Mike Farrell gives decent men enough character to keep them from becoming dull company. We rate his quiet contribution to MASH* highly, especially when the programme lets him get on with it rather than delivering another lecture.
Fi1m perspective
In MASH* (1972), Mike Farrell's B. J. Hunnicutt offers the sort of quiet company an ensemble needs if it is to sustain more than jokes. He plays decency without making every exchange an occasion to demonstrate it. We were moved by his dealings with the other characters, because the tenderness comes through without a speech telling us why it matters. That restraint is a substantial reason to spend time with the programme, even when its humour has dated.
Farrell joined the programme in 1975 and stayed for eight seasons. His family-minded B. J. fits alongside Harry Morgan's steady Sherman Potter and David Ogden Stiers's intelligent, argumentative Charles Winchester. These are different kinds of reasonable men, and Farrell makes the quieter one worth attending to. With Alan Alda leading them, the ensemble lets people become more complicated than the joke that first introduced them.
Farrell also wrote and directed episodes, with Alda a writing partner. His involvement in script development included a concern for keeping B. J.'s behaviour consistent. That is useful work in a long-running comedy, where a character can be pushed into doing whatever supplies the next joke. It also suits an actor whose effect depends on our growing familiar with a person, rather than being surprised by a new display each week.
The reservation is that MASH* sometimes insists on delivering the lesson after its actors have already made the point. Farrell's reasonable, family-minded character could easily encourage that habit, but the performance is more persuasive when kindness emerges through ordinary dealings. We prefer those exchanges to the programme's occasional lectures. Its dated jokes are another caveat, rather than a reason to dismiss an ensemble this carefully played.
Later work included producing Patch Adams (1998). After years of resisting another series, he returned to a leading television role as Dr. James Hansen in Providence (1999). We would still begin with B. J. Give him time among the others; his contribution is easier to miss if we only listen for the punchlines.
Biography
Mike Farrell is an American actor best known for playing Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series MASH* (1975–1983). He also wrote five episodes and directed four during his time on the show.
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1939, Farrell began his career with small film roles and television appearances, including a regular part on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. He later starred in the series Providence (1999–2002) and served as a producer on the film Patch Adams (1998).
Farrell has made guest appearances in series including Desperate Housewives, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Supernatural. He is also known for his work as an activist.
