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William Christopher remembered McLean Stevenson fondly after the actor's death
“He was wonderfully straight and really crazy," said Christopher.
The cast of M*A*S*H loved each other like family, which meant that when an actor was lost, the rest of the 4077th mourned.
After the death of McLean Stevenson in 1996, his former co-stars rushed to remember their fallen friend. Though Stevenson only played Henry Blake in the war comedy for three seasons, actors like William Christopher recounted their time together with fondness.
“Of course, I remember him with great affection,” said Christopher, better known as Father Mulcahey, during an interview with The Pantagraph. Not only did the actor remember Stevenson as a good friend, but he also commended his acting ability.
“He was wonderfully straight and really crazy," said Christopher. "He wasn’t an ‘on’ kind of performer; he was completely relaxed. He just did things as they occurred to him. And he would do crazy things.”
Stevenson left the series for greener pastures. “I think it was a great pity that he quit that role,” said Christopher. “Having a role written for him, an actor doesn’t get that chance too often.”
Still, the actor maintained that Stevenson was a good friend to the cast, and there was no bad blood between the two of them. “I think he thought it was the right thing to do, “ said Christopher, “and it was all pretty amicable. It was quite a gamble for him to give it up for something he thought would be better.”
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