Klinger - The man, the myth, the legend

I think Klinger was the ironic epitome of the show personified.

Klinger in drag accented the craziness and confusion of their time. In this, he was the show's poster child...if not for the whole cast. Despite the horrors one can see in a MASH unit and war (hyper charged masculine environment), there was a sensitive man/human being screaming to come out of this mess. In Klinger's example, it was in the manner of his dress. It was an "in your face" expression of "isn't this just plain crazy...if not, then I must be". An invitation to look inward.

Extend this irony through the rest of the cast as they confront the realities of raw, unchecked aggression (casualties) that war brings to their doorstep...on a daily basis: the adolescent Hawkeye and Trapper bucking the system every chance they get...yet needing to be a part of it in order to save lives; the childlike but very perceptive Radar (with his Teddy Bear) who really runs the camp behind the scenes; the grandfatherly Colonel (somewhat broken by WWII) finding himself leading in another war and not knowing much else...career man...hopelessly caught in this war and somewhat fearful of retirement...which is worse?; Hotlips "seeking her father's love and respect all her life" by going Army Officer like himself...however, she may never get the approval she seeks despite her efforts; the bumbling, timid priest/Father trying to bring hope to a hopeless situation; the psychiatrist (like a big brother) stepping in only when needed and providing some sanity in the insanity found there; et cetera. In fact, look at all the men on the show...quirky, but very sensitive and nurturing in their own way. The typical hard core GI Joe as a main character was not to be found there....from the Colonel down to the private. Major Burns was possibly the exception...but as a man who tried to be hard core, he allowed us to see how crazy that was. In fact, he was just as sensitive as the others....if not more so. Being hard core just made him look all the more foolish.

As a TV show, MASH allowed men to be human. Extending that further, it allowed us as an audience to see humanity through their own eyes. The show was more than a comedy...it made us sit still, listen, and to think a little about ourselves in relation to others. As stupid as this sounds, I became a little tearful on the show's finale, "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen". Hawkeye and BJ's goodbye scene really brought home how difficult it is for men to be openly sensitive to each other. It was more normal and acceptable for Klinger to be the drag queen on the show all those years than for Hawkeye to verbally express his love and goodbye towards BJ at the end...as a man/friend. B.J. had to show him how. This was the Greatest Irony! I couldn't have thought of a better way to have closed the show.

Another irony was the instrumental theme song. The actual title of the theme song that we came to know and love is "Suicide is Painless". The irony of suicide is that it is not painless...it just propagates additional suffering to others. Which makes more sense during the horrors of war?....take your life, ending your witness of the loss of humanity, and allowing others to die and suffer by default because you are now absent from your own angst OR to live it despite the horror, remaining true to yourself despite your own personal craziness, refusing to let that part of you die, and nurture others who suffer along with you. Which has more integrity? Which provides more hope? The theme song's music/title captured the show's underlying essence of this internal struggle...give up or move on. In the show's finale, Hawkeye found this out first hand as he indirectly caused a mother to smother her own child to save others. A part of him died as a result of that child's death. Sidney, the psychiatrist, helped him to confront this personal death of the child and the personal death in himself...much to Hawkeye's resistance to do so. Hawkeye needed to see the hope that he can move on...as a man, as a human being.

In conclusion, Klinger had no confusion as to who he was...he was all man, despite how he appeared on the outside (another irony). It is what is on the inside that counts...not what others may see you as. This is what makes a man a man. What a great living example he was and a lesson he provided to us all. Through himself, Klinger invited viewers to examine themselves...their own integrity...as the cast of characters stumbled along trying to find their own. Klinger was simply awesome.

Hot damn ThunderWolf!!

That was magnificent!

Dr. Sidney Freedman: "Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice: pull down your pants, and slide on the ice."

Good advice, 23 yrs later.

~faith,
Timothy.