Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ii<rl Or ,VIU discusses By Bit! Douglas Gamecock Staff Writer The cast of M *A*S*H may change, but the war goes on. The series enters it eighth season on CBS after surviving departures ot cast members Wayne Rogers (trapper John MelntyreV Larry Linville (Frank Burns) and Maclean Stevenson (Henry Blake). Despite the major changes, M*A*S*H has ranked well in the David Ogden Stiers ratings, mainly because the show's producers did not try to hire new actors to fill the vacated role but created new roles. Following the departures of Rogers, Linville and Stevenson came the arrivals of Harry Morgan (Col. Potter), Mike Farrel (B.J. Hunnicutt) and David Ogden Stiers (Maj. Winchester), all actors of quality given new roles. M*A*S*H's new season will be minus Gary Burghoff, who played the role of the efficient Radar O'Riliey in the move and on the Pringle d lUV/IOlll 111 By Bill Douglas Gamecock Staff Writer Not getting a role in an ABC series might have been the best thing to happen to Joan Pringle of the White Shadow. "I just had a screen test for a role on an ABC show called Fn'end.s and 1 didn't get it," Pringle said. "I was kind of disaDDointed " Friends aired for a while on ABC and was then shelved in favor ol Salvage One Being turned down for Friend.< left Pringle available to shoot the pilot episode for producer-creatoi Bruce Paltrow's White Shadow another Mary Tyler Moort production. "My agent called me and saic she read a script that was the besl one she's read in years," she said "I auditioned for it and then filmec the pilot within three weeks." Pringle plays the role of Sybi Bucnanon. vice principal of Carvei High and main foil for the school's basketball team, with Ken Reeve; (Ken Howard). Pringle is no stranger tc television, having regular roles or Ironside. That's My Mo ma anc Raffcrty as well as several co starring roles "When we all shot the pilot foi the White Shadow we were all s< excited," Pringle said. "When w< look back at the pilot we see oui intensity, hoping CBS would bus the show. The network bought the show and quickly stuck it in on Morula> nights at 8 p m., attempting t< negat ABC's lead in show t< Monday Ni^ht Football The show picked up in the ratings, and CBJthen moved it briefly to Saturda\ ? :..u* ? ).? \n/' ... Ill^MC), il III^Ill iiwiiui ity /\ i>v ii the ratings. The show slipped in tlu ratings and was then returned t< its original time slot.' {den Stiers ? his show series. Burghoff is leaving the show because he felt he's fixed in Radar's role and may not continue to advance as an actor. Stiers begins his second season as Winchester, who replaced Maj. Frank Burns as the 4077th's resident pain. When Stiers was asked to join the M*A*S*H cast he told the show's producers he did not want to take up where Larry Linville's role of Major Burns left off. "I was pretty sure after the first meeting that was not what they had in mind," Stiers said. "I told them I was not interested in playing Major Burns and they delt with that firmly by telling me that Mike Farrel is not Wayne Rogers and Harry Morgan is not Maclean Stevenson, and they wouldn't do that to me." Stiers said the show's diminishing return ratp swms to be in character with a real mobile army surgical hospital. "Part of a M*A*S*H unit is changing personnel," he said. "Doctors would come because of their certain specialty and work their surgical magic and then leave for another M*A*S*H unit where they were needed." Stiers said much of MM'S'H's success can be attributed to the intensity and drive of the cast. particularly Alan Alda as both actor and director. "It's tough for Alan sometimes, especially if he's blocking a scene that he's supposed to be in," he said. "But he's done a superb job." Stiers said he would like to direct at least one M*A*S*H episode this season in addition to his acting duties. "I applied to direct Paper <jnase, 1 aon t trunk tnat's the reason they took it off the air," he said. loesn't see i 'Shadow' "I never used to watch ratings before," Fringle said. "I had watched when we were on Monday nights and we placed 17th out of 60 shows. The next week we were on Saturdays and we dropped to 47th." Pringle attributes the show's success to the multiracial cast and conflict-riddled scripts. "People t:i.? tu.i u 1 1 ? iim' uuii uei-ause everyuouy on some level can understand it," she said. Some critics have labeled the ; show as a "White Knight," with ? Ken Howard serving as a white savior coming into a poor minority area to solve its problems. ? "I've heard that before Pringle said. "I think part of the I dramatic conflict comes from the t fact that he is white.I think there will come a time when we will get I away from that." Pringle credits the success of the i white Shadow 10 Bruce Paltrow and the people at MTM for letting > Paltrow have complete control ? over ths show's production. "He's very committed to the ) show," Pringle said. "He got the 1 idea from Ken (Howard), who was 1 the only white player on his Long Island high school basketball team The press called him a white shadow. Bruce Paltrow has known ) about the team and Ken and went to work on the project." Pringle said though Paltrow is a r tough Droducer he is ouick to listen ? - T to outside ideas. "He's got good writers, and good actors who have proven themselves," she said. "He ) knows what he wants out of the > series and how to go about it ." I'nngle hopes the new season > will brine more cmnh^sis on Kvhil 1 ? -J Kuchanon and her involvement > with the basketball team and less on tensions between her and > Reeves. "I know they're writing one script for me," she said. Entertainment i Gamecock entertaiment writers' meeting this Thursday night at 6:30 in K^:\ ItliSlIM Bj 4 ^k| vriters' meeting room 321 in Russell House. All persons currently on our staff or wanting to join i iMTVlirf IMD 7 JM R ^ J m ^1 ^ J JTlVTvJ L?J| WSSmm pi?m . i k. n m X I * |T TTI'W . I should be present. Come and tell us what you can do for us, and we'll tell you how writing for the paper can be good for you. wirnm FIBl Ill ^',.^1.^ I I1*''V* " 1 M.iri.i?i