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Encyclopedia > Radar O'Reilly
M*A*S*H character
Radar
Rank Corporal, 2nd Lieutenant (as in "Lt. Radar O'Reilly")
Gender Malehair=Brown
Hair color {{{hair}}}
Eye color Hazel
Home city Ottumwa, Iowa, USA
Film portrayer Gary Burghoff
Television portrayer Gary Burghoff
First appearance M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors
Last appearance W*A*L*T*E*R

Corporal “Radar” O’Reilly is a fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, the film, the television series, the television movie, W*A*L*T*E*R, and two episodes of the series, After M*A*S*H. The character was portrayed by Gary Burghoff in both the film and on television — the only actor from the film to reprise his role on television, aside from G. Wood as General Hammond. M*A*S*H title screen from the television series M*A*S*H was a media franchise active, in various forms, from 1968 to 1986. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the military rank. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... The shield and spear of the Roman god Mars, which is also the alchemical symbol for iron, represents the male sex. ... Ottumwa (pronounced Uh-tuhm-wa) is a city in Wapello County, Iowa. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... MASH is a 1970 satirical American dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman and based on the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. ... Gary Burghoff as Walter Radar OReilly. ... Gary Burghoff as Walter Radar OReilly. ... M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, the original novel that inspired the M*A*S*H movie and TV series, was written by Richard Hooker, himself a former military surgeon, and was about a U.S. mobile army surgical hospital in Korea during the Korean War. ... W*A*L*T*E*R was a pilot for a spin-off of M*A*S*H made in 1984 that was never picked up. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... M*A*S*H title screen from the television series M*A*S*H was a media franchise active, in various forms, from 1968 to 1986. ... M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, the original novel that inspired the M*A*S*H movie and TV series, was written by Richard Hooker, himself a former military surgeon, and was about a U.S. mobile army surgical hospital in Korea during the Korean War. ... M*A*S*H is a 1970 satirical American dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman, based extremely loosely on the novel written by Richard Hooker. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the... W*A*L*T*E*R was a pilot for a spin-off of M*A*S*H made in 1984 that was never picked up. ... 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 as Walter Radar OReilly. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... George Wood (December 31, 1919–July 24, 2000) was an American film and television actor. ...


In the Richard Hooker novels, Radar's full name is given as J. Robespierre O'Reilly, while on the TV series it is Walter Eugene O'Reilly. (He is simply "Radar O'Reilly" in the film.) In the film his best friend is Lt. Col Blake. H. Richard Hornberger (February 1, 1924 – November 4, 1997) was an American writer and surgeon, born in Trenton, New Jersey, who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. ...

Contents

About the character

The novel establishes that Radar was from Ottumwa, Iowa, and literally dreamed of joining the Army right after high school. He was endowed with extra-sensory perception, appearing at his commander’s side before being called and finishing his sentences. He also had super-human hearing, able to hear incoming helicopters before anyone else. It was these abilities which earned him the nickname, "Radar." Ottumwa (pronounced Uh-tuhm-wa) is a city in Wapello County, Iowa. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... Extra-sensory perception (ESP) is defined in parapsychology as the ability to aquire information by paranormal means. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ...


His father, who had been 63 when Radar was born, was deceased. Radar's mother, Edna, lived on the family farm, and his uncle Ed helped out on the farm and served as his father figure.


According to the beginning of the novel, Radar joined the Army in hopes of becoming successful in the Signal Corps, but was assigned to be an orderly in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (M*A*S*H) instead. Branch insignia of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, representing Myers Wigwag The U.S. Army Signal Corps was founded in 1860 by United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, a physician by training. ... The Mobile Army Surgical hospital (MASH) refers to a United States Army medical unit serving as a fully functional hospital in a combat area of operations. ...


Changes

On television, Radar's character started off worldly and sneaky, a clerk who carried with him at all times a pocketful of passes for any potential scam that might arise. At one point, he tried to mail home a Jeep, piece by piece. (Hawkeye commented that once Radar's mailman found out, he'd have a retroactive hernia.) He was known for his tremendous appetite for heaping portions of meat. He was also not averse to drinking Col. Blake's brandy and smoking his cigars when the colonel was off-duty. This character was apparently not wholly to the writers' liking, and he became a naïve and trusting farm boy, a vegetarian, and cigars and strong liquor made him ill or dizzy. His favorite beverage was Grape Nehi (non-alcoholic). In "The Novacaine Mutiny", it is revealed that Radar won $300 from Sgt. Zale in a poker game. For other uses, see Jeep (disambiguation). ... Look up hernia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An advertisement for Nehi soda on a matchcover Nehi (pronounced , like knee high) is an American, flavored soft drink. ...


Relationship with others

Radar was often portrayed as a friendly, but very young man from the Midwest. As a symbol of how young this man was when he got to Korea, he slept with a teddy bear. He related well to children and sometimes spent time with the Korean orphans in the area. He was a virgin and very naïve around matters of love, making him an occasional romantic target of the camp's nurses. The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ... In Roman times, Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate or they were punished by death. ...


Cpl. O'Reilly had a rough start as clerk at the 4077th, where it seemed he couldn't do anything right. The unit's commander, Lt. Col. Henry Blake, took him under his wing. Eventually, the young man became an excellent clerk, often balancing out Lt. Col. Blake's occasional silliness, with the near-magical abilities to get whatever the unit needed. Throughout much of the series, he was more or less the glue that held the 4077th together, keeping the unit running like a well-oiled machine. See also Henry Arthur Blake. ...


Blake and Radar grew very close, and it was Radar who tearfully announced Blake's death over the Sea of Japan. While Radar needed some time to adjust to the new Col. Potter, he eventually became very close to Potter as well. Radar was very fond of animals and raised several during his duty at M*A*S*H. For Col. Potter's anniversary, Radar gave him a horse that he, Pierce and B.J. Hunnicutt rescued. Col Potter refers to the horse as a male during this episode. Throughout the rest of the series, however, the horse (referred to by name, Sophie) is a mare. The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, Korea and Russia. ... Colonel Sherman T. Potter was a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television show. ... Captain B.J. Hunnicutt (played by Mike Farrell) is a fictional character in 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. ... 13 year old Peruvian Paso mare A broodmare and foal In English, a mare (an old Germanic word) is a female horse; the word is also an etymological root of marshal (originally marescalcus horse servant). Mares are considered easier to handle than males, which are called stallions or after castration...


Radar idolized Hawkeye Pierce, but the two had a falling out after Radar was injured during a trip to Seoul, where Hawkeye convinced him to go to lose his virginity. Overwhelmed by shock and guilt, Hawkeye spent a night binge-drinking, then had to leave the O.R. (which he'd never had to do before) the next day to throw up. When Radar questioned Hawkeye about this, Hawkeye blew up, "To hell with your Iowa naïveté... and while we're at it, the hell with you! Why don't you grow up... you ninny!" When Hawkeye returned to apologize, Radar's response was, much to the horror of the nurses, "Oh yeah? Well, you can forget it. Just forget it! To hell with me, huh? To hell with you! How do you like that?!" and then threatened to punch Hawkeye if he ever said anything bad about Iowa again. The two made up later at Col. Potter's prompting, and afterward their relationship was on more of an equal footing, with Radar outgrowing his hero worship. Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce is the lead fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series. ... Short name Statistics Location map Map of location of Seoul. ...


Radar's short stature was a frequent source of humor during his tenure, with Hawkeye and the other doctors teasing him for his lack of height. At one point, Radar actually bought shoes that came with lifts so that he could appear taller. The shoes almost made him eye level with Major Frank Burns. For other characters named Burns, see Burns (disambiguation). ...


As company clerk, his duties included passing on mail, messages and information to various camp personnel resulting in being the constant victim of "shooting the messenger" whenever it was bad news. This occurred numerous times with almost everybody ranging from waking Hawkeye to tell him that he's wanted somewhere where Hawkeye would verbally threaten him i.e. "I'll nail your tongue to your nose!" to informing Major Houlihan some bad news about her husband to where she would physically assault him. Shooting the messenger is a phrase describing the act of lashing out at the (blameless) bearer of bad news. ...


Radar was portrayed as being an accomplished drummer and pianist, but a lousy bugler. He did a very good impersonation of John Wayne. For other persons named John Wayne, see John Wayne (disambiguation). ...


Under Col. Potter, his scrounging and semi-legal activities are strongly curtailed, seemingly out of respect for his commanding officer.


Radar's given first name is revealed in the Season 4 episode "Quo Vadis, Captain Chandler?", when he asks a disturbed patient (who believes he is Jesus Christ) to bless his teddy bear. The patient complies, then blesses "Radar", who answers him "I'm Walter." Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...


His name was revealed to the other members of 4077th during the viewing of a home movie sent by his mother, who addressed it to Walter (and says "I love you, Walter" to the camera). When Radar confirmed that this was his given name, Hawkeye Pierce suggested that he "give it back." Look up Appendix:Most popular given names by country in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce is the lead fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series. ...


The only M*A*S*Her to address Radar by his real name was Major Winchester, as they said goodbye when Radar went home: "The best to you in your bucolic endeavors." "The same to you, sir." "Thank you, Walter." Major Charles Emerson Winchester III is a principal character on the television series, M*A*S*H, played by David Ogden Stiers. ...


Leaving M*A*S*H

In the first three seasons of M*A*S*H, Gary Burghoff was in every episode of the season. After season three, doing the series became a strain on the actor's family life, and had his contract changed to only doing 13 episodes per season out of the usual 24 (during these times, the character of Radar was usually on R&R). By season 7, Burghoff started experiencing burn-out and decided it was time to move on, despite co-star Mike Farrell trying to persuade him to stay on the grounds that his career would not recover. Because of that, the producers originally planned to end season 7 with Radar leaving, but CBS didn't want to do that. Instead they wanted Burghoff to come back during season 8 to do a special 2-part goodbye show. Mike Farrell (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the popular television series M*A*S*H (1975-83). ...


In these two episodes, Radar was given a hardship discharge after his Uncle Ed died so that he could go home and help out on the farm. When the unit is in dire straits because they have no working generators, Radar decides that the 4077th needs him more than his mother does. Pierce and Potter try to convince Radar that he is making a mistake, but it takes Klinger's swindling a generator from supply to convince him that the 4077th will survive without him. Just as a farewell party for Radar is about to start, a helicopter of wounded soldiers arrives, immediately cancelling the party. The unit has no time to waste, but they manage to say their goodbyes to Radar. As Radar looks inside the main tent from the window, Hawkeye looks up at him and gives him a farewell salute. Radar salutes back. As a way of saying that Radar came to Korea as a boy and went home a man, he left his teddy bear behind, (as Dr. Sidney Freedman predicted he would in the episode "War of Nerves"), leaving it with Hawkeye. (The first cast member of M*A*S*H to be hired, Gary Burghoff was the fourth and last to leave, following the departures of McLean Stevenson and Wayne Rogers in 1975, and Larry Linville in 1977.) A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from his or her obligation to serve. ... Maxwell Q. Klinger is a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television series played by American actor Jamie Farr. ... In the television series M*A*S*H, Dr. Sidney Theodore Freedman, played by Allan Arbus, is a psychiatrist frequently summoned in cases of mental health problems. ... War of Nerves is an episode from the TV series M*A*S*H. It was the fourth episode of the sixth season and originally aired October 11, 1977. ... McLean Stevenson (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) (full name Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. ... Wayne M. Rogers (born April 7, 1933, Birmingham, Alabama) is an American film and television actor, best known for playing the role of Trapper John McIntyre in the long-running U.S. television series, M*A*S*H. He succeeded Elliott Gould, who had played the character in the movie... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Larry Linville (September 29, 1939 – April 10, 2000) was an American actor. ... Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ...


In the 1984 television movie, W*A*L*T*E*R, Radar moves to St. Louis, Missouri, leaving Ottumwa, Iowa, and the "Radar" nickname behind (now just being known as Walter O'Reilly), and joins the police department. Set in the mid-1950s, his mother had died recently, and he had sold the family farm. In St. Louis, his gentle manner and resourcefulness make him good at dealing with the public. However, the show was never picked up as a regular series. This article is about the year. ... W*A*L*T*E*R was a pilot for a spin-off of M*A*S*H made in 1984 that was never picked up. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Ottumwa (pronounced Uh-tuhm-wa) is a city in Wapello County, Iowa. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...


Richard Hooker's series of M*A*S*H novels depicts a different postwar fate for the character: Radar becomes a multimillionaire tycoon by parlaying a chain of fast food Irish stew parlors into the "ROR Corporation". Fast food is food prepared and served quickly at a fast-food restaurant or shop at low cost. ...


Teddy Bear

Radar's teddy bear had originally been found on the set by one of the actors. Throughout the series, Radar was known for sleeping with a teddy bear. This was added by the creators to symbolize Radar's youth and naïveté; it was also the source of several jokes throughout the series, which collectively formed a recurring joke in itself. In the second-to-last episode, "As Time Goes By", Hawkeye added the teddy bear to a time capsule with several other items from the camp, to commemorate those who came over as boys, and went home as men. On July 29, 2005, the teddy bear used in the series was sold at an auction for $11,800. is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...


Decorations

This article is about the military rank. ... For other meanings see Purple Heart (disambiguation). ... The Korean Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by order of President Harry Truman. ... The United Nations Service Medal is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950. ... Ribbon for the National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ...

Trivia

  • In Fade in fade out the first episode of season 6 col. Potter offers Radar a cigar. Radar expresses an aversion to smoking and gets sick on the cigar. this would seem strange when in several earlier episodes radar smoked quite frequently including the episode chief surgeon who when radar tells a general that he enjoys smoking col. Blake's cigars.
  • In 1/8 Radar wears on his dress uniform Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal-however when he wears this unifrom again in several other episodes-such as Hawkeye Pierce's pre-courtmartial hearing and when Radar goes home-these decorations are never shown on his uniform again. Also this episode has Radar in his green fatigue uniform shirt buttoned up; in later epsiodes it is usually unbuttoned exposing his undershirt.
  • Stargate SG-1 features a bespectacled NCO who is frequently responsible for keeping the show's main characters in operation, USAF Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman, played by Gary Jones. He was given the first name "Walter" in season four, which is generally assumed to be an homage to O'Reilly.
  • Radar was only in his late teens, but Gary Burghoff himself was almost 30 at the time the series began. Audiences were generally fooled by his short stature, boyish appearance, and prepubescent voice (so long as they disregarded his gradually receding hairline in later seasons).
  • Gary Burghoff's left hand is slightly (but visibly) deformed, which would ironically make him unfit for military service. This was sometimes covered up in the series by Radar holding a prop such as a clipboard in that hand or simply putting it in his pocket, while at other times the deformity is easily visible. Furthermore in an early episode when Trapper John loses Hawkeye's "long Johns" underwear to Radar in a poker game, Hawkeye rants about how Radar is 4 feet 11 inches tall and asthmatic-either one of which would have also made Radar unfit for military duty.
  • Having played the character in the feature film, the television series, and two of its spin-offs, Gary Burghoff is the only actor to portray Radar. Trapper John, M.D. is the only version or spin-off of M*A*S*H in which Burghoff does not appear (although he is referred to in the opening lines of the pilot episode).
  • O'Reilly Media maintains a blog about new technologies entitled O'Reilly Radar [1].
  • Burghoff also played Mrs. O'Reilly in one episode in a home movie, dressing in drag.
  • Burghoff was also the first adult actor to appear nude from the rear on broadcast television. In the episode, "The Sniper", Burghoff's towel fell off too early, revealing his bare buttocks for a noticeable amount of time.
  • In an early episode Hawkeye and Trapper John discover that Radar is sending a Jeep home piece by piece-Hawkeye comments about how Radar will become a future car salesman; another time Radar goes around camp selling wing-tip shoes; however in the episode where Radar goes home, he goes back to being a farmer-instead of a salesman.

The Korean Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military and was created in November 1950 by order of President Harry Truman. ... The United Nations Service Medal is an international military decoration which was established by the United Nations on December 12, 1950. ... Ribbon for the National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ... Big Bird finds Ernie in a game of Journey to Ernie. ... Sesame Street is an American educational childrens television series for preschoolers and is a pioneer of the contemporary educational television standard, combining both education and entertainment. ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Teddy bear (disambiguation). ... Thurston Howell III was the name of a character on the 1960s television show Gilligans Island. ... For the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) video game, see The Adventures of Gilligans Island. ... Stargate SG-1 (often abbreviated as SG-1) is a science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. ... NCO may mean: a numerically-controlled oscillator in electronics a non-commissioned officer in the military   This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Chief Master Sergeant is the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Master Sergeant, and is a non-commissioned officer. ... For other uses of this name see Walter Harriman (disambiguation). ... Gary Jones at Gatecon Gary Jones (born January 4, 1958 in Swansea) is a Welsh-born actor best known for his recurring role as Sgt. ... Asthma is an immunological disease which causes difficulty in breathing. ... Trapper John, M.D. was a television medical drama and spinoff of the film MASH, and ran on CBS from September 23, 1979 to September 4, 1986. ... M*A*S*H title screen from the television series M*A*S*H was a media franchise active, in various forms, from 1968 to 1986. ... Programming Perl is a classic OReilly book. ... Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce is the lead fictional character in the M*A*S*H novels, film, and television series. ... Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan was a fictional nurse who always drinks, never smokes, first created in the book M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker. ... Father John Patrick Francis Mulcahy is a principal character from the film M*A*S*H, played by Rene Auberjonois, and the television series, played by William Christopher. ... M*A*S*H is an American television series developed by Larry Gelbart, inspired by the 1968 novel M*A*S*H: A Novel About Three Army Doctors by Richard Hooker (penname for H. Richard Hornberger) and its sequels, but primarily by the 1970 film MASH, and influenced by the... M*A*S*H is a 1970 satirical American dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman, based extremely loosely on the novel written by Richard Hooker. ... For other uses, see Jeep (disambiguation). ... The automobile salesman (or salesperson) is one of many sales professions. ...

Quotes

  • [repeated line, announcing helicopters bringing wounded from a far distance] "Choppers..."
  • "I'm afraid he's doing some very important sleeping for the Army right now."
  • "Ah, Bach!" (Love Story)
  • "Listen, buddy, we're a hospital! How would you like it if we fired patients at you?" (Bombed)
  • "I have a message... Lt. Colonel Henry Blake's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan... It spun in. There were no survivors." (Abyssinia, Henry)
  • "I've looked everywhere except the nurses' showers. Oh no, sir, I couldn't look in there, there might be naked female personnel showering with their clothes off!" (The Abduction of Margaret Houlihan)
  • "I don't think this place is turning out to be that great an experience for me. I mean, I work under terrible pressure and everything, and there's a lot of death and destruction and stuff, but outside of that I don't think I'm really getting much out of it." (Fallen Idol)

External links

  • Finest-Kind.net - M*A*S*H website with character profile
  • Best Care Anywhere - M*A*S*H website with character profile
Preceded by
unknown (interim)
Company Clerk Of MASH 4077
1972–1979
Succeeded by
Maxwell Klinger
M*A*S*H Portal

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Since 1978, O'Reilly has been a chronicler and catalyst of leading-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future.
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