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Why is Ryan still cringing at Klinger’s fuzzy pink feet? Which polarizing episode opened Jeff’s eyes to Alan Alda’s amazing acting abilities? Why are the guys suddenly 25 dollars poorer? Tempt fate and listen to the 13th episode of MASH Matters! Plus, stay tuned for a BIG announcement about our next episode.

M*A*S*H Notes

Alan Alda talks M*A*S*H (and adds another trophy to his mantle).

M*A*S*H writer Mary Kay Place takes the lead in a new film. 

Gwen Verdon – notable M*A*S*H guest star and subject of the new FX series Fosse/Verdon – was a force to be reckoned with.

Connect with Jeff & Ryan

Visit the MASH Matters website

Like MASH Matters on Facebook

Follow MASH Matters on Twitter

Subscribe to MASH Matters on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Listen to MASH Matters on YouTube, Spotify, Sticher, and iHeart Radio

Email questions, comments, show ideas, and more to MashMattersPodcast@gmail.com

Call and leave a voicemail at 513-436-4077

Jeff Maxwell (Private Igor) and Ryan Patrick discuss listeners’ favorite M*A*S*H episodes from Season Two. Topics include Jeff’s first line on the show, the experience of working with Jackie Cooper, the debut of two beloved characters, Ryan’s top three Season Two episodes,  Private Igor’s dog tags, and the M*A*S*H moment that drives Jeff & Ryan crazy. 

M*A*S*H Notes

Jackie Cooper worked with both Private Igor AND Superman!

Watch the Marx Brothers scene that inspired Larry Gelbart to write the “Crisis” episode.

Have you read these M*A*S*H Memoirs?

If you love the music of the 1960’s, check out Rick Shoemaker’s groovy blog, Sixties Music Secrets.

Connect with Jeff & Ryan

Visit the MASH Matters website

Like MASH Matters on Facebook

Follow MASH Matters on Twitter

Listen to MASH Matters on YouTube

Email questions, comments, show ideas, and more to MashMattersPodcast@gmail.com

Call and leave a voicemail at 513-436-4077

Subscribe to MASH Matters on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

In this episode, Jeff & Ryan approach Nirvana (is that near Chicago?) and chow down on a heaping helping of Adam’s Ribs. It’s a lively discussion of the classic season 3 episode, including a behind the scenes look at Hawkeye’s famous “We want something else!” rant. Warning – you may only be able to listen to this episode while smothered in liver and onions.

M*A*S*H Notes

Alan Alda talks acting and M*A*S*H in this interview with Variety – which includes a quick glimpse of Private Igor!

Here is the official trailer for the MASH cast reunion on Alan Alda’s Clear + Vivid podcast (premiering Feb. 5th)

What did Ron Howard think of his guest appearance on M*A*S*H?

Here’s a video of the M*A*S*H set at Malibu Creek State Park before and after the recent Woolsey Fire. 

Connect with Jeff & Ryan

Visit the MASH Matters website

Like MASH Matters on Facebook

Follow MASH Matters on Twitter

Listen to MASH Matters on YouTube

Email questions, comments, show ideas, and more to MashMattersPodcast@gmail.com

Call and leave a voicemail at 513-436-4077

Subscribe to MASH Matters on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

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TRANSCRIPT: MASH Matters Episode #009 – Adam’s Ribs

[Attention all personnel. Incoming podcast. This is MASH Matters]

RYAN: You know, Jeff, this is an anniversary. For 9 straight podcasts, you have served only liver or fish.

JEFF: Wow.

RYAN: Day after day, episode after episode, fish, liver, liver, fish. And say it with me, everyone.

[Audio clip from show]

HAWKEYE: I’ve eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish.

RYAN: One of the most quoted lines ever probably from MASH. And yes, today we are going to talk about that particular episode, “Adam’s Ribs”. And I am joined by the man who served up that fish and liver day after day for 11 straight days. Private Igor himself, Mr. Jeff Maxwell. Hello, sir.

JEFF: Hello, sir. And hello to you. And if I may: and the entrée today, we have liver or fish. There you go.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: Thirty seven million years later and you hear it again. Live!

RYAN: Just hearing you say that in my headphones makes me happy. So yeah, we’re going to talk about “Adam’s Ribs” today. This is a topic that was inspired by two different questions that we received from some listeners. In fact, Jeff, why don’t you go ahead and read that message that came into us?

JEFF: I will. By the way, I love ribs. I love ribs. And doing MASH, I actually kind of started to be engaged with and interested in and curious about cooking. So I kind of became a pretty good cook in years after that. And mostly I love barbecuing. So I’ve tried to perfect the low and slow method of barbecuing ribs and everything else.

RYAN: Yeah.

JEFF: So I love ribs. So it was kind of prophetic that they did that knowing what I was gonna do.

RYAN: Did your love of ribs come before this episode or after this episode?

JEFF: After this episode.

RYAN: Okay.

JEFF: Definitely after the episode, especially when I saw them in the pan. I went, gee, that looked good.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: So I got a – I got a taste for ribs. I got jones for ribs there. So everybody, come over to my house. I’ll make ribs.

RYAN: I’ll be right there.

JEFF: So Scott Lawrence, do we know where Scott’s from? We don’t. But that’s OK. We don’t care, Scott. We know you’re from somewhere. That’s good. From Scott Lawrence:

“Hi, Jeff and Ryan. Just found the show in the last week and truly love the show”.

JEFF: Well, thank you, Scott.

“Listen to other MASH podcasts, but they don’t offer the insight you are able to give”.

JEFF: Well, of course!

“Being in my early 30s, most people in my age group have not seen or don’t love MASH as much as I do. So great to listen to people who love the show and a person who was actually on it.”

JEFF: Cool!

“Question. Adam’s Ribs” to me is one of the top five episodes of MASH. The famous Alan Alda rant about a river of liver to Igor is one of my favorites. Does Jeff–”

JEFF: That would be me–

“ever get anyone quoting that to him or have any memories of that episode? Can’t wait to get caught up on the first seven episodes and look forward to more. Thank you both for keeping MASH still out there even after 47 years”.

JEFF: Well, Scott, thank you for writing that question. And here’s the answer to the question. Yes, I have people that talk about that river of liver scene a lot. And I have, as I did here today, I have said and been asked to say, “and the entree today, we have liver or fish”. So yeah, they do it. And then everybody goes, “I’ve eaten a river of liver and an ocean of fish.” So I listened to that a lot.

RYAN: Now, if you had to choose between liver or fish, which one would you choose?

JEFF: Oh, fish. Yeah, fish. Absolutely fish.

RYAN: Yeah, me too. I don’t know that I could trust anybody who would choose liver over fish.

JEFF: Yeah, I don’t know. That would be like–

RYAN: Now – oh, now see, now, now I’ve ticked off all the liver lovers out there.

JEFF: Liver lovers. Yeah.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: You know, I actually got hooked on liver once. I ate liver for about a week straight. I don’t know why, but I ate it and I was, you know, grilling liver and onions.

RYAN: Yeah.

JEFF: And it was so good. I went crazy and I ate it and ate it for literally about five or six days. And then on the seventh day, I threw up.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: I couldn’t – and the idea of eating liver, just, it totally makes me sick. I thought it was good, you know, so I get it. You know, there is a certain taste, but it was all about the onions. You could just fry up onions and they would taste good. You don’t have to put the liver in.

RYAN: Okay

JEFF: So there you go. So did I answer the question? Yes. And quite frankly, that was one of the most fun shows to do because watching Alan do his thing was really amazing. And anybody that was, you know, interested in improvisational acting, that was a lesson in it.

[Audio clip from show]

HAWKEYE: We’re gonna let them do this to us? No, I say, no! We’re not gonna eat this dreck anymore! We want something else! We want something else! We want something else! We want something else! Draftees of the world arise! You have nothing to lose but your cookies! We want something else!

JEFF: At one point I asked Alan, how did you figure out that little dance you did? Because that looked very complicated. And he said, honestly, I didn’t know I was going to do it ‘til I did it. So that’s very interesting for those of you who are interested in the acting process. He didn’t know he was going to do it. And he did it. They did it twice. Once without the throwing of the food and then again with the throwing of the food. So you could kinda – They had to cut it around or cut around it or do whatever. But it was a great show.

RYAN: A sequence like that, which on the screen lasts 60 to 90 seconds. How long does a sequence like that take to film?

JEFF: Well, a good question. You know, it depends on the way they’re shooting it or cutting it. So if they’re going to do a wide shot, you know, they’ll do the wide shot and then they’ll go in for the close ups. And so the sequence itself can take a couple of hours because you got to do the wide shot. You might do that twice and then you’re going to do the close ups and everybody gets a close up. I got a closeup, Alan’s close ups. I remember, uh, Gary, and what’s that guy that played Klinger?

RYAN: Jamie Farr!

JEFF: Jamie Farr. Oh yeah yeah yeah. They had, you know, they had – they went into their close up. So that whole process can take a couple of hours to do cause you got to set everything up and move the cameras around and set everything up again. So, it can take a couple of hours to do.

RYAN: And plus, this was one of those rare times when Roy Goldman was behind the steam table with you.

JEFF: Yeah, [laughs] we had a great time banging those lids.

RYAN: Yes [laughs]

JEFF: We were laughing so hard. We were all laughing before we did it and then after we did it. It was a really fun moment, a fun show to do. And again, I’m a big fan of Alan Alda, so watching him go through that and do that was a real pleasure. And it was a real pleasure to be in that scene. There was a lot of fun.

RYAN: It’s really interesting because on the syndicated television version of that show, that scene is truncated. So you don’t get the full-on Alan Alda riot scene. I encourage you if you have the DVDs or if you’re on Hulu, you know, MASH is streaming on Hulu now. And that’s by the way, side note, that’s a question I do get often from my own friends is the podcast has kind of renewed my interest in watching MASH. Where can I watch it? And it’s all over the place, actually. I mean, on TV, you can find it on the Sundance channel. You can find it on AMC, MeTV, TV Land shows it, although TV Land’s version drives me nuts because they edit the heck out of it and add a lot more commercials. WGN America shows it, but you can also find it, of course, the DVD Collection, where you can turn the laugh track on and off is excellent, and it’s more affordable now than it’s ever been. But it recently started streaming on Hulu and they have the full uncut episodes on Hulu as well.

JEFF: Interesting.

RYAN: So you can get on there and you can see, it was interesting because I rewatched, in fact I rewatched the episode today and I had forgotten that in the uncut version, the big scene where he’s doing the dancing and “we want something else, we want something else”, it goes on a lot longer in the uncut version than it is in the syndicated version. So if you have not watched it yet, I encourage you, dig up the DVDs or jump on Hulu and watch “Adam’s Ribs” because you get to see that Alan Alda physical comedy in its full unedited glory.

JEFF: Yeah, great suggestion. I concur. Please do it because it is something to watch. It was special. It really was.

RYAN: So “Adam’s Ribs”, it’s an episode that came out season 3. It was actually episode 11 of season 3 written by Laurence Marks, but it had help from Larry Gelbart. I was reading some stuff about Larry Gelbart, the setting, “Adam’s Ribs”, is this restaurant that’s supposed to be near the Dearborn Street Station in Chicago. One of the questions that a lot of MASH fans have is, was that a real restaurant? And the answer is no, it was not. Larry Gelbart even confirmed that. There’s that excellent book, it’s called TV’s MASH, The Ultimate Guidebook. And in that he had a little piece of commentary and he said, “there’s no such place to the best of my knowledge. It just seemed like a logical name. Also, my then baby son was named Adam and I’m from Chicago”. So therefore, Adam’s Ribs, and of course, there was the movie Adam’s Rib with Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy.

JEFF: Yeah.

RYAN: That was probably on his mind as well. And it seemed reasonable that there was a place in Chicago called Adam’s Ribs. So that was kind of a nod to his baby boy at the time. But a lot of MASH fans have since gone to Chicago looking for a place–

JEFF: Looking for that restaurant [laughs]

RYAN: Now, however, I say that, however, back in 2008, there was a restaurant in Chicago and I thought this was kind of a smart thing. There was this place in Chicago called Sy’s Crab House and they renamed themselves Adam’s Rib and Ale House in 2008 in hopes of helping business.

JEFF: They substituted crabs for ale.

RYAN: Yeah [laughs]

JEFF: That’s probably a good choice.

RYAN: Unfortunately, it did not last. They have since closed. And if you – it’s interesting because, you know, the internet is forever. So even though they’re closed, you can still go online and read their reviews. And I can see why they closed.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: The name of the restaurant was the least of their worries.

JEFF: Wow.

RYAN: So maybe it got a few more MASH fans in the door, but maybe the restaurant was inspired by MASH and the crappy food that was served in the mess tent. They thought, well, we’ll get MASH fans in here and serve them crappy food as well.

JEFF: Yeah, what do they know? They don’t care.

RYAN: So yeah, don’t go to Chicago looking for Adam’s Ribs. It doesn’t exist. I think there actually is a place, I believe out in Maryland, Adam’s Ribs restaurant chain or something. But as for Chicago, it does not exist. It was all a figment of Larry Gelbart’s imagination. So even though Laurence Marx wrote the episode, Larry Gelbart had some serious influence, which we’ve discussed on the show. He had a lot of his fingerprints over a lot of these episodes in the first few seasons.

JEFF: Forever. Yes, they were. Even when he wasn’t writing them, all of the people who were writing them had Larry’s fingerprints on them. So they were still –

RYAN: Yeah. Absolutely.

JEFF: Oh, huge, huge.

RYAN: Well, what a tremendous influence. I mean, you know, obviously he was a comedy god for one thing, and then he helped create the show. So obviously his influence was going to be on it well after he left, I think after the fourth season. A couple of things I – you know, you can get online and do all kinds of research about all these different episodes and something that I thought was interesting, some goofs. One is that Henry says he met his wife at the Dearborn Street Station.

[Audio clip from show]

HENRY: I was born in Illinois. I spent half my life at the Dearborn Station. It was the first place my mother let me go to the men’s room alone. Come to think of it, it’s where I met my wife Lorraine.

RYAN: But in the previous season, Dear Dad 3, that episode, he said he met her at a freshman mixer, which I assume was at the University of Illinois since that’s where he went to college. So there’s a discrepancy there. Also, I live in Illinois, so I know this to be true. The supply sergeant who holds up the ribs in channels, he pronounces the town “Joe-liet” as “Jolly-et”

[Audio clip from show]

SGT. TAROLA: Adam’s Ribs?

HAWKEYE: You know,

SGT. TAROLA: I’m from Joliet. I’d walk to Chicago on my knees in the snow for a takeout order.

RYAN: And I can tell you that nobody from the town of “Joe-liet” would ever say “Jolly-et”, ever.

JEFF: Really?

RYAN: In fact, believe it or not, there is still – it’s a very antiquated, old, outdated ordinance in the city that prohibits the pronunciation of “Jolly-et” and says there’s only one appropriate pronunciation and that is “Joe-liet”.

JEFF: Wow.

RYAN: Obviously that staff sergeant was not actually from “Joe-liet”, Illinois or else he would have been run out of town, the dirty bugger, for pronouncing it that way.

JEFF: And fined several thousands of dollars, probably.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: Exactly. So there’s another question that came in regarding this episode, and it came from Craig Wilson over in Australia. He says,

“I’ve been asked a few times about “Adam’s Ribs”. What happened to them after Hawkeye had to go to the ER and the cameras stopped?”

RYAN: He says

“I keep saying they would have been eaten by everyone there, but if you know, could you please tell us?”

RYAN: Because you were the one who delivered the ribs and then obviously the chopper came in and ruined everybody’s day but when the camera stopped rolling, do you know what happened to those ribs?

JEFF: I wish I could say I do, I don’t. I don’t know what happened to the ribs. I don’t know whether anybody ate them or not. I know that they would have come from the commissary. They were made in the 20th century Fox commissary, and they were a very good restaurant actually so I would imagine they were pretty good eating, but I don’t know who ate them. I know the, yeah, the prop guys usually ran off with all the food after the scenes were shot. So if anybody got them, I would assume the prop guys got them and took them home [laughs]. But I didn’t personally see anybody eat ‘em.

RYAN: So you did not eat any of the ribs yourself?

JEFF: I did not eat any of the ribs. I do not recall seeing any of the actors or any of the characters, anybody eating those ribs. I think they probably said, oh, scene over, put the tinfoil back on them. And the prop guys put them in a car and took them.

RYAN: Those were actual ribs. They weren’t, they weren’t like prop ribs.

JEFF: They were not rubber ribs, no [laughs]

RYAN: No, you know, I mean, you look at TV, you watch TV commercials with food and that food has actual food in it, but it’s also being held together with glue and–

JEFF: Yeah, yeah.

RYAN: So I didn’t know if they were actual ribs or if it was modified and made to look like ribs.

JEFF: They were stitched together, glued and stitched.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: It came as a kit. It was a model, you know,

JEFF: It was a polyester blend I think I’ve read, I don’t know.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: No, they were – the commissary guys, you know, and folks, they would make food. They didn’t know what was going to happen to it. So they said, we need a pan of ribs. They’d make what they were asked to make and they were happy to do it. And they didn’t know what we were going to do with them. So they would just be accurate and make what they asked. And, you know, that was the end of it for them. So yeah, they were real ribs though. I do remember seeing them and smelling them and thinking, oh gosh, these look pretty good. But I didn’t get any of them and I didn’t see anybody get them. So I don’t know what happened to those ribs.

RYAN: Well, you know, and in the scene, they’re just abandoned there in the mess tent, which, you know, there’s always the question of what – what happened in that world, what happened to the ribs? Did they just sit there while everybody was in OR? We never know the answer, if Hawkeye ever got back to eat the ribs. Did Igor come back knowing that they were there and take them himself? We don’t know, but you know, if we had a dream scenario, if you could make your own fan fiction related to these ribs, what do you think happened to those ribs?

JEFF: Who, me?

RYAN: Yeah, you. You’re the one who cooked ‘em.

JEFF: Me? Oh yeah. Oh, hi. How are you? The way it would probably have worked is that Igor would have come back in and seen the pan and everybody was out of the place and he would have picked it up and taken it someplace and stored them or done something with them. That would be my guess. I think that would have been what would have happened truly.

RYAN: Yeah.

JEFF: In the reality, you know, once the scene is over, everybody moves on. The statement is we’re in the wrong room. So that scene is shot and now we got to go into the OR. You got to go into somebody’s tent. So once that’s done, everybody, you know, runs out of that room like little cockroaches, you know. gone, okay, over, let’s go somewhere else now.

RYAN: Yeah.

JEFF: So those ribs would have been literally abandoned like that.

RYAN: And you can give a little insight to this too. Episodes are not filmed chronologically. So that wasn’t necessarily the last scene that was actually filmed for that episode, correct?

JEFF: No, probably not. I don’t remember now, but probably not.

RYAN: I mean, it’s possible that could have been the first scene that you filmed of that episode. You never, you know, it could be that way.

JEFF: It’s possible, yeah. You know, most of the mess tent scenes that we were in were always filmed in the first thing in the morning, which was frustrating to me because I had to be there early to do that.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: I don’t remember whether that happened there because I know it was a long scene without, you know, his rant and then all that kind of stuff. So I, you know, boy, this is a few years ago. Boy, and I’m not sure I remember chronologically how all that worked on that particular day.

RYAN: Sure. But I mean, in general, in general, episodes were never filmed chronologically.

JEFF: I wouldn’t say 100 percent of the time they were not filmed chronologically. I think some of them were. We went from one tent to the other. Some of it was because in the way it worked and the way the planning worked was that, let’s say on a Monday, everybody showed up, there was a table read, people sat around the table and read through the script, then everybody got up and walked through each scene. So the first scene is in the mess tent, second scene is outside, somebody else is in Radar’s – wherever it was, you went through the script exactly the way the script was written. And that was kind of a rehearsal. And it was also a rehearsal for the – not only of the actors, but all the crew, the director, the lighting guys and everybody. They needed to see where the camera was moving and where they were going to put the light. So they had to make all that planning. Now, that was chronologically accurate to the script. So the next day, when they were going to shoot it, they would probably start there and do that. So the first six or eight pages were probably the first six or eight pages. Not to say that that wouldn’t – couldn’t change or they might flip something around just to make it a little quicker or you know a little bit more accessible to the equipment.

RYAN: Sure.

JEFF: But it was probably 60% chronologically correct.

RYAN: Okay.

JEFF: Actually.

RYAN: Interesting. I never knew that.

JEFF: Yeah.

RYAN: So in that final scene a couple of questions that come up from that scene, not for you in particular but just general questions that are out there in the MASH universe. So you have Hawkeye, Trapper, Klinger, Henry, and Radar. Those are the folks who are sitting at the table. Father Mulcahy wasn’t invited. Actually, Bill Christopher didn’t appear in that episode, nor did Frank and Margaret. But two questions about that. One, the choppers come in and interrupt, you know, Hawkeye, just as he’s about to pull out the first rib. Why didn’t Radar sense that those choppers were coming?

JEFF: Hmm!

RYAN: He must’ve been so focused on the ribs that he didn’t notice their approach. That’s the first question. And secondly, Klinger is there. Now earlier in the episode, Klinger refuses to help get the ribs from Chicago to Korea.

[Audio clip from show]

HAWKEYE: Would your uncle handle a package for me?

KLINGER: Sure, for a price.

HAWKEYE: He doesn’t have to kill the package. Just pick it up and deliver it to the airport in Chicago.

KLINGER: It’s done. Won’t cost you a dime.

HAWKEYE: Lady, you’re a real gentleman.

KLINGER: All you gotta do is sign my psycho discharge papers, you and Captain McIntyre.

HAWKEYE: Klinger, that paper has to be signed by three doctors. We’re only two.

TRAPPER: Nobody else wants to be three.

KLINGER: Okay. The deal’s off!

HAWKEYE: Wait a second, wait a second!

KLINGER: No discharge, no package, and I expect you to unsuccatash my stole, sir.

RYAN: I’m sorry, if I’m Hawkeye and Klinger says, no, I’m not helping you get the ribs. Well, guess what, Klinger, you’re not getting any of my ribs. How about that? You know, I don’t think that Klinger deserves a rib.

JEFF: Wow. Let’s write in. This is not right. We gotta call somebody.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: Maybe we can get ‘em to reshoot that because you’re right. He shouldn’t be there or he should have said, yes, I’ll help get the ribs, you know?

RYAN: Exactly.

JEFF: [sighs] My goodness.

RYAN: That’s a discussion for a whole other episode is the evolution of Klinger and the type of character he was. I think later seasons Klinger would have done anything he could to have helped Hawkeye get those ribs out. But because Hawkeye and Trapper weren’t going to sign his crazy papers, his Section 8 paperwork, he refused to help. When you refuse, you forfeit your rights to any kind of pork products in my opinion.

JEFF: Is that a Hebraic kind of approach? I think that’s it. I’m pretty sure that is.

RYAN: [laughs] So that’s “Adam’s Ribs” and that’s from season – Now I will say that’s probably in the running for one of my favorite episodes of season 3. But we haven’t – I haven’t gotten that far yet because I still haven’t picked my favorite episode from season 2, which I need to do in one of the upcoming episodes. So maybe I’ll throw that out to listeners and say, what are your favorites from season 2? I would love to hear listeners’ favorite episodes from season 2, because maybe in the next one or two episodes we have coming up here, I’ll go ahead and I’ll pick my season 2 favorite episode. But I want to hear from listeners, what’s your favorite season 2 episode? And then once we get to season 3, I have a feeling that “Adam’s Ribs” is going to be one of the top favorite episodes from that season.

JEFF: And if anyone would like to invest in Jeff’s Ribs in Chicago, I’d be happy to talk to your bankers, your attorneys, because I’m thinking of doing that.

RYAN: [laughs] That’s good of you. That’s good.

JEFF: Few hundred thousand dollars. We’ll open that rib joint in a couple of weeks. You know, this is fascinating because listening to this is just amazing because all of the facts and things that you’re talking about are things that would kind of went right over my head over the years. And it’s amazing to sit here and listen to it and kind of enjoy it and enjoy your enjoyment of it. And that’s what’s so fun for me, to be able to do this because I’ve said it many times, this was a job. I loved everybody. I loved doing it, but it was a job. So I wasn’t quite as involved in all these little nuances of things that were happening and did happen and the mistakes and all the stuff that went on that people talk about. So hearing them is really kind of fun. So I appreciate your assessment of it, Ryan, and listening to it. It’s really kind of fun for me to do that. So thank you. Pretty cool.

RYAN: Oh, hey, this has been great. Again, the chance to talk about favorite episodes from my all-time favorite show. And also this is kind of an iconic episode from the early part of the run. It’s one of those episodes that a lot of people, even if they’re not big MASH fans, a lot of people, even the fair weather fan, they know “Adam’s Ribs”. And it’s gotta be cool for you too, that, you know, one particular episode that you’re linked to, it’s one of those episodes that I think that Igor is linked to more than others. So the fact that you still now, so many years later, have people coming up to you and wanting you to say, liver or fish and river of liver and talk about, “I want something else”. And that’s gotta be cool for you as well.

JEFF: It is very cool. Everything about this is very cool for me. So, nothing doesn’t stink about this.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: Hey, we have a few people who also say that our podcast doesn’t stink on Facebook.

JEFF: Really?

RYAN: We had some more reviews come in. Larry Hagers said, “great insight into the making of an iconic television show”. Matthew Thomas says “great cast and environment for people who love MASH”. Kelly Singh, who is an old friend of mine, she says, “you guys are great. I have shared this with many people. I hope you guys continue to enjoy doing this. Ryan, I enjoyed your performances since you were in high school” [laughs].

JEFF: Awww

RYAN: “Jeff, my family grew up on MASH and my kids have as well. So this legacy is huge that you have been a wonderful part of.” She says “as a kid, it’s the show that we watched before bedtime every night, eating popcorn, hanging out with my mom and dad”. And she says she is totally sending you one of her DVDs for you to autograph. She geeked out on the last episode when you said you would do that.

JEFF: Terrific, I’ll be happy to.

RYAN: And then we also got another glowing review and this one’s from Laura Olivieri. I hope I pronounced your name right. She says, “attention all personnel. MASH Matters podcast is a great look behind the scenes, MASH memories, actors, updates, writers, recipes, and more. Jeff Maxwell and Ryan Patrick are super entertaining”. Well, thank you.

JEFF: Oh, those guys. I love those guys.

RYAN: “Genuine and funny hosts who keep the chuckles coming. You won’t find these tidbits anywhere else in their interaction with the audience via voicemail or message, answering questions during the podcast gives MASHers a real connection to their favorite show. Thanks so much, Jeff and Ryan. You’re way better than Radar’s armpit sandwiches.” And that is just about the best compliment that we can get. So thank you, Laura, for your glowing review. And if you would like to leave a review, you can do that on Apple podcasts, and you can also get on Facebook and write a review there as well.

JEFF: Yeah

RYAN: If this is the first time you’re listening, if you want to get in touch with us, go to MashMattersPodcast.com. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. You can subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Spotify. You can listen to our episodes right there on our website. And you can call and leave a voicemail, 513-436-4077. If you would – oh crap! I just remembered, I forgot to order the coleslaw.

JEFF: Oh no!

RYAN: Sorry.

JEFF: Yikes!

RYAN: Forgive me, I’m a draftee.

JEFF: I have a request.

RYAN: Yes.

JEFF: If anybody calls in and leaves a message. along with various questions about MASH, I’m curious. What are you doing while listening to this podcast? I’m very curious. Are you on the elliptical machine? Are you at the gym? Are you on the toitee? What are you doing when you’re listening to MASH Matters? I’m really curious. I’d like to know because it’ll help me understand how to speak.

RYAN: Maybe don’t call us and leave the voicemail when you’re on the toilet, but you know, if you listen to us, yeah.

JEFF: No, no, yeah, just let us know. I’m very curious what you’re doing when you’re listening.

RYAN: All right, that’s cool. Yeah, please call and leave a voicemail. Again, that number is 513-436-4077, and you can find that on the website, MashMattersPodcast,com All right, take us home, Jeff.

JEFF: And the entree today, we have liver or fish?

RYAN: Love it. It’s never going to get old. I love this. Thank you for another great episode. And thank you to everyone for listening. Have a great day. We’ll see you next time.

JEFF: Bye bye.

[Audio clip from show]

TRAPPER: Should we give thanks?

HAWKEYE: Praise the Lord and pass the sauce.

“Attention all personnel, attention, ambulances in the lower compound, choppers on the upper pad, incoming wounded, repeat, incoming wounded, all OR personnel report on the double”

TRAPPER: Come on!

“Repeat, ambulances in the lower compound, choppers on the upper pad”

HAWKEYE: No, no that’s not fair!

TRAPPER: Come on!

HAWKEYE: No no wait a minute! That’s not fair, we’ve got ribs now! Adam’s Ribs from Chicago! We lied to Mildred and everything! Had to send her a cheque! One rib! One rib! A riblet!

Was real booze served in the Officer’s Club? Did Jeff keep anything from the MASH set? Did Harry Morgan really paint Col. Potter’s paintings? Jeff and Ryan answer these listener questions and more on Episode 008 of MASH Matters!

MASH Notes

By popular demand, here’s Private Igor’s recipe for Creamed Weenies.

Our contact page has been updated with Jeff’s mailing address.

The nicest guy in Hollywood is going to honor the other nicest guy in Hollywood.

A love letter to Tony Packo’s.

Enjoy a video sneak peek at the M*A*S*H cast reunion on Alan Alda’s Clear + Vivid Podcast…

Connect with Jeff & Ryan

Visit the MASH Matters website

Like MASH Matters on Facebook

Follow MASH Matters on Twitter

Listen to MASH Matters on YouTube

Email questions, comments, show ideas, and more to MashMattersPodcast@gmail.com

Call and leave a voicemail at 513-436-4077

Subscribe to MASH Matters on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

---

TRANSCRIPT: MASH Matters Episode #008 – Igor’s Hat

Attention all personnel, incoming podcast. This is MASH Matters.

RYAN: Well, here we go. It is a new year, a new episode. It’s exciting. I think 2019 is going to be the year of the podcast.

JEFF: This is 2019! Oh my gosh!

RYAN: Do you remember when 2019 seemed – it sounded like the future. Right?

JEFF: Yeah. We’d all be running around in flying cars and stuff. And we have watches on our wrist that we could talk to each other on.

RYAN: Oh wait, we do have those.

JEFF: Oh, wait a minute.

RYAN: Yeah. I’m wearing one of those actually right now as a matter of fact. Yeah. But yeah, we don’t have jet packs yet or robot maids. I mean, the Jetsons pretty much lied to us.

JEFF: I think – I feel betrayed. We don’t have it yet. We show, we have to walk around and stuff.

RYAN: Right. Who, who does that anymore? Walking.

JEFF: Yeah.. Walking.

RYAN: Well, happy new year to you, Jeff. It’s exciting to be here once again with you to talk about MASH and answer some more questions from listeners. We’ve had a few more come in, a couple more voicemails have come in as well. So we’d just like to jump in and answer some of these questions. You game for that?

JEFF: I’m game for that. But I first have to say happy new year to you and your family as well. And happy new year to all our good friends and all our good listeners to the MASH Matters podcast. We appreciate you being here. We appreciate you listening. We plan to send each one of you $10,000. So please book for that in the mail –

RYAN: Hey, hold on. Hey, no, no. We did not discuss that prior to the recording.

JEFF: Oh, I’m sorry. Well, how the heck would – Happy New Year to all of you anyway.

RYAN: [laughs] So we’ve had people emailing us, sending us messages through Facebook and leaving voicemails. We encourage you to do the same. You can find us at MashMattersPodcast.com. You can find us on Twitter @MashMatters. We’re on Facebook and we’re on YouTube. And you can also leave the voicemail at 513-436-4077. So let’s just jump in here, Jeff. A couple of questions. One that just came in recently was one from Chuck Holsher, and I’m probably horribly mispronouncing his last name, but Chuck from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he says,

“Ryan and Jeff, I’ve been listening to your podcast and have been enjoying them so much. I’ve been a huge fan since the show started and can almost repeat many of the lines from the shows. I have a coworker that he and I repeat lines to each other almost every day”.

He says,

“I do have a question for Jeff. One, did you take anything from the MASH set? And two, also have you been back to Malibu State Park?”

JEFF: [silence] Yes. [laughs]

RYAN: All right. Moving on.

JEFF: All right. No, no, no. Okay.

RYAN: Now I know you went back to the park. I don’t know how many years ago that was when they dedicated the MASH site.

JEFF: Yeah.

RYAN: When was that? That was what? Five, six, seven years ago?

JEFF: Yeah, about then. I – it’s hard to remember exactly. Probably about five, six, seven years ago. Yeah, it was. It was fun. It was fun to see – I think Mike Farrell was there. Loretta Swit was there. Burt Metcalfe was there. And I may be forgetting other people and if I am, I’m sorry. But yeah, a lot of folks showed up and they dedicated something. I don’t remember what it was for [laughs] but I’ll go to anything that’s being dedicated. I don’t care. And so I went there and we all went into this thing. It’s really fun to go there. And I think I’ve said this before. I’ll say it again. If anybody is in Los Angeles and happens to have time to go there, I really recommend it. The trek in is, you know, it’s about a – maybe two miles in and you got to walk, so you have some good walking shoes and be comfortable. But it’s a fun walk. It’s a beautiful – beautiful scenery. Now, just recently, there were horrible fires out here and it did burn a lot of that area. So everything is not going to be quite as pretty as it was. But you’ll still recognize a lot of things. And the walk in is a little bit of a walk, but it’s easy. And once you kind of come around the bend and you get to the MASH set, it’ll really kind of come back to you. The scenes, you know, the opening sequence of the show, you’ll kind of see all that geography. And again, some of that was burned. Some of the interior of the actual set was singed. I don’t know whether flames actually came through. I’m not sure that happened because I think it would have burned out a lot more stuff.

RYAN: I saw somebody post on Facebook recently some pictures from the site since the fire happened.

JEFF: Yeah.

RYAN: And it looks like some of the things that were put there in the last few years were actually spared from the fire. So hopefully that’s the case. Now I have a question for you regarding the Malibu set. You say that it’s like a two mile hike to get there. So how did you get to the set when you were filming?

JEFF: Uh, uh – limos.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: No no, not a limo. I tried to get a limo, but nobody would give me a limo. “No, Maxwell, you’re not getting a limo! Get away from the car.” No, we were driven in. First we drove in, I had to drive. I was probably about 45 minutes away to the Malibu Creek ranch area. So I had to drive there at 6:00 in the morning. I usually had to get there at about 6:30 in the morning. And then we kind of met in a parking lot and we were taken in by various studio vans into the set.

RYAN: Ok.

JEFF: So we didn’t have to walk the two miles. We were driven in, which was nice. And you know, we could chat and people could get friendly and talk about what happened the night before and how hungover they were or whatever they were doing.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: So that was a nice thing to kind of start the day. And one of the things I remember, I just loved and I couldn’t wait to get to this little food truck thing they had. I’d race in there and I’d race over to that little food truck thing and they made a bacon and egg sandwich and they grilled it on both sides, which I had never done. I’d never tasted a bacon and egg sandwich grilled on both sides, like a grilled cheese sandwich. And I – I went nuts. I could not stand waiting to get – I wanted to go immediately the next day and eat another one. They were so good. They just, I know this is a dumb thing to talk about, but those bacon and egg cheese things. Oh boy, were they good. I urge everyone, go make a grilled bacon and egg cheese sandwich and walk into the MASH set and you will have a great time.

RYAN: Good to know. So his other question was, did you take anything from the MASH set?

JEFF: I did. I took – [laughs] Well, it’s – Okay, we’ll get poetic here. I took many memories with me from the MASH set. I took a great deal of love with me from the MASH set.

RYAN: Okay.

JEFF: I took part of a huge part of my life from the MASH set. But I also took my hat and my uniform. I took that. I hope nobody comes – the FBI doesn’t show up and say, “give me the hat and the uniform!”. But I did, I took my uniform and the hat. I actually had two hats. And the hats were kind of funny. I put the Igor hat on and the style was to pull it over my ears. And the reason I did that is because I used to have kind of fluffy long hair and I didn’t want to cut it because I liked leaving the set and kind of looking better than somebody with a, you know, closed crop haircut. So I would take that hat and I went, “I don’t want to cut my hair” because a guy said, “you gotta cut your hair”. Oh, okay. But I pulled the hat over my ears and stuffed the hair under there. So that’s kind of why my silly hat was all the way over my ears. And then I put the brim up so it would look a little different than everybody else.

RYAN: Sure.

JEFF: And that was my hat and I loved that thing for years. And I had two of them. One of them I actually sold in a kind of an auction to raise money for a charity. I think it got 4 or 500 bucks that thing went for.

RYAN: Wow, that’s awesome.

JEFF: Yeah, but the other one I still have. And so, I love that hat.

RYAN: Do you still wear it?

JEFF: Constantly, all everywhere. I wear it morning, noon and night.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: No, I bring it out on special occasions, just on events to dedicate things or funerals, weddings, you know, the things that we all love and want to look good for.

RYAN: Right, right. Obviously.

JEFF: But I love that hat. Very, very cool hat.

RYAN: Excellent.

JEFF: Thank you for that question.

RYAN: Yes.

JEFF: And I took a hundred thousand dollars also from a guy…

RYAN: [laughs] We had another question come in for you from Craig Wilson. Now, Craig, he runs one of the big MASH Facebook groups and Craig lives in Australia and he’s listening to us. And he sent us a series of questions. One of the questions he sent was when you were tending bar, did you actually make real drinks at all? Did any of the drinks we see on the show actually contain alcohol? So, so Jeff, fess up, were you really serving a bunch of booze in the

Officers Club?

JEFF: I wish I had been, that would have been very fun. But no, it was tea or something designed to look like liquor. There was no liquor on the set during the shooting of MASH. No

RYAN: Even in the still?

JEFF: Even in the still, ladies and gentlemen, I know this is a shock. No, there was no vodka. There was no gin. There was no alcohol anywhere near that stuff. So sorry to say.

RYAN: Wow.

JEFF: It’s a big reveal.

RYAN: This is – this is big.

JEFF: I know. You know, Alan Alda – [laughs] He’s kind of a teetotaler. I don’t think he has any teetotaling now at all. I think he’s probably cut it all out. But we used to have, after the show ended, or the final, like on Friday or whatever, the show had been shot, that night they would bring in pizza. So there was a whole bunch of people there and we’d stand around and go, “oh boy, that was a good show” and “that was fun”. And we’d all eat pizza and beer and soft drinks and stuff. And Alan was kind of a – not a real drinker. So if he had a beer, he was pretty funny. And we all kind of used to hope that Alan would have a piece of pizza and drink a couple of beers because it was kind of fun. He loosened up and he’s a really funny guy anyway, but he got kind of – even funnier. Now he said that he’s kind of a mean – when he drinks stuff, he gets mean. I never saw that, but he was very pleasant, very funny when we were eating pizza and drinking beer. But that was about the extent of any alcohol use on the set of MASH.

RYAN: Okay.

JEFF: It was pretty adult grownups. I’ve said this before, I was hoping this was gonna be a wild thing for me, but it was very grownup and it was kinda like, you know, hanging out with your substitute teacher. It was pretty straight, but that was good.

RYAN: Yes, absolutely. This is a message that came in from Logan Cusick. He says,

“Gentlemen, my name is Logan and I am a younger MASH fan at 19 years of age. I have been a fan ever since the first episode. My mom showed me the show after William Christopher died. I love every character and every actor. I think if I had to pick my favorite episodes, it would be season 7, episode 13, “An Eye for a Tooth”, because you get to see Charles’ funny side and how he handles things. Season 10, episode 20, “Sons and Bowlers”, you get to see how much Hawkeye’s dad means to him and what Charles’ home life was like with his father”.

He goes on to say,

“Jeff, can I have your recipe for creamed weenies? I want to try them.”

[fake applause]

JEFF: Yes, I think that can be arranged.

RYAN: And we’ve talked about this before and we haven’t done it yet, but would you be okay if we put the recipe for creamed weenies on the MASH Matters podcast website?

JEFF: I would be honored to put creamed weenies up on that website, yes. But everyone must try it. Everyone who goes to the website must swear, send us a loyalty oath that they will try the recipe for creamed weenies. Otherwise I’m not doing it. If everybody – raise your hand up. Raise your – 5, 6, 7… All right. Fine. Let’s do it. Ryan.

RYAN: All right. So we’ll put the recipe for creamed weenies. You can find that at MashMattersPodcast.com, but we want to hear your review. You can even take pictures of your creamed weenies and send them to us there through the website and we want your reviews of Igor’s creamed weenies. That’s the deal.

JEFF: Yeah. From those of you who survived.

RYAN: [laughs] Do people need to sign a waiver before they try this recipe?

JEFF: And we gotta lawyer up real fast.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: “My deceased client, apparently, ate creamed weenies from your silly show.” And I have a little letter. I recently got a fan letter. I do get them occasionally. Oh, you know, I’m going to say something also. Anybody who wants to send me a request for an autograph or something to do with MASH. I’d like to give an address because I’ve been told that sometimes they don’t get to me or they go to weird places. And so I want to say something official. Is that okay? Should I say that?

RYAN: Absolutely! Sure. Yes.

JEFF: I’m going to say this so it will actually get to me and I can actually respond to it. So the address is as follows. You can write to Jeff Maxwell at 1613 Chelsea Road. That’s 1613 Chelsea Road, C-H-E-L-S-E-A R-O-A-D, number 355 in the city of San Marino. That’s S-A-N, second word M-A-R-I-N-O, San Marino, California at 91108. So that’s the official address that will reach me and I will respond to it.

RYAN: Let me ask you too, what’s the protocol if somebody does want an autograph for you? Do you have things to autograph to send to them or do they need to send you something to autograph and would you prefer a self-addressed stamped envelope? What’s your preference?

JEFF: That is why you are a genius, Ryan Patrick. That’s a great question. Please, if you’re – if you’d like me to sign it, please send me that request in an envelope as well as a return stamped self-addressed envelope for me to return back. It is helpful that way so I don’t have to run to the post office and get a stamp and send it to you. So if you wanna do it, send me the request, I’ll be happy to do it. If you have something to sign, I’ll be happy to sign it. But just send that self-addressed stamped envelope that I can pop it back in there and send it back. That’s the way you’re guaranteed you’re gonna get it back. So thank you for asking that question. And it helps if you send $100 as well. That’s really helpful.

RYAN: To cover shipping and handling, obviously.

JEFF: Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, of course. Everything else is free, other than just a separate charge.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: Don’t you love those infomercials? You’re gonna buy a pan and they go: “a second pan free! Just pay a separate charge”. What is that about? Then it’s not free! Anyway, did I read that letter yet?

RYAN: No, not yet [laughs]

JEFF: Oh, okay. “Dear Mr. Maxwell, when my wife was pregnant with our son” – and I had nothing to do with it, I just want to say that.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: “When my wife was pregnant with our son, we went to the hospital with complications. Disappointed by the apparent indifference by the medical staff, we mentioned to each other that we were always looking for the passion and dedication of the 4077. That’s when we immediately looked at each other and decided on a name for our son, Hawkeye. Full name, Hawkeye Atticus Roosevelt Beach, now 7.” Now here’s the part that gets me. Now, first of all, I think they should have named them Igor, but I’ll let that go. But this is the part that gets me: “Named not just for Hawkeye Pierce, but in honor of the full staff of MASH characters who represented qualities we wanted in our son: passion, dedication, loyalty, anti-war, anti-racism and overall humanists. They were not saints, but strove to better themselves when confronted with their limitations.”

I thought that was kind of cool. You know, – when you – you find something in characters, either from literature or from a half-hour television show that inspires you to instill those things in your children, that’s pretty big.

RYAN: Absolutely.

JEFF: I mean, that’s what MASH – we’re talking about MASH matters. It certainly mattered to them at that moment. And they certainly, you know, acted on it. So that was impressive. So if Hawkeye’s listening, congratulations to a couple of fine parents who did you a nice thing. Okay, I’ll even read this. “Even though you were asked to deliver one-liners, you brought a real grounded humanity to the role of Igor, especially when you were given more to do. I truly think that your performance is one of the many reasons for the show’s lasting legacy. Wanna thank you for all the entertainment you have provided throughout the years and remind you that your performances from all those years still have impact.”

That’s very, very sweet of you to say. I thank you very much, but I kind of include myself in with the ensemble of the show who kind of had that same impact. It was me and a lot of other people. So thank you. But I think the full impact was the family that showed up. And you can take a piece out of it and go, wow, that piece is really good. But you put the piece back into it and it makes a really nice-looking cake.

RYAN: Mmm. Cake.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: I have a question for you as far as, you know, I mean, It’s been 20 – no, excuse me. It’s been 35 years now since the finale.

JEFF: Excuse me. Hang on. Could you bring me the walker? Bring me the walker.

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: Thank you. Okay. Go ahead.

RYAN: So 35 years now since the finale and you still get letters like that. I mean, what does that mean to you to receive letters like that in the mail of people who are still impacted by the work that you did 35, 40 years ago?

JEFF: You know, it means a lot. I don’t want to get too corny about this. Because when I started MASH, I was a wackydoodle kid. I had a great time. It was, you know, nine years – probably some of the best, greatest years of my life. It gave me tremendous maturity. I learned a heck of a lot. I met incredibly talented people and kinda learned what talent really is. And so I was very grateful for that. A lot of the craziness, however, still remained with me as a human being. And that craziness sort of helped propel me not only to try and get on TV and be in show business and be successful at it, but there’s a certain cynicism that comes with it because it is a business. And so you have to bridge the gap between being this person who’s going after a theatrical artistic process and learning that it is a business and you’re doing it to make money. It’s your job. And so everybody that has a job goes to their job to try and do the best job they can, but they know if they don’t do a good job, they’re not gonna have the job anymore. So you work real hard to try and do it.

But there’s always a little bit of cynicism about show business and about behavior and about other people you work with or agents or writers or producers or whoever you have to deal with, it’s not an easy business. It’s tough. It’s hard. And it’s very difficult to learn how to navigate not only your own self, your own sense of your self worth, but to throw that into the lion pit when all these people are going, “aghhh” and want a piece of you or want something from you or you want something from them. And that’s kind of what show business is always about all the time. It’s kind of a grind. I want something or somebody wants something from me. It’s a tough, tough thing and it creates a great deal of cynical thinking and feeling. So I was in that environment with some of the best human beings on the planet, the best, most talented people on the planet. When I left there, I got involved in the movie business and raising money to make movies and writing movies and writing film. And all of that was a very difficult thing too. It brought with it its own set of very difficult rules you had to learn to navigate. So it’s not for the faint of heart. So you kind of grow a shell around you and you go, okay, yeah, oh, there’s MASH, it was great. And then you go out and go, well, you know, hey, there’s a job, there’s this and that and this show business, yeah, the show and okay. And years go by and people talk to you about what a wonderful show it was. And some of your head is going, “oh yeah, I know. It was a great show. Yeah, yeah, it was a great show”. And then little by little, when you kind of get letters like this and you hear responses from people, uh, especially now that I’m a little bit older and a little bit wiser and a little bit more mature, these are more impactful to me. They mean more to me. Uh, I identify with them more. So, I hope I didn’t bore everybody with that.

RYAN: [snore] Huh? What? I’m sorry. What? Hello.

JEFF: [laughs] Hello? Is this thing on? So I kind of wanted to show there’s an arc. There was an arc for me anyway. I was a goofy guy in showbiz and had all this great stuff, but then I kind of matured and now these things that people write and I – I’m now mature enough to hear how that show impacted anybody. And now I’m very sensitive to it. And I really appreciate people saying what they say certainly about me. My gosh, I really thank everyone who says anything nice about me. But certainly I really appreciate what everybody says about the show and how important it was to them. And that’s the lesson I’ve learned over these years. It is important. And that’s what I think. I think, Ryan, what we’re doing with MASH Matters is talking about that and, and kind of reveling in it and celebrating it.

RYAN: Absolutely.

JEFF: I’ll shut up now.

RYAN: Well, I’m going to let somebody else do the talking now. Let’s play one of the voicemails that came in.

“Yes. This is Todd Brown from Long Beach, Mississippi. And I wanted to know, let you all know that I love the new podcast you all are doing.

JEFF: All right!

“And I have been a big fan of MASH for a very long time. And me and my mother, you know, like everybody else, we watched the show and enjoyed it. I even have all the seasons on DVD. And we watch it on TV all the time. And it’s really a funny show and we enjoy it. It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. And Jeff Maxwell has been one of my favorite characters, his Igor. And I really like his – he’s a good actor. And I’ve liked the scenes with him and Father Mulcahy, he about creaming his corn and him calling him a ninny. I thought that was real funny. And I’d like to let Jeff know he’s a real good actor and I like him. And I wanted to know if on the series – I have a question on the series MASH, did Harry Morgan paint his pictures, those portraits that he did, or did someone else do it for him? That’s my question I have to ask. And I want to let you all know again that I do enjoy the podcast you all are doing, and I hope you keep doing a good job. Thank you very much, bye.”

RYAN: Oh, that’s a good question. We’ve actually had that question come in a few other times, I think too, about the paintings that Colonel Potter would do and who was the one who actually painted them. The answer is 1: Harry Morgan did not paint those himself. We don’t know who necessarily painted those. They were part of the prop master’s responsibility to make sure that those paintings happen. So chances are, each painting was probably painted by somebody different. And if you look at the paintings, you can tell the style of each painting is a little bit different. So I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a series of painters that did it, but there is no one particular person that has been given credit for painting all of those paintings. Now, an interesting note about the painting is back in November of last year, one of those paintings actually came up for auction. It was the painting that was in the episode “Picture This”, and that’s the episode where the main cast is quarreling, but at the same time, Colonel Potter is trying to paint them together in a family portrait. That painting, that prop painting actually came up for auction back in November. That was a painting that John Rappaport, one of the producers, took with him and kept for decades until it went up for auction and ended up selling – Do you know how much it sold for, Jeff?

JEFF: How much I’m – I’m on the edge of my seat here.

RYAN: It sold for $16,250.

JEFF: Holy moly. Really?

RYAN: Yes.

JEFF: Was that on eBay? Did they put it on eBay?

RYAN: No, it was – it was a consignment through Heritage Auctions.

JEFF: Okay. Yeah.

RYAN: So it was sold at an auction house,

JEFF: Wow!

RYAN: But it brought in over $16,000.

JEFF: Wow!

RYAN: Yeah, how about that, huh?

JEFF: I’m taking my hat down there. What’s the address?

RYAN: [laughs]

JEFF: I mean, you know, it’s just a green hat. I’ll get another one. What the heck? Wow, that’s amazing. That is, whoa.

RYAN: I thought it would go high, but I didn’t know it would go that high.

JEFF: I’m really sort of stunned by that, but I’m also a little saddened because we’re talking about who painted the pictures. I’m certain that these were done through the Art Department at 20th Century Fox. So somebody in the Art Department was commissioned to do these things and was a pretty good enough artist and maybe one or two of them, but they are the artists. So here’s this thing that sells for $16,000, but whoever painted it might be sitting in his underwear or her underwear on some Main Street asking for a dollar.

RYAN: Right.

JEFF: But the thing goes up for 16 grand. Wow.

RYAN: Yeah.

JEFF: Wow.

RYAN: Yeah. And that’s the only one that I’ve ever seen come up for auction or that I’m even aware is still out there. All of the other paintings that are attributed to Colonel Potter, I don’t know where they ended up and who has them. If any of the production team or cast members have any of those in their possession, that’s the only one that I am aware of that is now out in the public and has been sold. The other ones. Who knows, maybe some more will come up for auction down the road, but

JEFF: I think after hearing this, they will.

RYAN: Exactly. Yeah. And, uh, I, all I know is that if they’re going that high, I will never own one of them.

BOTH: [laugh]

RYAN: So hopefully that answers your question. Thank you for calling in. If you would like to call it and leave a voicemail, you can do that by calling 513-436-4077. And Jeff, I think we should bring this one in for a landing. We’ve been talking for a while now.

JEFF: I just wanted to go back to Todd for a second. I really, I just want him to know sincerely, I really appreciate the nice words that he said about me. I really appreciate everyone who says, “gosh, you were good at what you did”. I really, really did try to be really good at what I did. And I, I’m hearing, what I’m hearing now is I guess it worked. So, Todd and Todd’s mother, I really appreciate you enjoying my performances and I hope you will continue to do so and say nice things to me again.

RYAN: Absolutely. And we’ve had some nice people say some nice things to us too, about the podcast. I just want to give a quick shout out to a few of them. My friend, Chris Futrell, also Amy Sweeney, Mike Trude, Timothy Burleson, Grant Bingham, Tina Kresner, Jeff Hagerz. James Coulter, Lisa Fetsco, they all went to our Facebook page and left a review. We’ve also had several reviews on Apple podcasts, including Caitlin King, who says, “it’s really good and I’m not usually a fan of podcasts. I only listened to one other, but these guys were made for this.

JEFF: Aww

RYAN: “Very witty and they have perfect radio voices. Sound quality is perfect all around. Well done”. Thank you for that, Caitlin. If you would like to leave a review. hop onto Apple Podcasts, leave a five-star review, write it, we’ll be happy to read it here on the podcast, or go to our Facebook page and leave a review there on Facebook as well. We love, we love love love hearing from people who are listening and enjoying the podcast. So I’m still waiting for that first one-star review to come in though, you know, the one that’s gonna say, “these guys really suck!”.

BOTH: [laugh]

JEFF: Oh, I’m sure we’ll get them. You know –

RYAN: It’s coming. It’s coming.

JEFF: Yeah. We’ll have them on as a guest. And speaking of guests, I just kind of want to do this teaser. We have some folks coming up here as guests that I think everybody will enjoy who loves MASH and who are going to love hearing from the people that we’re going to have on our podcast. So stay tuned.

RYAN: Keep those great questions coming in. Keep those voicemails coming in. We love hearing from you. And until next time, Jeff.

JEFF: Bye bye. Au revoir!

RYAN: That is all.

BOTH: [laugh]