September 07, 2004
I'm Glad...
...that I'm not the only guy to whom this idea came to mind:
I got to thinking about how much John Kerry reminds me of the M*A*S*H character Frank Burns. Follow me on this:Somehow I don't feel so bad...
- Sure working at a MASH unit was dangerous but the only character I could see putting himself up for medals would be Frank Burns
- Ferret face
- Couldn't you see Frank talking up his service while at ther same time describing his comrades as "sicko animals"?
- Couldn't you see Frank exagerating his service exploits and then threatening to sue anyone who told a differing story?
...although for my money the comparisons with Cliff Clavin.
Like Cliff, if reality isn't attractive enough he's seemingly not above making up a better one.
And while he doesn't exactly live with his mother like Clavin did, he does seem to have spent his entire life hanging onto the apron strings (and checkbook) of older, wealthier women.
Posted by Mitch at September 7, 2004 05:15 AM | TrackBack
I'll 2nd that motion as well. I've been thinking of Ferret Face for awhile with John Kerry. Even if they tried to paint the pro-Korean war people as nut cases like Frank, there are still similarities:
-Frank applied for a few purple hearts because of miniscule things. They usually got taken away.
-Frank married for money.
-Not a lot of people who worked with him had positive things to say.
-He was discharged and went on with a plush job stateside. I'm thinking a Senator from the Northeast can't be all that taxing (no pun intended).
However, Frank's replacement was (tada!) a snooty, boorish doctor from Boston. But, of course, he was a rich conservative, so he was an easy target. Still there are similarites. I'd like to switch their burbon and hair tonic bottles as well.
Posted by: Jerry Leigh at September 7, 2004 07:56 AM“However, Frank's replacement was (tada!) a snooty, boorish doctor from Boston. But, of course, he was a rich conservative, so he was an easy target. Still there are similarites. I'd like to switch their burbon and hair tonic bottles as well.”
I have to take a little umbrage with this characterization of Charles Winchester III. He may have come off as a little snooty the first season he was on but the writers (to their credit) did develop him into a far more three dimensional character than they ever did Frank Burns. Ultimately I think he proved himself to be a class act, a more than capable physician and officer, and a pretty decent and ultimately HUMAN fellow to serve with.
Two reasons CW3 is not FB – the final episode where he learned that the Chinese musicians he taught Mozart were killed and could never enjoy classical music again and the episode where he turned down a station in Tokyo when he meant he would have to smear Major Houlihan.
Posted by: Thorley Winston at September 7, 2004 09:51 AMEverytime I see GW I can't help but think if Mr. Smith on Lost in Space. Even the name of the show matches the reality of his admiinistration!
Flash
Posted by: Flash at September 7, 2004 12:25 PMWhereas the Kerry campaign is reminiscent of that other great Irwin Allen series “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.”
Posted by: Thorley Winston at September 7, 2004 01:28 PMIf you liked that - you'll really like this. I took the idea to the next level and ran with it a bit.
http://large-regular.blogspot.com/2004/08/mash-doctor-veterans-for-truth.html
Posted by: chris at September 7, 2004 03:06 PMSorry, I was recently watching the 6th season DVDs of MASH, remembering his inital episodes. True, I thought Charles had far more of a soul than Frank did -- who was basically played up for laughs. Charles ended up being more compassionate and deep than anyone gave him credit for...and he was still conservative enough to make me look like a New Dealer :)
Posted by: Jerry Leigh at September 8, 2004 04:43 AM