‘M*A*S*H’: Loretta Swit Said One Co-Star’s Dressing Room Had So Many Ants ‘His Boot Was Moving’

Nothing says Hollywood star like a dressing room full of ants. Which MAS*H star faced an ant invasion on set?

Humor was a key component to the show MASH. Humor led to the show’s boundless success. And humor is what got the characters of the show through the Korean War. Most importantly, humor is what connects the show’s cast to this day. In 2019, cast members Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff, Mike Farrell, and Jamie Farr joined Alan Alda on his podcast, Clear+Vivid. As soon as the group got together, the humor picked up right where it began. Speaking of the beginnings, during the podcast episode, the cast shared some of their favorite (and hilarious) memories on set. Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on MASH said that the filming conditions on the Fox studio lot at the time were less than ideal.

Nothing says Hollywood star like a dressing room full of ants. Which M*A*S*H star faced an ant invasion on set?

Humor was a key component to the show MASH. Humor led to the show’s boundless success. And humor is what got the characters of the show through the Korean War. Most importantly, humor is what connects the show’s cast to this day. In 2019, cast members Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff, Mike Farrell, and Jamie Farr joined Alan Alda on his podcast, Clear+Vivid. As soon as the group got together, the humor picked up right where it began. Speaking of the beginnings, during the podcast episode, the cast shared some of their favorite (and hilarious) memories on set. Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on MASH said that the filming conditions on the Fox studio lot at the time were less than ideal.

Loretta Swit Didn’t Believe M*A*S*H Would Last Very Long

MAS*H captured the hearts of viewers when it first aired on September 17, 1972. The show ran for 11 seasons and aired its final episode on February 28, 1983. THat’s 255 episodes! But Loretta Swit didn’t think she’d be on the show for that long when she accepted the role of Major Margaret. During an interview in 2018, Swit shared a story that she and her agent laughed about for years.

“I think it was in the beauty parlor under a dryer or something and my agent called to say that he had the contracts and would I stop by to sign them,” said Swit. “He said, very casually, ‘They’re the standard seven-year contracts,’ and I gasped. I said, ‘Seven years! Who would sign a contract for seven years for a script I don’t know anything about?’ So, I was a little thrown. He said, and I quote, ‘Lori, nothing runs for seven years.’ In the years to come, we laughed.”

Well, technically they were right, M*A*S*H didn’t last for seven years. It lasted for 11 and networks still play reruns of the show today.