Movies - TV
Why Gary Burghoff Left M*A*S*H Behind For Good
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
While it seemed like the 4077th MASH unit would fall apart without Gary Burghoff’s Radar O’Reilly, the beloved character left the series for good in “M*A*S*H” Season 8.
The reason for his departure was simple: Burghoff was burnt out, as he explained in Suzy Kalter’s 1984 guide “The Complete Book of M*A*S*H.”
The actor wrote, “The disillusionment [of working in a changing world] is so great that you work harder to achieve the things you think you are lacking.”
He continued, “The harder you work, the less you accomplish, so more panic sets in and you spiral downward to burnout, a nearly total depletion of your vital energies.”
The pressures of the role changed Burghoff’s life in a way he wasn’t prepared for. The role strained his marriage, and it eventually ended in divorce after his departure.
Director Charles S. Dubin told the Television Academy Foundation that Burghoff broke down in tears during a scene where he said goodbye to a nurse he fell for at the airport.
Dubin explained Burghoff had troubles with his wife and shared, “In the script, he was talking about a future with her, possibly, [which] related to his own domestic problems.”
There were also rumors of Burghoff being difficult to work with, as a 1983 biography of Alan Alda by Raymond Strait detailed an argument between him and co-star McLean Stevenson.
Burghoff later wrote in Kalter’s book that any bad moods he may have had were in service to the show, adding, “We all cared a great deal about ‘M*A*S*H’ and each other.”