Loretta Swit dead at 87
Actress Loretta Swit, best known for playing Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on the iconic TV program “M*A*S*H” died May 30 (Friday).
Swit and Alan Alda were the longest-serving cast members on “M.A.S.H.,” which was based on Robert Altman’s 1970 film, which was itself based on a novel by Richard Hooker, the pseudonym of H. Richard Hornberger.
“M.A.S.H.” wasn’t an instant hit. It finished its first season in 46th place, out of 75 network TV series, but it nabbed nine Emmy nominations. It was rewarded with a better time slot for its sophomore season, paired on Saturday nights with “All in the Family,” then TV’s highest-rated show. At the 1974 Emmys, it was crowned best comedy, with Alda winning as best comedy actor.
The series also survived despite cast churn. In addition to Swit and Alda, the first season featured Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville and Gary Burghoff. Harry Morgan, Mike Farrell and David Ogden Stiers would later be added, while Jamie Farr and William Christopher had expanded roles.
Swit appeared in all but 11 episodes of the series, nearly four times longer than the Korean War itself, exploring issues like PTSD, sexism and racism. Swit pushed for a better representation for women. Military.com
To those of a certain age (meaning you old farts) there were things about the show which were enfuriating, but things that were remarkable too. I hadn’t really thought it through before, but the show started in 1972, at a time when the image of the military was in pretty sad shape – if you saw a soldier anywhere in entertainment he was probably injured, pitiably (or violently) psycho, or otherwise two dimensionally ‘off’. The show in many ways humanized/humorized the military, showed off how impersonal it could be to those serving, and I think helped make many of us at the time be regarded as, well, more human.
Swit’s evolution from essentially a commissioned bimbo as Hot Lips over the course of the series to a real, and sympathetic character, paved the way for other shows which dug a little deeper (the well-regarded “China Beach” comes immediately to mind. Couldn’t have had McMurphy without Houlihan going before.) Might be worth noting that the final M*A*S*H episode in 1983 is STILL cited as the most-watched finale of any scripted show – ever.
No, she wasn’t a vet herself – but I think the character she created, and ensemble of which she was a part, certainly had an impact on how the public sees the military.
Category: We Remember