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| David Ogden Stiers in his signature role as Charles Emerson Winchester III in "M*A*S*H". Source: https://www.advocate.com/ (May be subject to copyright) |
But there was much more to the career of David Ogden Stiers.
I was reminded of him recently when we watched “Doc Hollywood” and he played Mayor Nick Nicholson.
Pre-history
Although I only discovered it in re-runs, David Ogden Stiers had a continuing role in the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” as the manager of the TV station Mary worked at. He was Lou Grant’s boss. He also had a stutter when he was under pressure.
Although I only discovered it in re-runs, David Ogden Stiers had a continuing role in the “Mary Tyler Moore Show” as the manager of the TV station Mary worked at. He was Lou Grant’s boss. He also had a stutter when he was under pressure.
My outstanding memory was how different he sounded on that show, compared to "M*A*S*H" where he spoke with almost an English accent. Only later did I discover it was an upper class Boston twang.
Charles Emerson Winchester III
The career of David Ogden Stiers changed forever when he joined the cast of “M*A*S*H” as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, a Boston bred, graduate of Harvard medical school who was railroaded into being stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
The career of David Ogden Stiers changed forever when he joined the cast of “M*A*S*H” as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, a Boston bred, graduate of Harvard medical school who was railroaded into being stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
Initially, he was cast as a new foil for the barbs and jokes of the show’s protagonists Hawkeye Pierce and BJ Honeycutt.
However that would change.
More than the butt of jokes
I have several memories of Winchester, but a few stand out that illustrate how different his relationship was with the surgeons he shared a tent with.
I have several memories of Winchester, but a few stand out that illustrate how different his relationship was with the surgeons he shared a tent with.
Nothing stupid
One involved a soldier who came to the 4077th with an injury and a stutter. He was the butt of jokes from his fellow soldiers who mocked his stutter and called him Porky Pig. Even his commanding officer blamed him for getting everyone shot. They all made it clear they thought he was stupid.
One involved a soldier who came to the 4077th with an injury and a stutter. He was the butt of jokes from his fellow soldiers who mocked his stutter and called him Porky Pig. Even his commanding officer blamed him for getting everyone shot. They all made it clear they thought he was stupid.
Winchester overheard all this and lashed out at them all, saving the bulk of his wrath for the commanding officer, who was lower in rank than Winchester. He even threatened to put him on report.
Later he approaches the soldier and tells him stuttering has nothing to do with intelligence. The soldier doesn’t believe Winchester. That’s why he reads nothing but comic books. Later, Winchester gives him some books, including “Moby Dick”. The soldier admits, to Winchester’s surprise, he knows “Moby Dick”. How? He had read the classic comic book. Both of them laugh.
One of the on-going parts of Winchester’s life is the tapes he records and sends to his sister Onoria. At the end of this episode, we hear him listen to a tape from her for the first time.
She has a stutter.
The music is the thing
In another episode, Winchester recognizes a patient as a world-class pianst. He is horrified to see the soldier has his arm amputated, destroying his musical career.
In another episode, Winchester recognizes a patient as a world-class pianst. He is horrified to see the soldier has his arm amputated, destroying his musical career.
Winchester does some research and discovers music written for one hand. He shows this to the pianist who rejects it outright, saying he cannot play a few gimmick pieces written for a freak.
Winchester tells him he has two good hands and will never be a good pianist. He can make a scalpel sing on the surgical table, but he will never make the kind of music that pianist can. It is not in the hands, it comes from the heart and mind.
At the end of the episode, the pianist does try the piece Winchester gave him – and he is amazing.
Tables turned
Hawkeye and BJ plan a practical joke where Winchester loses his pants in the operating room. No one thinks it’s funny and everyone blames Hawkeye. Only in private does BJ laugh too, but demurs when Hawkeye mentions BJ had a hand in the joke too. By this time, the whole camp has sided with Winchester, making life tough for Hawkeye. Hawkeye decides to make things right, by pulling a prank on himself and making everyone think Winchester pulled it to get even.
Hawkeye and BJ plan a practical joke where Winchester loses his pants in the operating room. No one thinks it’s funny and everyone blames Hawkeye. Only in private does BJ laugh too, but demurs when Hawkeye mentions BJ had a hand in the joke too. By this time, the whole camp has sided with Winchester, making life tough for Hawkeye. Hawkeye decides to make things right, by pulling a prank on himself and making everyone think Winchester pulled it to get even.
Hawkeye is supposed to sit on a chair with glue on it at the Officers’ Club. He even maneuvers Winchester into the chair, only to realize too late that Winchester sat in the chair with glue and not Hawkeye. Hawkeye is now in even hotter water with everyone at the camp.
Shortly thereafter he learns from Igor at the Officers’ Club that BJ was behind both pranks. He told Igor to switch the chairs.
So, in a scene we never would have seen with Frank Burns, Hawkeye convinces Winchester that BJ was behind it. Together they arrange the king of practical jokes on BJ.
It showed how their relationship had blossomed.
Dads
In by far my favourite episode of “M*A*S*H”, Hawkeye learns his father has a mass pushing on his kidney that could be cancer and needs a difficult operation. As he gets off the phone, he turns and Winchester is there, having heard everything. Hawkeye asks him to keep it between them.
In by far my favourite episode of “M*A*S*H”, Hawkeye learns his father has a mass pushing on his kidney that could be cancer and needs a difficult operation. As he gets off the phone, he turns and Winchester is there, having heard everything. Hawkeye asks him to keep it between them.
Then, it is Winchester who assures him the operation is delicate but can be done.
Later they share memories of their fathers. Hawkeye talks about losing his dad and never having told him he loved him and now he could be gone. Winchester tells him not to assume the worst. Winchester said that every night at supper his father would ask how his day was. Charles had until the salad came to describe his day. He said to this day he still talks faster when he sees lettuce. He always assumed all families were like this, and then he sees the warmth, the closeness, the fun Hawkeye has for his dad.
Charles said his father is a good man who always wanted the best for Charles, but sums up that conversation by saying, “I had a father, you had a dad.”
“Charles, you never told me anything like this before,” he said.
“Actually – Hawkeye – I've never told you anything before.”
It is the only time Winchester ever calls Pierce “Hawkeye”.
Later in the episode, Hawkeye is in the operating room and explodes at all the commotion going on. It is Winchester who calms him down, telling him it is going to be all right and to give it a rest if he can.
In the end, everything works out, and Hawkeye’s father pulls through.
At the end of the episode, Winchester is at the Officers’ Club. Hawkeye takes him aside and buys him a drink, and says a soft thank you.
“To our fathers,” Charles says.
“And their sons,” Hawkeye responds.
I am choked up as I type this.
Aftermath
David Ogden Stiers would appear in 131 episodes of “M*A*S*H” from 1977 to 1983. He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy or variety or music series in 1981 and 1982.
David Ogden Stiers would appear in 131 episodes of “M*A*S*H” from 1977 to 1983. He was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy or variety or music series in 1981 and 1982.
Introduction
I had been excited to see who would be replacing Frank Burns on “M*A*S*H”. The problem was, I had floor hockey on Monday nights when the show aired. I got back just in time for the last two minutes of the show. All I saw was a silhouette of Winchester mentioning classical music. It would be another week before I saw what Winchester looked like, that his name was Winchester, and it would take until reruns to learn how he was railroaded into a tour in Korea.
I had been excited to see who would be replacing Frank Burns on “M*A*S*H”. The problem was, I had floor hockey on Monday nights when the show aired. I got back just in time for the last two minutes of the show. All I saw was a silhouette of Winchester mentioning classical music. It would be another week before I saw what Winchester looked like, that his name was Winchester, and it would take until reruns to learn how he was railroaded into a tour in Korea.
The rest of the story
The other role David Ogden Stiers played with regularity in the 1980s was as district attorney Michael Reston in a series of Perry Mason TV movies. He appeared in six in 1987 and two more in 1988.
The other role David Ogden Stiers played with regularity in the 1980s was as district attorney Michael Reston in a series of Perry Mason TV movies. He appeared in six in 1987 and two more in 1988.
He also appeared in three TV miniseries that I thoroughly enjoyed – “The First Olympics Athens 1896” in 1984, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or special, then “North and South” in 1985 and “North and South Book II” in 1986.
David Ogden Stiers would continue to act in film and television until 2015.
He passed away on March 3, 2018.
Parting thoughts
David Ogden Stiers will forever be Charles Emerson Winchester III to me. One of the challenges “M*A*S*H” had was replacing cast members. When Colonel Henry Blake left, he was replaced by Colonel Sherman Potter. When Trapper John McIntire left, he was replaced by BJ Honeycutt. And when Frank Burns left, he was replaced by Winchester.
David Ogden Stiers will forever be Charles Emerson Winchester III to me. One of the challenges “M*A*S*H” had was replacing cast members. When Colonel Henry Blake left, he was replaced by Colonel Sherman Potter. When Trapper John McIntire left, he was replaced by BJ Honeycutt. And when Frank Burns left, he was replaced by Winchester.
Each time, it would have been easy to just change the face and keep the character the same. It also would have been the death of the show.
Instead, the new characters bore little resemblance to their predecessors, which is what it would have been like in real life.
In the case of Charles Emerson Winchester III, he eclipsed Burns. He was as good or an even better surgeon than Hawkeye or BJ, and could give as much as he took when it came to jokes and barbs. He earned their respect and they earned his.
He also portrayed a sensitivity Burns never did, advocated for his patients whether they were friend or enemy, and had a great deal of compassion.
For that reason, he was foil and friend.
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