Colonel Sherman T. Potter was a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television show. He was portrayed by Harry Morgan. M*A*S*H was the title of a novel that was later adapted into a critically acclaimed film, and one of the most popular American television series ever. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Colonel Colonel is a military rank, usually the highest below general grades, and just above Lieutenant Colonel. ... Male symbol Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperm. ... Harry Morgan (born April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... M*A*S*H at the Internet Movie Database Finest Kind - Fan Site w/ News, Episode Guides, Video Clips U.K. Fan Site w/ Interviews, Episode Guides Best Care Anywhere - Fan Site w/ Episode Guides, Memorable Moments TV Tome Categories: 1970s TV shows in the United States | 1980s TV shows... Harry Morgan (born April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor. ...

At the end of the show's third season, McLean Stevenson had left the series, and his character of Henry Blake died on his way home. The producers wanted a different type of commanding officer for the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). They decided on a man who had made a career out of the US Army—what was called in the show as regular army, and was close to retirement. In a book on the television series, the producers said they wanted a lifer who was on short time. The producers decided to have Harry Morgan fill the role after the strong performance he gave as a visiting General earlier in the first episode of the third season, "The General Flipped at Dawn." McLean Stevenson (November 14, 1929 - February 15, 1996), born in Bloomington, Illinois was an American actor most recognized for his role as Lt. ... Lt. ... A Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is a self-contained United States Army military unit established to perform surgery and provide post-operative care immediately behind the front lines. ...

Background

Col. Potter was a man who was both an excellent surgeon and leader. He led mainly by example, always doing his best and encouraging others to do the same. He was at times willing to ignore the letter of regulations in order to abide by its spirit. He was often an easygoing man who enjoyed playing the occasional practical joke on others in his unit. When he found out about the existence of Hawkeye and B.J.'s still, he offered advice on how to make the drinks better (as he once had a distillery while stationed on Guam, which blew up, getting him a Purple Heart). Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce was the lead fictional character of the book M*A*S*H (and sequel books) (by Richard Hooker, the pen name of Dr. H. Richard Hornberger), the film M*A*S*H and television series M*A*S*H. The character was played by Donald... Captain B.J. Hunnicutt (played by Mike Farrell) is a fictional character on the TV show M*A*S*H, which ran from 1972-1983 on CBS. Captain Hunnicutt resided in Mill Valley, California before he was recruited to join the US Army to fight in the War. ... The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who are wounded or killed while serving in or with the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ...

Despite the distance that military duty imposed upon him, his wife Mildred, his children, and his grandaughter Col. Potter was at heart a family man. He kept in regular contact with his family, and told Mildred all about the people he served with at the 4077th. For the most part Col. Potter and his wife had to maintain a distance relationship, although he was able to meet her for a couple weeks in Toyko at one point.

During his time in the military, Col. Potter had shown that he was a man of integrity. Several times when old friends of his had committed serious errors that had gotten men hurt or killed, Col. Potter would report them to the chain of command. Potter had said once that he didn't care if it cost him every friend he had, but the price of not reporting his friend's errors was too high if even one soldier was hurt or killed. He was also an enlightened man such as when he found out that one CO was deliberately sending black soldiers disproportionally into hazardous duty so that they'd get injured, killed, or sent home faster so he wouldn't have them in his unit. Col. Potter participated in a sting that got the CO to reveal his feelings, and force him to resign.

History Prior to the 4077th

Sherman Potter was from the state of Missouri. (A continuity error occurred one time when he said he was from Nebraska.) Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ... State nickname: Cornhusker State Other U.S. States Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Governor Dave Heineman Official languages English Area 200,520 km² (16th)  - Land 199,099 km²  - Water 1,247 km² (0. ...

Sherman Potter had first joined the army as a teenager when he lied about his age to get into the cavalry during World War I. One continuity error that occurred later in the series was in the episode "Pressure Points". Potter said he was 62 years old. If that was the correct age for Potter, he would have been in his early 20s in 1914—and would not have needed to lie about his age. So his exact age during the series is debatable. Col. Potter gave distinguished service, earning the Good Conduct Medal. Because he was an enlisted man at the time, he was eligible for the award. Potter noted that neither MacArthur or Bradley had the award.-1... WWI redirects here. ... The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. ... General Douglas MacArthur aboard a battle ship toward the end of World War two, 1945 Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964) was an American military leader. ... Gen. ...

During World War I, he and a number of his friends had spent the night in a French chateau while under fire. He and his friends had come across a cache of brandy. They proceeded to drink all but one bottle of the brandy. They made an agreement (a tontine) that the last survivor of the group would take the bottle and make a toast to his friends. Potter turned out to be the last survivor of the group, and drank a toast to his old friends, and his new ones in the unit. A Tontine is an investment vehicle which is an odd mixture of group annuity, group life insurance, and lottery. ...

After World War I, Sherman Potter entered medical school, and four years later became a doctor. During this time, he married Mildred. Potter went through residency in Saint Louis. After residency, Potter served in the Army in a number of positions up until the time of his service in Korea. Prior to his service at the 4077th, he served as a hospital administrator. He and Mildred purchased a home in Missouri, and raised several children. He and Mildred became grandparents when a granddaughter was born in the early 1950s. The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ...

CO of the 4077th

After Colonel Blake left the 4077th MASH, Colonel Potter was assigned to the unit as the CO. As he would later tell Klinger, the first few days were "a might uneasy." He said "no one was jumping for joy" over his arrival. Despite it being several years since having performed an operation, Potter had no problem performing surgery once again.

It took a few days, but once Potter and the rest of the staff got to know each other Potter became good friends with many of the people in his unit. He was particularly good friends with Hawkeye, B.J., Radar, Mulcahy, Klinger, and Major Houilhan. Potter became a father figure to Radar during Radar's time at the 4077th. In return, when Radar found a stray horse, later called Sophie, he gave her to Potter so he could at least care of her. For Potter's part, he was delighted to have a horse again and rode her regularly throughout the remainder of his assignment with the unit. When Radar's Uncle Ed died at the beginning of the 8th season, he helped Radar get a hardship discharge so Radar could return home to Iowa. When Klinger took over as clerk, Potter realized that Klinger needed to adjust to his new job. So Potter took Klinger under his wing, and as a result Klinger did at least as good a job as Radar did. It was Potter's approval that eventually got Klinger promoted to sergeant. Corporal Walter (Radar) OReilly is a fictional character in the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, the movie M*A*S*H, the television series M*A*S*H, the television movie W*A*L*T*E*R and two episodes of the series After M*A... John Patrick Francis Mulcahy is a principal character from the film, M*A*S*H played by Rene Auberjonois and the television series version played by William Christopher. ... Maxwell Q. Klinger is a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television series played by American actor Jamie Farr. ... Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan was a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television show. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the seven modern species of the genus Equus. ... State nickname: The Hawkeye State Other U.S. States Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Governor Thomas Vilsack Official languages English Area 145,743 km² (26th)  - Land 144,701 km²  - Water 1,042 km² (0. ...

Potter did not get along with Frank Burns. When Frank said he loved being in Korea, Potter said that either Burns or Klinger was nuts, and he had to figure out who it was. When Frank Burns finally had a nervous breakdown and was transferred stateside, Potter had arranged to have Major Winchester assigned to the unit. Winchester was a much better surgeon, but at the same time was somewhat pretentious. Winchester was also angry about being assigned to the 4077th, and gotten into a few arguments with Potter as a result. Potter also had to occasionally deal with the intelligence officer Colonel Flagg. Major Franklin Frank Marion Burns was a character in both the M*A*S*H movie and the M*A*S*H television series. ... Major Charles Emerson Winchester III is a principal character on the television series, M*A*S*H, played by David Ogden Stiers. ... Colonel Samuel Flagg is a fictional character on the television series M*A*S*H, played by Edward Winter. ...

After the Korean War

With the armistice declared in Korea, the 4077th was disbanded, and everyone in the unit parted ways as they went on with their respective lives. Col. Potter retired from the military, and went back home to Missouri. At the end of the show, Col. Potter had planned on going home to Mildred and being a semi-retired country doctor.

However, Harry Morgan, William Christopher, and Jamie Farr—the three who voted to continue the series at the end of the 10th season—were invited to star in a spinoff series at CBS. This show, called After MASH, had the three actors reprising their roles from MASH. Dr. Potter was the administrator of a hospital in Missouri. Father Mulcahy, after becoming deaf in one ear, was now the hospital's Catholic chaplain. And Max and Soon-Lee Klinger, after experiencing discrimination in Toledo, moved to the area so that Max could take a job as Potter's assistant. William Christopher (born October 20, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor who is most well-known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Categories: People stubs | 1932 births | People from Illinois ... Jamie Farr (born July 1, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio), birth name Jameel Joseph Farah, is an American television and film actor who is best known for playing the role of Corporal Maxwell Klinger in the 1970s and 80s US television sitcom, M*A*S*H. He had a supporting role... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... AfterMASH was a situation comedy that ran for two seasons (1983-1985) on CBS. A spin-off of the long-running hit series M*A*S*H, AfterMASH took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel...

Gary Burghoff reprised his role as Radar for a two part show on his wedding. Edward Winter also reprised his role as Col. Flagg in a guest role. But without the majority of the cast or the writers from the original series, the show was never as popular as MASH was, and CBS decided to cancel the series after only two seasons. See also Corporal Walter (Radar) OReilly M*A*S*H (TV series) M*A*S*H (movie) W*A*L*T*E*R External link Gary Burghoff: Legendary actor and intense painter of wildlife Categories: People stubs | 1943 births | Connecticut natives | American actors | United States musicians | Jazz drummers | United... Edward Winter (June 3, 1937 in Ventura, California - March 8, 2001 in Woodland Hills, California) was an American actor perhaps most well-known for his role as the Military Intelligence officer, Colonel Flagg on the television series M*A*S*H. Although Winter only appeared in six episodes as Flagg...

External links

• Finest-Kind.net - M*A*S*H website with character profile
• Best Care Anywhere - M*A*S*H website with character profile