@Benton12 said:

(Kim II Sung was a brutal mass-murderer who started the whole Korean War. He was also head of North Korea and communist . He was never mentioned on Mash!)

In one 2nd season ep while trying to get a Section 8 Klinger claims to be a communist and calls Henry an Imperialist dog. That scripted phrase is around the very lowest of the entire series! And it was a billion miles from the truth. The US and allies got rid of the Japanese imperialists who took Korea and conquered it totally in 1910! Jamie Farr should have never ever agreed to say that rotten line.

What makes you think he, as a "supporting" player, had a choice?

MAYBE Alda, after he had reached a certain status within the franchise, could have refused. But, as for the others...way back when writers wrote and actors spoke!

NOTE: Not agreeing are disagreeing about the line itself.

I know the story of how Farr grew in importance on the show. Nonetheless, one has to have some ethics. You cannot do everything in the name of a paycheck. Also, Farr had tons and ton of work before Mash. He was barely a starving actor. He was a former real life american GI stationed in Korea. He knew what bad thing Kim ll Sung had done in 1950! It was totally tragic what Farr said in that ep.

The actors all had contributed ideas in the show from early on. Every actor that was a reg after season one certainly. Alda BTW took semi-control of Hawk very quickly in the show's run. I do not think you know that much about how the show was run and how very much control indeed the actors had over their characters.

This whole bit about Klinger allegedly being a communist never should have been in script. This is what it should have been instead.

Klinger says Sir, you are so uncaring about my family back home. My mother is so very worried about me for real.

Henry says And she will just have to stay very worried about you, Klinger. You are no 15 year old high school kid who somehow found himself caught up in the war. That is way everybody perceives you and your situation. Wise up. And out, now.

This would have been way better than deranged anti-US government talk.

@Benton12 said:

I know the story of how Farr grew in importance on the show. Nonetheless, one has to have some ethics. You cannot do everything in the name of a paycheck. Also, Farr had tons and ton of work before Mash. He was barely a starving actor. He was a former real life american GI stationed in Korea. He knew what bad thing Kim ll Sung had done in 1950! It was totally tragic what Farr said in that ep.

The actors all had contributed ideas in the show from early on. Every actor that was a reg after season one certainly. Alda BTW took semi-control of Hawk very quickly in the show's run. I do not think you know that much about how the show was run and how very much control indeed the actors had over their characters.

He was part of the 'Special Services' branch, which is the entertainment branch of the military. He never saw action.

The irony of the first reply. Defending an inhumanly wrong action like Farr did on money grounds. Mash occasionally picked on people for doing bad stuff for money. Farr had to live with himself for what he did

@Benton12 said:

I know the story of how Farr grew in importance on the show. Nonetheless, one has to have some ethics. You cannot do everything in the name of a paycheck. Also, Farr had tons and ton of work before Mash. He was barely a starving actor. He was a former real life american GI stationed in Korea. He knew what bad thing Kim ll Sung had done in 1950! It was totally tragic what Farr said in that ep.

The actors all had contributed ideas in the show from early on. Every actor that was a reg after season one certainly. Alda BTW took semi-control of Hawk very quickly in the show's run. I do not think you know that much about how the show was run and how very much control indeed the actors had over their characters.

Well. There is another possible explanation as to why the actor did not reject the line.

Maybe he, same as the writers/showrunner(s), simply DID NOT find the line objectionable?

@Benton12 said:

The irony of the first reply. Defending an inhumanly wrong action like Farr did on money grounds. Mash occasionally picked on people for doing bad stuff for money. Farr had to live with himself for what he did

If I were going to "defend" anything, it would be his right to choose whether or not to object.

The point I'm making is that I don't think he had the "clout" to influence what dialogue did OR did not end up in the final script.

Anyway...

For all we know:

1--He may have objected and been overruled.

2--That bit of dialogue, in context of the scene, may have seemed benign to him.

3--I never seen it; so have no idea--and can't judge.

4--"Defending an inhumanly wrong action...." Don't accuse me of a thing I didn't do.

MacLean Stevenson was no saint in this scene either.

A later episode in the boring BJ era established Klinger had never told his mom he was going to Korea. But!!! It has been opinion of fans that the later eps of the show are only vaguely connected to those of seasons one to three. This ep's scene ( a non-disguised, deranged pro-communist allegory)does not establish that Klinger's mom was worried about him since the letter from home showing it was actually a fraud Klinger himself wrote. But there is no reason to take the actions of the later ep,establishing Klinger's mom was not told he had gone to Korea, are the actual story behind Klinger's past in this early story. Because of the way later and early eps are so weakly connected!