It can't be easy being on a show that's pitched as an ensemble but ends up being one actor's show. While M*A*S*H has one of the best casts in television history, it's also undeniably Alan Alda's deal. Hawkeye might be part of a big ol' medical team, but he also has all the best zingers. It pushed some actors off the show, while others were just happy to be along for the ride.

So, how did Larry Linville, M*A*S*H's Frank Burns, feel about standing in the shadow of one of sitcom's great funnymen? Did that kind of focus change how Linville felt about his co-star? 

As reported in a 1986 edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Linville kindly shared his time with students at Glassboro State College, where he was asked, straight up, "What was it like to work with Alan Alda?"

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"He was pretty much what you see on the screen— terrific," said Linville. "That's the most I can say without writing a book."

It seems that Linville was a firm believer that rising tides raise all ships. So, Alda's popularity was the show's popularity as well. M*A*S*H was a success by any metric, and being a part of it was the highlight of many careers, including Linville's. 

He also revealed that Hawkeye was the last role on the show to be cast. 

"Then it was instant magic. The people functioned as a team."

With all that talent on the set, it's no small miracle that ego didn't play further into interpersonal issues behind the scenes. However, Linville attributed this to the actors' specific backgrounds. "We weren't Hollywood types," he said. "We had all worked in the theater."