthology show, trying to be a lot like "Love Boat", but it didn't last.
Anyway, The story goes that a man finds Linville's character on the ground, suffering from a fall. The man helps Linville, (I remember Linville's line "All these people and no one cared to help me. Except for you" was creepy.) The two go for a drink and they talk. It turns out that the man who helped Linville was no longer in love with his wife and is trying to find a way to divorce her without losing everything. Linville says "You helped me, let me help you. I'll kill her for you." The man is horrified and tells him to stay away from him and his wife. But that doesn't happen.
The rest of the episode was Linville ends up getting close to the man's wife. When the man warns her to stay away, she brushes him off. She knows he wants a divorce and says things like "Why do you care? You don't love me anymore."
When the man goes to the authorities, they can't do anything. Linville's character has done nothing wrong. When they ask Linville if he threaten to kill the wife, he plays innocent. All Linville does is nice things for both of them. Linville doesn't even make a pass at the wife. He keeps it plutonic.
Then Linville tells the man it will happen tonight. The man panics, not knowing how Linville is going to kill the wife. We see a scene where Linville brings a drink to the wife, the implication is that it was poisoned. The man finds out somehow (don't remember) and rushes to stop Linville.
He's too late. He finds his wife out cold in the bed, the glass empty. The man screams and tries to wake up his wife.
And she does. She's fine. Linville steps out of the shadows and tells them she was no danger. He wasn't going to kill her. But he wanted to let you know how much you value a person once they're gone. Perhaps he should rethink why he wants a divorce and leaves.
The next scene is another man helping Linville get up from a fall. Once again, Linville delivers the line "All these people and no one cared to help me. Except for you".
It was an amazing episode. You were creeped out and on the edge of your seat for the entire thing, thanks to Linville. I would say that performance was his best ever. At the reveal, you can tell that Linville's character is heavily suffering the loss of someone even though it's mentioned in passing.
Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to share.
That sounds like an awesome episode. I wish I would have seen it! Thanks for sharing your comments and the recap of that Linville role on Supertrain!
Now I want to see that episode!!!
Wow!
Back when writing for TV actually had some depth and messaging of morals.
Never saw that, but wish I had. Thank you. Well worth reading.
I had the pleasure of meeting Larry in the late 1980's when he appeared as a guest celebrity at a MASH themed event at a community college where I worked.
Larry was the hit of the event, the students loved talking to him about the show and their favorite episodes. He probably got a cramp in his hand from all of the autographs he signed that night.
I had time to talk to him after the event, and he was was a very friendly, regular guy that loved to talk about the show.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing this story.
Larry's portrayal of Frank Burns was nothing short of brilliant. My favourite Frank Burns moment was the episode where he's finally had enough of Hawkeye's antics and plays a series of practical jokes on him. The final scene where Hawkeye collapses the walls of the latrine while Frank is inside is hysterical. The look on Frank's face when he realizes what has happened, is priceless. R.I.P. Mr Linville!
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Loving Larry Linville
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He made us really loathe his
Major Franklin Burns.
Sometimes showed humanity
with few happy returns.
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Don’t you love his base depiction
and his pettifogging ways.
Even as a ferret face
he had his better days.
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Hidden from his other roles
that are almost never seen.
Buried in a typecast
portrayed on the small screen.
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No matter what we think
of the character he played.
He really acted it so well.
He really knew his trade.
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So I’m loving Larry Linville
as an actor of the art.
His merit rediscovered
for his talent and his heart.
Wow! Did you compose this? It’s great and so spot on!
@@stephensundstrom6379 Yes, about 5 years ago or so. Thanks.
Yes. He fine actor
I love it!
Larry’s best moment and best lines were his very last on the show. As Margaret’s chopper takes off after her wedding, Frank is alone on the helipad and softly says, "goodbye Margaret.” Heartbreaking stuff, and one of my all time favorite moments in the entire series
I totally agree with you on that!
I know Frank was a grade A jerk, but my heart broke for him at that moment.
Mine too!
Jeeze I need to find that episode. I can picture it ands for folk like you paying attention it would be more significant than the end episode.
My favourite was when hawkeye wanted to give him a physical and he flung himself backwards on the bed in hypochondria. Then laughed because it tickled. OR when the mash had to relocate and they came across a brothel and tried to tell Frank what it was subtly. "Tarts? Strawberry?"
I met and worked with Larry in the 90s.He was a wonderful guy, warm and cheerful to all, His M*A*S*H* stories were hilarious and I could talk for hours with the man. Miss ya Larry.
I’ll bet that was a really great experience! Thanks for sharing!
Larry portrayed Frank amazingly. It takes god-tier talent to act like the polar opposite of your morals and behaviors. He's been on record saying it was incredibly difficult to say most of his lines when frank was supposed to be trying to be romantic with hotlips because he kept laughing midway through at how stupid they sounded.
imo after he 'lost' Margret his character fell apart and he just kinda existed for awhile. What little screen time he had was a rehash joke every time, i think if he kept that up for even 1 more season it would have tainted the character even further and possibly him.
I think you are spot on. I felt pretty bad for Frank during that 5th season.
I agree with your observations…100%. He must have known the character wasn’t going to be sustainable.
@@stephensundstrom6379 Yeah Margaret was the jerk that season.
Loretta Swit said he was a great friend and she really enjoyed working with him.
I'm so glad that you did this video on Larry. I only watched the 2 early seasons with McLean Stevenson Wayne Rogers and Larry Lynnville as they made the show FUNNY! As a kid I could not stand his character... as an adult I can't get enough of it at times! ❤️🔥
Thanks! I feel the same way.
Oo9poop lol
Frank Burns eats worms! So many sayings came from that TV show. Who can forget "Ferret face!" I think a lot of us who were young at that time felt the same way as kids and then the opposite as adults. It's a classic TV show that you can watch multiple times.
Yes absolutely
@@Jonathan.D I love it when Burns knocks on Margaret's door; she asks who it is, and he says, "It's your boo-boo-ba-dooper!" Burns also believes "in the sanctity of marriage, no matter how ugly or disgusting it gets!"
The most frustrating thing about Frank was seeing small glimpses of kindness in Frank
Agreed!
Yes he could be kind hut only in tiny little blips.
I remember an interview that Alan Alda gave when he was being asked about "Mash". He was being praised for acting abilities in "Mash" and Alan thanked the interviewer, but he said that Larry Linville was truly the great actor. Alan said that no one else could have played Frank Burns the way that Larry did. He said that it was magnificent. I use to dislike the character Frank Burns and too often associated my views of Larry based on how he portrayed Frank. Alan Alda opened my eyes as to how a truly great actor that Larry was in his portrayal of Frank. I gained a lot more respect for Frank, and the actor that played the role so perfectly. A job very well done, Larry!
Great comments! I would have loved to hear that interview.
Larry was beloved by fans. Never heard of one bad encounter with Larry and a fan. Rest in Pearce.
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I met Larry Linville when I attended college back in 1986. He came to our campus to give a speech. Although I only talked to him briefly, I can attest, he seemed quite nice and friendly.
Very cool. I’ve had others relay similar experiences. Thanks for sharing your comments!
It’s hard to believe watching him play Frank Burns that in real life he was an aeronautical engineer.
I cannot recall one cast member saying anything bad about him. The accounts say that he was a kind and caring person.
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Growing up in a Korean household, it was almost mandatory that I watch M.A.S.H. with my parents when I was a kid. I loved the show, but it broke my heart years later when I learned how much hate mail Mr. Linville received. To be fair, I also found the character of Frank Burns to be very unlike-able, but to conflate the character with the man playing the part, I just couldn't believe people could be so cruel. I'm glad I stumbled across this video on UA-cam. Thank you for letting me know about Mr. Linville, may he rest in peace.
Thank you for your comments!
There are so many great Frank Burns episodes. One of my favorites was when Hawkeye and Trapper thought Frank had hepatitis. They had to keep him away from hot lips and out of the officer's latrines. He made the show great. I wonder how brilliant it would have been if Colonel Blake, Frank, and Trapper would have stayed a while longer.
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Would been cancelled
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@@gregwatson8219 Wouldn't have been canceled... The tone of the show would have changed in the darker even with Henry and Trapper. The character of Hawkeye changed drastically in sixth season he was not the same like in series 1 - 5
@@Filip80008 would not have been cancelled
Back in the late 1970s or early '80s, I was an assistant curator of aviation at the National Air and Space Museum / Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. I gave Larry a full behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum's aircraft storage and restoration facility in Maryland. We spent hours together as I took him through one aircraft storage building after another to show him rare and historic civil and military airplanes not on display to the public. Larry enjoyed meeting the talented aircraft restorers (his kindred spirits) in our restoration shop, where there was much laughter and mutual admiration (shop talk). The whole time, I found him to be kind, wonderful, funny, genuine, modest, and supremely intelligent. He charmed us all and was truly a "great guy." Thank you for showing this to be the case.
Jay...that is such a cool story. What an opportunity to be able to spend some one on one time giving Larry "Frank Burns" Linville a tour of that particular Museum!
As a TVNews Videographer,I shot an interview with him in the mid 80’s. I was pleasantly surprised to find him to be a very fine articulate, well educated fine polite gentleman. The kind of man you would want to be around.
Thanks for sharing that additional info!
I think that Larry Linville was an excellent actor & was very underrated!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🙂
Absolutely! As always, thanks for supporting my channel.
Met him as a child in Southern California....he was absolutely charming and kind.
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"Ferret Face" Was the best on MASH! Larry made it so easy to laugh, and the set ups to get him where priceless!
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Larry was such a nice man and friend to me. I was a cocktail waitress at Union Plaza when he starred in a play there in the mid '80's. I have many pictures of him hanging out with us in the lounge and he bought me the nicest gift on my birthday that I still have. We had some really great times!
Wow! That is very cool. I'm sure that's a gift that you treasure to this day. Thanks for sharing your story and for watching my video!
I got to see him speak in 1988 or 1989. "Frank Burns Returns to Fort Wayne!" hosted by IUPUFW.
1. That staccato, high-pitched laugh was real. We got to hear it several times that night.
2. He said he wanted to be an Air Force pilot, but was color-blind.
3. He said he kept telling the executives of M*A*S*H that he wasn't going to come back for another season. Then, they were surprised when he didn't show up for work, had to scramble to write him out of the show, and needed time to find a replacement.
4. He started out the evening with something like, 'I'm an actor - a professional liar. I lie for a living. It's up to you to figure out if I'm telling the truth.' Then that laugh.
At the end of the evening, as he was signing autographs, he was genuinely jovial and engaging with the college students who hosted the event.
Thanks for sharing your memories of seeing Linville speak. I would have loved to be there!
It saddened me when I had originally hear of Larry Linville's passing. I remember watching MASH growing up and always got a good laugh out of Frank's plans going awry. At the same time I always admired the man behind the character because, even at the age of 12, I could tell that Frank Burns was a unique individual solely within his own right and, in my opinion, only Larry could have brought him to life with as much love as he obviously did.
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LL, in my opinion is the most underrated Actor of that era. He portrayed his part brilliantly, and helped make the show the Iconic show that it is.
A great Actor part of a terrific ensemble cast.
Very true!
In the '80s I was at San Diego State University, and I Larry Linville came to our campus to give a talk. I was a big MASH fan, and wouldn't have missed it. He was great, and the one anecdote I remember him talking about was being the youngest person in the US to get a glider pilot's license!
Very cool! I didn’t know he held that record, so thanks for sharing that additional info!
Without a doubt, Larry Linville was the best actor on MASH. A consistent, hilarious, sharp actor. The fact you have to say he was a nice guy, proves how good he was.
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Larry Linville was a sweetheart as a human being. We always confuse their roles with their real life. Good people can play bad guys and bad people can play goods guys
So true! Thanks for watching my video!
I was working in the hospitial at Mcdill AFB and Larry Linville came by to visit the patients -he was wonderful! A really nice man.
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing that story!
Every interview I seen him in he was the nicest guy you would ever meet.
RIP Larry Linville
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I loved Frank Burns! All of those actors were spot on and believable. I didn't care for the later episodes. I really enjoyed the early days of MASH and that raw and feeling portrayal that those actors gave. Bravo!!
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I also met Mr Linville on a college speaking tour, checking out schools for his daughter. A kind, open, and engaging man who mingled with the students. Sadly, he seemed a pretty heavy smoker. Cigarettes are killers.
I’ve heard many similar stories. It is too bad that we weren’t as educated about the dangers of smoking back in the 60s and 70s as we are now.
Growing up, MASH was my favourite TV show but without Larry Linville for the others to play off of, the show was not as good. He was a fantastic actor to act that despicable. RIP
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Linville spoke about what Frank Burns was supposed to be. It was a war comedy and Linville said that you could play that character one of two ways - either as the bully or the fool, and the bully was not what a comedy needed. As the show went on in years, Loretta Swit's Maj Houlihan actually evolved, while the writers kept Burns as the fool. Linville balked at this, seeing his roll as being more of the same each week while everyone else's characters had evolved. So he moved on. Both Burghoff and Jamie Farr have stated that Linville was fun to work with and very kind. Now, the counter to this is that Linville was married 4 times and had a drinking problem, so he may have had some other problems, but on the set as Frank Burns he was generally well liked.
Great comments! Thanks!
@@stephensundstrom6379 The best comment I heard made about Burns by Linville was when he was asked 'Why didn't the role progress? Why didn't he become more understanding, more humane, more compassionate, more sensitive?' Linville supposedly replied 'What did you want him to be, Alan Alda?'
I’ve read that one too! So funny!
Every time Frank Burns came on the screen it was like somebody slowly running their fingernails down a chalkboard. It took a great actor to be able to pull that role off perfectly every episode, even ones where he did not make an appearance. Larry Linville showed the world that he was the perfect person to fill that role as an actor, not as a reflection of his true personality. There was a lot of talent involved in the production of MASH, but I have to admit that Larry's acting fulfilled his character the best.
Great comments! Thanks for watching my video!
One of my favorite lines on MASH was between Frank and Radar.
Frank: The men really hate me don't they, come on you can tell me.
Radar: Just your guts sir.
That is 100% Pure Comedy Gold! I loved the interactions between Frank and Radar.
One of my favorite Frank moments is when he's sleeping and Hawkeye yells in his ear " GOOD NIGHT FRANK!" and Frank woke with a startle and a look of shock on his face.
That was a hilarious scene!
Linville's delivery of the epic line - *_snot, snot, snot_* - should have earned him an Emmy nomination.
Yes!
I saw Larry in New York in about 1995 acting in Travels with my Aunt in Greenwich Village; I can't recall the theater. He was fabulous. Wonderful stage presence and 'ownership' of the role. It was a real treat to see him in a different role.
I would have loved to see him on stage!
My dad served in the Korean war as an ambulance driver. HE made me and my siblings watch the TV series M*A*S*H. While myself serving in the U.S. Army, I served in KOREA and was able to visit the original 4077 MASH unit. Yes, it looked closely to the MASH TV series. Rosie's Bar really existed and was across the street from the MASH unit. I found Larry is from my home STATE OREGON. I love it. So sorry to hear of his passing.
Thank you for your service to our country! I would have loved to seen that MASH 4077 unit!
I loved Major Burn's nickname on the show: ferret face. And the way he would pinch his face made it that much funnier.
I read that Larry Linville’s brother gave him that nickname when they were kids.
I met him in a pub in Boston back in 1985. Very nice man, stopped and spoke to everyone. No airs and graces about him.
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When McClane Stevenson left Mash, the TV guide interview was about how his character would be missed.
When Larry Left the article was filled with his costars saying how sad they were to see him go.
He is nothing like his character, He is one of the funniest men they knew. Stuff like that.
As a kid I knew that meant he was not at all like his character. He was well liked.
As an adult, I love rewatching his scenes cause you can see in the other actors eyes he was doing something different.
Even when it looked like they were fighting it never made it to their eyes.
It kind of looked like they had been laughing just a few moments before.
Great comments! Thanks!
I’ve always heard that he was a terrific guy.
It amuses me that many of the most despicable characters are played believably by the kindest people.
So true!
I'm wondering if there must be some sort of unwritten rule in comedy, i.e. you have to be likable to play a rotten character effectively. Sort of like how you need to be kind of smart to play the dumb guy or gal. I wonder if the comedy works if the other actors genuinely despise the one playing the heel. Sometimes you learn later on that actors who play friends or romantic partners don't like each other in real life (too many examples to mention), but ones who play adversaries actually get along off camera.
It's the same with Chris Barrie as Arnold J. Rimmer, BSc, SSc in Red Dwarf. He is so naturally witty and charming, it is unbelievable.
Hi Stephen. Thanks for your look into Mr Linville, his foil to be played off by the other characters was without peer. They say never meet your heroes, but I would have loved to shake his hand and thank him for a well-done job. Have a good one looking forward to the next.
I also would have loved to meet him. I’ve heard he was extremely down to earth and nice. Thanks for your comments!
I met Linville at the Paper Mill Playhouse in NJ. It was one of his last roles. He was outside the theatre during intermission. He was so nice talking about Mash. I can say I shook the hand of Maj. Frank Burns.
Very cool story!
"Apples don't grow on trees, you know!" - one of my all-time favorite lines from the show. He was a brilliant actor.
Pure comedy gold!
Larry Linville, McLean Stevenson, & Wayne Rogers were my favorites and the funniest characters in my opinion. RIP
👍. I loved all three of them as well. Thanks!
Nothing at all like his character. I and my mother were lucky enough to meet Mr. Linville when he was doing a dinner theatre engagement of the stage play A Thousand Clowns in New Orleans back in the 1970s and he was a very warm and funny man. It was a privilege to watch him on the stage in that production.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing that info!
I saw MASH as a teenager and two years ago watched the entire re run here 🇬🇧.
What a great t.v. show.
" Frank" also appeared in " Murder she wrote"
Greetings from the other side of the pond! Thanks for watching my video!
Frank Burns is one of my all time favorite characters.............Larry visited the school of a friend when my friend was a little kid, I guess Larry was super nice and stayed most of the day having a great time with all the kids.
That is so cool! Seems like a genuinely nice guy from everything I’ve read and heard.
I have heard many people say! Larry was a Awesome kind Man! RIP: LV
👍 Thanks for sharing your thoughts! By the way, huge Mad Max fan here so I love the moniker you’re for your profile!
@@stephensundstrom6379 It's Elvis!
I met him at the "Farewell to the 4077 MASH" party in Columbus, Ohio in 1982.
Really a Top Shelf kinda guy...it we an honor to met him...easy to laugh, very friendly and easy to like... great actor
I would have loved to been at that party! Thanks for sharing your comments!
Back in the late ‘80s a friend of mine was at a BBQ. The host had met Mr. Linville a few days earlier when he was playing a dinner theatre in Mississauga. The host invited him & his wife to the barbecue the following Sunday but didn’t expect him to show, figuring he was just being nice to a fan.
Linville & his wife showed up and were utterly charming; apparently they both had a great sense of humour and were very gracious. My friend was impressed by what a great guy he was and said he realized that Linville was an excellent actor who played the role of Frank Burns with total commitment. A true professional.
I have read that he left the show because he tired of playing the buffoon and not getting to humanize the role of Burns. It saddens me to think he may not have enjoyed playing his creation.
N.B. - When I was a teenager it was possible, in my area, to watch M*A*S*H reruns 4x/day. I watched them all. Interestingly, a few years ago I watched a few episodes and it dawned on me that loveable Hawkeye was, in fact, a sociopathic bully with an anti-authority complex who made life hell for anyone with whom he disagreed.
Great comments! Thanks for sharing this story with us as well as your thoughts!
I met Larry Linville in 1988 when he came to speak at my college. I was on the committee that booked speakers, and they asked me to be "security" for his green room, which basically meant making sure that no random bozo walked in. I wound up just chatting with him for almost an hour about life and everything. He talked about his days on his latest movie set, and I talked about my college experience. He was very easy-going and relatable. When it was time for him to go onstage, we shook hands and I said, "It's been a pleasure." He said, "It was for me, too."
I absolutely love hearing people's stories/experiences with Mr. Linville! Thanks so much for sharing this!
He was one of my all time favorite characters on M*A*S*H And must say, Maj. Winchester did a fantastic job filling the void after Mr. Linville left the series.
I think Stiers was great as Major Winchester “the 3rd”!
I'm a young Millennial and I grew up with the MASH dvd box set! I adored it all and it really helped me during the constant toxicity and bullying of the 90s. Frank Burns was a delightful character and I am forever grateful for Larry's portrayal!
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,Larry was the best actor on the show ! His talent will not be forgotten!
He definitely was a huge talent that made the show great!
I worked at Stage West in Regina, Saskatchewan.(1991)Larry stayed at the hotel for 4 months. he drank like a fish, and chain smoked all day long.He was terrific and so easy going. One thing he was clear about was his absolute distaste for Alan Alda. He hated him.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Well, now that’s certainly something I can respect about him!
Alan Alda detested those folks who served in the u.s. military during the Vietnam war and refused to participate in videos sending greetings and wishing the troops well during the holiday season like Christmas, Thanksgiving. He blamed them for prolonging the Vietnam war--he reasoned that if everyone refused to serve in the u.s. military, then there wouldn't be a Vietnam war to begin with. Alda had allies who shared this viewpoint like Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff. They were like Jane Fonda. Jackie Cooper (a child actor from The Lil' Rascals/ Our Gang single reel movies of the '20s and '30s, a WW2 veteran who produced the early MASH episodes) wrote about this in his autobiography. According to Cooper, Alan Alda was hostile towards him. Gary Burghoff, OTOH,would lecture Jackie Cooper about acting (Cooper didn't go to acting school and learned on the job). Apparently, Burghoff was snobbish and only respected those actors and actresses who had formal education, training in acting.
I met him years ago, he came and gave a talk at UCF back in 1988/1989. He was fantastically witty and very outgoing. A great experience getting to meet him - big surprise to all present was that he originally read for the part of Radar, he told us when he didn't get it he said something sarcastically under his breath...and landed the role of Frank..
Very interesting! I hadn’t heard that before. Thanks for sharing that additional info!
I have never seen anyone who worked with Larry say anything but that he was an amazingly kind soul
In fact because of the Frank Burns image, it seems like his fellow cast members go out of their way to emphasize what a wonderful human being he was
That’s what I’ve seen as well!
Radar..."Major Houlihan wants to see you in the opperating room."...Frank..."is she crazy?! someone'll see us!" Hysterical line and delivery.
Comedy Gold!
To be honest, I think there is a pattern of actors who play “bad guys” being among the nicest people in Hollywood. People tend to forget the beloved Gavin McLeod, before being Murrray Slaughter or Captain Stubing, played “Chicken,” the most coldly and frighteningly evil villains on “Hawaii Five-O.” Another example is Mako, who played World War II era Japanese military figures to perfection while being a kind and friendly guy in real life. Even Tom Felton, the despicable Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise, was the most popular person in that cast, a genuinely sweet guy. This is great tribute to their acting ability.
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William Zabka aka Johnny Lawrence
Marshall Teague Jimmy in Raodhouse
William Smith Falconetti from Rich Man Poor Man among his many roles
all come to mind. I hear they are some of the nicest guys you could ever meet.
All great examples!
Also Alan Rickman aka Hans Gruber was a very nice guy who helped younger actors
I have heard somewhere else on UA-cam that in the episode about the "attacks" of the bumbling pilot Five O'Clock Charlie, it was Linville that came up with the joke of having Hawkeye and Trapper constantly replacing his sidearm with other items (plunger, stapler, squirt gun...) If true, that would be totally awesome, and demonstrate one hell of a sense of humor.
I hadn’t heard that. Thanks for sharing that additional info!
I wouldn't be surprised if he thought that up.
He had a natural comedic ability, so that sounds consistent.
He told margaret"they put oatmeal in my gas mask"!🤣😂if you know anything about gas masks that would have been a complete nightmare!😆😂🤣
@@juliebryne2903 I do...and it would.
@@hellhound47bravo3 😂🤣right! Ive wore a few in the u.s army!
Saw him on a talk show. Charming and gracious, not the slightest hint of the role he played. I was genuinely taken aback.
Very cool! Thanks for sharing that info.
I remember him not only for "Mash", but an episode of "Bonanza". where he played the same sleazy character. I finally realized that it takes a really good actor to play that part so convincingly for so long.
I don't remember him being in an episode of Bonanza. I'll have to look for that. Thanks!
He was also in a Twilight zone episode...the one about the martian that crash landed in a snowy wooded area and wandered into a diner where it hid amongst the occupants. Larry played one of the two police officers who follow the tracks in the snow that lead to the diner.
I did NOT know that. Thanks for sharing this info and for watching my video!
That episode was great , 3 eyed cook armed man
I have always said Larry Linville had the hardest job on MASH. Even his replacement David Ogden Stiers as Charles Winchester became likable in the later episodes on the show. I read in an interview, that Mr. Linville wanted to play Frank Burns in such a slimy way, because he wanted the audience to recognize "Slimeballs" when they encounter them-and to avoid them in life. Linville also stated that he absolutely detested Burns in everyway-it's funny because he played the part to PERFECTION. It's a shame he was never nominated at all for his work on MASH.
Great comments Mr. Doom! (I love Marvel comics as well 😁)
@@stephensundstrom6379 😁
I was only 12 when MASH TV series started. I fell in love with it at the first episode, and still to this day. It is THE best show ever to hit TV. But I grew up hating Burns! Only when I got older did I realize what a great actor he was. ❤
Great comments Dan!
I had the pleasure to meet Larry a few years after he left MASH.
Because Frank was so despicable I really didn't want to like Larry - but he was so warm, charming and genuinely funny (ad libbing). I realized then how good of an actor he was.
I encountered him a few other times and it was always a treat.
When he passed I was saddened that so many people knew him mostly for being Frank and never got to know Larry.
He's one of my favorite actors, and definitely favorite of the show (though I still dislike Frank).
Great comments! Thanks for sharing your memories of Frank!
Hey, you're Dave's brother! Great video, loved Larry Linville. Great actor & even greater person!
Got to meet him years ago, at a convention. He signed autographs, shook hands(with everybody).
Seemed to be a really nice person. Very intelligent about aviation & science. Pretty well rounded
guy... Loved M*A*S*H best with him. New subscriber!!!!
Yes...Dave is my brother! He got me started up on UA-cam. Thanks for the subscription and for sharing your experience of meeting Mr. Linville at a convention. I would have loved ot have that experience!
An actor friend of mine worked with Jamie Farr at a dinner theater. She said he was the meanest and most denigrating person she had the displeasure to work with.
Wow! That really surprises me. Thanks for sharing your comments.
Everybody always spoke highly of him. He was a wonderful actor. And Great guy
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My mom met him. She said he was a very nice person. She worked at Valley Children’s Hospital in Fresno Ca. He came by to visit one day and said hi to everyone. Very nice talked to everyone. Went to rooms and talked to the kids. Stayed the whole day. I say this with love, Frank Burns eats worms. We miss you Larry!!
Great comments and thanks for sharing the story of your mom’s experience with him. That’s so cool!
MASH was a better show when Frank Burns was the camp foil. I liked the episode where Hot Lips walks in the tent and asks: "Isn't that Frank's bag?" Trapper's come back was great: "I thought you were Franks bag." There is one scene where you see the human side of Frank, the scene where Radar gets Frank's mom on the phone to cheer him up. For a brief moment you see Frank's vulnerability and feel for him.
People who sent in hate mail were jerks. Frank was a big part of the success of that show. RIP Larry, you done good.
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I used to think how you could tell if a MASH rerun was worth watching was to check whether or not Mike Farrell's B.J. had a mustache (the show got more forced in its writing and acting after he grew it), but I've come to believe that two big departures from the show really hurt it, both named Larry: Larry Linville and series creator Larry Gelbart. No disrespect to David Ogden Stiers, who was a fine actor, but the show just wasn't the same after Larry Linville.
Still, watch out for B. J.'s mustache. :-)
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Agreed
Agreed. Whenever I see his mustache I know it’s gonna be a serious episode.
I can do without BJ altogether. By far the worst character and worst actor associated with the show.
If you see the stash you must move past. If you see hair on the lip it aint worth a rip. If I see hair under the nose, to another season we goes.
That's the best Frank Burns line......."I didn't come here to be liked",, Burgoff....You certainly came to the right place...
The best!
He was the best actor in the show , brilliant timing and great stories . When he left there was a big hole . Alan Alda took it over and tried to turn it into his show. Larry was great and mash was never the same 👍
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To quote Larry "The show stopped being funny, and became too preachy".
no he wasn't. he was one heck of an actor. he played his part just perfect.
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The Man has me rolling when I watch re- runs of MASH! His acting talent is amazing! Hats off to the man who invented CRINGE! ❤️
Amen!
I had the honor of meeting Mr. Linville at my college back in the 80s. He was such a genuine person and down to earth human being. I was very sad when he passed.
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I met Larry Linville and he is the complete opposite of Frank Burns. He talked about how he got into acting, brought a MASH episode(Margaret’s Engagement) and meet greet and autographs.
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Definitely 'the man you love to hate'! But true... none of his co-stars have ever said a disparaging thing about him!
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Larry had roles in two Kolchak: The Night Stalker. The first was as a coroner and was a very component doctor opposite of the MASH role. He in a later episode was a detective and also seemed very component. I already knew of his true persona and loved him as an actor and a person.
Very cool info! Thanks!
It's so nice of you to give such good actors and people their proper tribute. Some of the best people played the hardest characters and no one realizes what amazing people they really were ...especially like Larry Lin...
Thanks for your kind comments!
I met him at a speaking engagement back in the late 80’s. One of the most genuinely nicest guys I’ve ever met. When he spoke to you, he let you know he was truly interested in what you were saying.
Funny stories too!
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