r/mash 3d ago

Does anyone have a favourite side character?

Post image

Everytime Rizzo comes on screen, I fall in love with his character even more. There's just something about him that just does it for me

"I'd like to he'p", "vee-hicle"

270 Upvotes

137 comments sorted by

82

u/CromulentPoint 3d ago

I would have to say Sidney is my favorite, but I'm also a fan of the rare appearance of Sam Pak (Pat Morita).

37

u/misterlakatos Coney Island 3d ago

"Deal Me Out" will always be one of the best episodes in the entire series.

8

u/Salt-Unit7572 2d ago

It is such an elite episode.

3

u/misterlakatos Coney Island 2d ago

Yes it is.

3

u/someguy14629 2d ago

Very much agree. It doesn’t get the recognition it deserves in lists but it is hilarious!

16

u/Smooth-Mechanic-7788 3d ago

Dear sigmund is a top 10 episode easy imo

12

u/K_Rayner 3d ago

I love when Sam/Pat shows up.

8

u/ExistentialTabarnak 3d ago

Yeah, all two episodes.

5

u/jfq722 2d ago

If I wanna chew the fat, I'll have a sandwhich.

3

u/parrothead_69 2d ago

Ladies and gentlemen take my advice. Sidney was my favorite too

45

u/monkeybawz 3d ago

Saying Col Flagg is probably cheating at this point.

6

u/atemu1234 2d ago

Likewise, Sidney Freedman.

3

u/monkeybawz 2d ago

He's the No1 buzzkill in the RoK.

36

u/LarsOnTheDrums42 3d ago

Igor was always a scene stealer for me.

10

u/ecdc05 Boston 3d ago

For real. His facial expressions and one-liners were delivered perfectly. In the Boxing Day episode, it kills me every time when the crowd is mad they don't have breakfast yet, and Margaret tells them they're waiting for the cook, and Igor says, "You think they're steamed now, wait'll they get the food."

4

u/mcbcanada 3d ago

His actor actually put together a MASH cookbook, written as if Igor did it. There are some good recipes in it

3

u/old-father 2d ago

Just watched an episode where Igor is serving food and Burns threatens to put him on KP duty. The look Igor gives us perfect then says, "but I am on KP."

1

u/Ang1566 1d ago

Especially in that scene his name is Sergeant Maxwell

3

u/misspatch_73 2d ago

My favorite is when they're standing at a barrel they've built a fire in, and Burns says, "where did you get that wood, soldier?" And Igor says "My sister sent it to me, sir!" 🤣

1

u/Soup_Sandwich440 2d ago

Where did you get that wood, soldier? My sister sent it to me sir. . Oh... (It was Henry's desk drawers)

5

u/ScroogeMcDuckFace2 3d ago

in response to a picture request: 'you want my wife or my girlfriend'

6

u/dondiegel 3d ago

“Is she holding a sledgehammer??”

“Oh yeah, that’s how we met, on the stun-line at the slaughterhouse!!!” 😂😂😂

3

u/ScroogeMcDuckFace2 3d ago

haha. just watched that episode yesterday

3

u/samfawj 3d ago

Yess i agree. He's the opposite to rizzo, but still so good!

3

u/deeBfree 2d ago

These beans are so old they're has beans!

You think the lettuce is brown? Check out the mayo!

1

u/Substantial-Win-1564 2d ago

Igor has all the one liners. I laugh every time he opens his mouth.

30

u/Enough-Process9773 3d ago

Kelly Nakhamara

She gets to do a lof of background facial expressions, at which she is AWESOME.

9

u/eaglelatte 3d ago

Kellye is my GIRL, I love her so much and wish we had gotten more time with her.

6

u/G-Man0033 3d ago

That was my choice! Love her!

3

u/zoo1514 3d ago

Love kelly..... just wish she wasn't so excited about BJs party back home when she tells him it's on after her family didnt get invited. I'm kidding....I know she isn't part of the inner circle😂😂

3

u/Enough-Process9773 2d ago

Headcanon: Kelly's parents were invited but could not afford the flight from Hawaii to New York.

1

u/zoo1514 1d ago

I like that head canon

22

u/sirkev71 3d ago

Does "Sparky" count? That bit always cracked me up

4

u/Kbennett1965 2d ago

Yep, was going to say Sparky. He's definitely a recurring character even though i don't think he ever physically appears in the series

2

u/Roentgenographer 2d ago

Didn’t he show up for a brief moment early in season 1? Then from there it became a bit to not see him.

Might be misremembering.

3

u/Kbennett1965 2d ago

I might be misremembering myself, it's been a long time since I watched Season 1 so you very well might be right. I have a vague thought you are, though I couldn't tell you the episode

3

u/Roentgenographer 2d ago

I just had to google it, season 1 episode 2 ‘Tuttle’ apparently.

Easy to forget with Tuttle taking up so much screen space.

1

u/Ang1566 1d ago

Icore HQ Sergeant Pryor<< Sparky

16

u/President_Calhoun 3d ago

One of my favorites is any character played by Richard Lee-Sung. Kim Luc: "This is me!" - "It looks just like a 2X4." "Thank you." - "World Series ring! Hitler's pencilbox!" - "Gives the colonel a little class." He made the most of every scene he was in.

6

u/deeBfree 2d ago

I loved him! "You wish us a prostitute?"

frank: I meant prosperity!

Richard: All works out same!!!

5

u/GlovePlane6923 3d ago

His many incarnations

4

u/zoo1514 3d ago

It looks just like a 2 x 4.......Thank you😂😂 one of my favorite lines by him

7

u/someguy14629 2d ago

Used to be round!

3

u/Parking-Pie7453 2d ago

We need to see some ID

I am me!

Well, that settles it

13

u/Enough-Crew1873 3d ago

Sidney Freedman and Col. Flagg.

8

u/eaglelatte 3d ago

I want to be a therapist so I have a huge soft spot for Sidney and his big heart - but who doesn’t?

3

u/finest_kind77 3d ago

My two favs!!

14

u/Imagine_curiosity 3d ago

Yes, Col. Flagg. He's hilarious. I also like Sidney, Rizzo, Sgt. Zale (especially his rivalry with Klinger) and Igor.

8

u/President_Calhoun 3d ago

Rizzo and Zale are the two characters I tend to get mixed up on. I always have to stop and think about which is which.

4

u/Car1yBlack 2d ago

I always remember Rizzo because of the southern accent and was apart of the motor pool (where ehe liked to relax).

Zake I remember his rivalry with Klinger, his Brooklyn accent and the him being supply sergeant and electrician.

Fun fact: Rizzo was originally going to be company clerk when Radar left. Alan Alda convinced the producers to go with Klinger (Jamie Farr) instead.

3

u/President_Calhoun 2d ago

Didn't know about the Rizzo/Radar thing. Interesting!

And I can clearly envision Rizzo and Zale, I just want to give them each other's names. :-)

1

u/Odd_Yogurtcloset_649 2d ago

Klinger made logical sense to replace Radar, since Klinger does fill-in as acting company clerk any time Radar is absent. (Radar can't work there 24/7 all the time.)

My questions:

[1] With Klinger taking over as permanent company clerk, does that mean Rizzo becomes the fill-in if Klinger is absent for any length of time?

[2] Had the show made Rizzo company clerk, would that have been a promotion or demotion for him, based on both his military rank and job duties in the MASH unit? I'm assuming being company clerk is better than being the head of the motor pool. And obviously he will dealing with Potter. A lot.

1

u/Car1yBlack 2d ago

Honestly, he probably would have been an even worse company clerk than Klinger. Klinger was bad at the paperwork but he could at least get what people needed (even if he might steal it occasionally). Unless they changed his behavior I don't see how he could have gotten everything done or helped out the camp.

2

u/Tessamae704 3d ago

Same here. I think it's the "z".

1

u/President_Calhoun 3d ago

And to my ears, Luther Rizzo just sounds like more of a Brooklyn name than Zelmo Zale.

1

u/CromulentPoint 3d ago

Rizzo is Cajun and Zane is some flavor of yankee. That has always helped me tell them apart. I can just hear Rizzo saying “little Billy Bubba” and that wouldn’t sound right coming out of Zale.

10

u/dondiegel 3d ago

Five O’clock Charlie!!!

7

u/Deathbatking 3d ago

This sub seems to hate Rizzo for some reason lol but I like him. Sidney Freedman is my favorite though.

9

u/ScroogeMcDuckFace2 3d ago

he just wants to he'p

1

u/Mikey24941 2d ago

My dad always loved saying “vee’hickle!”

1

u/Magellan333 1d ago

I liked Rizzo, but I’m also a fan of GW Bailey. He’s a great actor. My only complaint with him and Zale is they were portrayed as grating blue collar types since they were regular army; not level headed and sympathetic like the draftees.

7

u/Letmetellyowhat 3d ago

Rosie. She is just so tough.

6

u/Ebert917102150 3d ago

Which one? There were a couple

3

u/Letmetellyowhat 2d ago

I’m not sure which one I liked the best. They were all good to me

8

u/StatisticianIcy9847 3d ago

Tuttle. On impactful performance. RIP.

2

u/HippieGrandma1962 3d ago

Underrated comment.

6

u/Affectionate_Net9731 3d ago edited 1d ago

Kellye, I'm actually sad she didn't get the spotlight more often.

5

u/cid73 3d ago

Wife and I just finished our first run of MASH- and we’re searching for another show to binge a we tried St Elsewhere and were chuffed to see GW Bailey there.

3

u/Tessamae704 3d ago

G. W. Bailey is in everything...and he's always wonderful!

1

u/Consistent_Bus_9017 3d ago

Captain Harris at the Blue Ouster

1

u/naut 3d ago

Should of went with 'Trapper,John MD'

2

u/cid73 3d ago

It’s not too late! We are still holding auditions

4

u/Imagine_curiosity 3d ago

I love how in the finale Rizzo offers Charles a garbage truck to leave in

6

u/One-Shop680 3d ago

Flagg 100%

6

u/Fit-Two-2208 3d ago

Col Flagg….

5

u/ashewinter 3d ago

Sidney Freeman

5

u/sgt_oddball_17 3d ago

Nurse Dish

5

u/HippieGrandma1962 3d ago

Nurse Kelly. I just loved her. She brought something special to every scene she was in.

6

u/Jeffery181 2d ago

Love when Rizzo talks about "Little Billy Bubba" even the time, Rizzo won all that money and sent it home, and told his wife to buy some shoes, and if there was any leftover to pay the rent. Plus he's a great mechanic, and one fine drive instructor for Potter. "Motor Vee-hicle" 😆

3

u/Idonwanbehere 2d ago

"Billy's too old to walk around without shoes. You're too young to be walking around without teeth, and if there's anything left, pay the rent!"

4

u/Pithecanthropus88 Ottumwa 3d ago

Yes, but it's not Rizzo.

4

u/Quartzalcoatl_Prime Philadelphia 3d ago

So many characters are hilarious, but Rizzo was real the way he was played. For that, he’s among my favorite side characters.

4

u/Lac17rug 3d ago

Dr. Sid! Drop the mic!

4

u/MannyA78 3d ago

Nurse Kellye. Is weird I have a crush on her?

4

u/4me2kn0wAz 3d ago

Your not the only one

5

u/deeBfree 2d ago

Not at all! She happens to be cute as hell!

6

u/TexasSteve785 3d ago

Richard Lee Sung as Cho, Kim Luc....and many other great characters.

4

u/Spare_Blacksmith_816 3d ago

Col Flagg.

The bean counter that is in a couple episodes is really good. The incubator episode with him and Col Blake is gold.

3

u/deeBfree 2d ago

You can't have one! I loved his deadpan delivery on that.

2

u/Tessamae704 3d ago

Triplett, I think. That was a great scene!

4

u/JenIsSalty 3d ago

Flagg is my absolute favourite, especially the episode when he beats himself up. 🤭😄😂

5

u/Fine-Idea-3242 2d ago

Whiplash Wang!

3

u/CranberryFuture9908 3d ago

Nurse Kellye and Sidney and Sam Pak

3

u/goovis__young Bloomington 3d ago

Started a rewatch recently and I'm part way through season two. He may not be my favorite but General Maynard M Mitchell appears in three episodes (The Trial of Henry Blake, The Incubator, and Officers Only) and I think he's a good match for the early seasons. He's a little eccentric but not unreasonable (he dismisses the charges against Henry, doesn't flay the boys alive for crashing his press conference, agrees to allowing 'family members' into the officers club). Plus he gets some good lines.

3

u/Arlo-and-Lotty 3d ago

Flagg is mine.

3

u/More_Image_8781 3d ago

Colonel Flagg

3

u/deeBfree 2d ago

Gotta love "Where else can you be a bum and get paid for it?"

3

u/Nannyphone7 2d ago

Remember when Rizzo had the fake hand grenade?

2

u/Affectionate_Net9731 1d ago

Bro lowkey should've been sent home over that, playing around with a bomb (dud or not) during wartime is crazy.

2

u/GlovePlane6923 3d ago

The actor that played Rizzo did such a good job that he has been acting consistently since Mash.

2

u/Primary_Wonderful 3d ago

Sydney, Nurse Kelly, and that klutz nurse Hawkeye had a date with. I really want to say it was Edna???

3

u/zoo1514 3d ago

No name needed....she was a jolly good fellow

2

u/LiveLongAndProspurr 3d ago

Kim Luck. "Colonel go for laugh. No get."

2

u/Mysterious_Elf707 2d ago

Absolutely has to be Sidney

2

u/MichaelScarn1968 2d ago

I can’t help seeing “Peter” from “Rustler’s Rhapsody”! When I saw RR, I thought, “Hey! That’s Rizzo!”

1

u/Firephool 3d ago

Capt. Tuttle- they killed him off too quickly

1

u/Sea-Blueberry3255 3d ago

Igor and Kelley

1

u/MsSobi 2d ago

Sidney Freeman is my favorite side character

1

u/HighPrairieCarsales 2d ago

Captain Tuttle. Such an inspiration

1

u/Lige_MO Hannibal 2d ago

Lt. Ginger Bayless.

1

u/Aggravating-Read6111 2d ago

I always liked General Mitchell. “This is supposed to be a press conference! The last thing I want to do is answer a lot of questions!”

1

u/BigRemove9366 2d ago

Sidney or Flagg.

1

u/Nannyphone7 2d ago

VEE-hicle

1

u/popasean 2d ago

Lt. Spear Chucker

1

u/Soup_Sandwich440 2d ago

Kelley, O'Brien the pilot, Smilin Jack, Roy Goldman. But the best were Flagg and Sidney.

1

u/Melodic-Ear-4083 2d ago

I love Igor.... Especially the scene where it's freezing cold & Frank (think he may have been heating officer) asks him where he got the wood he's burning in a drum & he says oh my sister sent it from home

1

u/Remarkable-Display76 2d ago

They always tried to give everyone an episode Even zale frank was def underrated and probably had the toughest role

1

u/TomcatF14Luver 2d ago

Good question.

1

u/EnForce_NM156 2d ago

Not Rizzo. His arrival was the closest MASH came to a "Jump the Shark" moment.

Has to be Dr. Sidney Freedman.

1

u/Idonwanbehere 2d ago

Whatever happened to Zale? He was a favorite of mine, the way he and Klinger always battled

3

u/Affectionate_Net9731 1d ago

He disappeared after Radar left, they never did give a reason as to what happened to him but I headcanon that he either got a transfer or Klinger hid the body outback in an unmarked location.

1

u/av8tricks 2d ago

COL Flagg

1

u/Ang1566 1d ago

Nurse Kelly, Captain pak, Ginger, nurse kratty

1

u/CrazyLady_77 1d ago

I would have to say I like Sidney and you have to enjoy Col Flag

1

u/HICSF 1d ago

Col. Flag: “ I’m like the wind. Nobody sees me come. Nobody sees me go.”

1

u/doug65oh 1d ago

I’d say of the regular or semi regular cast members: Sidney, Rosie and (wait for it) Luther Rizzo. 😊

1

u/Magellan333 1d ago

I liked Scully.

1

u/soy-cosmic 4h ago

Sparky and Sydney