‘M*A*S*H’: Why Corporal Max Klinger Actor Jamie Farr Said it Was ‘Bittersweet’ for the Hit Series to Come to an End

When the hit show “M*A*S*H” ended its iconic run on television, it wasn’t just fans of the series who were sad to see it go. The show’s actors were also sad to see it come to an end.

Actor Jamie Farr, who played Corporal Max Klinger in the series, shared his feelings about the final episode during an interview with MeTV.com.

For Farr, the ending of “M*A*S*H” was bittersweet.

“It was like severing something that – you wanted it to end because you know it had to end,” he explained. “But at the same time, it was something that you didn’t want secretly to end.”

In fact, the show had become an integral part of his day-to-day life.

“You wish it could go on forever because it was your life,” Farr also shared. “It was part of your everyday existence.”

Farr also talked about the emotions shared by his costars and the team behind “M*A*S*H.”

“It was, uh, … there was a lot of crying – a lot of hugging, and a lot of crying. A lot of grown people running around,” he said.

The feelings shared by the cast of “M*A*S*H” during the filming of the final episode were genuine, according to Jamie Farr. In fact, he viewed his costars as “family.”

“I don’t mean that actor baloney,” Jamie Farr shared. “You know, like ‘Oh, darling,’ you know, and all that stuff. It was an actual – you were leaving your family. You were leaving your brothers and sisters.”

Joining “M*A*S*H” star Jamie Farr in talking about the show’s finale was Burt Metcalfe. He was an executive producer on the show.

“Everybody was having a difficult time with that,” Metcalfe said. “And the emotions were very raw. … It’s truly to this day a very memorable experience.”

Actor Jamie Farr Brought His Own Background Into ‘M*A*S*H’

According to IMDb.com, Jamie Farr was born in Toledo, Ohio, on July 1, 1934. And, this part of the actor’s background was incorporated into his character’s – Corporal Max Klinger – background on “M*A*S*H.”

One of the more interesting details of Farr’s Toledo upbringing to be included on the show was his support of a minor league baseball team. As fans of the show already know, that team was the Toledo Mud Hens. And, Klinger was known to wear clothing with the Toledo Mud Hens logo on it.

The idea to have Max Klinger be a fan of the same minor league baseball team as the actor who portrayed him came from Larry Gelbart. Gelbart was one of the writers’ on “M*A*S*H.” There were also two others writers on the show who were fans of minor league baseball. These writers were Ken Levine and David Isaacs.

Unsurprisingly, officials for the Toledo Mud Hens were very happy to have their team featured on such a popular television show as “M*A*S*H.”