Is it just me, or did anyone else think William Cristopher as Lester was really awful, I mean really just plain old BAD. I just watched an episode and I can't figure out how this guy ever got any acting work. Every line just sounds so silly and fake. He was also on MASH. I can't figure it out.
shareI've always liked William Christopher. He, and Jamie Farr (Klinger on MASH) also had bit parts in Doris Day's "With Six You Get Eggroll". They were hilarious as hippies.
shareLester wasn't that bad. It's M*A*S*H I hate.
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I don't know if I would go far as being bad but was certainly unremarkable along with the roles he played. MASH was utter crud after 1975 after Alan Alda had hijacked the show. I don't mind a show that has a healthy debate over a subject such as war but the American leaders were depicted as one dimensional buffoons. Supposedly the source material for MASH was from the Korean War but military people (interviewed for commentary over the years) that actually participated in it doubt that Pierce and company would have had that much slack cut for not conforming to Army code of conduct. In reality Pierce, Hunnicutt, and eventually Potter would have wound up in Leavenworth for their antics. The MASH units were more lax than other Army units but that was mostly limited to appearance and conduct away from unit functions for doctors. Having listened to Mike Farrell on talk radio it would seem he still thinks he is his character in terms of politics and popularity. Kind of feel bad for Alda as even though I disagree with his politics I think he is well-meaning. Unfortunately I think his character would be probably what Lenin (and most likely the leadership of North Korea) considers a useful idiot.
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I couldn't agree more. I know Hollywood has always been sympathetic if not outright allies to the far left communist trash. But the way M*A*S*H constantly villified and ridiculed American heroes like Gen. MacArthur and Sen. Joseph McCarthy while pretending that North Korea and their Chinese and Russian allies had every right in the book to invade and destroy South Korea turned me off to that show, especially after characters like Henry Blake, Trapper John Macintyre and Frank Burns were gone. Also, I don't know if Col. Potter would have ended up in Leavenworth, but Pierce and Hunnicutt were so far to the left that they wouldn't even take arms against the commie enemy under any circumstances. That alone would have probably earned them a stint in the famous military prison. If not, it definitely would have gotten them a dishonorable discharge.
shareYes, Potter could have ended up in prison, too, not only for gross negligence in dealing with Pierce, but also for assisting in keeping able-bodied soldiers and Marines out of combat.
shareYou hit the nail on the head.
shareWhat are you talking about? He's the only reason I watch Gomer Pyle. I only watch episodes he's a guest star in. Other than that, I can't stand Gomer's annoying hillbilly voice.
What's wrong with Gomer's voice? It's certainly less annoying than those stupid accents of Fonzie, Archie and Edith Bunker, the Nanny (Fran Drescher) or any of those idiotic Noo Yawk type accents.
shareDon't get me wrong. I'm a southern girl with a southern accent, but Gomer's accent is a little over the top, even for a southerner. I will agree with you though, that the Nanny had an annoying nasal voice and Edith had king of a high-pitched screechy voice. I don't think Archie and Fozie were that bad. What annoys me are the people who try to do a New England accent. Only a rare few can get away with it, including my favorite actor Jeffrey DeMunn.
I just saw a 1993 reunion of TAGS (it's on YouTube). Andy and Jim tell the story of Jim joining the cast. They discussed the show's staff thinking that Jim's accent was too exaggerated but Andy told them "a lot of boys back home talk like that." I don't know about that personally but Gomer wouldn't be Gomer without that voice.
shareAgree WC was no good on GPUSMC, but on MASH, I think he worked. Especially the ep where he was in the latrine with Col. Blake when it got blown up.
Interestingly, last night on MeTV I watched an ep of Hogans Heroes, and WC was in it, as a guy in the barracks with Hogan and the others, saying a few lines. A generic role and a generic performance. But it made me wonder if there was like a circuit for bit part players, rotating from one military sitcom to another...McHale's Navy, to Gomer, to Hogan, to MASH...
I thought he was distinctive and very good as a bit player on the show. They probably could have used him a little more. He was likeable and an okay sitcom actor, but also very lucky that role in MASH came along. It fit him. Otherwise he was mainly a good bit actor.
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