what do you think happened to all the characters who just disappeared from the show without explanation over the years?

Ho-Jon probably went home to live with Hawkeye's parents, as this was established during the pilot episode.

Spearchucker probably was discharged. Likewise with Ugly John & nurses Ginger Bayliss & Margie Cutler.

Sgt. Rizzo's last episode was in "Goodbye, Radar". I would assume he was dishonorably discharged since he was such a screw up and quite a jerk. His was one character I never did like too much.

Any others?

Ho-Jon probably went home to live with Hawkeye's parents, as this was established during the pilot episode.

Spearchucker probably was discharged. Likewise with Ugly John & nurses Ginger Bayliss & Margie Cutler.

Sgt. Rizzo's last episode was in "Goodbye, Radar". I would assume he was dishonorably discharged since he was such a screw up and quite a jerk. His was one character I never did like too much.

Any others?

Sgt. Rizzo (G.W. Bailey) remained on the show up through the very last episode.

yea, I remember he was in the finale.

Thanks for the catch there Doc! I meant to say Sgt. Zale's last episode, not Rizzo. I get them mixed up sometimes, probably because they both have a Z in their name :D

Thanks for the catch there Doc! I meant to say Sgt. Zale's last episode, not Rizzo. I get them mixed up sometimes, probably because they both have a Z in their name :D

I figgered you might have been talking about Zale.

I always thought Rizzo was kind of a sleazy, repulsive character. Yet not without his charms.

What kind of question is this? These aren't real people. They're characters. Either they wanted too much money to become recurring characters or got work elsewhere.

I always just assumed they either transferred or were discharged.

Or perhaps the writers just couldn't find things for them to do anymore and they were disposed of.

Or just transferred as people are in the military.

These were just supporting and recurring characters, so I hardly think explanations were needed for why they left.

well, I read somewhere that in reality they realized they didn't need that many characters since it was only a half hour and not 2 hours like the movie.

well, I read somewhere that in reality they realized they didn't need that many characters since it was only a half hour and not 2 hours like the movie.

Right, which is why Spearchucker, Ho Jon & Ugly John were dispensed with after season 1.

Spearchucker was dropped because they found out there were no black doctors in Korea back then; the military was still segregated.

What kind of question is this? These aren't real people. They're characters. Either they wanted too much money to become recurring characters or got work elsewhere.

That's not really the point of the question or even in context... since the writer was asking in context of the M*A*S*H story and continuity, true lovers of this reality do want to know.

Duke, for example, basically was/became Hunnicut, for example.

Oh. OK.

I figure... the 1st season of M.A.S.H.-was a 'trial' period- You had a successful movie, and now, a network was trying to make a successful 1/2 sitcom out of it. MOVIES are a ONE SHOT deal-Writers must make the audience either LIKE (love) or dislike(HATE) the MAIN characters immediately. YES, you can, and DO have at times, have large amount of background persons, but, in MOVIES.. we NEVER get to KNOW much, if anything about the characters backgrounds, and, their personalities really do not develop ..

BUT.. on a sitcom.. IF.. it does not get cancelled.. We get to know the 'characters'.. BUT, in order to 'KNOW' the CHARACTERS.. (LIKE, DISLIKE).. We have to see them, they have to talk, interact with others.. and to do this, OFTEN, the CAST must be CUT DOWN IN SIZE!

i.e. THE 1ST SEASON.. Nurses-There were much more nurses, nurses with names and lines, a dentist, and SPEARCHUCHER, the BLACK DR. -not to mention.. the cooks, the mechanic, klinger, radar, Father Mulchay (sp?), the colonel , etc. .. Of course, the producers, writers, KNOW who the MAIN character(s) will be.. but, the others.. sometimes are a surprise.... given a few lines, and the home audience falls in love with the character.. for instance, was KLINGER supposed to be a main character? Not sure, but, for the show-FAMILY MATTERS-Urkel, he was supposed to be on only a show or 2.. and the show eventually was written around him (hated it, but.. ).

OTHER EXAMPLES.. Facts of Life, Saved by the Bell (which was cancelled, went to another network, etc..) F.O.L. -the 1st season, had a LOT of young girls.. and Mrs. Garrett (1 being Molly Ringwald).. then, it came back with Garrett, 3 of them, and a NEW girl, a poor scholarship student-'JO'.. and they ended up 'living with Mrs. Garrett'. SBTB.. had a different title, was supposed to be about the TEACHERS.. (MIDDLE SCHOOL)..with Haley Mills as the star.. and it took place in the Midwest.. THEN.. it ended up in CA. with the same PRINCIPAL.. and only of the same 3 students- Zack, Screech, and Lisa.. It ALL depends -not on the lines the ACTOR has, but what the ACTOR brings to the character..

Which, is why.. the Asian nurse (overweight) (forgot her name) ends up with a recurring role.. because we like her.. she is LIKEABLE.. RIZZO-not 'likeable' friend like....but... WHILE.. the nurses Hawkeye 'dated' were NAMELESS to many.. because they seemed to be all blond, and did not stick out in any way.. As for SPEARCHUCKER.. although, yes, a black surgeon in the 1950s would be VERY RARE.. and, EVEN if he had RANK above the patients, there would still be trouble with some RACIST soldiers who would object to a black man operating on them (if they were AWAKE enough to object!), never mind the racist LTS, Sergeants, etc. that M.A.S.H DID show!