I saw this posted on a Cherokee Indian Group. The following info (allegedly) is interesting.
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Gary Burghoff stood on the MAS*H set in October 1979, holding a teddy bear that had become as famous as he was, and told the producers he was done. Not for more money. Not for better storylines. He was leaving because playing Radar O’Reilly—the role that made him a household name—was slowly destroying the person he actually was.
Most actors would kill for what Burghoff was walking away from. MAS*H was the most popular show on television, drawing 30-40 million viewers weekly. His character, Corporal Walter “Radar” O’Reilly, was beloved by audiences who saw him as the innocent heart of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit. He had job security most actors only dream about, and he was throwing it away four years before the series would end.
The executives were baffled. The cast was concerned. The fans would be devastated. But Burghoff had made his decision, and nothing would change his mind.
To understand why, you have to understand what it cost him to become Radar in the first place.
Gary Burghoff was born in Bristol, Connecticut, in 1943, to a family that valued music and art over athletic prowess—which was fortunate, because Burghoff was born with brachydactyly, a congenital condition that left three fingers on his left hand significantly smaller than normal. In the 1950s, this kind of physical difference marked you as “other” in the cruelest ways childhood can devise.
He learned to hide his hand. Learned to position himself in photographs so the camera couldn’t catch it. Learned to develop other talents so extraordinary that people would focus on those instead. He became an accomplished drummer and a skilled wildlife painter, finding solace in creative expression where his difference didn’t matter.
When he auditioned for the 1970 film MASH*, directed by Robert Altman, he didn’t expect to get the part. The character of Radar was small in the original script—a naive clerk who seemed to have psychic abilities, anticipating his commanding officer’s needs ahead of time.
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My take on it is:
☀️Good morning! ☕️
Never hide your Battlte Scars. Let the evil ones laugh. Testify about how good God has been to you and show your ‘Rank’ in this battle headed up by Jesus who actually already won. Testify louder than they laugh. Essie
Blessings!