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Larry Linville on his departure from M*A*S*H: ''There was no big farewell.''
“I guess I was just tired of being the guy you loved to loathe,” said the actor.
Even the worst villains can’t handle being hated 24/7. Although Frank Burns was the scum of the Earth, Larry Linville was a pretty decent guy.
Linville portrayed incompetent surgeon Frank Burns on M*A*S*H for five years before departing the series in 1977. But despite his relatively short tenure on the show, Frank Burns made quite an impact, earning the ire of M*A*S*H fans everywhere.
While Linville was praised for his performance on the series, he didn’t regret his decision to leave the show when he did. In an interview with The Hamilton Spectator, Linville had felt that the character had served his purpose, and he was ready as an actor to move on to bigger and better things.
“I guess I was just tired of being the guy you loved to loathe,” said the actor. “By then, my involvement with Major Frank Burns had run its course. It was time to move on. Did I miss it? Probably. But you have to exercise new acting chops, or you get stale.”
There was little fanfare on-screen when Linville left the series, which the actor felt was appropriate for the show’s realistic tone.
“There was no big farewell,” said the actor. “I was there one episode and gone the next. Just like in real life, one day you’re here, the next you’re not.”
So perhaps as a character, Frank Burns was not the most adored person. However, you can rest assured that Larry Linville was well appreciated by fans everywhere.
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