"How should I know? I dropped out of school to become a doctor."
January 1, 2016 12:09 PM Subscribe
"Wayne Rogers, best known for playing Captain 'Trapper' John McIntyre on TV comedy series 'M.A.S.H.,' died Thursday in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia. He was 82."
"He appeared on 'M.A.S.H.' for only the first three of 11 seasons, but the army surgeon was one of the most popular characters on the show, known for his repartee with Alan Alda’s Hawkeye Pierce. He was reportedly frustrated by the show's focus on Alda when he quit after three seasons, with Mike Farrell replacing him as B.J. Hunnicut."Previously
While researching for my previous fpp on M*A*S*H, I was stunned to find an amazing amount of current-day fandom (and lustdom) for Wayne Rogers/Trapper John character on tumblr; this was surprising to me as the series where he appears was quite a while ago, and I considered his character a bit incidental to the Hawkeye character anyway. Not so! There is a vocal community of fans of Trapper John on the internet, you just have to know where to look, I guess.
I also discovered - via Tumblr posts - that Rogers was in Cool Hand Luke (imdb page for Rogers).
I think he became a conservative and guest on Fox TV in his later years, although I didn't keep track of his career.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:20 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I also discovered - via Tumblr posts - that Rogers was in Cool Hand Luke (imdb page for Rogers).
I think he became a conservative and guest on Fox TV in his later years, although I didn't keep track of his career.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:20 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
(or his personal politics)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:21 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 12:21 PM on January 1, 2016
Plus MASH was best when he and Maclean were on it.
I'll give you McLean Stevenson, but I was definitely more a fan of (BJ) Mike Farrrell. But thats just my own personal opinion. Wayne Rogers brought his own style to the early seasons of MASH and for that I'll be thankful.
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posted by Fizz at 12:27 PM on January 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
I'll give you McLean Stevenson, but I was definitely more a fan of (BJ) Mike Farrrell. But thats just my own personal opinion. Wayne Rogers brought his own style to the early seasons of MASH and for that I'll be thankful.
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posted by Fizz at 12:27 PM on January 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
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posted by disclaimer at 12:28 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by disclaimer at 12:28 PM on January 1, 2016
I had such a crush on Trapper John /Wayne Rogers that I'd comb through the TV listings every Sunday looking for guest appearances. I used my little audio cassette recorder to tape Wayne's episode of Barnaby Jones and remember listening to it over and over. 82 seems so young these days.
posted by ezust at 12:32 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ezust at 12:32 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
"Klinger's not a pervert. I'm one, and he's never at the meetings!"
posted by steef at 12:46 PM on January 1, 2016 [23 favorites]
posted by steef at 12:46 PM on January 1, 2016 [23 favorites]
Its amazing to me how cultural mores have shifted. I loved MASH growing up, and still look fondly back on it today. And yet here we have a character, beloved and one of the heroes of the show, who is named after a "funny" story about the time he raped a woman on a train.
We've improved, I think, at least a bit.
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posted by sotonohito at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
We've improved, I think, at least a bit.
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posted by sotonohito at 12:55 PM on January 1, 2016 [4 favorites]
Um, well, thanks for that trivia I can never Unknow, sotonohito.
I too was a fan of Mr. Curly Hair & DevilishGrin back in the day, although I liked what they did with BJ's character too.
By weird coincidence, I was just thinking about the M*A*S*H TV cast again a couple days ago. (This is not the first time I've had someone come to my mind, only to then hear of their passing within a day. So I'll try not to think about any of you.)
posted by NorthernLite at 1:19 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I too was a fan of Mr. Curly Hair & DevilishGrin back in the day, although I liked what they did with BJ's character too.
By weird coincidence, I was just thinking about the M*A*S*H TV cast again a couple days ago. (This is not the first time I've had someone come to my mind, only to then hear of their passing within a day. So I'll try not to think about any of you.)
posted by NorthernLite at 1:19 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:37 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 1:37 PM on January 1, 2016
. despite his politics. Wayne was an all-around good guy, and I will always be grateful for the ginormous bin of popcorn (plain, cheese and candy!) he'd send at Christmastime every year.
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:41 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by adamgreenfield at 1:41 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
In the 70's I met him when my mother and uncle had shares in his vineyard--we would come up sometimes and stay at a mobile home there-- but I was more interested in the Thoroughbreds kept at the stud farm also on the property.
posted by brujita at 2:02 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by brujita at 2:02 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
named after a "funny" story about the time he raped a woman on a train.
Well... From the wiki:
"...his nickname was derived from his being caught having sex with a woman in the lavatory aboard a Boston & Maine Railway train; when being caught in flagrante delicto, the woman announced "He trapped me!" (The blurb on the book's cover refers to "raping" a beauty queen on the Boston to Maine Express, but in the context of the story, it appears she was a willing participant who made the accusation only in order to avoid embarrassment.)"
posted by LEGO Damashii at 2:22 PM on January 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
Well... From the wiki:
"...his nickname was derived from his being caught having sex with a woman in the lavatory aboard a Boston & Maine Railway train; when being caught in flagrante delicto, the woman announced "He trapped me!" (The blurb on the book's cover refers to "raping" a beauty queen on the Boston to Maine Express, but in the context of the story, it appears she was a willing participant who made the accusation only in order to avoid embarrassment.)"
posted by LEGO Damashii at 2:22 PM on January 1, 2016 [7 favorites]
Oh man, I used to take the 6pm bus home from school and get home just in time to walk the dog at 6:45, MASH reruns at 7pm.
They never had laugh tracks in the surgery scenes. Recognizing how right a decision that was.
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posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 2:30 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
They never had laugh tracks in the surgery scenes. Recognizing how right a decision that was.
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posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 2:30 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Just two weeks ago in MST3K Club we watched Hercules Against The Moon Men, where at the end Crow T. Robot defined Wayne Rogers syndrome: when you're doing a remake of a movie for television, and you can't get the film actor to do it, you call Wayne Rogers. That might be an unfair assessment though, they only gave two examples in the episode, and one of them was M*A*S*H.
posted by JHarris at 2:49 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by JHarris at 2:49 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
his nickname was derived from his being caught having sex with a woman in the lavatory aboard a Boston & Maine Railway train; when being caught in flagrante delicto, the woman announced "He trapped me!" (The blurb on the book's cover refers to "raping" a beauty queen on the Boston to Maine Express, but in the context of the story, it appears she was a willing participant who made the accusation only in order to avoid embarrassment
Yeah - I don't think I have to explain here what's wrong with this picture in itself (and the notion is not quite as much "of a different time" as one might hope) but it's not exactly the story the original comment could have been read to imply.
posted by atoxyl at 2:59 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah - I don't think I have to explain here what's wrong with this picture in itself (and the notion is not quite as much "of a different time" as one might hope) but it's not exactly the story the original comment could have been read to imply.
posted by atoxyl at 2:59 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Why do all these great MASH folks keep getting older and dying?! Oh, right. Grrr.
posted by Melismata at 3:34 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Why do all these great MASH folks keep getting older and dying?! Oh, right. Grrr.
posted by Melismata at 3:34 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
The MASH books are pretty vile stuff, you're better off without them in your life. The movie gives me the skeevs too. (I have found that there are people who love the show and people who love the movie and those people rarely overlap. I am a show fan.) The show evolved a lot, but the early shows are still fun and Rogers was a big part of that.
See ya in the funny papers.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:39 PM on January 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
See ya in the funny papers.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 3:39 PM on January 1, 2016 [5 favorites]
(Didn't know about his politics or the story of Trapper's nickname, but I very much enjoyed his performances on M*A*S*H.
posted by Canageek at 3:46 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Canageek at 3:46 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by homunculus at 3:50 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by homunculus at 3:50 PM on January 1, 2016
(I have found that there are people who love the show and people who love the movie and those people rarely overlap. I am a show fan.)
What?
Larry Gelbart and Robert Altman throw downs? Does Gary Burghoff emcee?
War protest, my way?
Altman attained greater career choices after the success of M*A*S*H*, changed dialogue forever, and it's a rich source for contemporary attitudes toward sex and race at that time. The qualities of the show, and its value as a record of cultural norms (and a supposedly pacifist position), is amazing due to its longevity. I've said supposedly because with every significant change of cast, it's my belief much consideration was given to how to tweak a cast that might better lend itself to more nuanced topics about roles in war rather than just an "in your face"/good guy vs. bad protest of it.
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posted by lazycomputerkids at 4:38 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
What?
Larry Gelbart and Robert Altman throw downs? Does Gary Burghoff emcee?
War protest, my way?
Altman attained greater career choices after the success of M*A*S*H*, changed dialogue forever, and it's a rich source for contemporary attitudes toward sex and race at that time. The qualities of the show, and its value as a record of cultural norms (and a supposedly pacifist position), is amazing due to its longevity. I've said supposedly because with every significant change of cast, it's my belief much consideration was given to how to tweak a cast that might better lend itself to more nuanced topics about roles in war rather than just an "in your face"/good guy vs. bad protest of it.
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posted by lazycomputerkids at 4:38 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
*
I think he became a conservative and guest on Fox TV in his later years, although I didn't keep track of his career.
I know I used to see him on some of the Fox financial shows. This was notable to me only because he used to be business partners with the dad of one of my BFF's so I would think of him when I saw Rogers on TV. I mention this only because this was long ago, pre-Tea Party and maybe even pre-9/11 and I don't think he was what we think of now as a "Fox conservative." I bet he was enormously (but quietly) wealthy and he definitely had the financial bona fides to talk about investing and money management, but I don't he think he was a birther or anything like that. He was great in M*A*S*H, so that's how it works in my headcanon, anyway.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:17 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I think he became a conservative and guest on Fox TV in his later years, although I didn't keep track of his career.
I know I used to see him on some of the Fox financial shows. This was notable to me only because he used to be business partners with the dad of one of my BFF's so I would think of him when I saw Rogers on TV. I mention this only because this was long ago, pre-Tea Party and maybe even pre-9/11 and I don't think he was what we think of now as a "Fox conservative." I bet he was enormously (but quietly) wealthy and he definitely had the financial bona fides to talk about investing and money management, but I don't he think he was a birther or anything like that. He was great in M*A*S*H, so that's how it works in my headcanon, anyway.
posted by Room 641-A at 5:17 PM on January 1, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm revisiting the show on Netflix .... he sings in at least one episode and he was quite good. I'd forgotten that I had a huge crush on him for a short time.
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posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:43 PM on January 1, 2016
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posted by Sheydem-tants at 5:43 PM on January 1, 2016
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It was a bit cognitive-dissonance-ish to see a financial talk show where they were all arguing over if such and such index would go up or down and see a familiar face... 'wait, wasn't that character a crazed commie liberal'?
posted by sammyo at 5:53 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
It was a bit cognitive-dissonance-ish to see a financial talk show where they were all arguing over if such and such index would go up or down and see a familiar face... 'wait, wasn't that character a crazed commie liberal'?
posted by sammyo at 5:53 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm revisiting the show on Netflix .... he sings in at least one episode and he was quite good.
Are you sure you're not thinking of Captain Spalding, played (and sung) by Loudon Wainwright III for a few eps early on?
posted by Herodios at 8:09 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Are you sure you're not thinking of Captain Spalding, played (and sung) by Loudon Wainwright III for a few eps early on?
posted by Herodios at 8:09 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
If you can get your hands on the DVDs of M*A*S*H, watch them with the laugh track turned off. It's an entirely different show.
posted by xedrik at 9:06 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by xedrik at 9:06 PM on January 1, 2016
Lazycomputerkids, it was a regrettable derail on my part to bring up the MASH movie vs TV thing. I do admire some of Altman's films and dislike others for various reasons, but I don't think Rogers' obituary thread is an appropriate place to get into that.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:38 PM on January 1, 2016
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:38 PM on January 1, 2016
it was a regrettable derail on my part to bring up the MASH movie vs TV thing.
Shan't mention the OTHER Trapper John then.
It seems weird to me, now, that so many actors can own the same role of a doctor.
Pernell Roberts was MY Trapper John growing up (MASH was into the Radar/Klinger era by then) but if it weren't for a random IMDB search of actors in the 1985 film Explorers today, I'd have forgotten about Roberts, because Rogers owned the role in the reruns, which I will still watch today, if I catch an episode.
posted by Mezentian at 11:57 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Shan't mention the OTHER Trapper John then.
It seems weird to me, now, that so many actors can own the same role of a doctor.
Pernell Roberts was MY Trapper John growing up (MASH was into the Radar/Klinger era by then) but if it weren't for a random IMDB search of actors in the 1985 film Explorers today, I'd have forgotten about Roberts, because Rogers owned the role in the reruns, which I will still watch today, if I catch an episode.
posted by Mezentian at 11:57 PM on January 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Plus MASH was best when he and Maclean were on it.
I'll give you McLean Stevenson, but I was definitely more a fan of (BJ) Mike Farrrell.
everything that was ever essential about MASH (the TV show) disappeared with the doubleshot departures of Henry and Trapper. But I already said my piece in this regard.
posted by philip-random at 12:43 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'll give you McLean Stevenson, but I was definitely more a fan of (BJ) Mike Farrrell.
everything that was ever essential about MASH (the TV show) disappeared with the doubleshot departures of Henry and Trapper. But I already said my piece in this regard.
posted by philip-random at 12:43 AM on January 2, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was trying not to do this, philip-random, but how am I supposed to not get into a big flamewar when you say stuff like that? I'm not made of stone!
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:39 AM on January 2, 2016
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:39 AM on January 2, 2016
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posted by oneironaut at 6:21 AM on January 2, 2016
posted by oneironaut at 6:21 AM on January 2, 2016
The Swamp won't be the same without ya Trapper.
(Pours a dry Martini on the ground)
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 10:11 AM on January 2, 2016
(Pours a dry Martini on the ground)
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 10:11 AM on January 2, 2016
I was trying not to do this, philip-random, but how am I supposed to not get into a big flamewar when you say stuff like that?
I've discussed this with my people. Apparently, I'm always allowed to flamewar with someone named Hitler.
posted by philip-random at 10:21 AM on January 2, 2016
I've discussed this with my people. Apparently, I'm always allowed to flamewar with someone named Hitler.
posted by philip-random at 10:21 AM on January 2, 2016
RE: the "Trapper" nickname. If they could retcon "Spearchucker" Jones into a javelin-throwing mega-athlete, they could've made Trap a proud descendant of pioneering French-Canadians.
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posted by Iris Gambol at 10:26 AM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by Iris Gambol at 10:26 AM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescat in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 12:02 PM on January 2, 2016
posted by ob1quixote at 12:02 PM on January 2, 2016
"Hawkeye, this guy knocks out Jeeps!"
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posted by hearthpig at 1:11 PM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by hearthpig at 1:11 PM on January 2, 2016 [2 favorites]
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posted by RolandOfEld at 3:54 PM on January 2, 2016
posted by RolandOfEld at 3:54 PM on January 2, 2016
If they could retcon "Spearchucker" Jones into a javelin-throwing mega-athlete . . .
"Ret-conning" not required:
As you were.
posted by Herodios at 8:26 PM on January 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
"Ret-conning" not required:
"Spearchucker" Jones was also a character in both the novel M*A*S*H (and its sequels) by Richard Hooker[, and in] Robert Altman's movie.And I'll remind all you Deep Space Nine fans that by René Auberjonois played Father Mulcahy in Altman's film.
In each, the Spearchucker character is a superior surgeon who was also a stand-out collegiate athlete ("Spearchucker," a common racial slur, is said to instead in this case refer to his javelin-throwing prowess). Initially, he is transferred to the 4077th to help them win a football game against a rival outfit.
It is established in the novel that Jones is from Duke Forrest's hometown of Forest Park, Georgia, and knew Duke's father. Duke makes racist comments about Jones, causing Hawkeye and Trapper to punish Duke. . . .
In the sequel novels, particularly M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, Jones joins the other doctors in their practice in Spruce Harbor, Maine, becoming a highly successful doctor and prominent citizen.
As you were.
posted by Herodios at 8:26 PM on January 2, 2016 [4 favorites]
Apparently, I'm always allowed to flamewar with someone named Hitler.
Actually, no. As soon as somebody drops a Hitler gag, I'm gone.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:15 PM on January 2, 2016
Actually, no. As soon as somebody drops a Hitler gag, I'm gone.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 9:15 PM on January 2, 2016
Herodios: "And I'll remind all you Deep Space Nine fans that by René Auberjonois played Father Mulcahy in Altman's film."
No shout out to fans of Benson?
posted by Chrysostom at 9:48 AM on January 4, 2016
No shout out to fans of Benson?
posted by Chrysostom at 9:48 AM on January 4, 2016
No shout out to fans of Benson?
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously?
posted by Herodios at 9:58 AM on January 4, 2016
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously?
posted by Herodios at 9:58 AM on January 4, 2016
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Plus MASH was best when he and Maclean were on it.
posted by Trochanter at 12:19 PM on January 1, 2016 [11 favorites]