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FinestKindinTN

Email: ryvan@aol.com

Posted:
8/29/2017 12:34:49 AM

Why didn't Radar get a girl?

Radar has a date with a nurse, the one played by Peggy Lee Brennan, on an episode tonight. A question came to mind:
Why didn't Radar ever get a steady girl, at least as a recurring character? He had dates, but the characters never stuck.

Big Daddy O'Reilly

Posted:
8/29/2017 3:04:14 AM

Status Quo?

I don't know for certain, but I believe there was a two-part arc from AFTERMASH in which he was getting married, but I think the W*A*L*T*E*R pilot established his marriage ended in divorce (on top of his mother dying, and having to sell the family farm, all contributing to his depression and suicide attempt).

phantomeagle

Posted:
8/29/2017 4:34:26 PM

Radar and girls

That was actually part of the reason Gary left. He was 35 and was playing an innocent kid. He got restless with the character since not only Radar not develop, he actually regressed. Remember, early on, Radar drank and smoked cigars. When Potter arrived he got sick on one puff.

Gary had a kid, and a strained marriage by the end of Season 7. Because of family, and his tiredness of the character, he was in half the episodes, and it was getting harder and harder to explain it.

He wanted a girlfriend for Radar, or at least an occasional night with a girl, but the writers refused.

Gary was ready to leave, like Henry and Trapper, in the off season, but given the response to the previous character changes Alan Alda convinced him to stay early in Season 8 for a proper send-off.

Big Daddy O'Reilly

Posted:
8/29/2017 9:08:52 PM

Actually, the regression WAS partly Gary's idea: he felt by doing so, Radar could be a character who could JUST react to everything happening around him in a more sincere way, as opposed to Hawkeye reacting by cracking jokes and boozing his brains out, for example.

And he was already to depart by season's end, and in fact, Ken Levine & David Isaacs had written the proper farewell episode for Radar to end Season 7, but it was the network who felt ending the season with such would jeopardize the chances of viewers coming back for Season 8, and were convinced to hold the episode over for fall sweeps the following season and turn it into a two-parter (hence the subplot about the stolen generator). This is why "A Night at Rosie's" was written and filmed literally at the last minute: to fill in the slot for what would have been Radar's original goodbye.

BeccaLeo1972

Posted:
8/29/2017 11:44:28 PM

Big Daddy O'Reilly wrote:
Status Quo?

I don't know for certain, but I believe there was a two-part arc from AFTERMASH in which he was getting married, but I think the W*A*L*T*E*R pilot established his marriage ended in divorce (on top of his mother dying, and having to sell the family farm, all contributing to his depression and suicide attempt).

I thought Radar's mother went to live with her sister? I've only seen the pilot to W*A*L*T*E*R once so i could be recalling it wrong.

BeccaLeo1972

Posted:
8/29/2017 11:46:00 PM

Radar deserved a steady girlfriend as even Klinger had the occasional romance with a nurse.

phantomeagle

Posted:
9/1/2017 3:33:33 AM

Radar and girls
Big Daddy O'Reilly wrote:
Actually, the regression WAS partly Gary's idea: he felt by doing so, Radar could be a character who could JUST react to everything happening around him in a more sincere way, as opposed to Hawkeye reacting by cracking jokes and boozing his brains out, for example.

And he was already to depart by season's end, and in fact, Ken Levine & David Isaacs had written the proper farewell episode for Radar to end Season 7, but it was the network who felt ending the season with such would jeopardize the chances of viewers coming back for Season 8, and were convinced to hold the episode over for fall sweeps the following season and turn it into a two-parter (hence the subplot about the stolen generator). This is why "A Night at Rosie's" was written and filmed literally at the last minute: to fill in the slot for what would have been Radar's original goodbye.

That's odd. I remember that there was a reunion show where They'd talked about how Gary was ready to leave after Season 7, and that no finale for Radar.

I know that Gary wanted Radar to regress, but he also wanted to have Radar grow beyond where they let him.

But he left for numerous reasons.

No steady girl
Marriage in real life in trouble
He had kids he needed time with
The fact that Gary was in his mid 30s, and was playing a 19-20 year old.

sparky58

Posted:
1/2/2018 1:57:18 PM

It would seriously change his character and plotlines from then on! Same reason Hawkeye could never find a steady girlfriend! When Margret got married it basically killed Frank's character and also he was doing the same thing for years and years anyway! Okay, so Radar gets a steady girlfriend, then what?? This is what killed Aftermash, was no more conflict and reduced the series into any other sitcom. The first 3 years, Radar was kinda "street savoy" then Gary asked the writers to make Radar more Naive and it worked! But then it also pigeonholed him into only playing naive Radar.

FinestKindinTN

Email: ryvan@aol.com

Posted:
1/2/2018 6:49:52 PM

sparky58 wrote:
It would seriously change his character and plotlines from then on! Same reason Hawkeye could never find a steady girlfriend! When Margret got married it basically killed Frank's character and also he was doing the same thing for years and years anyway! Okay, so Radar gets a steady girlfriend, then what?? This is what killed Aftermash, was no more conflict and reduced the series into any other sitcom. The first 3 years, Radar was kinda "street savoy" then Gary asked the writers to make Radar more Naive and it worked! But then it also pigeonholed him into only playing naive Radar.

Yeah, I get that it would change his character; but if they didn't want him to have a steady girl, why do episodes about him trying to get one? Radar would have a date or whatever with a lady who seems like a girlfriend prospect, but is never seen again. Hawkeye, on the other hand, was not interested in marrying so I get why he never had one. He was married to his work, as a former lover stated in one episode.

Big Daddy O'Reilly

Posted:
1/3/2018 1:30:53 AM

Not only that, but Hawkeye could never commit.

I remember seeing the I DREAM OF JEANNIE reunion movie last summer (the one where Wayne Rogers played Tony since Larry Hagman was busy with DALLAS), and Roger mentions that he's been divorced six times, and we all remember what a big womanizer he was. If Hawkeye ever had to limit himself to one woman, or even a WIFE, I can imagine a number of nasty breakups and divorces.

sparky58

Posted:
1/5/2018 11:33:03 AM

FinestKindinTN wrote:
Yeah, I get that it would change his character; but if they didn't want him to have a steady girl, why do episodes about him trying to get one? Radar would have a date or whatever with a lady who seems like a girlfriend prospect, but is never seen again. Hawkeye, on the other hand, was not interested in marrying so I get why he never had one. He was married to his work, as a former lover stated in one episode.

Why did Gillian and the gang try to get off the island almost everry episode?? You are forgetting the basic tennant of most 50-80's Sitcoms: Next episode was a new day!! Just like Sam had a "New Date" each week on Cheers and so on, you don't question it and just watch!!! It made people tune in and see if Radar might just get a girl??

sparky58

Posted:
1/5/2018 11:34:49 AM

sparky58 wrote:
Why did Gillian and the gang try to get off the island almost everry episode?? You are forgetting the basic tennant of most 50-80's Sitcoms: Next episode was a new day!! Just like Sam had a "New Date" each week on Cheers and so on, you don't question it and just watch!!! It made people tune in and see if Radar might just get a girl??

Gilligan I mean, each week was a new day in sitcom land!

FinestKindinTN

Email: ryvan@aol.com

Posted:
1/6/2018 12:03:36 AM

Yeah, you're right
sparky58 wrote:
Why did Gillian and the gang try to get off the island almost everry episode?? You are forgetting the basic tennant of most 50-80's Sitcoms: Next episode was a new day!! Just like Sam had a "New Date" each week on Cheers and so on, you don't question it and just watch!!! It made people tune in and see if Radar might just get a girl??

I'm overthinking this. I sometimes forget that these aren't real people and this isn't real life.

AB

Posted:
1/21/2018 4:24:02 PM

Aside from the feasibility of adding a new recurring character and giving her something noteworthy to do every now and again, I think it's within the character and setting not to have Radar develop a relationship.

Most relationships we see are flings, because it's not really the place for long-term relationships (if nothing else, nurses seem to get transferred in and out a lot). Being rather inexperienced, it's also possible, indeed likely, that Radar's relationships quickly fizzled. A combination of the two, perhaps.

Big Daddy O'Reilly

Posted:
1/21/2018 4:47:58 PM

AB wrote:
Aside from the feasibility of adding a new recurring character and giving her something noteworthy to do every now and again, I think it's within the character and setting not to have Radar develop a relationship.

Most relationships we see are flings, because it's not really the place for long-term relationships (if nothing else, nurses seem to get transferred in and out a lot). Being rather inexperienced, it's also possible, indeed likely, that Radar's relationships quickly fizzled. A combination of the two, perhaps.

That brings to mind a scene that's usually cut from syndication where Radar confides in Hawkeye that he always "feels sleepy" whenever the other guys he hangs out with start chatting up the B-girls at Rosie's Bar, and how he wishes he could have the kind of "good time" they do (get drunk, fool around with a B-girl, not get any sleep all night, throw up all next morning) at least once. Hawkeye even tells him he doesn't need to try to act like a bunch of people he'll probably never see again, that he's too much of a good person to take advantage of a girl like that, and that one day back home he'll meet a girl he'd like to introduce to his mom and Uncle Ed whom he'll actually love and want to be with, "and believe me, you won't get sleepy."

So yeah, Radar wasn't the type of guy who would just have a fling with a girl, and given how promiscuous many of the women in camp, or hung around Rosie's Bar, or were passing through camp would probably not even give him a second thought (or if they were really devious, try to rob him of his sanctity just to ruin his life for kicks).

However, it's often debated whether or not he and Lt. Simmons in "Springtime" went all the way when he stumbles in on Hawkeye and Trapper, all covered in lipstick, with his clothes desheveled, and saying, "I think I've been slinked."

FinestKindinTN

Email: ryvan@aol.com

Posted:
1/22/2018 1:57:12 AM

Gosh that's a funny scene

when she jumps him while he's reading that awful, in-no-way-romantic poem, calling him a heartbreaker, I think.

I'd say Radar carried the memory of that date with him for a long time!

AB

Posted:
1/22/2018 3:04:18 AM

Big Daddy O'Reilly wrote:
That brings to mind a scene that's usually cut from syndication where Radar confides in Hawkeye that he always "feels sleepy" whenever the other guys he hangs out with start chatting up the B-girls at Rosie's Bar, and how he wishes he could have the kind of "good time" they do (get drunk, fool around with a B-girl, not get any sleep all night, throw up all next morning) at least once. Hawkeye even tells him he doesn't need to try to act like a bunch of people he'll probably never see again, that he's too much of a good person to take advantage of a girl like that, and that one day back home he'll meet a girl he'd like to introduce to his mom and Uncle Ed whom he'll actually love and want to be with, "and believe me, you won't get sleepy."

So yeah, Radar wasn't the type of guy who would just have a fling with a girl, and given how promiscuous many of the women in camp, or hung around Rosie's Bar, or were passing through camp would probably not even give him a second thought (or if they were really devious, try to rob him of his sanctity just to ruin his life for kicks).

However, it's often debated whether or not he and Lt. Simmons in "Springtime" went all the way when he stumbles in on Hawkeye and Trapper, all covered in lipstick, with his clothes desheveled, and saying, "I think I've been slinked."

I remember that scene, too. I'd say that's what it comes down to. He's young, inexperienced/less experienced, and not into flings. He has some dates, but that's generally as far as it goes.

It's tough to reconcile that with the earlier seasons, but that goes for quite a few things Radar did.

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