Radar’s years on ‘M*A*S*H*’ are the best that the series has to offer.
Walter “Radar” O’Reilly (Gary Burghoff) is one of the most beloved characters on M*A*S*H*, which is what makes it so hard when Season 8’s two-part episode “Goodbye, Radar” signaled that he would be exiting the program. But why did Burghoff decide to step away from this hit series? You would think that being one of the main actors on, arguably, the most popular show of the 1970s would be a gig that no one would ever want to walk away from, but some things in life are greater than fame and fortune. Even though Radar didn’t stick around for every single season until the series finale, his impact on the world of M*A*S*H* would be felt all the way until the end.
Radar Is the Heart and Soul of ‘M*A*S*H*’
One of the main things that keeps people coming back to M*A*S*H* to this day is its massive cast of fantastic iconic characters. Of course, you have Benjamin “Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda), who would act as the series’ comic-yet-wise lead and stick with it until the series finale. Then there’s Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan (Loretta Swit), who appeared in a majority of the episodes and came out of it easily the most prominent female character in the whole ensemble, as well as one of the funniest cast members. Trapper John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) would only be a part of the first three seasons, but Rogers’ chemistry with Alda and the rest of the cast was so great that his memory left a hole in the series’ after his departure. Then there’s the neurotic Frank Burns (Larry Linville), who is such a hilarious geek that you can’t help but love him. You can’t forget Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), whose departure in “Abyssinia, Henry” rocked fans from all around the globe. There were many other heavy hitters, like Maxwell Q. Klinger (Jamie Farr), Sherman T. Potter (Harry Morgan), and Father Mulcahy (William Christopher), but still, few would match up to Radar.
How could you not love Radar? He’s the heart and soul of the show’s first eight seasons. While the other characters on M*A*S*H* are either always loud and cracking obnoxious jokes, yelling at someone else, or drinking and getting caught up in some sort of shenanigans, Radar is the one you can always rely on to be level-headed. Sure, he can be just as funny as the rest of them, and is also prone to getting caught up in the more dramatic moments that the show has to offer, but Radar doesn’t have a lick of a mean spirit to him. A lot of M*A*S*H*’s characters are so entertaining to watch because they can be trouble-making hotheads. Either that or they are just a couple of smart-ass, wisecracking jokesters. Radar is the foil to the entire cast. His character is quiet, sincere, a bit clumsy, and sneakily hilarious. M*A*S*H* would go on for a few more years after Burghoff exited the series, but the show isn’t truly itself without his presence.
Why Did Gary Burghoff Leave ‘M*A*S*H*’?
Gary Burghoff is the only actor in the main ensemble that crossed over from Robert Altman’s original 1970 movie of the same name into the hit series. The M*A*S*H* theatrical film was shot in 1969, and he would go on to play the character until season eight’s two-part episode, “Goodbye, Radar,” which aired in 1979. That’s ten years of playing the same character. And while it was likely a fun part to play for a little while, a decade is a lot to ask of anybody and likely led to him feeling burnout. But why did Burghoff exit M*A*S*H*?
While Burghoff himself hasn’t been too outspoken on why he left, in an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, one of the series’ recurring directors, Charles S. Dubin, claimed that the actor behind Radar felt as if he wasn’t getting his proper dues in the role. He would also go on to explain that Burghoff was having issues in his marriage to Janet Gyle at the time and that his troubles at home were affecting his work life. It’s sad to say that this adds up, considering their marriage ended in 1979.
Dubin further explained how the actor’s hardships affected his work, detailing a moment when they were filming “Goodbye, Radar” in which Burghoff broke down into tears and had to be walked around the Fox back lot until he could resume filming. The scene particularly had to do with Radar describing a future with a woman that he had fallen in love with, so Dubin speculates that the scene’s contents and the actor’s own life probably collided in a way that no one expected. In another interview, Burghoff expressed frustration with his identity, and how people had trouble differentiating him from his M*A*S*H* character. “If the only identity we have is what we do, then we’re in big trouble — especially if we lose a job. Then we don’t have an identity anymore.”
